Serious question, I think we overhype carbon paste for seatposts.

Last week in our Denver shop, a customer came in with a seized carbon post. He'd used a whole tube of paste, like it was glue. Three years ago, I saw the same thing at a race in Boulder, a post stuck so bad we had to cut it out. I think the 'more is better' advice is wrong. A thin, even coat is all you need, not a thick gob. Has anyone else found that too much paste actually causes more problems?

4 comments

4 Comments

simonp762mo ago

Yeah, that "whole tube of paste" thing is way too real. I saw a guy at our local co-op who basically used it like caulk. It had oozed out and then hardened into this gritty cement. We spent an hour trying to get that post to budge before giving up. It's supposed to stop a creak, not weld the thing in place. A thin coat works fine, anything more is asking for trouble.

piper7791mo ago

100%. It's the same logic people use with duct tape or glue, more must be better when really it just makes a bigger mess to clean up later.

paige3312mo agoMost Upvoted

Wait, you spent an entire hour on one post?

milarodriguez2mo ago

Honestly, that extra paste is just smart building. If a little stops a creak, a lot guarantees it stays silent forever. Why risk having to redo the job in a year? That "cement" you described sounds like a feature, not a bug. A wobbly post is a failed post, and I'd rather fight it once than listen to it squeak for the next decade.