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Old Rusty Bike
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incorrigible
Senior Retro Guru
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Grisly pics posted below. WARNING: Not for the faint of heart!
Dangit! This damn frame! It’s the darndest thing! I blew a fuse when I plugged in the grinder, so I decided to use my DeWalt battery-powered reciprocating saw to do the dirty deed, and wouldn’t you know? Just when I got it close to the frame, monkeys suddenly flew out of my butt.
Oh, I am SO-O-O-O incorrigible!
OK, OK, OK.
YES, the seat post is stuck.
YES, I’m going to make every effort to remove it safely (some of you may have seen this post I made a scant 24 hours before I received this bike in the mail):
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=206035
Yes, I’m taking a day off work today because I’m sick as a dog, so I’ll have time to try to defend myself against the impending onslaught of slings and arrows of critique.
Oh, and YES, my neighbor is a retiree who shoots first and asks questions later, so nobody better be snooping around my place looking for bikes unless they want some lead in their britches.
NO, I didn’t take it to any bike shops.
NO, I didn’t take a hacksaw to it (or a grinder wheel, or a reciprocating saw).
NO, I’m not going to cut it (I think I’d sooner cut one of my legs).
And, to set the record straight, most emphatically NO, monkeys did NOT fly out of my butt.
The 1989 Alien is my dream bike. It was my first MTB. I bought one NEW back in 1989, and I rode the living snot out of it for years. At one point several years ago, I bent the rear end, probably from riding so many wheelies on it, and I took it to the local bike guru to have it healed. I kept riding it for years after that, but in the back of my mind I was always thinking I should get another just in case it breaks beyond repair.
Long story short, I found the RB website a few years back, and subsequently got severely bitten by the e-stay bug. I count more than 60 bikes now, MANY beaters in need of TLC, some rideable but I’d still want to completely rebuild them so I know that I can depend on them, and some in pristine or even NOS condition that I don’t dare hardly even look at for fear that I’ll devalue them. A few of them are too big for me, but I bought them for the parts (I’ll post the frames for sale when I have more time). I buy them when I see them and I’ll get them up and running when I have the time.
As for this Alien, I don’t care if takes an eternity, I’m going to patiently coax the seatpost out of this bike. I may have to sweet-talk it, I may have to buy it flowers, and I may even cuddle up with it at night – whatever it takes. Hell, I might even have to lick it so that no-one else will want it!
Why did I post this ruse? I was bored and feeling a bit giddy because I finally scored my dream bike, and I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to ruffle a few feathers, yank a few chains, and reel in a few fish. Hey, it’s all in good fun. No bicycles were harmed during the posting of this thread. Maybe a few bruised egos?
I hope some of you had a few laughs, and for those that got spun up and rubbed the wrong way, I’ll try to make it up to you. If I ever meet up with any of you guys in person, I’ll have to buy you a few rounds of beer to set things straight again (that is, of course, after the obligatory pantsing, the atomic wedgies, and the swirlies).
I guess it would serve me right, though, if the Karma gods decided that I will never be able to remove the seatpost.
And now I suddenly feel like a soccer goalie (I guess most of you guys call it football), and it’s Free Kick time. OK, I’m ready (one hand covering my face, the other covering my babalones).
(Referee blows whistle)
Dangit! This damn frame! It’s the darndest thing! I blew a fuse when I plugged in the grinder, so I decided to use my DeWalt battery-powered reciprocating saw to do the dirty deed, and wouldn’t you know? Just when I got it close to the frame, monkeys suddenly flew out of my butt.
Oh, I am SO-O-O-O incorrigible!
OK, OK, OK.
YES, the seat post is stuck.
YES, I’m going to make every effort to remove it safely (some of you may have seen this post I made a scant 24 hours before I received this bike in the mail):
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=206035
Yes, I’m taking a day off work today because I’m sick as a dog, so I’ll have time to try to defend myself against the impending onslaught of slings and arrows of critique.
Oh, and YES, my neighbor is a retiree who shoots first and asks questions later, so nobody better be snooping around my place looking for bikes unless they want some lead in their britches.
NO, I didn’t take it to any bike shops.
NO, I didn’t take a hacksaw to it (or a grinder wheel, or a reciprocating saw).
NO, I’m not going to cut it (I think I’d sooner cut one of my legs).
And, to set the record straight, most emphatically NO, monkeys did NOT fly out of my butt.
The 1989 Alien is my dream bike. It was my first MTB. I bought one NEW back in 1989, and I rode the living snot out of it for years. At one point several years ago, I bent the rear end, probably from riding so many wheelies on it, and I took it to the local bike guru to have it healed. I kept riding it for years after that, but in the back of my mind I was always thinking I should get another just in case it breaks beyond repair.
Long story short, I found the RB website a few years back, and subsequently got severely bitten by the e-stay bug. I count more than 60 bikes now, MANY beaters in need of TLC, some rideable but I’d still want to completely rebuild them so I know that I can depend on them, and some in pristine or even NOS condition that I don’t dare hardly even look at for fear that I’ll devalue them. A few of them are too big for me, but I bought them for the parts (I’ll post the frames for sale when I have more time). I buy them when I see them and I’ll get them up and running when I have the time.
As for this Alien, I don’t care if takes an eternity, I’m going to patiently coax the seatpost out of this bike. I may have to sweet-talk it, I may have to buy it flowers, and I may even cuddle up with it at night – whatever it takes. Hell, I might even have to lick it so that no-one else will want it!
Why did I post this ruse? I was bored and feeling a bit giddy because I finally scored my dream bike, and I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to ruffle a few feathers, yank a few chains, and reel in a few fish. Hey, it’s all in good fun. No bicycles were harmed during the posting of this thread. Maybe a few bruised egos?
I hope some of you had a few laughs, and for those that got spun up and rubbed the wrong way, I’ll try to make it up to you. If I ever meet up with any of you guys in person, I’ll have to buy you a few rounds of beer to set things straight again (that is, of course, after the obligatory pantsing, the atomic wedgies, and the swirlies).
I guess it would serve me right, though, if the Karma gods decided that I will never be able to remove the seatpost.
And now I suddenly feel like a soccer goalie (I guess most of you guys call it football), and it’s Free Kick time. OK, I’m ready (one hand covering my face, the other covering my babalones).
(Referee blows whistle)
trail_head
Retro Guru
Wanker! Enjoy your new bike dick! I shall bide my time and plan my revenge!
Now you can post how you paid some insanely lowball price for that thing to further twist the knife.
Now you can post how you paid some insanely lowball price for that thing to further twist the knife.
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Hey incorrigible My personal experience with a severely stuck seat post:
2 or 3 weeks soaked in Aero-Kroil (Aerosol version of Kano-Kroil) and then steadily increasing torque first one way, then the other. A 6-foot cheater bar definitely helped to increase leverage. I could tell when I was reaching the limit of the tubing's strength from the way it twisted and flexed under stress. I figured as long as I didn't cross over that limit that I'd be OK. I also tapped the top of the seat post with a metal hammer while it was being torqued to try to jar some of the rust loose.
It required a lot of patience. After torqueing it back and forth without any luck, I soaked it again for another week, and then tried it again, back and forth. Once I sensed some movement in one direction, I twisted in the opposite direction, steadily increasing torque up to a point, then back in the other direction again. Back and forth, each time yielding a bit more freedom of movement until I was able to substantially rotate the post in the tube while pulling it out bit by bit.
I'd say give it a try, and if you still can't loosen it, soak it some more and try again in another week. Sooner or later the Aero-Kroil should find its way into every little crevice and dissolve the rust. The manufacturer claims that Kroil will creep its way into 1/1,000,000 of an inch gaps!
Kroil has an odor to it, so leave the whole mess in the shed while it soaks. I even used a rag soaked in Kroil wrapped around the seat-tube-to-seat-post junction and checked it daily to make sure it was still damp. If it wasn't, I just sprayed some more of that magic stuff on the rag until it was damp again. I also had a drip pan underneath everything to contain any leakage.
http://www.kanolabs.com
....and, NO, I don't get a commission for recommending it. Just trying to help.
Good luck
Charlieboy
2 or 3 weeks soaked in Aero-Kroil (Aerosol version of Kano-Kroil) and then steadily increasing torque first one way, then the other. A 6-foot cheater bar definitely helped to increase leverage. I could tell when I was reaching the limit of the tubing's strength from the way it twisted and flexed under stress. I figured as long as I didn't cross over that limit that I'd be OK. I also tapped the top of the seat post with a metal hammer while it was being torqued to try to jar some of the rust loose.
It required a lot of patience. After torqueing it back and forth without any luck, I soaked it again for another week, and then tried it again, back and forth. Once I sensed some movement in one direction, I twisted in the opposite direction, steadily increasing torque up to a point, then back in the other direction again. Back and forth, each time yielding a bit more freedom of movement until I was able to substantially rotate the post in the tube while pulling it out bit by bit.
I'd say give it a try, and if you still can't loosen it, soak it some more and try again in another week. Sooner or later the Aero-Kroil should find its way into every little crevice and dissolve the rust. The manufacturer claims that Kroil will creep its way into 1/1,000,000 of an inch gaps!
Kroil has an odor to it, so leave the whole mess in the shed while it soaks. I even used a rag soaked in Kroil wrapped around the seat-tube-to-seat-post junction and checked it daily to make sure it was still damp. If it wasn't, I just sprayed some more of that magic stuff on the rag until it was damp again. I also had a drip pan underneath everything to contain any leakage.
http://www.kanolabs.com
....and, NO, I don't get a commission for recommending it. Just trying to help.
Good luck
Charlieboy
incorrigible
Senior Retro Guru
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First kick: Ouch!
Sorry Trail_Head. Sorry Chopper1192. Perhaps I waited a little too long to come clean. I didn’t intend to anger anyone.
As for what I paid, it was expensive indeed, but I think the rules will prevent me from posting actual cost.
Charlieboy28, thanks for the advice. It's like you read my mind......or my previous post
Stevet1, you can surely read me like a book – there’s no getting one past you. Same to lewis1641 and kaytronika and Charlieboy28. I’m glad a few of you have a sense of humor.
Sorry Trail_Head. Sorry Chopper1192. Perhaps I waited a little too long to come clean. I didn’t intend to anger anyone.
As for what I paid, it was expensive indeed, but I think the rules will prevent me from posting actual cost.
Charlieboy28, thanks for the advice. It's like you read my mind......or my previous post
Stevet1, you can surely read me like a book – there’s no getting one past you. Same to lewis1641 and kaytronika and Charlieboy28. I’m glad a few of you have a sense of humor.
incorrigible
Senior Retro Guru
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azaro":198xf9oo said:
Sorry, no. I’m keeping it for this other build I’ve got going (below).
All it needs now is a white flower basket and a little mermaid bell.
Two days ago (Saturday) I drove for 4 hours to get this thing (and 4 hours back) and was ready to pay seller’s price. When I got there, however, I saw it was cracked (no surprise there - seller was a big,.....um....wide guy), but it had good parts, so I negotiated down by about a third so it wasn’t a total waste of time. It still cost me a bunch of cash, though. I had to make the choice to drive all the way back home empty-handed, or pay a premium for some nice parts. I chose the latter.
You'd think I would have learned by now to insist on photos of aluminum bikes before driving to the ends of the earth, only to be disappointed.
Seller obviously wasn't an MTBer, but he said he bought it new and had the bars and seat replaced to make it a cruiser. He said he rode it only a handful of times. He said he would send me the original bars and seat whenever he found them.
Okay, everyone just settle down now. I’m going to hurry up and strip this thing down and let it have its dignity.
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incorrigible
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incorrigible
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Some pics of the '89 (I may have to post them a few at a time).
Items to note:
A bit of damage to one of the decals caused by a paint chip and subsequent rust.
No front mech pulley.
Large Biopace ring still has the clear plastic protecting the black “Biopace HP” label.
Some of the pics are a bit blurry, sorry. I was trembling with excitement and anticipation when I took them.
I’ll continue to update this post with progress on the seatpost, but I should eventually start another thread for the build.
Items to note:
A bit of damage to one of the decals caused by a paint chip and subsequent rust.
No front mech pulley.
Large Biopace ring still has the clear plastic protecting the black “Biopace HP” label.
Some of the pics are a bit blurry, sorry. I was trembling with excitement and anticipation when I took them.
I’ll continue to update this post with progress on the seatpost, but I should eventually start another thread for the build.
