PSA: Stop greasing carbon seatposts, you're making it worse

Last week a guy brought in a creaking carbon frame and I found a thick layer of grease smeared on his seatpost, which is the opposite of what carbon paste is for. Grease lets the post slip and actually causes more stress on the clamp area, plus it's a nightmare to clean off if it seizes. Has anyone else had to explain this to customers who swear by grease on everything?

2 comments

2 Comments

terryh2024d ago

Wait, doesn't grease on the rails do the same thing for saddles too?

davis.noah24d ago

3 out of 4 carbon posts I've pulled out of seized frames had grease on them, not paste. The real issue nobody talks about is how grease traps moisture against the carbon over time. That moisture gets between the layers and causes delamination, which is way worse than a squeak. So when people think they're helping, they're actually setting up a slow structural failure. I'd rather deal with a creak every season than find a cracked post two winters later.