Originally Posted by
Ghrumpy
In your opinion, dry tapers make this more likely. I don't want to speak for Campagnolo and Barnett's, but seems in their opinion, they make it less likely. Since you admit it can happen either way, I'm going with them. No disrespect intended.
Fretting damage can happen either way, but dry mounting makes it worse, with some (more) damage happening during the mounting process if mounted dry. Not putting much torque on the cranks does help as well. Heavy, strong rider that prefers mashing is more likely to suffer from improperly mounted cranks. Not recommending such riding style, just pointing out. Just like a light rider, taking it slow can work with weak(er) brakes without any problems, but it doesn't mean one shouldn't adjust their brakes properly.
Originally Posted by
Ghrumpy
I never said it was a "one go" thing. It takes time. Fretting doesn't cause it, overtightening does. Greased tapers are more easily overtightened, which makes it more likely to happen faster.
This is not true. Try it on some old BB. Lube, and try overtightening the crank. See if the bolts threads strip first, or the crank moves too high up/splits. Your claim that lubing helps the "overtightening" is simply misinformed IMO. Could I be wrong? Possibly, but I'm yet to find theoretical, or practical evidence against lubing and/or towards dry mounting.
Originally Posted by
Ghrumpy
Luckily for you, Campagnolo has "big numbers" after making alloy cranks and square taper BBs for 60 years. Barnett's has "big numbers" after 30 years of instruction, and countless years of combined experience of their faculty. You don't have to wait twenty more years.
Doing something for long is not enough all by itself for one to become good at it. Learning and experimenting, in addition to practise is what does it. Don't know why they wrote such instructions. But they make no sense.
Originally Posted by
Ghrumpy
I would say there is a sweet spot in the middle where it probably doesn't matter whether you grease or not. If you understand the risks and use the correct tools and torques, and adjust intelligently for your personal preference, things will probably be fine. How many home mechanics have either the tools or the knowledge? For that matter, how many shops do? That's why there are resources provided by manufacturers, and knowledge-gathering and instructional institutions like Sutherland's and Barnett's and UBI. Whether you choose to believe them or someone else like Jobst Brandt, well, that's a religious decision I suppose.
I don't think I'm the one being "religious". Religious would be holding a written book as gospel, without questioning it. I've tried various methods, read various opinions and books and came to some conclusions. Still being open to corrections. However, like I've said, so far I'm with the "lube first" method.