-Blanco-

Hi all, I have a big problem with my trek 1000.
I lent it to a "friend" who raised the seatpost and now I can't move it down(or up) at all.
The funny thing is that it rotates perfectly (although stiff) just won't budge up or down.
On further questioning it turns out that when he raised the seat he didn't line it up straight. Later, upon realizing this , instead of simply loosening the seat clamp and adjusting like any normal person, he did the unthinkable-hit it with a hammer until it was inline

so now I'm assuming that the seatpost has sheered inside the frame, either way it won't budge up or down, just rotates with varying degrees of stiffness i.e. it would rotate fine about 30deg then get stiff for the next 60deg rotation then get loose again etc (this further leads me to believe its broken in the frame)

I was planning on selling this bike to fund my mtb but can't in this state. And I can't use it either as the seat is too high for me..

So is there anyway of getting this seat post out of the frame? I'd pretty much try anything at this stage as it's useless to me as is now.. any help appreciated

HillRider

Loosen the clamp bolt fully (if you haven't already) and rap firmly on the underside of the saddle rails with a mallet, alternating front and back. This should eventually drive the seatpost straight up and out of the frame.

Oldpeddaller

With friends like that, who needs enemies!
I had a similar, but entirely self-inflicted problem with a carbon seatpost - I somehow managed to fit a 27.2mm post into a 27mm frame. It would turn a bit from side to side but not go up or down. I took the seat clamp bolt out of the frame completely and mounted an old saddle on the post. I got some slight movement with HillRider's idea - it should have worked, but didn't. I kept spraying the post and clamp area with WD40 then got a strong friend to hold the bike down by the top tube. I poked a four foot wooden broom handle under the back of the saddle and used this as a lever against the side rails of the saddle to turn it from side to side while pulling upwards with my other hand holding the nose of the saddle. It took a heck of a lot of effort and time (over an hour) but gradually the post emerged - a fraction of a millimetre at a time to start with. I kept drenching it in WD-40, used a whole large can in fact. Eventually the whole post came out - no damage whatsoever to the seatpost, frame or saddle - all of which I then had to clean with an alcohol wipe to get rid of the WD40. I may have been really lucky but I'd recommend giving it a try. Good luck!!!

axelwik

Have your "friend" pay to have a bike shop fix it. If the frame is ruined your friend owes you a frame.

-Blanco-

thanks for the replies everyone!!
yes he will be repaying me if worse comes to worse! the guy is an ex bike mechanic actually, it scares me how a shop actually let him work on the publics' bikes..!

Anyway I've tried the mallet...no joy yet! I'm after removing the bb and spraying a load of WD40 in up the seattube, I'm going to let it "soak" for the night and see what i can do tomorrow...

Asian Sensation

i usually dont suggest wd40 on bikes, but i suppose it could work.

sorry to hear, interesting that an ex-bike mechanic would do this!

pyroguy_3

Liquid Nitrogen. Seriously. Or dry ice if it came down to it, but Liquid Nitrogen would be better to be able to pour onto the seatpost. It's already ruined so what could it hurt. The carbon should shrink enough to bang it out of there with a mallet.

You could always tie the seat off to a tree, tie the frame off to a car/truck, and go! Probably a bad idea... good luck.

Wordbiker

I can see why he's an ex-mechanic...

-Blanco-

well I finally got it out! After letting the wd40 soak over night, I put an old saddle on and with the help of a friend, more wd40, another saddle and a really big steel bar I finally got it out! It's not shattered but I defiantly doesn't fit right, I'm not sure if the shop I bought it off put the wrong seatpost in it or used the wrong grease but I'll be investigating further.

Thanks for all the help, and for anyone in the same situation, removing the bb and spraying wd40 up the seat tube was a life saver!

mark9950

Now sand the seatpost a little with a piece of sandpaper a little to clean it up.That will make little scratches in the post to prevent the seat post from sinking.Just sand the area in the frame.