Cracking saddle
 

So I need your help.

My saddle cracks a lot. I have a Trek Domane with standard seat post (steel clamp with carbon post) and a WTB rocket saddle with titanium rails.

You can reproduce the creaking by holding each edge of the saddle and torquing up and down...

The interesting thing is that the creak can increase or decrease depending on how tight the front and rear screws are set. The issue is that you need to adjust those screws in order to set the ideal saddle angle.

I went to my LBS and they said the creaking seems to be from where the rails is inserted in the saddle. They put some lubricant in the area but didn't helped a lot.

I tried to install another saddle (sella italia also with titanium rails) and something similar happens.
Thoughts?

Is this to be expected?
Is there something wrong with the clamp in the seat post?
Is this common in titanium rails?

The creaking drives me nuts when riding.

Any thoughts?

I tried grease.. same issue.

I tried cleaning too. Even though not with alcohol.

Put a lot of grease anywhere metal touches metal.

In my case it was the lower saddle clamp part moving against the seatpost that was the issue. I had cleaned and greased it but I hadn't put enough grease.

For me, the type of creaking you describe is usually from dirt and dust in the seat rail clamp.

Take out the saddle and clean the seat clamp VERY thoroughly. Then apply a bit of WD40 to the area. (don't know about grease, seems messy to me). The reinstall the saddle and see if that worked.

Could also be dirt between the seatpost inside of the seat tube. You can take the seatpost out and clean both thoroughly with a rag. Then apply some fiber grip paste to your CF seatpost.

Good luck!

I get this same sound on my Domane, using an SMP saddle. It comes and goes so I've never really done anything about it. Drove me nuts as I was thinking it could be BB or spoke or who knows what! Creaking stopped when I unweighted the saddle. May try some of the fixes listed above.

What do you mean with "unweighted the saddle"

I expect the Ti rail is flexing, get steel rail saddles,
or live with the side effects of your gram cutting.

...

Getting your butt off of it. :rolleyes:

I tried everything.... complete cleant rais and clamp.... with grease, with carbon grip...
Still creaking.

So I switched to a Fabric carbon saddle (carbon rails) and the noise is gone.

The Fabric Scoop is not as comfortable as the WTB but should do.

So is the creaking issue a known problem with titanium rails?
Maybe my saddle had an issue?

Make sure it's not your seatpost creaking inside the seat tube. I've had a couple of them I've had to shorten by an inch or two so they don't stick down so far. If they go down too far they can creak. It does sound like it comes from the saddle.