Seatpost slip.

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terry_on_a_bike
Posts: 16
Joined: 28 Oct 2013, 4:50pm

Seat pin slippage

Post by terry_on_a_bike »

How do I stop my seat pin from slowly going down during a ride?
I've got a Mercian 531 frame, the aluminium seat pin is the correct size (27.2), it's good quality (Thomson) and it's a nice firm sliding fit in the seat tube.
I have de-greased and cleaned the seat tube and the pin, there's no grease or other contamination on it.
I've tightened the clamp as much as I think is sensible, and the clamp isn't bottoming out.
It still goes down about a millimetre or so on every ride.
I can't think of anything else to do, in desperation I'm thinking about Loctite, a fellow cyclist has suggested carbon assembly paste.
Any ideas please?
Steve
Posts: 388
Joined: 2 Apr 2007, 1:42pm

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by Steve »

Maybe just be a bit more assertive in tightening the bolt. The worst thing that could happen if over-tightened, would most likely be the bolt shearing.
Jdsk
Posts: 24636
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by Jdsk »

Could you add a photo showing the bits unassembled, and another with them assembled and fitted and showing the gap.

Jonathan
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chris_suffolk
Posts: 738
Joined: 18 Oct 2012, 10:01pm

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by chris_suffolk »

Mine used to do the same, despite being all parts supplied as new with the bike.

I ended up making a tiny shim from an old Coke can, so slip under the clamp / collar as it seemed (despite being fully tight) that the collar was just that tiny bit too big.

I also have to tighten way beyond what I think it should be. I've not got a torque wrench, but it's marked up as 15nm, which is a lot.
cromo
Posts: 89
Joined: 3 Aug 2009, 9:10am

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by cromo »

I had the same problem and found it very annoying! I did not want to use excessive force on the seatpost bolt. So, I purchased a seatpost clamp (30.0 mm) and a seatpost shim (27.2 to 30.0mm) and cut the shim to fit inside the seatclamp. This extra clamp was then tightened around my existing seatpost so that it was in contact with the top of the bike seat tube. Problem solved!
rogerzilla
Posts: 2887
Joined: 9 Jun 2008, 8:06pm

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by rogerzilla »

I also have a slightly undersized seatpost (because a previous owner polished the scratches out of it, making it a 27.05 instead of a 27.2). But it's a nice Campag aero post, so it stays.

I second the recommendation for a Coke can shim, which will barely show (see photo). Don't muller the seatbolt. You can cause far more expensive damage. Framebuilders often have to replace warped or chewed seat lugs, and it always requires a respray.
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Jdsk
Posts: 24636
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by Jdsk »

I believe that it's conventional at this point to refer to The Zen Shim Question:
http://www.hilarygallo.com/the-zen-shim-question/

Jonathan
Marcus Aurelius
Posts: 1903
Joined: 1 Feb 2018, 10:20am

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by Marcus Aurelius »

Hairspray is surprisingly effective.
tim-b
Posts: 2091
Joined: 10 Oct 2009, 8:20am

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by tim-b »

Hi
Be careful because you could end up promoting corrosion if you degrease and leave it that way. If the seat tube is at the high end of tolerance and the the seat post is at the low end then you could have a problem, can you get them measured?
I'd try a carbon assembly paste which will hopefully prevent corrosion while promoting stiction, Motorex do a smooth one if you'd rather not use a gritty paste
If that fails then either try a separate collar around the seat post (a Jubilee clip will do to test the theory) or try a couple of different seat posts
Tightening the bolt correctly is fine, but I'd avoid over doing it
(EDIT two others posted as I was writing)
Regards
tim-b
~~~~¯\(ツ)/¯~~~~
peetee
Posts: 4292
Joined: 4 May 2010, 10:20pm
Location: Upon a lumpy, scarred granite massif.

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by peetee »

If you are sure that the post is a good match for the seat tube then try a bit of carbon assembly grease. It is gritty and designed to give a bit of extra assistance to carbon interfaces to prevent over tightening and damage.
Incidentally, because seat clusters can distort during the brazing process frames are normally reamed out to 27.2mm but this is not universal. Some may accept 27.4mm seat pins. Good luck finding one of those to try.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
De Sisti
Posts: 1507
Joined: 17 Jun 2007, 6:03pm

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by De Sisti »

A jubilee clip around the seatpost, so the the clip rests on the top of the seat tube.
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fausto99
Posts: 952
Joined: 19 Sep 2011, 10:06am
Location: NW Kent

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by fausto99 »

De Sisti wrote:A jubilee clip around the seatpost, so the the clip rests on the top of the seat tube.

Yuk!!!!! :shock:
Go with the gritty grease designed for carbon seat pins.
martinn
Posts: 421
Joined: 1 Dec 2012, 8:20pm

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by martinn »

I had the same issue with a 725 tube, I cleaned the seat post, de-greased, then tightened the nut up as hard as i could,
Still slipped, But on trying to tighten it further to get home,i managed to round the hex bolt,
I then cut and drilled out the remains of the bolt, cut a new bolt to the right length, tried it in the seat post collar first, greased the threads well, reassembled, with a small amount of carbon assembly paste, and its not slipped since.

Martin
Valbrona
Posts: 2694
Joined: 7 Feb 2011, 4:49pm

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by Valbrona »

Get some carbon jelly.
I should coco.
pwa
Posts: 17367
Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Seat pin slippage

Post by pwa »

Quick question.

Two things go wrong with seatpost insertions. One is that they keep slipping. The second is that due to corrosion the seatpost freezes solid and won't come out. Carbon paste sounds good for preventing slippage. But does it offer any protection against corrosion if used to stop a metal post slipping in a metal tube? If not, it is no use. It will just swap one problem for another that is even worse.
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