8
Called me crazy for using grease on carbon seatposts, then my saddle creak vanished
Been building bikes for 8 years and always heard carbon paste was the only thing you should use on carbon posts. Finally tested it myself on a customer's 2019 Trek Emonda last month - threw a thin layer of marine grease on the post and the creak that had been driving them crazy for two years went away immediately. Anybody else ever buck the accepted wisdom and get a better result?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
ross.river11d ago
@knight.xena you're right that not all Emondas had carbon posts, but that 2019 model did come with a Bontrager carbon post on the higher end builds. I've seen the same thing happen on a few different carbon frames though.
I have a buddy who swears by the marine grease trick and he's been using it for years. His old 2014 Cervelo had a nasty creak that nothing else would fix. He put a thin coat of grease on the carbon post and it silenced it completely. Never had a problem with slipping or damage either.
Seems like the accepted wisdom against grease is mostly about the risk of over-tightening and crushing the post, which is a real concern. But if you're careful and only use a thin layer, it works better than any carbon paste I've tried.
I think the key is making sure the clamp isn't torqued too high. Most creaks come from the post not sliding enough in the frame, and grease lets it move just a tiny bit without binding up. Carbon paste is more about grip, which can actually make things worse if the post is already tight.
So yeah, I'm with you on this one. Sometimes the "wrong" way is the right way if you know what you're doing.
7