Heather Bikes

Last week, Jack and Lance helped me get my seatpost out from my IRO.  I am really horrible at maintaining my bikes, so it was no surprise when one day I tried to change out my seatpost and saddle from my IRO and found that the seatpost had seized to the bike frame.  I think I rode it like this for over a year, but recently started having knee pain and attributed this to my saddle being too low.

So I brought my bike over to Squarebuilt and Lance and I tried to get it out.  After it wouldn’t come out with brute force, we decided to soak it overnight with hopes that the liquid would break the corrosion.  He took out the cranks and bottom bracket, we turned it upside down, and poured some Coke and toilet bowl cleaner down the seat tube.  When that didn’t work, the next day we tried PB Blaster, a stronger anti-corrosive we got at Home Depot.  Two days later, it still would not budge.

I had heard that Jack had just gotten his seatpost out, and he agreed to come over to work on mine.

Jack torched the frame for a while.  I’m not sure if it’s the heat that breaks the corrosion, or if aluminum and steel expand at different rates, and that’s what allows the metals to separate.

After it was heated up, Jack started twisting and pulling.  When we first saw it move, we knew he had done it!

Jack cleaned up the inside of the frame with some sandpaper and I am set.

Thanks to Jack and Lance for your help, and I promise I will grease my seatposts now!