Marking seat post for height adjustment.

chili85

I change the height of my saddle quite frequently and not yet ready to shell out for a dropper post. Is there a way i can mark the post permanently so it can be seen easily?
Is a centre punch a good idea then fill the dink in with some coloured paint? Obviously the main concern is to not weaken the post.

bails87

I don't know for sure, bu tI wouldn't be too comfortable doing that. Can't you get a seatpost with numbered markings on it?

chili85

Is there such a thing (that doesnt cost a fortune)?

supersonic

Try permanent marker, often works!

aidso

I just use a pair of scissors and mark it permanently - you're only scratching the paint, not chopping it in half. Seems to do the job for me.

nicklouse

aidso wrote:

I just use a pair of scissors and mark it permanently - you're only scratching the paint, not chopping it in half. Seems to do the job for me.

how many seat posts are painted?

not many. please add a stress point to your seat post if you want to.

OP what measurement are you wanting to mark?

stanescoo

example of cheapish marked seatpost:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 2042wt_839

i'm looking for something like that too...

aidso

I'm not adding a big slice, just enough for it to show up .

You could also use a silver pen from Eason's / WHSmith.

chili85

Anything i put on it like marker pen just gets rubbed off. Needs to be indented somehow.

Fenred

As above, use a "permanent" marker and it'll stay on. Dont be scoring anything as nicklouse mentioned it'll add stress points...Not good!.

allthegearnoidea

ive lightly scored mine with a sharp point around the post, leaves a fine line on the post,
was a tip in mbr a while back about masking above and below and lightly sanding a line of the finish away, not tried it as a light score sorts mine!!!

Anonymous

All my seatposts have eventually marked themselves at the two positions they were set to frequently, just to be nice and helpful.
It's because I pray to the god of seatposts every 7 years, on the 7th of May at 7am.

concorde

I just scratch a bit with my allen key I use for lowering it?! What's the biggy! Punching holes in it? Jeeees!

TuckerUK

Search your local library or the internet to see why scratching a seat post (or handlebars for that matter) is a BAD idea. A part can lose a significant amount of strength from just one tiny flaw. How do you break a tile or pane of glass cleanly? That’s right, just a scratch is enough to start with.

concorde

Not going to happen. Scratching some paint off a post is not going to significantly weaken it. Completely different to scratching a tile.

chedabob

Buy a QR clamp and then just change it if you got it wrong?

Mental Mickey

nicklouse wrote:

aidso wrote:

I just use a pair of scissors and mark it permanently - you're only scratching the paint, not chopping it in half. Seems to do the job for me.

how many seat posts are painted?

not many. please add a stress point to your seat post if you want to.

OP what measurement are you wanting to mark?

I've marked mine. (both are black seatposts, the colour underneath is silver)

So, you reckon it's the paint that holds it together and nicking a touch of paint off adds a stress point?

I've heard it all now bwahahahahaha

MattJWL

On an anodized aluminium seatpost (like nearly all are) very gently sanding a little of the anodized coating off should be OK (don't go crazy). This is my preferred method as I'm too cheap to get a dropper. I'm also a recovering weight-weenie.

On the other hand, using a tool of almost any sort (improvised or otherwise) is pretty much a no-no. If you look between your legs while riding (errr....) you will find that, sortly before riding into a tree the SP actually flexes as you pedal. Therefore if you damage the Al. structure at all it gives a nice point for cracks to spread from. No matter what tool you use, and how carfeul you are, cracks are always formed as you work the material (even if they're too smal to see, it doesn't matter).

Depending on luck, what alloy was used, heat treatment and a bunch of other factors this could take a longer or shorter period of time, and may or may not be visible before causing catastrophic failure.

I'm assuming that you're not using a carbon fibre or steel seatpost?

DCR00

i put a dot of white nail varnish on post (my Wife's varnish) level with the edge of the seatpost clamp

chili85

Jeez, i was after a simple quick tip
I just wanted to make the upper mark for uphill pushes and flat etc and another for when you need it slightly dropped on technical stuff but dont want to lose power by dropping it completely.
I found permenent pen just wears off as it gets pushed down through the seat tube.
Think i'll try the sanding a line route as any danger to the knackers has to be steered well clear of hey!!!

Anonymous

In all honesty, if you do it long enough, you will get a "feel" of where it should be anyway (and like I said, it becomes obvious, given more time, where you tend to have it)

ads678

Ragley Spike: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=42204

does the trick for me.

Mental Mickey

Jeez, i was after a simple quick tip

Sorry, don't meant to turn your thread into a bun fight but can't help chuckle at the notion that a tiny bit of paint (only paint, nothing else) chipped off will make you unsafe as suggested by the moderator, it's guff, otherwise nobody would ride their bikes ever again after chipping parts of their frames going by that 'stress point' analogy. I've marked both my posts and after using them 24 and 18 months respectively, no problems whatsoever and IT IS very useful as I can quickly switch between optimum and compromised pedal position, only needing to focus on lining up the saddle nose with the top tube, certainly saves faffing at getting the height right, good luck to you whatever method you choose, light paint chip, marker pen etc..

ads678 wrote:

Ragley Spike: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=42204

does the trick for me.

That's a good idea, shame more (well all )seat post makes ain't like that.

Anonymous

Mental Mickey, It's just an engineering fact that scoring a piece of metal does create a point where a crack can start.
Whether or not it happens, is down to luck, and how well made the rest of the seat tube is.
But regardless, it is good advice to suggest that people don't do it.

concorde

Well said Mental Mickey!

chili85

Spot on Mr Mental. Went with sanding a couple of lines of anodising off.
Ha, it sticks out quite well and i'm just waiting for someone on the trail to tell me its going to snap off and shoot up my Jacksy

Greggors

Most seat posts are aluminium and are not painted but anodised, this is a coating that is built up on the surface of the metal and is then dyed.

To mark the seat post you would have to scratch this coating off, by doing this you will also be scoring the metal. This will put a weak point in the metal.

However, this said, the size of the score and the way the metal in the seat post is stressed is unlikely to cause a failure.

Of course the correct way is to buy a marked seatpost, but in my experience I would be happy lightly marking one for a quick solution.

concorde

Greggors wrote:

Most seat posts are aluminium and are not painted but anodised, this is a coating that is built up on the surface of the metal and is then dyed.

To mark the seat post you would have to scratch this coating off, by doing this you will also be scoring the metal. This will put a weak point in the metal.

However, this said, the size of the score and the way the metal in the seat post is stressed is unlikely to cause a failure.

Of course the correct way is to buy a marked seatpost, but in my experience I would be happy lightly marking one for a quick solution.

Yeah and like has been said, so is every single stone that bounces up and hits your frame. Absolutely no biggy. I'm surprised nobody has commented here with any evidence for this scoring resulting in snapped SPs, oh actually I'm not. Why? Because it's probably never happened.

Anonymous

You reckon seatposts don't snap? or frames, or handlebars or stems, or cranks?
REALLY?

cooldad

Or Lapierres.
So I've heard.

concorde

yeehaamcgee wrote:

You reckon seatposts don't snap? or frames, or handlebars or stems, or cranks?
REALLY?

No just no evidence for them snapping as a result of sanding a mark on the SP. Far morelikely to be a weakness in the making of the thing in the first place.