My shop manager told me to stop using grease on carbon seatposts

When I started at the shop in Boulder, our manager, a guy named Dave, saw me putting a thin coat of grease on a carbon seatpost before install. He stopped me and said, 'You'll never get that thing out again if you do that. Use carbon paste or nothing at all.' I thought he was being too careful, but I listened. Fast forward six months, and a customer brings in a high-end bike with a carbon seatpost totally seized in an aluminum frame. The previous shop had greased it. It took us two hours, a ton of patience, and a special clamp to get it free without wrecking the post. Dave just gave me a look that said 'I told you so' without saying a word. That one piece of advice saved me from a huge headache down the line. Has anyone else had a customer bring in a seized carbon part because of the wrong lube?

4 comments

4 Comments

miasanchez2mo agoMost Upvoted

Yep, seen that exact mess before.

reed.jana2mo ago

Totally get it @miasanchez, I just had to step back and start fresh with a clear list.

torres.blair2mo ago

Ugh, right? @miasanchez knows the deal. Sometimes you just have to scrap the whole thing and make a new list from scratch.

felixhenderson14h ago

...and that's exactly how I ended up with a customer's flattened carbon post and a really awkward conversation. I get the whole no grease on carbon thing now, but I swear some people just ignore it anyway. A guy came in last month with a dropper post that was basically bonded to his frame because he used regular anti-seize. We had to cut the post right above the seat collar and then use a pipe wrench from the inside to twist it out. The whole time he's standing there saying 'but my buddy told me it would be fine.' Do you guys ever have people argue with you even after you show them the damage?