Dummy Question - Why is my seatpost stuck??

[chris234]

I know this is a very amateur question, and as simple as I know it should be solvable, for some reason I can not adjust my seatpost up and down.
I have a 2020 Haibike AllMtn, with just barely 20+ miles on it.
Could I have installed this wrong?
The seat can be twisted clockwise and counterclockwise freely without any strong force, but I cannot put it up or down, not even a little bit.
I already tried removing the cable to the external dropper post, and still nothing.
I also unscrewed the clamp of the post completely, and even slid it upwards, still nothing.
I tried pulling up the seatpost, post with the dropper down and dropper up, and nothing.
With so much force of me trying to pull it up and push it down, I think I ended up messing up with the dropper post.
Now (with the dropper cable unhooked) and the dropper lever all the way up (without being pulled down by the cable), the dropper seat does not lock into place. I tried pushing the lever up with a philips, but it is all the way up.
Errrr. Any help would help me avoid making a trip to the bike shop.
Thanks!
Chris

 

[reed scott]

I know this is a very amateur question, and as simple as I know it should be solvable, for some reason I can not adjust my seatpost up and down.
I have a 2020 Haibike AllMtn, with just barely 20+ miles on it.
Could I have installed this wrong?
The seat can be twisted clockwise and counterclockwise freely without any strong force, but I cannot put it up or down, not even a little bit.
I already tried removing the cable to the external dropper post, and still nothing.
I also unscrewed the clamp of the post completely, and even slid it upwards, still nothing.
I tried pulling up the seatpost, post with the dropper down and dropper up, and nothing.
With so much force of me trying to pull it up and push it down, I think I ended up messing up with the dropper post.
Now (with the dropper cable unhooked) and the dropper lever all the way up (without being pulled down by the cable), the dropper seat does not lock into place. I tried pushing the lever up with a philips, but it is all the way up.
Errrr. Any help would help me avoid making a trip to the bike shop.
Thanks!
Chris

I had a similar problem with my dropper. I didn't want it but it came with the bike. I wanted to put on my Kinekt post. I finally just applied all the force upwards with the seat still attached I was able to muster while twisting the seat and post from side to side. It came out. Pretty sure the crappy dropper post is rubbish now. Had to use a shim for my Kinekt post to fit.

 

[McCorby]

What Reed said....

When you do get it loose, you may want to put a very thin layer of grease on the post and be sure not to over tighten the clamp to prevent this from happening again.

 

[chris234]

Thanks for all your help. I was able to figure out that I pushed it in a little too much (about a quarter inch below the minimum), which got it stuck. I did have to pull it out at a certain angle.
So this brings me to my next question, the step over height is very high.
Bike is rated for 5'2" - 5'6". My wife is 5'3", and with the dropper all the way down, she can only reach one foot on the ground.
Is it worth it to upgrade the dropper post to have more "travel" on the dropper, so we can all use it?
I could say I am also 5'5", and with the dropper down I cannot lay my two feet flat on the ground, but I used to be able to do it with my YT Jeffsy small.

 

[Brooks]

The Bottom Bracket doesn't have much drop so you need to put the saddle up high. This is normal for this type of bike. It's high for clearance. Even on road bikes with a standard BB drop of 70mm, you can barely touch your toes to the ground while sitting on saddle. If you wanted to plant your 2 feet on the ground while sitting on the saddle, you bought the wrong bike.

 

[reed scott]

The Bottom Bracket doesn't have much drop so you need to put the saddle up high. This is normal for this type of bike. It's high for clearance. Even on road bikes with a standard BB drop of 70mm, you can baring touch your toes to the ground while sitting on saddle. If you wanted to plant your 2 feet on the ground while sitting on the saddle, you bought the wrong bike.

Good way to put it. Harsh but fair. Chris, in order to get proper leg extension, not too much, not too little, you really can't sit on the seat and put both feet on the ground.

 

[chris234]

Thanks for your thoughts guys. We tried to bike this morning and try to work out the lowest it can go, but still a no go. With the bike so heavy, and my wife barely touching her toe (just one foot) to the ground, we had to swap bikes and she took the non-electric one.

Was thinking, can I change the dropper post to something that has more travel (as close to the bottom as possible where the collar screw mount is)?

Has anyone changed their dropper post?

 

[reed scott]

Thanks for your thoughts guys. We tried to bike this morning and try to work out the lowest it can go, but still a no go. With the bike so heavy, and my wife barely touching her toe (just one foot) to the ground, we had to swap bikes and she took the non-electric one.

Was thinking, can I change the dropper post to something that has more travel (as close to the bottom as possible where the collar screw mount is)?

Has anyone changed their dropper post?

Get rid of the dropper. Put a regular post in. She won't use the dropper anyway. Cut some of it off if you need to. I had to do this with one of my bikes when I put a Kinekt shock absorbing post on. You may need to purchase shims for a regular post as dropper posts are usually larger diameter than regular seat posts. I forget where I ordered my shims. I think it might have been the Kinekt store.

 

[McCorby]

As Brooks and Reed pointed out, you got the wrong bike. It was not designed for you to be flat footed while seated. The geometry just isn’t right for that. Technically, the seat height should be adjusted so that you get correct/near full leg extension when pedaling. You’ll never get that on your bike with the seat height adjusted so you can sit flat footed.

An Electra Townie or cruiser style bike would have been a much better choice for what you’re trying to do....

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[Brooks]

Get rid of the dropper. Put a regular post in. She won't use the dropper anyway. Cut some of it off if you need to. I had to do this with one of my bikes when I put a Kinekt shock absorbing post on. You may need to purchase shims for a regular post as dropper posts are usually larger diameter than regular seat posts. I forget where I ordered my shims. I think it might have been the Kinekt store.

This. Get rid of the dropper and use a regular seat post. Something with setback might be good.

 

[reed scott]

As Brooks and Reed pointed out, you got the wrong bike. It was not designed for you to be flat footed while seated. The geometry just isn’t right for that. Technically, the seat height should be adjusted so that you get correct/near full leg extension when pedaling. You’ll never get that on your bike with the seat height adjusted so you can sit flat footed.

An Electra Townie or cruiser style bike would have been a much better choice for what you’re trying to do....

Café Moto Go! Men's | Electra Bikes

Discover your next great ride with Step-Over Café Moto Go!. See the bike and visit your local Trek retailer. Shop now!

electra.trekbikes.com

We see a lot of inexperienced/non athletic people riding without proper leg extension. Sometimes they grow into better ergonomics, sometimes they don't. You can try to help them but often it's just not possible.

 

[Bee Lo on the Go]

Sometimes, IF you raise the seatpost collar up for more leg extension it pulls the slack out of the cable that enters the frame. When you do that it can make the seat go all the way up, on its own. Just pull a little of the cable back out of the frame and give you some slack and it will ease up the tension and allow the seatpost to function again.