Seat post stuck in frame

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

there's no guarantee it'll come out at all if it's properly seized, sometimes the only way to remove the post is to melt it out

first thing to try would be to wedge the seat somewhere it won't budge and use the leverage of the whole bike to try and twist the seatpost loose. if you can't twist it loose like that, then it isn't coming out without some heavy tools.

there's various other things you can try. One method is to saw the seatpost off an inch above the frame then use one of those plumber's hacksaw things (where there's no frame to get in the way) to saw through the seatpost inside the frame. If you can cut it into 2/3 pieces you can try and knock them away from the frame with a rubber mallet.

failing something like that it's a blowtorch and a respray...

Sheldon Brown has 15 ways to unstick a seatpost. Ammonia sounds promising.

A friend of mine who took a bike with a stuck seatpost into a bike shop in Cambridge was told by the owner that he wouldn't touch it, since he knew someone who had died attempting to remove a stuck seatpost!

There is or was a release spray oil caled plus gas,
it was the best thing for the job, if you can find some.

Get some plastersean and make it into a cup around the frame where it meets the seat post.
Spray some plus gas into the cup and let it soak in
over night.
Use brute force the next day.

It has worked for me

If you're trying heat, boiling water is a bit more benign than the ol' blowtorch. Pour it on the steel, not the aluminium, and twist quickly before it gets the chance to cool down. It's worked for me. Once.

good call on the boiling water. a hairdryer is worth a pop too...

you can still get plus gas too...

http://www.lawson-his.co.uk/scripts/details.php?cat=Penetrating%20Oils&p...

Leonard Zinn of Velonews.com wrote an interesting article some years ago on this troublesome subject!

i also had the problem on the Tour de France one year and hacksawed the top off then hacksawed carefully the interior of the seat post! worked wonders with several racers practically crying with laughter at my efforts!
www.parrabuddy.blogspot.com should have a link in the blogs coming through.
Veloreview is asking that people encourage "disabled Cyclists to join their site so as to add to the content on "Physically Challenged Sport" , pass the word as you encourage tandems and Handbikes to join your weekend rides!

Cheers for the suggestions and comments everyone.

Without a metal working vice I'm leaning towards the hot water, then the plus gas and finally the hacksaw. I've also got an electric blow torch somewhere, might try that as well.

Watch this space.

yeah keep us posted. pics too!

careful the blowtorch doesn't blister the paint if you go after it!