Three hours on a seized seatpost that turned out to be a plastic shim

I spent an entire Saturday wrestling with a vintage road bike seatpost that wouldn't budge, even after soaking it in penetrating oil for two days. Turns out some old Raleighs use a plastic sleeve between the post and frame that swells up when wet, and a hair dryer loosened it in under five minutes. Has anyone else wasted half a day on a dumb trick like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason_knight1mo ago

That plastic shim was probably doing its job fine until you forced it.

tara_palmer1mo ago

My old bike had the same plastic shim and I swapped it for a cheap aluminum one from a hardware store. Worked way better for me @mason_knight, lasted like 3 seasons before I sold the bike. That little plastic piece was always flexing and making a weird noise for me, the metal one was dead quiet and never needed adjusting.