Seatpost Advice Required

[Tamar]

I've just had Cyclefit session and as a result need to get a new seatpost - a straight one with no layback.

What should I be looking for in the ultimate seatpost? Will it make any discernable difference to my riding if I spend £20 or £100? Is aero important? Weight? Carbon? Aluminium? Clever shock absorption bits? One bolt or two for attaching saddle?

Thomson Elite has good reviews but seems a lot of money for a seemingly innocuous bit of kit.

Grateful for your thoughts.

ps - Cyclefit session was excellent - thanks to the insertion of 3 little wedges under the cleat my right knee and heel no longer rub on the frame and crank. V good.

[JayneToyne]

seat post has no performace characterisitcs other than needing to be strong enough to support you while you give it some stick during training and racing and not be too heavy as to add anything much to the overall weight of your bike. being a bit aero is good if you tt or track but road race wise, take your pick.

carbon looks nice and is light weight, theres a small danger of breakage with some flimsy carbon stuff, especially where the clamp goes around the post, so if you are thinking for road and road racing, go for a decent sturdy carbon post or a nice light weight alloy. ( road racing is much tougher on components than tt's)
a decent clamp at the top will do the job of holding your saddle in the right place, one which has "infinite" adjustment is good so you can get your position just right. ie, you might adjust saddle for different circumstances.
ive got one thats notchy and i only have to move it one notch and its enough to make a difference. infinite is better than notchy but has to be done up really tight to avoid slippage.

go and feel up some seat posts, any shop should let you at least compare between several types. price is entirely down to how much you want to pay. ball park £50-60 is probably enough to pay...

[Jon H]

Also make sure it's the right diameter to fit your frame. The most common size is 27.2mm, but they do vary. If in doubt take the old one out and it should have the size written on it somewhere. Or take it to the shop for them to make sure.

[rollerskate skinny (sylv)]

In my opinion on a road bike, where the seatpost is typically about 20-25cm long and reaches 5-15cm out of the frame, there wouldn't be much advantage using a carbon post over aluminium, both on weight and shock absorption (on a mountain bike however it makes senses, as generally 20-3cm of post is exposed, and carbon can really make a difference to the ride (I can see and feel my carbon Easton flexing under me). Thomson are generally recognised as the best on the market, and have a solid, infinite adjustment, two bolt clamp. They are a bit overpriced though. Having had a quick look on mail order websites, there is not a great choice of reasonnable value in-line posts - if the diameter you need is 27.2mm though I'd wholehartedly recommend a Syncros, which you can find at the bargain price of £27.99 on wiggle.co.uk (they used to be more like £60). It's in 330mm length only, but you can always cut it down or leave it as it is if it goes enough in your frame. I have one and, besides from looking great, it had a good clamp mechanism, just like on the Thomson. Let us know!

[rollerskate skinny (sylv)]

Heck I might get one for myself at that price!
The one I have is 26.4mm and I don't have a use for it now - if that's the diameter you're after let me know. It's also very light ... and a piece of bike history!

[Elliot M]

do not do as i did and buy one the wrong size and assume you can get a shim to fit, find you can't, try to use a bit of coke can and find it skips the whole time and you cant flog it because it is scratched to hell.

[Brett P]

Tamar, if you get a carbon one make sure you put a bit of talcum powder on the seat pin before putting it in the frame. My carbon pin has bonded rather well to my Colnago, now i've got to break the darn thing to remove it!