can the interface be dry or should it be lightly greased to isolate against galvanic corrosion? 2) seat tube is 34.9? OD, about 4-5NM band clamp bolt torque?

Not an endorsement per se but I’ve always greased the band clamps before torquing up to spec (mostly to protect paint) never had an issue with slippage even on painted seat tubes.

The clamp is probably anodized which should protect against corrosion, I doubt any grease is needed.

I would use anti seize or grease. I have anodized Campagnolo clamps on both my Ti bikes and have gotten corrosion on clamp (and a bit on seat tube) when assembled dry. Of course, I live deep in the Perspiration Belt (in central Texas) and sweat that drips/runs down the seat tube can seep in and accelerate galvanic process.

Dry, no issues at all but prefer a carbon clamp.

I defer to those with actual experience with ti vs al, and just to add an alternate solution - I have a fd clamp on one of my bikes that was slightly loose for the cro-mo seat tube and (actually to protect the paint), cut a ‘c shaped’ shim from a white plastic film canister that I shaped to the outline of the clamp, and roughened both surfaces with sandpaper. No slippage, not the most elegant solution, but almost invisible and it worked. If you try this, you might need a thinner shim as you have a clamp of the correct diameter (maybe some good 3M tape)…

I have considered using a strip of that clear protective plastic frame protector material under the clamp but if it’s too thick, I’m not sure it will fit.

Just a word of warning - I used a Shimano FD clamp on my custom titanium frame. I tightened it to 5NM a couple of times, but both times it slipped down / sideways. I then went to 6NM, and while it seemed like it worked OK, unbeknownst to me at the time, it must have cracked the frame. It seemed fine for a while, but then I started chasing a ticking sound every time I got out of the saddle. After exhausting all other possibilities, I took off the clamp only to find a pretty bad crack there, which I think took a while to get to the point where it was causing a ticking sound. I had that frame for about 15 years. The finish looked perfectly fine even though I never used any kind of frame protection. I REALLY miss that frame, so whatever you do, don’t go beyond 5NM. If it slips, I’d see if you can find something to put inside of clamp that will add some friction. That frame went through some pretty awful crashes, but none of the crashes ever dinged up the front derailleur, so don’t think it was those impacts at fault.

I have a clamp-on front derailleur on my old Ti bike; I simply put a strip of clear polyester tape underneath it. I’ve probably replaced the tape a couple of times in the twelve years I’ve had that bike (though I only use it on the indoor trainer these days).

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