Let GO, Monkey!

[MacGyver]

Here's the deal. My Karate Monkey will not relinquish it's deathgrip on my my seatpost. I discovered this two days ago when I was installing new tires and decided that I should hit the inside of the frame with some framesaver while I was working on the bike.

A little background. I dumbly installed quite a long seatpost in this frame about a year and a half ago, so long so that it hit the bend in the seat tube that the Karate Monkey has. The seat height I needed was just a few hairs up from this position, so I set it and clamped it up.

What I've tried. Twisting, turning, pulling, prying, and even a hydraulic carjack gently between the seat rails and toptube. I also did the overnight soak with ammonia in the seat tube to cut any oxide that may have formed, iced it down for 3 hours to cold soak it, and iced it down for another 2 hours to cold soak it again then shock heated the seat tube with boiling water.

My fear is that the seatpost managed to slip down a few thousandths and press fit itself into the beginning of the bend in the seat tube. Is that possible? Ever happen to anyone else?

If I ever get it out, I'm cutting inches off it just to be safe.

I'm about at the point where I'm willing to sacrifice the post (Thomson), but I'm worried about losing the frame from either hacksaw damage or not being able to get the post out totally. The seat position is pretty good as it sits, but I would like to be able to raise the seat just a bit, and knowing that it's stuck in that position will just plain bug the hell out of me.

Any help/ideas or ideas appreciated! Thanks in the advance!

[hairygrump]

Have you tried heating the seat tube just a little bit with a propane torch?

Both times I've had seatposts horribly stuck that's done me okay. You don't need to heat it up too much... not enough to burn the paint or anything. Just warm it up and expand it that little bit that'll convince it to let go.

[rockhound]

1. Replace the saddle with something longer to act as a longer lever arm.

2. Turn it upside down and fill it with PB Blaster...let it sit over night. (must be PB Blaster, not cheap crap)

3. Light amount of torch on the frame.

[MacGyver]

1. Replace the saddle with something longer to act as a longer lever arm.

2. Turn it upside down and fill it with PB Blaster...let it sit over night. (must be PB Blaster, not cheap crap)

3. Light amount of torch on the frame.

I've been hesitant to go the torch route since I could possibly inflict damage pretty quickly; I'm not too worried about the paint if that gets burned off but heat treating the steel kind of worries me. But then again I'd have to heat it until it's like glowing red to do damage?

Either way, looks like I'll stop off at the hardware store tomorrow and pick up some metal rods to clamp where the rails normally go, some PB Blaster (never heard of that before, but looked it up and it seems pretty boss), and a propane torch.

Hopefully I won't do any damage, but I'll gladly live with some paint burn if it gets the post out.

[sscooley]

If you get the whole assembly real cold, then heat the seat tube (not the seat post), that might well work. Smaller post, larger seat tube. I don't think I'd be to happy to be applying flame anywhere near PB Blaster, though. An electric heat gun, which is just a hair dryer on steroids, might be a better option.
I had to resort to the saw on a very old Stumpjumper Pro I was given, and it worked though not flawlessly. Here's hoping it doesn't come down to that for you...

[rockhound]

If you're scared of the flame, how about an air chisel to the bottom of the seatpost head...that oughta do it.

[prevail]

I had a frozen seat post once before (in a crazy rush, I put ice wax down the seat tube to get the seatpost down really far for my old lady friend to ride it. I neglected to move it for a long time and the wax hardened and kept my seat post down).

I clamped a really long monkey wrench on the seat clamp and I spun the seatpost while a buddy pulled the frame away. Eventually it came loose.

Good luck

[spoketurner]

In the past @ the shop I work for we used Coca-Cola.
It dissolves the oxidation. best to take out the bb and turn the bike over.

[S. cerevisiae]

Loads of PB'laster, pipe wrench, and a friend or vise. Twist away on the seat post (you probably need a new one anyway).

Torch-wrenching should be a last resort given the paint. Works wonders on stuck truck lug nuts.

[tryandgetme]

But then again I'd have to heat it until it's like glowing red to do damage?


If you don't raise it higher than the point where the paint is burning off, you're not getting anywhere near damaging temper. Are monkey's even heat treated?

[tryandgetme]

I clamped a really long monkey wrench on the seat clamp and I spun the seatpost while a buddy pulled the frame away. Eventually it came loose.

Good luck

I did the same thing when a friend brought me a bike where someone had hammered in a seat post that was a size or two too big. Took lots of muscle, but if you get it turning, you've already won. Just keep squirting a penetrating oil down there and keep turning while pulling out and it'll eventually come out.

[phlatlander]

Seems there's one of THESE (http://www.errolmorris.com/commercials/miller/miller_coldwrench.html) for every situation...

[MacGyver]

Seems there's one of THESE (http://www.errolmorris.com/commercials/miller/miller_coldwrench.html) for every situation...

Now that's funny. Last night as I was wrenching on the post with about 3 feet of barstock clamped in the clamp, I said the next beer I have would be the beer where I declare that "Victory is mine!" I didn't get my beer last night.

It's getting to the point of writing off the seatpost as a loss; the torquing with the barstock started to crush some of the aluminum where the clamp sits on the post.

Tryandgetme, it's good to know that you were able to get out a hammered-in seatpost, because essentially I think this is what happened with my seatpost, so it gives me hope that all is not lost yet.

Onto the bench vise and other more destructive means of applying torque to the post. Got me a torch too, by the way.

[tryandgetme]

yeah in situations like this you're pretty much going to expect you'll never use that seatpost again. The one I got out that was hammered in ended up being flat at the top where I clamped onto it with huge gashes where the pipe wrench bit in. Couldn't have reused it if I wanted to. The head broke off in the first 4 seconds with the 3 foot pipe wrench, so don't despair if it does. If you can get it rotating even the slightest bit, just kinda rotate slightly one way, then the other way, working in the oil until you can rotate it a little more freely. Repeat, have a beer, repeat, have another beer.