FAQ – Waterford Precision Cycles

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Answer

(See below for more questions.)

Choosing Your Waterford

What if my seatpost slips during rides?

If you have a carbon fiber seatpost please review the question specifically covering this topic.

We attempt to accomplish a lot with our seatpost fit-ups: We want a light-weight seatlug providing secure fit while minimizing seatpost scratches. We live with variation between seatpost manufacturers as well as within a company\'s product offerings.

Check for improper lubrication. Good mechanics lubricate the seatpost to ease installation and to reduce the possibility of galvanic welding (where the seatpost \"rusts\" into the seat tube). Watch out for two pitfalls:

Too much grease: Unfortunately, any more than very light lubrication may facilitate slipping when you don\'t want it to happen.

Wrong type of grease: Don\'t use anti-seize or teflon-based lubricants. Instead you can use a good quality lithium grease or a non-synthetic petroleum grease such as Phil Wood.

Simply remove the post, wipe down, clean as much lubricant from the inside of the seat tube as possible and then reinstall the seatpost. If that doesn\'t do it:

Make sure you have the proper post for the frameset. Up until around the 2000 model year, our models 1200 and 2200 road racing frames require a 27.4mm post. A 27.2mm post often fits - so closely that many Waterford 1200\'s have been delivered with that post. Unfortunately, with heavy riders, frequent seat height changes and otherwise heavy use, tightening the post can become increasingly difficult. If the problem remains uncorrected, the seat binder bolt may break, the seat lug can deform and seat stays can pop apart from the stress!

All of our other bikes require 27.2mm seatpost and even though some riders use a post so marked, they still have problems tightening properly. Check the actual seatpost diameter. Some reputable manufacturers have delivered posts significantly below the nominal size. They will typically replace the post if it is less than 27.15mm at any point on the post.

When checking seatpost diameters, check at the area around where the seat is clamped - not just at the ends of the post. In at least two cases this year, the seatpost actually measured correctly at the end of the post as well as up near the saddle - in this case 27.2mm for a mountain bike post. But when we measured the area clamped by the rider, we found a diameter of only 26.8mm!

In both cases, the riders were over 200 pounds riding mountain bikes extensively. The posts (which shall remain nameless) were among the lightest available - though clearly under-designed for their application. Consider a more durable post - even if it might be considered at first too heavy. The moral of the story is of course: a gram saved isn\'t always a gram earned!

Syntace now sells Syntace Dynamic Friction Paste, a material that includes a bit of grit in it to insure both corrosion resistance and impressive resistance to seatpost slippage. So far, reports have been very positive for this product.

One of these moves will take care of virtually all seatpost slippage problems. If everything checks out and you still slip then give us a call at 262.534.4190.