Just gotten a new steed. Some dumb questions:
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How do I torqued up to 4NM for the seatpost clamp without a torque wrench?
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When I wanted to raise the carbon seatpost, I found it very tight. Is there a special grease?
I don’t use grease at the moment, just wet with some water to slip it in.
When I look at the seatpost clamp, 2 things strike my mind -
a. Can the threads (imbedded into the frame) last?
b. If they don’t, does it mean I have to junk the whole frame? That is a scary thought.
c. Are frame designers sparing no expense to make everything as aero as possible, with
no consideration for durability (or value) ? Has everybody on this planet gotten so rich,
that they junk their frames every season - so there is no need for durability?
You’ll want to get a torque wrench. It should be snug enough so that it won’t slip but not so tight that it bites into the seatpost itself. Some seatpost fit very snug into the seat tube. It will most likely loosen up a bit the more you adjust it. I wouldn’t use grease on it.
The threads that hold the seat post clamp in place should last but you could strip them out by overtightening the bolts. We haven’t seen anyone actually do that yet, I’m sure that it has happened though. Note that you would put a pretty nice sized divot in the seatpost if you were on your way to going too tight.
As for the actual seat clamp the torque setting is 12Nm for a freshly greased bolt. You would actually break the bolt before damaging the seatpost hole that controls the angle of the seat.
I know that Ritchey makes a TorKey or a device with a name similar to that. They designed it to be used with stem bolts and it has a max setting of 6 Nm I think. It would be a cheap $25??? way to make sure that you don’t overtighten the seatpost clamp.