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Serious question, how do you handle a seized seatpost on a steel frame?
Had a customer bring in a 1990s Trek 520 from Portland last month with a seatpost that hasn't moved in years. We tried a bench vise and a cheater bar, but it's not budging. I'm worried about twisting the frame. Has anyone had luck with a specific penetrating oil or a different method for this?
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the_emma4mo ago
2000s Bianchis had some brutal seatpost seizures, but @the_sarah s acetone trick is the only thing that saved a Colnago for me once. Did you try heat from a heat gun on the seat tube collar area first or just go straight to the vise?
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the_sarah5mo ago
Been there with an old steel Bianchi. Penetrating oil needs time, like days of soaking. Try a mix of acetone and ATF, it creeps into the corrosion better. Clamp the seatpost in a vise and use the whole frame as your lever, but go slow with steady pressure. Heat on the seat tube can help a ton, just avoid the lug joints.
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elliot_craig335mo ago
Sarah's acetone and ATF mix is the real deal. You need to let it soak for a few days to really work into the rust. After that, the heat on the seat tube is your best bet to break it free.
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