Back in the day, I'd use a whole can of WD-40 on a seized seatpost and just hope for the best. Now I use a $12 bottle of ammonia and a homemade slide hammer.

The change happened after I spent three hours on a 90s MTB, yelling at a post that wouldn't budge. A guy at the co-op saw me and just said, 'You know that's not a lubricant, right?' He showed me the ammonia trick for dissolving aluminum oxide. I built the slide hammer from an old axle and some washers. Works every time. What's your go-to method for the really stubborn ones?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencerm461mo ago

Man, I feel your pain on those old stuck posts. What's your slide hammer setup look like?

the_jason1mo ago

Ever try just heating the post first? I've had way better luck with a torch than a slide hammer on really old stuff. That extra expansion can break the rust free.

kim19129d ago

Doesn't it feel like everything in life fights you harder the older it gets? I use a cheap slide hammer from Harbor Freight with a chain attachment, but honestly, half the time I end up just cutting the post off at the ground and digging around it.