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TIL a quick trick for stuck seatposts from a guy at the co-op

I was helping at the community bike shop yesterday and heard an old mechanic tell a volunteer, 'If it's steel in aluminum, just a drop of ammonia around the joint can work wonders.' He said to let it sit for a few hours. I tried it today on a kid's bike that came in, and the post came free with way less force than I usually need. Has anyone else had good results with this, or is there a better way you use?

3 comments

3 Comments

wadea532mo ago

Yeah, that "steel in aluminum" trick is solid. I had a crusty old Peugeot with a post that wouldn't budge. A buddy told me to try a 50/50 mix of automatic transmission fluid and acetone. Let it soak overnight and it came right out with a gentle twist. That ammonia method sounds a lot less messy, though.

abbyr962mo ago

Wait, so the ammonia trick only works on steel posts in aluminum frames, right? What if it's the other way around, like an aluminum post stuck in a steel frame? Does that transmission fluid mix work for that too, or is it a totally different problem?

price.tyler12d ago

Whoa wait, you can use ammonia for that? That's nuts. I've always just used the ATF and acetone mix for everything, never heard of ammonia working on that combo.

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