Originally Posted by ls01

So my 16 Tarmac is finally noise free. No more random tick, tick tick sounds. Turns out it was the seat post/internal (infernal) clamp. Last Thursday I had a little time before the ride so I pulled it apart to service it in a desperate attempt to make it stop. However. When the seat post came out the clamp went in...as in ,into the seat tube. Then when I flipped it upside down only half came out. The wedge portion went up the seat tube into the head tube. And while manipulating the bike it finally came to rest in the top tube. No matter what I did it went the wrong way. Then it got stuck in the top tube. I shook it and bounced it. Finally after about 10 minutes it came free and I hot it back into the head tube. But it wouldn't drop into the down tube. SO I had to pull the stem and drop the fork. Plop, there it is. I'm completely sweated through my kit by this time and getting grease everywhere from my over serviced headset. I fought with the post clamp for a half hour. Then it hit me. Lay the bike on its side. Insert the wedge and bolt parts , slide the post in. Stand it up and finish. Worked the first time. No more noise.