Journey of the Boardwalk: Part 11 - LitePro Seat Clamp

My new LitePro components had arrived a few days ago, from Cyclopedia.com, the local LitePro distributor. However, I did not have the time to install them yet. Also, I did not want to put on new components for a tough ride like the King of Da Hills without some testing around the neighbourhood first.

Decided to change the seat clamp first, because I thought that it would take the least amount of time. Will be changing my seat clamp from the current silver seat clamp to the new gold coloured LitePro seat clamp!

My first impression of the seat clamp is that it is really well made. The edges are nicely finished with no burrs or sharp edges or scratch marks from machining. Brass shim between clamp and lever that does not deform when you clamp tight, unlike those with a rubber shim. Brilliant gold anodized finish, a quality product.

New gold coloured LitePro seat clamp!

There are two different sizes of seat tube clamps for Dahon bikes, 40mm and 41mm. This measurement refers to the outer seat tube size. For steel framed models, the size is 40mm, while the aluminium framed bikes use the 41mm clamp size. You can check the clamp size of your original seat clamp by looking at the bottom of the clamp. It should write 40 or 41mm, depending on your frame material.

40mm seat clamp for my Chromium-Molybdenum steel Boardwalk frame!

Adjusting nut of the clamp. It may look small, but is surprisingly easy to adjust!

Bye bye silver seat clamp.

First step is to remove the current seat clamp. This is actually harder than it seems, because the current seat clamp is probably stuck to the seat tube already! In a way it is good when in use, because it will not move about when the clamp is loose.

Tried to remove it by pulling apart the clamp and lifting it out.However, the clamp is quite strong and there is only so much that you can open it up by hand. To lift it out, you will need to open the clamp wider than the lip of the shim. It already takes two hands to open up the clamp, no more hands to pull out the clamp! In any case, even with two hands it is difficult to open the clamp wide enough to clear the shim lip. Fiddled around with it for quite a while without success, before I had an ingenious idea!

Ingenious idea: Find two M5 sized nuts, and screw them onto the seat clamp lever bolt as shown above. It should be a tight fit between the gap. Of course, the clamp would still be stuck on the seat tube at this point in time.

Next, take a size 8 hex wrench and turn the two nuts so that they move apart! By doing so, you will force the clamp open with ease. And the clamp will stay open thanks to the nuts. Do not overdo it, just open it to the extent that the clamp can fit past the shim lip, and then lift out the seat clamp.

The bare seat tube! Note the lip of the shim, which will come in useful if you want to lift out the shim.

At this point, you can just put on the new seat clamp and the seat clamp change would be done. I decided to go a step further and remove the shim, just for fun!

As expected, the shim is also stuck within the seat post. I tried using pliers to pull out the shim, but it was stuck fast. Hardly any grip or leverage on the tiny shim lip. And then I had ingenious idea number 2!

With the nuts on the seat clamp lever bolt still apart, flip the clamp upside down and put it around and under the shim lip. There is also a lip on the clamp. Then, turn the nuts so that they come together and the clamp closes up. The clamp lip will tighten around the shim, and you can just pull them out easily! Without the clamp, it would be difficult to get any grip on the shim.

Ta-da! Note the rust, which is from the steel frame, and not the shim itself as the shim is aluminium.

Rusty inside of seat tube! Still not too bad though. Must be from those wet rides where rainwater got in.

Cleaned the seat tube and shim, and then put on the clamp. It is easier to put on the clamp first, because without the clamp, it is difficult to judge how far in to insert the shim.

New gold-coloured seat clamp! The clamp lever is on the other side because of the wording on the clamp lever.

Insert the shim back into the seat tube. The lip of the shim will rest nicely on the clamp.

Last step, put back the seatpost and everything is completed! Took me almost an hour for the job, as I could not remove the seat clamp and shim, before I had the two ideas. With the tips above, it should take you much lesser time to change the seat clamp yourself.

The gold LitePro seat clamp! Compare it with the original one shown below.

Still have some more LitePro components, but will need to find more time to install them! Just as a teaser...