Why grease seatpost

Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Why did the bike shop put grease on my seatpost? Ask Question. Asked 9 years, 1 month ago.

Active 9 years, 1 month ago. Viewed 8k times. Why is this? Surely it can't seize? Improve this question. Unsliced Mark W Mark W 1, 3 3 gold badges 17 17 silver badges 30 30 bronze badges. Surely it can seize. They did it because they were being thorough. StephenTouset I should explained further that my seat post is coated in something black and also the frame is painted. If they were both bare metal it would be understandable — Mark W. The inside of the seat tube is almost certainly not painted, and any substance your seatpost is likely to be coated in to make it black will almost certainly not prevent seizure.

The black coating on an aluminum seatpost is probably black anodizing, which is only atoms thick. Add a comment. One of the worst cases of a stuck seat post happens when the seat post and the frame are made of different materials. Galvanic corrosion is a deterioration process that occurs when two dissimilar metals are in contact with one another and in the presence of a conductor like water.

When those conditions are met, a transfer of electrons begins from one of the metals to the other. However, this is a custom scenario known as preferential corrosion. Greasing the seat post greatly reduces the chances of experiencing galvanic corrosion.

It would also be wise to periodically remove the seat post and re-grease it as a form of precaution, especially if the bicycle is used in an area with high humidity and lots of rain. There are two main reasons NOT to use regular grease on a carbon seat post:. Grease is slippery. When you put it on a seat post, the clamp will have to be tightened to a greater degree to prevent movement of the seat post.

When tightened too much, the clamp may crush the carbon seat post. For that reason, carbon seat posts are covered by a layer of special carbon assembly compound. The carbon paste increases the friction between the seat post and the seat tube and subsequently reduces the need to tighten the clamps hard. Some people disagree with this statement due to the lack of scientific research, but field results have shown that regular grease could harm carbon. The risk is just not worth it given the price of carbon products.

Since carbon fiber acts as an electrical conductor, galvanic corrosion is a very real possibility when pairing aluminum and carbon. For that reason, some carbon frames come with a special aluminum sleeve in the seat tube. The purpose of this practice is to match the material of the seat post and the frame.

If the carbon frame does not have that sleeve, the best option to prevent corrosion would be to buy a carbon seat post so that the materials of the seat post and the frame match carbon on carbon. In that case, one could use specialized carbon-friendly compounds as a way to fight galvanic corrosion. Note: Unfortunately, many carbon frames have been damaged during attempts to remove a stuck aluminum post.

Regular cleaning and re-lubrication are mandatory to reduce the possibility of similar complications. Nor does it have synthetic components. If the seat post and the frame are made of aluminum or steel, the general-purpose grease found at most car stores would be sufficient in most cases.

If your frame and seat post clamp are made of metal, you could apply a thin layer of grease inside the seat post clamp too. Paint offers some protection and isolates the material, but it will not be sufficient for two reasons:. It depends on where you live and store your bicycle. If you ride in very bad weather, and you have an aluminum post inserting into a steel frame, you will have to check it more frequently.

I had a creaking rocky mountain switch that used to drive me crazy tracing the source. After some grease the creak was gone. Another Note: Use the large bore cleaning tool in a gun cleaning kit. Attached a large piece of cotton cloth drenched in WD to clean the seat tube.

After the WD wipe, attached a dry piece of cotton to the bore cleaner and run that through the seat tube a few times. I had a bottom bracket work itself free, due to water that got trapped down the seat tube.

Removing the seatpost is a good idea. Riding in the winter, in the rain, washing your bike. Getting air in there to help it dry out occasionally, is a good idea. Additionally, locking your seatpost and expensive seat in your car during transport makes sense as well. Thanks alot, Chris The more you click, the more I can post. Lee Likes Groceries dot com! Chris, any grease will do. Note: Take the time to get a new, clean toliet brush. Hey guys, thanks for all the great info.