Hi guys im new on the forum this is the first bicycle forum i have signed upto. I recently got mad into cycling and bicycles. I purchased a stumpjumper comp carbon from my lbs in november last year which i absolutely love ! How ever i have a really bad problem, hopefully some people on here may know. I went to remove my seatpost from my bike the other night and to my horror the seatpost was completely stuck solid, almost as if it had been welded into place. My seatpost is aluminium but the frame is carbon fibre. Im scared to use force incase i break the frame. I visited the GIANT shop close to me and one of the guys in there told me there is a company online that specialise in reversing aluminium oxidization. If any of you guys know of this or can help me out with any ideas, that would be great, thanks.

try the multi tool with the wooden handle and the big metal head (hammer 😀 )

bit of wd40 around the seat post, leave to drain down the seat tube over night and take the seat off. cover the top of the seat post with a block of wood and Tw#t it. then mole grip/vice the post out.

if that doesnt work, take it back to the shop and let them sort it,,,,,,,,, and make sure thay dont fob you off, if the frame is bent/badly finished then demand a replacemant/refund.

OOPS/EDIT, just re-read post. ive no experiance with carbon frames so take it back to the shop and let them sort it,,,, but,,, as above,,, dont let them fob you off if its not within tolerance demand .refund/replacemnt.

OOPS/EDIT 2, try the molegrip/vice method but dont tw*t it and then take it back to the shop.

im here all week 😯

Go full on with the wd40 too. Spray it well leave for a while then spray some more.

Yeh tried the WD man. Im scared to **** it or get vicious with it incase the alloy takes the carbon seat tube with it. Its a bit of a shitty situation to be honest. The shop are out of ideas also. Specialized have offered me the s works frame on crash replacement. So for £600 plus my frame they will send me out the s works frame, im not really sure what to do…

WHAAAATTTTT frame should be under warrenty, dont take any shoite. down load template letter off citizens advice/consumer rights stating product is not fit for the purpose it was design for and the product should last a reasonable amount of time.

then, watch them jump.

out of interest what bike shop did you buy it off,,,, just so as i can avoid in future 🙄

Similar situ’ here, along with potential (slightly desperate) solution. Good luck with it.

http://www.lfgss.com/thread22148.html

You think they should cover it under warranty because the seatpost is stuck ? I bought it from Formby Cycles. Ive been emailing specialized and they wont replace on warranty only through crash replacement. Ive also noticed a crack in the top tube aswell ive had the bicycle since november. So 6 months on and my £2000 stumpy has come to end and now they want a further £600 to replace it !!

Hmm.. If there is a crack in the top tube & it’s NOT been caused by crash damage, then Specialized should replace the frame F.O.C under warranty I should have thought.

Theyre rubbish if im honest. I sent them pictures and they deemed it is crash replacement. I have only ever used the bike on the road, its a joke. Besides i dont like the 2011 frame anyways. Going to maybe freeze the aluminium seat post ? Possibly the metal will contract before the carbon and i can pull it free ? Or maybe heat it up so it goes soft and use a huge wrench to twist it free ?

Have you tried Plus Gas?
It kicks the sh!t outta WD40…

engineering pal of mine stated that plus gas is ok for metal but doesnt really work with oxidised ali and i presume that includes carbon+ali as well, worth a go though.

also worth trying freezing i suppose, you can get some stuff that plumbers use to freeze water in pipes that dont have an isolation valve (dont know what its called sorry) AND heating with boiling water might work BUT,,, ultimately,,,, thats not the point, is it.

a seat post should not stick in a frame. its either the frame that is warped or the seat post is bent (you will be trying a new seat post before ypou start kicking off with LBS wont you ?)

out of interest how many times have you ‘dropped the post’ to the level it is stuck at, has it been an issue before or is this recent ?. it could well be that you have bent your seat post without knowing (is it and uberlight/weak post by any chance ? i know of the issues with SDG i-beams recently)

anyhow, good luck and maybe keep us updated as this is a problem that i havnt heard of before (others might have but not me and im thinking of getting a 456C next year))

if all else fails and to try and avoid specializeds ‘generous’ offer try taking it to a machine shop and ask the to ream the seat tube as their may be a BLOB of loose carbon in the tube causing the problem.

bed time for me. ➡

massive +1 for plus gas.

used it on ‘siezed’ charing bolts off my old roadbike. i was actually speachless at how well and how fast it worked on these bolts that seriously wouldnt budge a few seconds earlier. im sure its a bottle of liquid magic.

sorry if im wrong on the plusgas advise, have only tried it when using a reservior of plusgas on a stuck steel bearing/ali frame combo, soaked for 2 weeks (holiday in garda 😀 ) and didnt make any diff’ engineering pal said it was a waste of time and removed it with a dremel,,,,,, no messing about 8)

still, worth a try.

although,me personaly, i would try ****tting it first in my hamfisted way of approaching problems like this 😉

I used to take the seatpost out every few weeks when cleaning the bike but i havent for a while. Its still in my lbs which is frustrating as i use it to ride to work on. Im going to contact them again today. Maybe theyll just have to cut it out.

If it was me, I’d ignore the seat post and be pressing the issue of the crack in the toptube.

As above – why are you more bothered about the seatpost than the cracked top tube?

How did the tube crack? Is it something you’ve noticed as a small hairline that’s getting worse? Are you sure it’s not cosmetic?
If the bike has been used only on the road, how has it cracked, unless there was a manufacturing defect to start with?

If you get the seatpost out, where does that get you as you still have a cracked frame.

The seat post may have been installed with grease which causes a kind of de lamination or swelling, this means your seat post will be stuck. No a large amount you can do about it. Have you greased your seatpost while cleaning? You can have ago at cutting the seapost off about 1″ above the clamp then using a hacksaw blade down the top of the cut off post and breaking out sections / longitudinal slivers of the post but this is a risky strategy if you cut too deep.

Also the carbon may be damaged resulting in making it very difficult to find a seat post to refit into the frame.

If the seat post is at the correct height for you it may be better off to leave it at that height, but as other have said the crack is more important.

Also when writing thread title consider a title more informative than “help!”. Stuck seatpost for example explains the thread a lot better.

dannyefc1 – Member
Theyre rubbish if im honest. I sent them pictures and they deemed it is crash replacement. I have only ever used the bike on the road, its a joke

Actually they’re not rubbish, as many people can attest to.

So you bought a 2 grand carbon off road race machine just to ride on the road with? I would say that’s the joke, An aluminium pootle about town special for about £300 to £500 probably would’ve served better. ‘LOL’

I havent got the money to replace the frame so i cannot chase this situation up anymore as they will not budge. I sent them pictures and they have deemed it as impact damage. Yes i bought it to ride to work on because i liked the bike and i had the money and i didnt really like road bikes at the time. I havent had good experience so there for i think they are rubbish so far. I will ipload pictures tonight of the crack to see what you guys think, some people have saidnit is just in the paint but others have said it may spread.

I may have sounded harsh earlier but it’s true, 6 months and not one singeltrack experience, sheesh!

Hopefully, something like this video might inspire you to leave the tarmac behind. 😉
[video]http://vimeo.com/17073983[/video]

Haha its ok man ! I dont really know anybody around liverpool who is into bikes like me and i dont know of any good trails to hit ! Going to try some ammonia on the seatpost and ride it unclamped !

Is it turning at all ?
Rubber glove around post, then rag wrapped around glove & a stick, twist till tight & try turning with stick as leverage. Think gentle repetitive action instead of heaving for your life.

Small claims court. I’d not be doing anything like this on a bike bought 6 months ago. Its not fit for purpose. And its the shop who sold it you, let them argue the toss with Specialized.

I know yeah. Ive had numerous other problems to. If i cant get it out im guna have to keep it. Its weighs quite abit though. 275 grams actually. Im just thinking if i keep it will it break over time ? Then i am truly f*cked !

My 2pence:

Have one last go with the shop if they wont swap offer a compromise – the new frame at a big disccount to what they want (c£300 say) or you go for the small claims court. Put it in writing and give them one week.

Getting something out of the shop is the best option, small claims will take some work and time and i wouldnt mess the bike up further while the process is going on. If you cant be bothered with the above then you will have to take your chance.

One idea – can you cut the seat tube and insert a thin diameter tube into the old tube?

The seat post ? I cant cut the tube as its carbon. The post however is alluminium. Its specialized that want the £600. If i do manage to get this out im guessing theres s chance the walls of the frame will be damaged and prevent me from inserting a new seatpost ? I may use some caustic soda … Does anybody know anything about this stuff or wether itll damage carbon.

To clarify,

Small claims would be against the shop so threaten them and you will get something i’m sure.

Soz i did mean cut the seat post and stick a smaller post in the stuck post.

I already have another 2 bicycles on order with em to. I likr the shop and theyve helped mr out alot in the past. If the aluminium stayed in the carbon would it eventually crack ? A smaller seatpost is an option like you said but itd have to be tiny in diameter !

The shop and Spech would sort it out between themselves. Cancel your orders until you get this sorted!

Skinny posts might catch on.

A smaller seatpost is an option like you said but itd have to be tiny in diameter !

You can use an inverse shim.

Whats an inverse shim ? Im thinking wether to just keep the seatpost thats in there but wondering wether itll snap over time.

My lbs has contacted me they are giving me back the frame as they are out of ideas and cannot get the seatpost to budge. They tried taking out the bottom bracket but there is an alloy plug at the bottom of the seat tube which prevents any fluids entering the tube. I am kinda stuck for ideas on how to get it to budge now. Maybe some boiling water might crack it away with the sudden change of temperature. Does anybody know how boiling water might effect the carbon fibre ? Or caustic soda… im not sure on this stuff with the carbon but i know its guaranteed to reverse oxidization of alloy. If all else fails and i cant get the post out how long do you think it will last before it breaks off and takes the carbon with it ? thanks again guys !