[CR]Seatpost or frozen stem removal made easy

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme:2007)

From: "JOE HUGHES" <rotab@msn.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:18:48 -0700
Subject: [CR]Seatpost or frozen stem removal made easy

When faced with a frozen seatpost or stem is is easiest to remove with Coca Cola. Remove the BB and invert frame. Remove pinch bolt for seatpost. Tape around the seat cluster/post junction to prevent Coke leakage. You need to pour one Coke, reuglar in red can only, down into the seat tube of inverted frame. Let sit for 24 hours. Dump Coke and repeat. This may take up to 10-12 days but has never failed. Coke Red Can is only one that works. NOT Pepsi, or diet or any sissy versions. Each day while changing Coke try to twist the seatpost with some cheap junk saddle on it. You may Kroil at this time from the top but I have found Kroil to be fairly useless unless heat is applied with propane torch. Once the offending piece turns at all, keep turning and spray some Kroil in at that point. You may wish to put post in vice and really hork on it if you don't mind ruining the seatpost. Works same on stem with inversion, tape and loosen any locknuts on headset and remove expander bolt/wedge and tape bolt hole too. One must be patient. I have had to pour Coke in through a water bottle braze on before and that even worked after 10 days. If you are able to change Coke every 12 hours this will speed things up by about %30. This is all way easier on a frame that is stripped of all parts except the stuck ones. Make a cheap rear end stiffener/bracket out of all thread with 4 nuts and 4 washers to keep rear dropouts from flexing about while getting neanderthal on it. %100 success rate over 30 years. P.S. Cutting out frozen Dura Ace BBs is another story and fugly compared to Coke. We see it all the time. Ditto frozen Campy BBs but that is mere flange/chisel session to relieve pressure and hork in a Tacx BB tool and they come right out. Nothing is
anything after you
done it a few times.
Joe Hughes
Denver, CO