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Found a weird way to stop a creaky seatpost on a vintage Schwinn
Last month, a customer brought in a 1983 Schwinn Le Tour with a creak that sounded like a rusty gate hinge every time he pedaled. After cleaning and greasing didn't work, I wrapped a single layer of plumber's Teflon tape around the post where it met the clamp, and the noise vanished completely. Has anyone else had luck with this trick on older steel frames?
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bettywood2mo agoMost Upvoted
That Teflon tape trick is clever for a quick fix. But on a 40 year old steel frame, a creak is usually a sign of something bigger, right? Like a tiny crack starting near the lug or the seat tube itself getting oval from years of stress. Does the noise come back when the tape wears down or gets wet?
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jamesfox2mo ago
Found a tiny crack near the bottom bracket on my old frame, so @bettywood is right to be suspicious. The tape trick just covered it up for a few rides.
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lopez.simon2mo ago
Funny how tape fixes stuff just long enough to make you forget it's broken. But here's something nobody's talking about - that crack might not be from frame fatigue at all. @jamesfox know if you ever stored that bike outside or in a damp garage? Bottom bracket area is a rust magnet on old steel frames because water drips down the seat tube and sits right there. Tape can hide a crack but it also traps moisture against the metal, making things worse faster. A magnet test might tell you if that's surface rust eating through or a real structural crack.
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