What actually happens if you over-tighten your seat post clamp?

[Jd843]

Possibly daft question...!

What are the potential consequences of over-tightening seat post clamp bolts? Damaged frame, seat post, or both? I always assumed both, but in most discussions online about seat post torque, people seem more worried about damaging carbon seat posts but not frames. Damaging a carbon seat post would be annoying, but at least it's more straightforward to fix - buying a new seat post, vs repairing or replacing a carbon frame?

I've got a torque wrench and I usually go for around the 5-6Nm range, but I am very paranoid about the torque wrench being faulty and accidentally breaking something by unwittingly going to 10Nm or something.

[rotavator]

Well I managed to snap the (Campag) clamp on mine ...I suppose that was better than damaging the frame or seatpost.

[De Sisti]

It will eventually snap (mid-ride), as in my case. Actually, it was within a couple of miles of my house.
No damage to frame of seat post.

[pwa]

Damage to the clamp itself is the most likely. But carbon posts do come with a recommended limit, so the makers must foresee damage. Do carbon frames have any figures printed in the clamp zone?

[Jdsk]

I've got a torque wrench and I usually go for around the 5-6Nm range, but I am very paranoid about the torque wrench being faulty and accidentally breaking something by unwittingly going to 10Nm or something.

The margin of error on the recommended torque would probably be OK for that overload.

You can test a torque wrench with fancy equipment... or some jury-rigged levers and a known mass.

Jonathan

[foxyrider]

In my case, the result of overtightening was an immediate failure of the Ti bolt - annoying but no damage to anything else.

[The utility cyclist]

You can crack the uppermost part of where the post inserts on a carbon frame if you overtighten significantly. You might if again going way over the amount you need to tighten, be able to crush/crack a carbon post, more so if it's wafer thin/el cheapo.

[Cyclewala]

Bolt broke on a late night commute once. Had to ride the remaining 9 miles stood up all the way. Quads were hurting for days.

On another occasion, bolt broke whilst moving briskly and could have been nasty. Thankfully, I had a rear reflector about two inches above the clamp and it stopped a sudden dropping of the seatpost.

Also, damaged a carbon seatpost on another bike and changed it to an aluminium post.

Joys of being a lardy rider and the extra strain on the components.