<quick rant>measured all distances twice up to the milimiter, hoping for a cool saddle change, only to find the seatpost is totally seized. ugh.<end rant>

What's up with those chaff-y looking logo panel stitching?

David Yang said:

What's up with those chaff-y looking logo panel stitching?

seriously. that feels like a saddle sore or worse

is old school (well, 90ish old school)

David Yang said:

What's up with those chaff-y looking logo panel stitching?

If it chafes, then your butt's too fat.  

That's the subtle stitching.  I've got some saddles with embroidery down the middle.  Back in the day, it was claimed to help anchor your shorts to the saddle.

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.imdserve.com/images/news/2012/06/25/1340632654929-zm6u18ljqa2-700-80.jpg

mugwump said:

David Yang said:

What's up with those chaff-y looking logo panel stitching?

If it chafes, then your butt's too fat.  

That's the subtle stitching.  I've got some saddles with embroidery down the middle.  Back in the day, it was claimed to help anchor your shorts to the saddle.

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.imdserve.com/images/news/2012/06/25/1340632654929-zm6u18ljqa2-700-80.jpg

Anchor you to a tube of bacitracin maybe...

I would have rather gotten a smooth saddle, but white classic 90s flite are basically non existent, so  I'll take what I find. This is one is totally NOS.

The patches on the side are sort more to protect the saddle than anything else. all moot however, as I'll need to move the seatpost in order to install it.

Future weekend projects:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54WhdrLKKvY

Ouch

eloy said:

I would have rather gotten a smooth saddle, but white classic 90s flite are basically non existent, so  I'll take what I find. This is one is totally NOS.

The patches on the side are sort more to protect the saddle than anything else. all moot however, as I'll need to move the seatpost in order to install it.

Future weekend projects:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54WhdrLKKvY

Good luck on your noble quest. As a former vintage steel enthusiast I've spent many many weekends with an arsenal of aerosol release sprays, a sacrificial saddle, levers, miscellaneous tools and vices, and lots of brute force and sweat to pull seized posts out.

If it's really stuck. There's this 100% successful method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dYnSVVDxrE

I've tried all the multi day solvent soak methods with no luck. The problem is the Alu oxidizes which makes it nearly impossible to get out depending on time.

JohnMalcolmson said:

If it's really stuck. There's this 100% successful method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dYnSVVDxrE

I've tried all the multi day solvent soak methods with no luck. The problem is the Alu oxidizes which makes it nearly impossible to get out depending on time.

Yeah. No.

I hope that works for you, but I doubt it. I tried ALL the tips on Youtube on my Raleigh; heating with a blowtorch, chicken entrails. Ended badly with two pipe wrenches and a vice.

If the solvents/lubes don't work, the other option that looked promising was a hand held hacksaw. You cut the top off the seatpost and then cut a vertical seam so you can then crimp it and get some kind of penetrating fluid in there. I couldn't try that because my bastard seatpost had an end cap. 

Yes. I am pretty sure I'll be able to eventually dislodge the seatpost... but say worst case I need to cut it, once it is cut horizontally, removing it should be trivial: just cut vertically.

(which is why that video is totally nuts)

Just make sure you have plenty o beer on hand.

JohnMalcolmson said:

Just make sure you have plenty o beer on hand.

Eloy you ever get that post out?

have not bothered to try... it'll probably be several weeks before I gave it a shot... will report back.

Seems like we have enough questions about this to justify a thread on the topic.

I'll start this off with some pics of the fit jig I saw the Gerolsteiner mechanics use at the 2005 Tour.  You'll also see the sheet they use with the measurements they take.

(Jules, love to see the pic you use of your measurements)

And here's a page for some shop-quality measuring tools

http://www.purelycustom.com/product-category/fit-bike/fit-tools/

There's an interesting site on bike fit called  Clinical Bike Fit.  It seems to have been an idea that got off the ground and then stalled.  

That written, they have a page of links to research papers on fit issues.  Looks like good stuff if you want to geek out. Papers like "Cadence selection affects metabolic responses during cycling and subsequent running time to fatigue."

https://www.clinicalbikefit.com/research/

Happy to share. I still use the same fit, but I could never get the slightly wider pedal spindles to work for me. Pruitt thought my overuse injury was very common for riders of my body type, and his advice was quite sanguine, "retreat from the field of battle until it subsides" ie: stop riding until the pain goes away.

"If we were trying to get you to Paris we would give you a shot of cortisone," he added, without any discussion of TUE's...

After solid recent reviews from both Max and Dave, I bit the bullet and went to Acme for a bike fit to wash away my bad red beard experience. 

Red Beard fits are infamously easy to spot. Look for the 30mm stem lol

Not really that funny , these fits are really expensive.

Mark Taylor said:

Not really that funny , these fits are really expensive.

Fair, but they've been severely suspect for over a decade now. My sympathies are genuine.

Agree , not sure who is still recommending to members