# BMC slx 01/ creaking seatpost



## andesman

Built up a nice slx 01, awesome bike, handles great, and contrary to what i tought, didnt end up so heavy, 7.6 kilograms with campag chorus /record mix and campag eurus clinchers.
the only negative i've seen is the creaking post. i have tried everything, carbon compound grease, cleaning and drying, different torque settings, etc, with no positive results. The team has been racing this frameset and i know they would not put up with this, so there has to be a solution. The 2010 model, which i would buy also to build a 2nd bike if i solved this, comes with a rubber thing, but that is a preventive measure. i would like to source it though, but know the problem has to be inside. Any solutions and suggestions? i am desperate...Anyone know the right torque setting for the bolt in the post, or any particular mounting instructions?

i have put in 2000 kms on the bike, if I were deaf, i would say its one of the best framesets ive ridden...but thats not the case...

thanks for any help provided!!


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## STARNUT

Did you grease the wedge bolt at the bottom. Not where it touches the seatpost but where the alloy and the carbon come together on the wedge bolt assembly?

How do you know it's the seatpost?

Starnut


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## andesman

Starnut, i did, not the bolt threads though, but the alu edge and the carbon edge...with tacx carbon compound grease. i know for certain its the seatpost b/cause it sounds when i sit down and move on the saddle, and saddle rails are not the ones creaking. i can hold the post when standing on pedals and move it fwd and back and it produces same sound as when i move on saddle, quite annoying. it remains quiet when i tighten inner cable bolt and then install post, but then it comes back again. first 1000 kms sound was not a problem.


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## motolatte

I have the same bike and... same problem! Went to clean it and re-grease/re-paste the other day to have it silent for another 2-300 miles and then found it stuck (hence my post)... In addition to that noise I have DT skewers that make a rattling noise, and the crank arms make a nice soda-can crunch sound too...(just removed BB and re-installed/re-greased as well.) Just do what I do: race on it, everyone will give you room because they think your bike is falling apart. Then you spank them! 

If you find a solution, pass it on!


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## andesman

this is what the swiss guys have to say in regards to this problem:

Streampost: Noise Reduction
Sometimes the Streampost can create noise.This creaking emerges because the post can slightly move in the
seat tube as it is clamped at the bottom instead at the end of the seat tube.
While grease or carbon paste can help temporarely there are some better solutions:
1. Use a transparent chainstay protection tape and apply it to the rear side of the Streampost. This prevents
the post from rubbing directly on the seat tube.
The tape will wear with time because it gets rubbed through and has to be replaced but it lasts much longer
then grease.


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## jcrissey

.....


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## houser23

andesman said:


> this is what the swiss guys have to say in regards to this problem:
> 
> Streampost: Noise Reduction
> Sometimes the Streampost can create noise.This creaking emerges because the post can slightly move in the
> seat tube as it is clamped at the bottom instead at the end of the seat tube.
> While grease or carbon paste can help temporarely there are some better solutions:
> 1. Use a transparent chainstay protection tape and apply it to the rear side of the Streampost. This prevents
> the post from rubbing directly on the seat tube.
> The tape will wear with time because it gets rubbed through and has to be replaced but it lasts much longer
> then grease.


I used this advice but used electric tape instead and to my surprise the creaking vanished.


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## c0d3man

Mine came with transparent tape, if it starts to creak i'll be sure to put it in.


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## Mikesbike

I just built up a Pro Machine and have the seat post issue. Love the bike but sounds like Granny's rocking chair! Looking at the post, it seems virtually impossible to put any tape etc on it and have it slide in since it's such a tight fit. Am I missing something?


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## c0d3man

Mikesbike : i didnt think the Pro Machine had steampost and therefore shouldnt creak the same way right ? have you tried a bit of lube on the seatpost ? and making sure you've tightened it with the correct pressure ?


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## slimjw

My new SLR01 was doing this as well. My shop slopped a bunch of that carbon goop stuff in there and it went away. All good for now, but no idea if it will come back as I've only had the bike for a month or so.


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## ultraman6970

Ok guys the solution for the creaking seat post is the following one... 

Get some PDA screen protector screen, get at least two of the bigger u could find.

1 Take the seatpost OUT
2 Cut a piece and put it in the seat tube (in the frame), in the back of the seat tube.
3 cute another piece and put it in the seatpost in the same place, the back of the seat post. What i did was to cover maybe 60% of the seat post with one piece of screen protector. The noise comes from the back of the seat post anyways.
4 put the seat post back in
5 be happy.

Some other people have used electrical tape but only in the seat post, since the tape it is too thick i dont advice you to put a piece in the seattube or you are asking problems trying to take the seat post out. The other tape i have used is the white medical tape (white color, no idea if they have black), it is made of fabric and it is pretty thin also. Put a piece in the seat post, done.

The tape will work for a few months to a year, then change it if starts creaking again.

None in the bike manual says about to use regular grease, probably because the quill thingy inside might try to slip or something, but the way to fix the problem is with a tape not with grease. 

CHeers.


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## Mikesbike

Thanks, you are right, I have the Easton EC seat post but still have the creaking. I noticed that the post may have been hitting the top water bottle screw so I took the saw to it and trimmed a little off. Will ride it later today and will see. I did tighten everything to spec, nice that bmc printed the torque on the frame!


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## looigi

*Seatpost creaking update?*

Rode my brand new SLR01 for the first time today and alles ist wunderbar except for the seatpost (Streampost) creaking/squeaking. Is there any new info on this beyond what's in this thread?


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## ultraman6970

Streampost does that... what i did was get a screen protector for a phone, palm or any big ass screen phone and put that in the seatpost, the creak will go away. Put it in the back part of the seatpost, thats from where the sound is coming.

There are threads about this issue.

Good luck.


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## looigi

ultraman6970 said:


> There are threads about this issue.


This is the only thread I could find, and I saw your post from Sep with the screen protector suggestion. I'll give it a shot and see how it works.

Thanks.


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## ultraman6970

Did you fix it??


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## looigi

Yeah. I was just about to run out and get a screen protector when I remembered I had some Kapton tape on hand and thought I'd try that. I did and it worked.

Kapton polyimide is a tough film very much like the polyester film used for PDA screen protectors, except it's a semi-transparent brownish orange color. The tape I have is about 1/2 the thickness of the 0.005" thick polyester typically used in PDA screen protectors. It may not last as long as the PDA stuff but it's working for now.

With the creak gone, the bike is even awesomer.


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## ultraman6970

Happy it worked out, enjoy the bike


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