The Ultimate Tool to remove Stuck Seatposts from Bike Frames!

[@PhilVandelay]

FAQ: Q: Why not use penetrating oil? A: I did, as shown in the video. Unfortunately It doesn't work in all cases, especially when there's a lot of aluminum oxide, the oil either doesn't penetrate far enough, or doesn't affect the oxide layer. This device was made for the hopeless cases where all the usual methods fail. Q: So how did the carbon post get stuck? A: I'm not 100% sure, but after talking to some people who deal with carbon frames a lot, it seems to be caused by water and dirt that get splashed onto the back of the seatpost by the rear wheel when riding in the rain, and this mixture slowly works itself down the seat tube as everything slightly flexes during pedaling and allows dirt to migrate into the gaps (this happens over weeks, not hours). This seems to happen a lot more often on aero-seatposts than round ones, possibly because of the way that they're clamped. Q: Does it REALLY not damage the frames??? A: No, bike frames are sturdy, and the bottom bracket area takes all of your pedaling force + bodyweight when riding. It takes a LOT to damage a BB shell. None of the frames I worked on showed any signs of damage. I think if a post is stuck enough so that this device damages the frame, there was no hope for that frame anyway, so why not at least try? Q: Does this work with every type of frame? A: Almost, yes. For non-BSA Bottom Brackets, additional adapters have to be made, and frames with setback seattubes (which are rare) aren't ideal for mechanical reasons, but I can't think of many instances where this wouldn't work at all. Q: Why don't you use heat on the posts/frames? A: Aluminum expands almost twice as much as steel when heated, hence heating up the frame is pointless since it'll make the post more stuck. This is debatable, and some people claim the seattube heats up and expands first or that it breaks the bond, but in my personal experience, heat doesn't seem to help much. Q: What's the center hole in the Clamp for? A: This was a feature I included as a last-resort kind of solution. In case the head of the seatpost fails or is already gone, you can use those holes as a drill guide to drill a 6mm hole through the post and then insert a screw through the clamp+seatpost to keep the clamp from sliding up. With severely stuck posts I wouldn't rule out the possibility that the post might tear off at the hole though, hence why it's a "last resort". Q: Can this get out Seatposts when they're cut off? A: Possibly, if there is still enough sticking out to put the clamp on and use the option mentioned in the last question. Q: What about that GT Frame? A: Unfortunately the Post Extractor doesn't work for cases like that. Once it's gotten that far, there are very few options left. I'm determined to save that frame another time though - that probably won't make it to KZbin, but I'll post about it on Insta if I do Q: What about the Pulling Plate that got bent? A: I revised the plans to use thicker materials for that part. I will probably make a thicker pulling plate for my extractor as well, or weld a permanent support to the current plate. That being said, the frame where it bent was the most stuck one I encountered so far. Q: Where did the frames come from? A: They came from a local Bike-Coop / Non Commercial Community Workshop I volunteer at. People donated them because they didn't have any use for them. With the posts removed, they will go back there so someone can hopefully use them! Q: Why not use a motor/hydraulics? A: I thought about it, but it seems rather pointless - the actual "turning the handle" part of the extraction only takes a minute or so, it wouldn't save much time or effort and just complicate things. It's not the kind of thing you use every day, making it slightly faster isn't worth the extra cost and complexity. Q: How hard is it to pull out the posts? Is the device strong enough? A: Actually not that hard. Even with the most extreme case I tried so far, it was still fairly managable to turn the handles. For the easier frames, you can turn it with one hand in the center - almost no resistance. I'm pretty much certain that the maximum force that can be generated with the current threaded spindle setup is also close to the maximum force that an average seatpost or frame can take. I think with the reinforced pulling plate, it's very unlikely that the device itself will be the limitation in extreme cases, I think most seatposts will fail in some way before you reach the maximum pulling force this can generate. Q: Can you build me one/sell me one? A: Unfortunately I'm not set up for production and/or sale for this kind of thing for a number of reasons. Q: I live in your area (Hamburg), can you help me get my post out? A: I can certainly try! You can DM me on Insta

[@janwijbrand]

I like all of your builds! The last item in the FAQ warms my heart! I hope you can help out some people with it!

[@bastieng]

nice build. working 12 years in a bikeshop as a mechanic, 99% of the case the heat trick actually works. the key is to let it cool down before trying to pull the tube out. while your expansion theory is true, key is to let shrink back the difference in expansion actually seems to help break the seized oxyde, trying to pull while hot doesn’t help. repeat expansion and retraction if doesn’t work the first time. don’t hesitate to go quite hot. for the rest 1% this is a good solution. nice video also

[@andreykvv]

for the gt frame I see several options for solving the problem. 1 - make a plug, push it through the BB from below, and screw a long bolt on top and then pull it out with this device. 2 - make a spreading anchor with sharp edges, and pull it out with it. 3 - cut a thread in the seat tube and screw a large bolt. 4. dissolve aluminum with chemicals.

[@thomasbudi2000]

Just my thought on the bent pulling plate. Maybe make 2 of them and put them stack on top of each other with opposite placement? So they form complete circle instead of just one sided and if bolted together will provide even area of pulling. Great device and build👍. Thanks you for saving these frames.

[@moot2046]

How about pouring ice water through the aluminium tube ?

[@ScottHammet]

"...so I prefer to make things a bit more elaborate." Brother, that perfectly sums up why most of us watch.

[@VeloLEV]

I've worked in bike shops for 20 years as a mechanic. When the penetrating oil with mounting the post in the vice didn't work, we usually had to give up. This tool looks amazingly effective. High marks! One trick we used at my shop in San Francisco was dropping dry ice inside the seat post while torching the frame. There happened to be a grocery nearby that sold the dry ice. It was quite effective, but we often still had to use the bench vice.

[@PhilVandelay]

Thanks for confirming that sometimes the oil doesn't work, which is also my experience! There's definitely many solutions other than building a device like this, but if you want to save a lot of frames this one probably ends up being the quickest one, as the time invested pays off more with each frame.

[@therealrobertbirchall]

Did you never think to weld a long steel bar or tube to the seat post? I did that to an old bicycle I found. Trust a farm boy to come up with the answer😅

[@rodneynoriel1528]

Temperature expansion is the most effective. You may not even need to heat the frame heat the post red shot and then cool it immediately. I’ve had stuck stems literally fall out after this.

[@bekincai]

yeah heat is usually one of the best ways to break that rust lock.

[@faustocopious]

I was in the bike business for 37 years and even partner in a Frame shop for 31 of those years. We made all kinds of neat fixtures, but this is the coolest thing I have ever seen! Thanks for doing it. You are a clever lad indeed!

[@Factory051]

There should be one of these in every town.

[@JJJJ-p2t]

Yep... I need it...

[@idabble5880]

You're right, every town should have their own Phil Vandelay

[@Factory051]

@@idabble5880 we've failed, because we don't. 'do you want me to tighten up the brakes'.

[@theorangebaron1595]

The timing is perfect, last month a seized seat post I was removing sheared in half…inside the seat tube. Had to get a reamer and progressively ream out the remaining of the steel seat tube… what a nice tool you have built

[@PhilVandelay]

May I ask how it happened? I'm trying to collect as much information as I can about this problem

[@bmxscape]

fun.. last month i had a aluminum seat post in a steel frame, and the bottom of the seat post had no through-hole so my first idea of cutting it with a sawzall didnt work.(AFTER trying to twist it with a pipe wrench which just crushed the post) i had to dissolve the aluminum post with caustic soda but that actually worked flawlessly and took only like 30 minutes of work to mix up solution and dump it in the frame a few times

[@keirfarnum6811]

@@bmxscape That’s a method I was just mentioning but couldn’t remember the name of the chemical; it’s a viable method for steel frames with seat posts that are not recoverable since it only eats the aluminum. Use anti-seize instead of grease to prevent the problem in the first place. I previously had a stuck post in my Fat Chance Yo Eddy (such perfect tolerances that the post could bounce up and down on the compressed air in the frame without allowing air past the post; i.e., it could block air flow while still moving freely, so it’s no surprise it originally seized up after years of Alaska wet weather riding). I haven’t touched it for 20 years since moving to California, and I just checked it and it’s perfectly fine; moves freely without issue. That anti-seize really worked.

[@bmxscape]

@@keirfarnum6811 grease or anti seize will do the same thing. the problem occurs when no barrier is used

[@soylentgreen326]

@@bmxscapeneat let chemicals do the work ❤

[@ScottBl8ke]

New subscriber here. You totally got me at 34:02 I literally said "No! No! No!" out loud. Thanks for tricking us newbies. Awesome video.

[@PhilVandelay]

Glad to hear it worked 😁

[@h82fail]

lol my eyebrows shot up when I saw him bringing it to the vice.

[@jameshisself7375]

Impressive result. I've dealt with this in the past and having my modest machine shop I refused to just give up. I ended up with a pretty simple jig I used to hold the frame in alignment with the mill spindle and then after cutting the post off square I drilled out the remnant using progressively larger drills. I eased up to the ID of the seat tube and left a thin wall of the seat post which was much weaker and I could then deform the post enough to get some penetrant to soak in and eventually with a little more cutting get it out. Bike is still in service today with a new post! I think for one bike it would be a toss up on how the work compares. But for as many as you have saved yours is definitely the better solution. Well done sir.

[@mughat]

I have successfully removed a few stuck seat posts using a home made slide-hammer. attached by drilling a M10 hole + bolt in the seat post and flat bars on each side connecting the slide-hammer. Thanks for the video.

[@DanKoning777]

I was looking for this comment before reposting something similar. Jolting it free via slide hammer is what I thought of as a first option. A portable version wouldn't be too difficult to come up with-well in theory anyway. 🤔 ;)

[@dacharyzoo]

Slide hammers are such a beautifully non obvious tool, few people even know what they are. I wouldn't be surprised if a well designed slide hammer seat post extractor tool could be 95% as effect as Phil's extractor without stripping down the BB. Take the seat off the post, straddle the frame, and make an upward jerking motion with your hand between your legs, haha. Phil, please please build this and find the answer for us!

[@jcsahnwaldt]

There's a video about this approach: "How To Remove Stuck Seatpost In Minutes With Slide Hammer"

[@jcsahnwaldt]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWTInGV9mr-te5I

[@vidiia]

This is the most satisfying thing I've ever seen.

[@cerealthree]

For any seatposts that are snapped off, as with the GT, an alternative to corrosive chemicals is gallium. It will only affect the aluminium seatpost and the steel frame won't be affected.

[@knibknibknib]

My ritchey is goaning at the tought

[@PRH123]

Where do you get gallium?

[@nzo_6543]

or just use caustic soda just wear ppe

[@freds4703]

@@nzo_6543 I am a chemist and have done this properly. It’s so dangerous that I would not ever do it again and absolutely do NOT recommend that anyone try it despite the “how to” videos you can find on line.

[@PaulJakma]

Brilliant idea that.

[@derfelixxx]

Really got me with the carbon frame in the vice!

[@dtape]

Brilliant. That was a super satisfying video to watch. Now I know how much force it actually takes to remove stuck seatpost. Way more than I expected. But amazing that you succeeded regardless.

[@PhilVandelay]

Yep, it really is hard to get across just how stuck they can be. I expected it to take a lot of force but even I was surprised when it bent a 15mm steel plate

[@soylentgreen326]

The old carbon frame in the vice joke 😂😂😂😂😂

[@dudeonbike800]

Simply fantastic build video. Thank you for posting this. Great solution for so many bicycle frames out there. One could (and SHOULD) argue that reusing an old aluminum seat post that's been corroded & stuck inside a seat tube and THEN wrenched & twisted and THEN extracted with high force should be THROWN AWAY! Al has a limited fatigue life. And believe me, I LOVE re-using stuff whenever possible. But why risk catastrophe over a $25 item? Cut in half and toss. (Our old LBS used to cut up old tires & tubes to eliminate liability involved with people dumpster diving and re-using used, dangerous stuff.) I use a 1 1/2" radial brush for BB shells. It's AMAZING! Much better than the pipe-cleaner brush you're using. It barely fits, but once you get it in, it absolutely reams out the threads so well, they look brand new. Cleaner than after running taps. The second-to-last frame you did was junk BEFORE it even cracked or got a stuck seat post. U-BRAKE FROM HELL! YUCK!!! (I kid. Mostly.) Ha, ha! Got me. I audibly gasped when that vise got near that top tube. Nice one! I'm like you and spent decades getting gross hands while wrenching. Then a friend asked, "Why the hell aren't you using gloves?" From that day forward I've been using and enjoying the benefits of gloves. Wow, to not have gross hands & especially finger nails any more - nor having to use so much hand cleaner that dries out the skin. Nitrile (or similar) gloves are really cheap and totally worth using. Who knows how much VOC load I now have in my body due to not using gloves for so long? Oh, it would be cool to add a tension gauge to the puller so you can have a "Stuck Seat Post Frame Champion!" leader board. After several years, it would be interesting to see what sort of values you get. Oh and at what tension forces cause what sorts of frames to fail. (Easy for me to suggest, as I didn't build the jig!) It appears you did not lubricate the threads & bolt heads of the seat post clamp.* (Or the spindle threads either, but that's another issue.) You'd get lot more clamping force on seat post if you lubricated those bolts. Plus, the apparatus & bolts will last longer if lubricated. *I HATE seeing bike videos where people assemble stuff dry. Drives me crazy. Sure, it MIGHT be for the sake of the video, but it sends the wrong message about bicycle assembly and repair. I've commented on using grease a LOT in comments sections. And sure enough, there is almost invariably at least one know-it-all who chimes in about grease "throwing off torque values," and "But it will loosen up!" and "engineers say you should never grease threads," and blah, blah, blah. They're ALMOST as bad as the "Don't EVER grease square tapers!" zealots!!! (But no quite. They're the WORST!!!!)

[@TimR123]

A beautiful example of a video where I start saying 'do I really want to watch 38min video on this' before getting lured in and enjoying the whole thing. Nice work and good stories

[@andli461]

Fantastic tool and I love that you give the ”unimportant” things some extra thought and care. That’s where a lot of the joy and fun making things come from I think. And on that note, I would add two smalll tubes through the posts at the lower mounting point. Not because it’s really necessary. But because it’s the ”correct way engineering wise”. 😊 Great job!

[@philandminiphil]

Brilliant video Phil. Years ago a solution of 1:4 ratio water to caustic soda was the only way to remove an aluminium seatpost from a steel frame. The process involved cutting the top off the seatpost. Plugging any escape holes and pouring the solution into the seat tube, the solution would eat away at the aluminium 1mm per 24hrs, then tip out the old mix and refill with fresh solution, until the post could be removed a few days later. The only downside was you had to dispose of the waste solution at a specialist site, you couldn't just tip it down the drain!

[@LittlePixelTM]

As someone who had to dissolve out an old alloy seatpost with caustic soda, I applaud this marvel of perfectionist-grade workshop tool making :)

[@steves7896]

Damn, aerospace cleanliness and accuracy for..... bicycles. Love it.

[@I-Have-Fire]

There is a product that I think would help for this problem. It’s called “Corrosion Block”. It was originally developed to clean low voltage electrical connectors. When sprayed on a corroded connector, it foams up like a rootbeer float, completely dissolving the corrosion. As the foam settles down the connector is left with a thin film of hydrophobic oil. It really is a fantastic product. In the US, it can be bought from West Marine. Cheers.

[@finnblackburn9583]

I use an air hammer to extract seatposts, it works fairly well but it's also loud as hell, and takes forever to get the post out once it starts moving, I got a dropper post out with it but it will absolutely destroy the seatpost. This tool is so much better.

[@JaxiPaxified]

That's awesome, great tool. It is indeed very satisfying to watch!

[@DaveMcIver]

Excellent tool Phil. Very well thought out and designed. What makes your channel so appealing. A great solution to rescuing frames that would otherwise be junked.

[@cardboardpig]

"I just want it to look pretty" is a sentiment responsible for increasing the time consumed by my projects by at least 50%.

[@PhilVandelay]

Same! But the satisfaction of doing it "clean" is (almost) always worth it

[@I967]

I just came to youtube to find info on making mudguard flaps and somehow I ended up here. Excellent job, well done! Absolutely worth the effort to make this puller, I applaud you, sir. I don't have a stuck seatpost, but if I ever come across one, I'll know how to deal with it.

[@jiison3104]

The bike seatpost i have, have the same problem. Stuck and couldn't be removed, but my father heated it with a blow torch then pulled it successfully. Thank you for this bright idea.

[@mutos82]

Great tool. You have a good workshop. I would like to do similar things to yours in the future. If I may, I have a few comments. To minimize bending of the top plates and the pin in the buttom bracket, I would narrow the entire tool. I would make the top plates from thicker material. If there was still room, I would use larger size screws. After the first few minutes of watching, I thought you would not be able to slide out those seat posts with your machine - I thought the shock impact or vibration method would be better, but after watching it to the end, I was convinced by the validity of your concept. Best, Michał

[@DjLogomoloChannel]

Oh wow, such a serious tool you made there. For someone who has the same issue with the stuck seatpost but doesn't want to go through the effort of making something like this: you can use a bunch of caustic soda solution and dissolve the seatpost inside the frame. Used that method once, but you'll need to repaint the frame afterwards, as caustic soda dissolves paint and rust as well.

[@kevinchua464]

This is a brilliant build, the gold standard of stick seat post pullers, bravo!

[@the6ig6adwolf]

As a kid, I stuck a way too big seatpost in my bike, and it was very stuck. Dad had to heat up the frame with a blow torch and then used a pipe wrench to remove it.

[@corey_nz]

After watching the instagram clips of these being freed, this video including the build was 110% satisfaction

[@Adones09]

32:12, i was bouncing in my seat, anxious the whole video, just thinking about this the whole time... THANK YOU!

[@dacharyzoo]

@PhilVandelay, please try making a compact slide-hammer version of this tool and see how effective that is vs your extractor. That could be a much more compact and accessible tool, maybe even commercially viable.

[@raceace]

After a years of rusted in seatubes(full of salt), creative shims I've seen my share of welded stuff nightmares, This is a great tool, if you've run out of penetrants, heat, hopelessly long levers and expletives. Much respect. A lot to be said for anodised seat tubes and lithium grease, don't be stingy!!!

[@johnstevenson2405]

In my long-ago shoprat days, dissolving the post with sodium hydroxide was our go-to solution for this problem, but I love the way this mighty device yields a usable seatpost too. I've seen gallium suggested in the comments here. My understanding is that while gallium doesn't dissolve steel, it can make it brittle, which may not be desirable in a bike seat tube.

[@ericalexander2152]

I have had good success with a air hammer/chisel. Use a piece of brass,copper or even scrape piece of steel to protect the seat post. The hammering and vibrations will push the post out. This has worked several times for me.

[@KRasmussen-cg8ux]

If you made your slotted top plate-the one that bent-wider, you could screw a reinforcing side plate on even in those instances when the seat post is too low to permit the use of your original reinforcing side plate. The machine, the machining and the fabrication processes were all wonderful. It’s a great video.

[@rickpaulos]

I pulled a seat post of of a frame using a threaded rod run clear through to the bb. Several washers of just the right size to fit through the seat tube and catch on the bottom of the seat post. Then nuts on the bottom end that fit in through the bb and into the seat tube. That only worked because this particular frame was fully open and there were no blind nuts for a water bottle cage in the way. I tried a slide hammer on the top end (didn't work) so I used a bit of pipe just larger than the seat post but small enough to sit on the top of the seat lug. More washers on top and a nut turned with a wrench. Too much time spent on this but it was the challenge. I now just cut them out with a long blade on the reciprocating demo saw. Cut one side of the post to form a C shape it will often release it enough to hammer it loose and pull it out. On more stuck posts I cut 2 sides ( ) and they come right out. Take your time and stop and inspect many times before you cut in to the frame itself. Usually takes me under 10 minutes to remove them. Some times a BFH is all it takes. If you can drive it in, even a little bit, that will loosen it up enough to pull out. I'm usually seeing a rather small corrosion area. Just 1 square inch can stick a post.

[@a1white]

This is so satisfying to watch those posts coming out. My 12 year old steel bike has its aluminium post well and truly stuck unfortunately. I get the bike regularly serviced but regretfully neglected this part.

[@1crazypj]

The chemical reaction is the problem, glad you mentioned it. Even well greased seat posts eventually seize in position, the fit between post and seat tube 'removes' most of the grease. (I have problem on my touring bike, seat hasn't been moved since 1995) The last 25~30 years I've been using Teflon pipe sealer from plumbing supplies as stainless steel has an even greater affinity when used in aluminium (I was a motorcycle mechanic) Stainless steel screws are an 'upgrade' on older motorcycles from 1970's and have been for decades (at least since 1980 in my experience) It's kinda funny how you reinforce the 'German perfectionism in Engineering' stereotype, if I had that equipment I would do the same though (sorry if your not German, first of your video's I've watched) The Q&A section is real good, one thing though, the expansion of aluminium with heat can be an advantage, it sometimes 'stretches' the tube and compresses the oxide. Doesn't need a great deal of heat, hair dryer seems to be enough. Use a freeze spray on the aluminium afterwards if you have a through hole to cool things from centre out. (this was best method for several repairs I've done over the years, including removing balancer gear on Honda crankshaft without damage) That's first time I've seen chuck in a chuck with both the same size, I guess it could put extra stress on head bearings but should be OK for drilling and lighter cuts?. Hadn't thought about it but now want to try it 😁 Slight recess in the support bar and it could probably be used on top as well as underneath main puller body? Extra long seat-post could also be cut to a more normal length? Excellent video, I really enjoyed it (which is why I've written so much)

[@leotrzi]

After having dealt with a stuck seat post that took me like 3 weeks to take out, this is extremely satisfying to watch

[@classydays43]

I did the hole drilling. And heat. And lots of WD-40. My old frame held up but by gosh this tool would have saved hours of headaches

[@olia663]

I got one out one day with a combination of clamps forcing the seat post out of the frame, as much dry ice as I could fit inside the seat post and hot water being poured over the frame. Worked eventually!

[@ninjarobotmonk3y]

would be interested to see a load cell in there, maybe at the bottom bracket, just so you could see how much force you're putting into the seat post! Great video, great build, thanks for taking the time to create, edit, and share

[@DawsonMakes]

Very satisfying to see these obstinate seat posts be put in their place with mechanical advantage

[@hammer313]

awesome video. I saw a video of someone who made the same thing with a car jack instead of turning a handle. I thought the jack made a lot of sense and turning a handle wouldn't work very well, until I saw yours. seems like turning a handle works fine. thanks for sharing your video, it was fun to watch.

[@Pushyhog]

lights action camera, edit, edit timing, your channel is incredible. more short vids please.

[@clawpicker]

Really good video, especially for those who deal with bicycle repair regularly! Clamping force on a carbon fibre frame... I wish Stockton Rush knew. I´m not trying to make a cheap joke about this horrendous accident, but knowing the limit of carbon fibre (or any other material for that matter) is essential.

[@stuartjenkins3506]

I used to use copper grease when I was a shop mechanic, but now it's recommended to use ceramic brake grease as copper grease can react with aluminium and steel.

[@subdude2013]

100 thumbs up Phil, especially for saving the carbon frame, cheers from Vancouver Canada

[@DavidKliewer-s1c]

Great job! Very effective tool and approach. For those who don't have the machine shop availability and welding experience, you might consider building a "jig" that can help you repeat the process and lower the cost to build the tool more easily and consider selling the finished product. You might also consider providing a "tool rental service." You could provide the seat post shims and bottom bracket piece to fit the customer's bike needs (over time you would probably accumulate these to be able to reuse them over and over) and ship them to the customer for them to remove the seat post and return the tool to you. You could probably provide this service for some amount ($100, $150, or whatever) and meet many individual needs without each person taking the time, difficulty, and expense of building a tool for a one-time need. Where can I get the drafting diagrams and CAD information you referenced in the video? Thank you very much! Great information!

[@jmp8678]

Great work, Phil. Immensely satisfying to see an immovable object meet irresistible force!

[@YorkieKilla]

This tool will certainly save many many bike frames from the trash. Great work! 👍

[@Cuahutemoc-RJ]

What a great tool!!! Not even Park Tool has this type of bicycle seat post extractor. They will buy the patent for your tool, you can be sure. Hugs from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

[@garlihu]

I was quite surprised that it worked. I'd have guessed you'll damage the frame or the seatpost before you can pull them out. Well done!

[@74bikes68]

Einfach unfassbar! Dieser Werkstatt und du die Erklärungen toppen einfach alles!!!

[@yetzt]

I could watch this all day long.

[@keirfarnum6811]

Use anti-seize instead of grease to keep posts from seizing. It will ensure that they don’t seize up. There’s a reason it’s called “anti-seize”. It’s designed to keep dissimilar metals from corroding and bonding.

[@GenauMann]

Excellent video Phil. Loved every minute...You build some really cool things in your workshop but as a cyclist this Is by far my favourite.. Awesome build👍🏻

[@orangespy]

Thank you for saving so many bikes Phil!

[@keirfarnum6811]

For steel frames, there’s a chemical that eats aluminum and leaves the steel untouched. Generally people cut the seat post, put a silicone caulk barrier below the post in the seat tube, and then fill the remaining seat post with the chemical to eat apart the aluminum seat post. It can save a frame. Obviously don’t use it on an aluminum frame though. You’ll have to look the chemical name up, but I did see a video here on YT demonstrating how to do it. Edit: someone mentioned the name of it below; it’s called “gallium”. That GT can still be saved using this method. P.S., use anti-seize instead of grease to ensure the post doesn’t get stuck BTW. Just to tell you how well it works, 25 years ago my post got stuck and I had to use the clamp the post head in a vise and turn the frame back and forth to loosen it (I sprayed liberal amounts of solvent lube stuff in through the water bottle boss first and let it set for a few days before attempting to loosen it). My frame is a precision built Fat Chance Yo Eddy that had such tight tolerances when I first bought it that the seat post could be pushed down and it would bounce back up on the compressed air inside the frame; the fit was so perfect that it could move freely but still keep from allowing air to flow around the seat post. Basically it was a perfect seal but not tight enough to keep it from moving. So it’s no surprise that with years of wet weather riding in Alaska that it got stuck. When I put it back in after unsticking it, I used anti-seize instead of grease. I moved to California 20 years ago and haven’t moved my seat post since. I just checked it and it’s perfectly fine and moves freely; the combination of no wet weather riding, keeping it inside, and using liberal amounts of anti-seize has worked and it’s still perfect without maintenance for the last 20 years. I doubt that would be the case with regular grease. There’s a reason anti-seize is called what it is; it works.

[@PaulPaulsen]

nice job on the build! for the GT frame, you could use a pair of sturdy vice grips to grab the little piece sticking into the centre.

[@kleckerklotz9620]

Very nice design, Phil. As for custom shapes, like the triangular post, I'd recommend to use a material called Polymorph. It's a thermoplastic that becomes moldable at 60°C. It doesn't stick and it's certainly hard enough for friction forces. But certainly not as hard as POM-C. Anyways thanks for sharing. I'll share the video with a friend who runs a bicycle workshop. Maybe he can use it.

[@DG-EditsYT]

Idea I learned from mechanics with stuck bolts or similar, the shock method, really helped me on cars and also bike over the years Sometimes (after using penetrative oil of course) smacking the seat tubing really hard all around the inserted part of post with a mallet or deadblow hammer to break the reactive bond between post and frame can just be enough to eventually turn it and get it out Also you can smack the seatpost hard into the frame further to get it moving, I suggest putting a drilled hole through right through the post and a screwdriver or similar to limit how far it goes, a few millimetres is all you need to break that bond 😊

[@JohnPilling25]

Very impressive. Well thought out. I used to have access to a real machine shop through work. The guys there taught me how to use a lathe and a milling machine. I designed almost all my own test equipment and learned a lot when the shop said they couldn't make that so I had to redesign with manufacturing in mind. The old guys in the machine shop were master machinists and I learned a great deal from them. I really miss not having access to a metal lathe and mill with all the tooling to make stuff. Perhaps you should licence this device to Park Tool...

[@draggonhedd]

For that cool GT frame, you can probably use Gallium to soften the remnants of the aluminum post thats in there, or if you want to do something a little bit more standard, try getting some JB weld (or similar metal epoxy) and gluing another tube inside of it, and then using that to pull the remnants of that tube out. or use a wedge clamp, like a gooseneck stem. GT frames are so cool.

[@jugaloo5873]

Magnificent! I dreamt of this machine when teaching mechanics in a diy bike shop!!

[@greengonzonz]

Thank you for making this tool and video. You scratched multiple itches in one go.

[@tjarsun]

If the seat post is not fully in, you can try hammering it down hard until it unsticks and moves. Then it's way easier to pull up since you are no longer fighting the rust, also WD-40 can actually penetrate the previously stuck area.

[@jimmylovesbikes]

I want to buy that tool!!! Fantastic build. So satisfying to see them come out.

[@keirfarnum6811]

Well done! Great craftsmanship for a very useful tool! I watched the entire video. I already mentioned it, but: anti-seize!

[@robertdewar1752]

Very nice tool. I always wondered about a tool such as this, and what the post would be like upon extraction. The tension thread could maybe do with some light grease along with the compression bearing, but it seems to work ok. I once extracted a seatpost by hacksawing a slot all along its length and crushing it with vice grips. It worked, but not easy. My hand was numb on completion due to gripping the hacksaw blade. Thanks for the video.

[@spectre9801]

This was such a satisfying video. So glad you shared and took the time to make such thought out custom tool.

[@bicross87]

that was WAY too satisfying to watch ! I restored an old steelie Tandem which had a stuck alloy seatpost for the stoker, and that was a real fight. i finally gave out, cut it flush, and started drilling it out with a step 1" step bit that keeping itself pretty well centered, using a bunch of 1/4" extension bits, and lots of lube... When i was done with the drilling, i was able to destroy the remaining sleeve of alloy with a screwdriver, and i now use 22.2mm steel seatpost with a plastic shim that was made on the lathe to go from 25.4 to 22.2mm :)

[@PhilVandelay]

Sounds like quite the fight! I fear that's what it'll come down to with the GT frame as well which I still want to save. Maybe I'll try the sawblade method (using a hacksaw blade from inside to slowly cut it in half)

[@CwazyWabbits]

@@PhilVandelay I've used the hacksaw blade method in the past, it's slow but it does work. I did 3 cuts then peeled the remains out.

[@DunderOz]

​@@PhilVandelay I use a fine long blade on a reciprocal saw. Works well and does not take long to do. Lubricating the blade. Got a very corroded aluminium seat post out of a carbon frame. Also works well on seized stems. Love your work 👍🏽

[@bicross87]

@@PhilVandelay Sadly, i had way too much length of seatpost to cut to do anything with an hacksaw... I had to drill on like 250mm... :) Good luck with yours !

[@DunderOz]

Another beautifully made device 😍 I have removed seized seat post, also from carbon frames, using a reciprocal saw, cutting down the inside of the tube. Also works on seized stems. You can get the GT's post out using this method. Needless to say - One needs to be precise when using this method, which is something you excel in 😊

[@PhilVandelay]

How do you avoid cutting into the frame though?

[@jcsahnwaldt]

@@PhilVandelay Special saw, e.g. see the video "Mangled Seatpost Removal Dilema"

[@houseofsolomon2440]

Very cool tool! Any decent shop would absolutely love this rig. If I had a shop I would purchase one in a heartbeat. Frame/seatpost joint allows significant water intrusion, helped way down due to gravity, & even some 'wicking' may occur. A thin layer of lube where they marry goes a long way in preventing this headache. I learned that the hard way 😬

[@tigxxl]

Brilliant in its simplicity!!! 😁 Thanks for showing me another tool I can add to my arsenal 😅, due to the lack of a lathe I will have to approach a few things differently but I think I can do it without any problem. Greetings from Poland!

[@Alan_Hans__]

Very nice solution. If you weren't planning on saving the seatposts the first thing that I would do is cut the seatpost off square and then give it a belt down with a hammer while hanging onto the down tube by hand. The massive shock from the hit would likely break the seal and then the more typical methods might have success. Adapting an internal bearing puller so that it could be used inside the seat tubes with a slide hammer would also possibly work.

[@PhilVandelay]

Cutting off the top when you still have other options is not something I'd recommend. You might be underestimating how stuck these are, the hammer *might* work but in many cases hitting it with a hammer does nothing except destroy the seatpost more and then you've robbed yourself of a whole bunch of other options by cutting off/mangling the only part that you can somewhat hold onto. It's often not a "break the seal" type situation either, a lot of the ones I pulled so far were very hard to move the entire way, you can see in the video how much tension is still building up even after they've started moving

[@thedeathwobblechannel6539]

Observations from 35 years of collision repair on automobiles. I have done my share of stuck in Frozen and broken bolts. But yes I have experience with aluminum vehicles. First off the bike manufacturers need to make sure the seat post is anodized properly and so is the seatpost tube -can't be going raw clean aluminum onto raw clean aluminum. Second stop using grease and start using anti-seize compound for automotive use. Third if possible take a piece of inner tube and put it on the post so you can cover the seat post to frame joint so water and grit does not get down in the tube. If you have anti-seize compound on the pipes it will feel any gaps so no water can get down in there. Also cut a piece of inner tube to put on your lower fork bearing on the outside it costs nothing to make the part from a piece of inner tube and it stops water from being slung up into your bearing if the inner tube pieces on the post or the fork bearing are too loose snug them up with a nylon tie. Again use anti-seize compound it's to stop Rusty bolts gumming up the works and breaking. It also has a generic name of thread lubricant something like that. It feels like a light Grease and it has real fine metal in it and I swear it works.

[@RalphHancock]

For a seatpost stuck in an alloy frame I was advised to use ammonia. I made a cup from Blu-Tack around the joint and poured in a bit of ammonia every day. After a few days the seatpost came out easily.

[@WowRixter]

That was an incredibly satisfying watch.

[@hippotek1]

Truly awesome build! I can imagine a versiob using a hydraulic bottle jack or a scissor jack , too.

[@Cin0so]

Great tool , on mine I drilled out the seatpost the best I could and then let it sit in drain cleaner (Natrium hydroxid) worked Well but took 2 days for all the aluminum to dissolve

[@renevanderlinde6221]

New sub here, awesome vid and invention, i have had this problem twice in my life , the worst nightmare ever, now i re-grease every 3-6 months. thanks

[@zacharyk7006]

FYI for the one with the cut post. I've rescued a few like that by getting a slide hammer hook that slips down the middle of the post and then allows me to slide hammer the post out from the bottom of the post. Works when posts are broken down into the frame and there's nothing to grab onto from above. I suspect a collet type tool could be made to slip down into the seat post and then expand out below it..

[@mrricky3816]

Thanks!

[@PhilVandelay]

Thank you!

[@davidyates748]

Nicely engineered Phil, the frame whisperer!

[@TOMPDUDE]

Awesome work! This would have saved me so much time and effort over the years.

[@imsgoalie1]

Remove the bottom bracket, pour some mild acid into the seat tube of an upside down bike. Let it do it's thing for a bit (perhaps a "bit" is several days here for stubborn cases?) and have another try at removal. You can repeat this multiple times with the same acid, or escalate the acidity of the substance used. There are also other reducing agents that you can pour up the post to try to reverse the oxidation process ("reducing agent" refers to the reduction/oxidation reaction responsible for your corrosion). These reducing agents may be marketed as calcium/lime/rust removers. Good luck saving your old frames!

[@Flako-dd]

Having aluminum seized with galvanic corrosion in a steel frame, i very quickly switch to cutting it out with a sawzall / reciprocating saw. this kind of corrosion is so strong that most other methods put to much force in the frame for my liking. The trick is to cut if of short and then insert the sawzahl down the tube to release the pressure with 4 cuts. then peel the individual parts of.

[@joeblogs8589]

Yup, that's the best method of you don't have a puller like this excellent invention here. I usually manage to get the post out with just one cut. I then roll it inwards like the old-fashioned sardine tins. Just a small twist and it pops loose. The post is just stuck by expansion, not adhesion. Therefore the one cut gives it enough space to shrink a bit if you twist the one side inwards.

[@fondriest777]

I've heard of this approach, and wondered: how hard is it to not cut into the seat tube as you do this? I've never used a sawzall in a 'delicate' application like this lol

[@sopwerdna]

Aside from being excellent entertainment and educational content, this video also served a third admirable purpose as a public service announcement, scaring me into triple checking that all my bikes have adequately greased seatposts!

[@rolandelstner7332]

Sehr gute Idee, ich habe bis jetzt 2x die Alusattelstütze mit einem Metallsägeblatt von Hand durch gesägt ohne den Rahmen zu erwischen, geht auch, aber langwierig. 👍

[@iTeerRex]

Cool build 👍. I had no idea such a problem existed. Connecting aluminum with steel, happens often in the electrical world. So to prevent the galvanic reaction that takes place, they use a specific chemical grease. I’d suggest to get a tube of this, instead of simple grease, from the electrical area of any hardware store.

[@Raymond-Farts]

Excellent work and advice. I'm going to service my seatpost right now.

[@joell439]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 - another exciting new episode from one of my favorite makers. Thanks Phil 🙏

[@DG-tf9rp]

Get a Patten # Quick. You made an awesome tool. Every bike shop should have one. Genius

[@jurcenko48]

To prevent the collar from slipping on the seat post you can make the shims slightly oversized and insert a 600-1000 grit sandpaper folded in half (such taht the grit is in contact with both the collar and the seatpost - although you can probably get away with one sided only if you squeze hard enough). This improves the grip a lot compared to metal on metal. Its the same trick that trains and trams use to increse the grip between the wheels and railtracks.

[@PhilVandelay]

Great idea, I might try that if I come across one without a head

[@jorgeconcheyro]

I've seen somebody, but I can't find the video, if you put a dead center between the live center and your part, you indicate the dead center and bingo. Love your work!, cheers from Buenos Aires!

[@HexenzirkelZuluhed]

It's a common technique. Quinn from Blondihacks often demonstrates this.

[@xelaxander]

@Blondihacks

[@PhilVandelay]

Yeah that's a great technique if you want it to be more accurate

[@MH_Bikes]

Mechanic with 50 years experience chiming in, I have seen such a WonderTool being used, and totalled a few frames. Bent, tubes, shells, and broken joints. If it's completely struck, the a large milling machine is the best option. In Toronto we have one shop with a mammoth mill.

[@Bodneyblue]

No matter how much experience a person has..they can always learn something new.

[@MH_Bikes]

@@Bodneyblue There's always one in the crowd.

[@moot2046]

Galvanic corrosion is easy to tackle but not easy to notice, since not many people realize it, even it is quit common around us. Take car battery contact as example, the contact should apply dielectric grease to prevent galvanic corrosion.