Bicycle Mechanics - Carbon Seatpost, Steel Seat Tube

Grease or don't grease?

thanks.

joel

Regardless of frame material you should not grease a carbon seatpost.

Grease or don't grease?

thanks.

joel

This might interest you. A quote from Craig Calfee, who arguably has lots of experience with CF (http://www.calfeedesign.com/index.htm), in response to a similar question:

I don't know where the myth started, but carbon composites are not affected by grease. Our advice is simple: If the seatpost fits tight, grease it. If it slips, de-grease it. As has been known for many years, when aluminum and carbon fiber contact each other, galvanic corrosion can start. That is why Calfee uses a fiberglass sleeve as a seat tube shim. Aluminum seat tube (or sleeve) and a carbon post will result in corrosion of the frame and possible seizure of the post within the frame. A carbon sleeve on an aluminum post will result in corrosion of the post. Salty environments accelerate this corrosion. Anodizing merely slows it down. About the only common chemical that will hurt carbon fiber is paint remover (which attacks the resin between the fibers). But there are many solvents that will dull a nice paint job.
Craig Calfee

Put Tacx Assembly Compound (http://www.google.com/search?q=tacx+assembly+compound)or Ritchey Liquid Torque (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=Ritchey+Liquid+Torque&btnG=Search)on the seat post. This stuff reduces the required torque and isolates the two materials from one another.