Seatpost worries

Alright gang?

I just got a Dawes bike of Reynolds 531 pedigree, not sure what model exactly, thing is I suspect the last owner put a new seat-post in that is too small for the frame.

The post that's in there is 27.0, but even with the seat clamp bolt bottomed out the post was easily twisted. There is already 1 washer thrown on there to help out, and fails.

So i tried a 27.2 seat-post and it just get's slashed up on a very stiff trip down the seat tube.

Here's what the clamp area looks like now, with TWO, count them, 2 washers in order to actually grab the post.

Does it look as scary to you as it does me?

Any advice, pointers would be appreciated?

Try a shorter bolt, spacing on the seat tube looks about right.

try taking it to a shop and getting it cleaned out with a 27.2mm reamer. Failing that, lashings of WD40 and a rag on a stick to remove any residue of dried grease, dirt and rust.

Hopefully (usually) the frame will only clamp the post at the clamp, so really, it's probably best if you put a 27.2 in there. Try widen the split with a large flat screwdriver, and see if it's any better.

I think I'm going to go down the WD40 and cleaning route with a bit of screwdriver help for good measure, just going to be very careful as I'm nervouse of hurting the 531.

I do feel the 27.2 is the correct size though.

Thanks for the help.

Cleaning/reaming it wont make it any tighter.

A shim made out of a coke can would fill up the 0.2mm perfectly, Ive had a copper shim on my bike all this year.

How on earth do you get a whole coke can down your seatube?!!

try taking it to a shop and getting it cleaned out with a 27.2mm reamer.

Bingo.

Cleaning/reaming it wont make it any tighter.

I think the idea works like this.

He has a 27.0mm post that is loose. (let's suppose the seat tube is 27.1mm)

He get's it reamed to 27.2mm.

He then inserts a 27.2mm post.

Make sure you use the correct inverse Stella for your inverse shim..

Tynan, formerly god of religious dissent, now god of reason.

Its a sure sign of the end of the world.

Cleaning/reaming it wont make it any tighter.

A shim made out of a coke can would fill up the 0.2mm perfectly, Ive had a copper shim on my bike all this year.

Tynan has it, I'm going for the 27.2 option, I had a coke can shim in there to get it home from work but it was shredded when I took the seat post out to try the new sizes.

Tynan, formerly god of religious dissent, now god of reason.

Its a sure sign of the end of the world.

I checked on the 'rapture' list and surprisingly - given your own history of list making - you are not on it, but this was just the Calvinist list, you might be on one of the others.

Tynan, formerly god of religious dissent, now god of reason.

dont give him any idea's, the last thing he needs is a sense of godliness (if he hasn't got it already)

reformist.

Leveller.

reformist.

Pre-reformist.