Carbon Paste on Seat Post (will i do damage)

A while back i started a thread as my seat post was slipping down in my frame (2005 enduro elite) it was decided that the cheap SDG post i had was crap so i removed it and went back to the stock specialized, this post is better but does slip after a little while (nothing as bad as the SDG)
Anyhow it was reccomnded that i use carbon paste to aid friction, my only question i have abouty using this is will it wear out my seat tube?? I presume it is a little abhrasive and i move my seat height about a fair bit so im worried that i may have an allready worn seat tube and dont want tomake it worse…….
I cant afford a dropper post so thats not an option.
Cheers

Can’t see an issue – all my seat posts have had carbon paste. I’ve never heard of one wearing out.

OK cheers just wasnt sure if it created friction by being more abhrasive……my seat goes up and down a lot so ideally i need a dropper but cant afford one at the moment…

Carbon assembly paste has fine plastic beads in it, so shouldn’t wear your post out.

I would have thought that carbon paste would have acted as a lubricant? Anything between to seat tube and seatpost will cause the seatpost to slip. Surely it would be better to degrease the seatpost and inside of the seat tube completely if you want to increase friction?

johnellison – Member

I would have thought that carbon paste would have acted as a lubricant? Anything between to seat tube and seatpost will cause the seatpost to slip. Surely it would be better to degrease the seatpost and inside of the seat tube completely if you want to increase friction?
That assumes the post and seat tube are both perfectly flat and smooth so to get the most grip between them. Actually they are not, so the fiber paste will fill the gaps and give better friction between them thus requiring less pressure from the clamp to stop them moving. I was very surprised when I tried this on my bike how much less pressure it actually needs.

Rockshox reverbs actually say to use carbon paste as it allows the seatpost to be clamped less tightly (overly tight can hinder the operation of the uppy downy action).

You’ll be fine.

As above, it is quite amazing how lightly the clamp needs to be done up after using the paste.

I had issues with a slipping post where I applied a small strip of electrical tape to the post lengthways just so there was something to fill out the tiny void and help to get the right clamp pressure. The fit was instantly better. Try that.

I’m using Finish Line Fiber grip which has tiny beads in it with an aluminium post in a carbon frame to stop it slipping, it works and the anodising and frame aren’t wearing but it doesn’t last that long as the beads get crushed. When it runs out I’ll get motorex carbon grease which works by chemically increasing friction rather than mechanically. Also as carbon is a conductor galvanic corrosion still occurs so you need this stuff to stop the seat post seizing especially with droppers that are moved less frequently, don’t use normal grease though.

Carbon paste increases friction when under pressure (i.e. clamping) and acts as a lube when not under pressure, hence perfect for seatposts.

ideal, i have ordered some of the finish line stuff so will see how that works for me, might try the new post and seat back in too otherwise i need to buy new as im sick of the crap single bolt opst im currently using, hopefully i can go back to my SDG ibeam post with paste 🙂