Hot take: Should you grease every bolt or just the critical ones?

I had a customer last week at the shop near downtown who insisted I grease every single bolt on his touring bike, including the seatpost clamp and rack mounts. He said it's the only way to prevent corrosion after riding through a winter in Salt Lake City. But I've heard other mechanics argue that greasing everything can cause bolts to back out over time, especially on aluminum frames. I personally lean toward greasing only high-stress or stainless steel bolts, but I'm not 100% sure. What do you all do when a customer asks for a full grease job on every bolt?

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cameron_webb3mo ago

My uncle used to grease everything on his old Honda Civic back in the 90s, even the door hinges, and he swore by it until the day he lost a brake caliper bolt on the freeway. That's a scary story but it stuck with me. I figure a little grease goes a long way on things like pedal threads and bottom brackets where you know water gets trapped, but for rack mounts and seatpost clamps I'd rather use a dab of anti-seize or just keep them dry. Your mileage may vary of course, but I've had too many bolts back out on aluminum frames to trust a full grease job everywhere. The customer sounds like he knows what he's seen in that SLC salt, so maybe meet him halfway and explain your reasoning with a story of your own.

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