Carbon Seatpost

plodderpaul
plodderpaul Posts: 32
edited May 2009 in Road buying advice
I am looking at buying a FSA SLK carbon fibre seat post as there is a special offer on at the moment.
I currently have an alloy seatpost. Has anyone out there used an alloy one and then converted to a carbon fibre version and noticed a real improvement in comfort, or is it only marginal or even noticable?
Cheers! :D

Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    Yes, I changed.

    You need to have a lot of post showing for there to be any improvement in comfort and even then it's not massive. Quite noticeable, but not massive.
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    +1

    You need a fair bit showing and not all carbons posts are the same. For example, the Spesh Paves are very comfy, whereas the EC70 less so.
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • plodderpaul
    plodderpaul Posts: 32
    Thanks.
    The seatpost will stick out a fair amount as i have a compact road frame.
    I should have asked before but does anyone suffer from the post slipping in the seat tube?
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    I used to have a problem with a specialized S Works post into my old aluminium frame but that was cured with carbon paste, however, my current three carbon setpost equipped bikes are absolutely fine!
  • GavH
    GavH Posts: 933
    Like they said, if you have a lot of post showing, you'll notice the benefit. On the other hand, you may become more aware of the idea that it might suddenly and catastrophically break (Like I became)!!!
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    GavH wrote:
    Like they said, if you have a lot of post showing, you'll notice the benefit. On the other hand, you may become more aware of the idea that it might suddenly and catastrophically break (Like I became)!!!

    I'm with you. My paranoia of a breaking carbon post(3 people I know had theirs break)
    got the best of me and I went back to aluminum. Didn't notice any difference. I know I've said this before, but breaking a seat post is about the last thing I want to worry about.

    Dennis Noward
  • plodderpaul
    plodderpaul Posts: 32
    Hi.
    Thanks for the advice. As i am a worrier anyway i think i will stick with my less likely to break alloy seatpost then.
    It just seemed like such a good offer and i hate to miss a bargain.
    Cheers!
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I've broken two alloy posts and not broken my cf one yet !
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    cougie wrote:
    I've broken two alloy posts and not broken my cf one yet !

    Damn. What the hell are you doing to those things? :wink:

    Dennis Noward
  • plodderpaul
    plodderpaul Posts: 32
    Hi
    So at what point are these seat posts falling apart?
    I assume these are breaking during normal road use and the riders are not 30+ stone?
    :D
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    When I broke them I was probably about 11 stone ?

    If I recall right - they were X-lite seatposts and they had the clamp thing inserted and bonded into the top of the tube. I ripped that out both times - once offroading - on a v gentle path really and had to ride 12 miles home not forgetting to sit down.
    Other one went a few hundred meters into a Xmas ride - sod that for a game of soldiers.

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