Them pesky seat thieves...

I do not recommend solder - that was an experiment that I wish I never tried.

Why, what happened?

yeah acetone works very gradually.
expect to spend about 20 minutes dissolving and picking per bolt.

Yeah that's why I thought solder sounded easier... though 20 minutes isn't so bad, I had visions of spending hours trying to dissolve glue hidden round the back of a ball bearing

However,

Thieves of seat posts from aluminium frames simply whack the separate collar from underneath. It's very quick.

A bearing in the allen bolt is no defence against this sadly.

steel frame ftw

chain looped saddle and frame sort that out, better a stolen seatpost than a saddle.

But so ugly!

solder is soft & glue only needs solvents to dissolve it. tricity if your absolutely certain you've stopped growing i can silver solder your components on, at the cost of a beer.

Silver solder FTW. (or poo if you subscribe to tynans theory)

Now this I am tempted by. But won't I need to melt my bike or something to remove it?

what if she starts shrinking?

generally speaking only menopausal women shrink :O

Is that true? I don't think I knew that. Wow, being female is exciting. I will try not to become menopausal anytime soon.

I've been thinking about popping a small blob of chemical metal into the allen bolt of the post clamp and seat clamp. Pretty sure this would work as it dries solid. It can be carefully picked out with a sharp pointy object should you need to and would probably be enough to put any opportunistic thieves off.

just scrape it out, with a sharp pointy object.

google security screws

cos criminal types never have access to sharp pointy objects...

Just a thought - I have a Cinelli Unicanitor saddle and Campy Record seat post - if I ever leave the bike locked up outside, I simply remove the seat post and take the lot with me. Saves worrying about whether someone is trying to nick it, though it does mean I have a large bulge in my jacket pocket. (Cue jokes please)

would not suggest solder

if you want to get it out you will need to heat the entire bolt to the melting point of the solder

we were discussing the ball bearing method at drinks (Murtle was even dishing out bearings to a few of us).

from what i gather to remove the bearings (if superglued in) the best thing to do is put the bike on its side, fill the bolt with acetone and leave for 20 minutes to dissolve the glue. simple when you know how. probably best done when you know you have your saddle at the required height.

would strongly advocate a thorough application of anti seize to the seatpost if you are doing this.

solder is very difficult to melt into the bolt head - the entire bike acts like a giant heat sink. it can be done but you'll need plenty of patience. and when you think it's done right, the entire solder "plug" can just pop out. that was my experience.

and removing it even more of a pain -- which is the point, I realize -- but superglue/bb is easy to do and easy to remove if you have acetone and 20-30 minutes. A compromise, yes, but I dont think thieves will be carrying acetone and something sharp like a sharpened spoke and will want to spend 20 minutes digging away.

I was never able to remove all of the solder out of my seat post bolt, so I was not able to tighten the bolt as much as it should be. The seatpost kept slipping when I rode. I eventually had to replace the bolt.

solder does look more elegant though if you fill the bolt head all the way and then file the end smooth to match the rest of the bolt.

I personally wouldnt use solder again. You'll see what I'm talking about if you try.

just thought about this now,,,,,

what about candle wax ? seems like a cool idea !

Surely candle wax would be too soft. Easy enough to squeeze out by pushing hard with an allen key.

What about spunk?

just pry a bit out using your key, and bingo.

This may be a stupid idea- but what about using Torx?

My disc brakes are fastened with Torx bolts, so I have a set of Torx keys.

However I doubt that theives would normally carry them?

another one is a magnetic ball bearing and have a strong magnet in your tool kit

Or indeed imperial. Old bikes FTW!

another one is a magnetic ball bearing and have a strong magnet in your tool kit

Now this sounds like a good plan.

Possibly a rare earth magnet would do the trick?

This place seems to sell them.

Bulk order?

How about a highly trained ninja ear-wig that lives inside the recess of the allen bolt?

one of these to throw at people with metal plates ! :D

How about a highly trained ninja ear-wig that lives inside the recess of the allen bolt?

haha

one of these to throw at people with metal plates ! :D

Thankfully the plates don't seem to be magnetic, I went and checked after reading your post.

I wonder how much of object's jewellery is ferro-magnetic? hmmmm

Tight fitting ball bearing an vaseline combined with a simple wire loop lock.
by the time you have invested in all the heavy welding gear, glues and chemicals.. plus the effort in finding the right technique you could have bought a nice collection of saddles to replace any that were stolen.

How about a highly trained ninja ear-wig that lives inside the recess of the allen bolt?

It's keeping them at the peak of their fitness that always proves a challenge

Thankfully the plates don't seem to be magnetic, I went and checked after reading your post.

nevermind then he he

It's keeping them at the peak of their fitness that always proves a challenge

I'm soon to be opening a ninja ear-wig training camp.

DCM will dissolve superglue. You can get it from your local university chemistry department. Just comment on someone's well setup synthesis and they'll be putty in your hands.

a glob of silicone sealant of the kind you put around the edge of the bath is my preferred method.

you need to sit there with a screwdriver for a few minutes to remove it all.

and deterring thieves is about making it so they just can't be arsed bothering I guess.