Another Question about Carbon Seat Posts...probably.

p9uma

I have a Cannondale Caad9 bike, standard out of the box, apart from the rear cassette, the tyres are still the same, and the wheels. I've had it two years, the first year did quite a lot, couple sportives etc, the second year I rode the square root of naff all. That is going to change this year big time. I have already booked myself on to two sportives, so I have to get fit.

The roads around here in North Oxfordshire on the country lanes are bloody awful, potholes etc., the thing that P's me off the most about the roads is the uneven lumpy tarmac, not holes but just really rough roads.

I read in this months Cycling Plus that a carbon seat post might take off the rough edges of the roads "especially if your bike is a little harsh over the bumps"

Does the collective think this is true? What is your experience of carbon seat posts, or is that theory complete Beau Larques?



By the way at 80/90 psi on my tyres is that to much?

Regards.

Wirral_paul

80 - 90psi is pretty low really - what weight are you??

Well thats dropping pressure to soften the ride out for starters. You could try wider tyres with more volume, or even better quality tyres that might well flex a little more and improve comfort. Saying that though, i prefer a carbon post as it takes some of the harshness out compared to many ali posts. Its not a huge difference though. High quality shorts may do just as good or better job.

p9uma

Wirral_Paul wrote:

80 - 90psi is pretty low really - what weight are you??

Well thats dropping pressure to soften the ride out for starters. You could try wider tyres with more volume, or even better quality tyres that might well flex a little more and improve comfort. Saying that though, i prefer a carbon post as it takes some of the harshness out compared to many ali posts. Its not a huge difference though. High quality shorts may do just as good or better job.

Thanks Paul.

I weigh 179, my target is 174, I've lost 16lbs so far. I'm 6'0 tall.

Interesting I never considered the shorts, I need to check those out and see what it is I wear now.

It might useful to know what tyres and shorts folk would recommend, I'm a total Luddite when it come to gear.

joshvoulters

The idea that a carbon post will provide noticeably better comfort isn't true- you'd have to be incredibly sensitive to feel any kind of difference between carbon and alu posts- in my experience anyway.

80/90 psi is probably the least you'd want on 23mm tyres at 80ish kilos. You could look at more supple tyres- stock tyres on most bikes are a bit rubbish. Continental GP4000s are a good mixture of grip, longevity and rolling resistance if you do look to swap- I have no complaints with my set. I think Schwalbe Ultremo ZX are supposed to be good too, although I've never tried those. Some people recommend latex tubes as adding a bit more comfort, but again- it's not going to be a night and day difference.

Re: shorts- if you're already wearing shorts with a chamois, then I really can't see a different set providing better shock absorption- fit, cut and aesthetics are another matter.

The most effective things to do would be:

thicker bar tape, more supple tyres, different/ more padded saddle.

p9uma

Thanks Josh

I thought as much, don't any thing about chamois, I need to look that up. It was suggest that I change the tyres when I first got the bike, perhaps I'll do that first.

joshvoulters

In that case, get some padded bib shorts immediately! They'll make a real difference- much more than tyres/ seat posts, etc.

You can spend a lot, but Altura Pro-gel ones are a good starter pair (about £40 i think), and if you want to splash out then DHB Aeron Pro shorts from Wiggle are excellent (75-80 quid).

Assos are supposed to be the gold standard (never tried them, so can't judge myself), and Castelli, Gore, Rapha plus many others do expensive but very good shorts too.

ShutUpLegs

joshvoulters wrote:

The idea that a carbon post will provide noticeably better comfort isn't true- you'd have to be incredibly sensitive to feel any kind of difference between carbon and alu posts- in my experience anyway.

Have you actually ridden a CAAD9 with either a alu or carbon seatpost?

ddraver

I'm very impressed with my Endura equipe endurance shorts after one ride, Assos quality with real world prices!

Wirral_paul

p9uma wrote:

Thanks Paul.

I weigh 179, my target is 174, I've lost 16lbs so far. I'm 6'0 tall.

Interesting I never considered the shorts, I need to check those out and see what it is I wear now.

It might useful to know what tyres and shorts folk would recommend, I'm a total Luddite when it come to gear.

Coming into spring so maybe try some faster summer tyres - as has been stated elsewhere, there are some great deals on Conti GP4000s. Try a search or maybe someone will suggest where.

So do you not use shorts with any sort of pad then?? I'd be in agony after 3 miles with the saddle i use!!

springtide9

If you want a softer ride, wider tires would be my suggestion. And if the surface is very rough, they will probably run a little faster than narrower tires.

I have Conti GP 24mm at the moment, but ran less grippy 23mm over the summer months... the 23mm were faster on smoother surfaces, but seemed to scrub off more speed due to vibration than the 24mm on really rough roads. I thought it was just me imagining this, but there have been a few articles recently that seem to back this up.

Maybe someone with more tire knowledge can either back this up or put the facts straight LOL

p9uma

Wirral_Paul wrote:

p9uma wrote:

Thanks Paul.

I weigh 179, my target is 174, I've lost 16lbs so far. I'm 6'0 tall.

Interesting I never considered the shorts, I need to check those out and see what it is I wear now.

It might useful to know what tyres and shorts folk would recommend, I'm a total Luddite when it come to gear.

Coming into spring so maybe try some faster summer tyres - as has been stated elsewhere, there are some great deals on Conti GP4000s. Try a search or maybe someone will suggest where.

So do you not use shorts with any sort of pad then?? I'd be in agony after 3 miles with the saddle i use!!

I do wear padded shorts, I have padded shorts, padded bib shorts and padded longs too, I just don't know what brand they are and if they are any good. I'll need to check. So thus far the consensus seems to be padded shorts and wider tyres, for a more comfortable ride.

It's only the bum that is making the ride less pleasant than I think it ought to be, so bar tape and all that is not required.

p9uma

Thanks to all so far for all your generous advice, I am most grateful

neeb

Depending on the particular carbon post and the alu one you are substituting it for, it can make a noticeable difference. Depends on how long the post is though - you will notice it more with a longer seatpost.

But don't even consider it until you've tried wearing proper padded shorts!!

Monty Dog

To the original question, it depends on what model of seatpost - Easton EC90s are pretty compliant IME bu however, if you the most 'give' the go for titanium. However, unless you have a lot of post showing with a lot of layback, I doubt you'd notice.
Bigger section tyres would be my suggestion - Schwalbe Ultremo DDs in 25mm and fairly supply and pretty tough - and contrary to what most people think, fatter section tyres are in fact faster than a similar, narrower tyre at the same pressure.
Finally, decent shorts are a must

andrewjoseph

Just a quick mention for lusso progel shots

never tried carbon but I'm planning on a Ti post for my bike.

team47b

If you haven't ridden much for a year, things will be hard.

Tyres, yes but get some miles in before making too many changes. Ultremo zx are niiice but you can't smooth out the road with these.

I'm not saying MTFU but padding/cream/carbon is trying to avoid what? a rough road? Roads are rough.

p9uma

neeb wrote:

Depending on the particular carbon post and the alu one you are substituting it for, it can make a noticeable difference. Depends on how long the post is though - you will notice it more with a longer seatpost.

But don't even consider it until you've tried wearing proper padded shorts!!

Good points I wear padded shorts/leggings Altura they are. No problems with those.

p9uma

Monty Dog wrote:

To the original question, it depends on what model of seatpost - Easton EC90s are pretty compliant IME bu however, if you the most 'give' the go for titanium. However, unless you have a lot of post showing with a lot of layback, I doubt you'd notice.
Bigger section tyres would be my suggestion - Schwalbe Ultremo DDs in 25mm and fairly supply and pretty tough - and contrary to what most people think, fatter section tyres are in fact faster than a similar, narrower tyre at the same pressure.
Finally, decent shorts are a must

I will research the tyres, I have padded shorts.

p9uma

team47b wrote:

If you haven't ridden much for a year, things will be hard.

Tyres, yes but get some miles in before making too many changes. Ultremo zx are niiice but you can't smooth out the road with these.

I'm not saying MTFU but padding/cream/carbon is trying to avoid what? a rough road? Roads are rough.

I know roads are rough, not probs with that, my question was whether my learned friends agreed whether a carbon seat post would make a difference to the comfort.

MattC59

ddraver wrote:

I'm very impressed with my Endura equipe endurance shorts after one ride, Assos quality with real world prices!

+1
I've got the Endura Equipe leggings and the pad is superb. I think I'll be buying a pair of the Equipe Endurance shorts soon.

g00se

If you're thinking of using a carbon seatpost to damp vibrations - it depends upon the amount of post you have showing and the post you use. Something like a Specialized Pave post with the Zert inserts will dampen the buzz a bit. Be aware that some carbon posts hacve alloy underneath so are not much use.

p9uma

Thanks for all your views, opinions advice. The consensus seems to be, that tyres and good shorts is the way forward for a more comfortable ride.

I have another observation, I'm going to try and avoid as much as possible those roads that have a blumen awful road surface.

iPete

I fitted a carbon seatpost last night and seemingly someone also relaid the tarmac along my 22 mile ride to work; that or the difference is immense!!

I take magazine reviews with a pinch of salt and expect exaggeration but in this case the difference is certainly noticeable.

racingcondor

Moving to 25mm tyres at your current pressure would be a sensible way to add comfort (as others have said you should probably be putting 10 more PSI in yours if you're riding 23mm not that it matters much unless you're pinch flatting).

My experience goes with what others have said. When I bought my bike I had a cheap (£30) carbon wrapped alu post. Moving from that to my Deda SuperZero made a big difference in comfort, weight and bank account. I do have quite a bit of post showing though.

p9uma

Well, today I bought the conti tyres, I'll fit em tomorrow do 30 miles and report back. 110psi d'ya reckon?

Wirral_paul

p9uma wrote:

Well, today I bought the conti tyres, I'll fit em tomorrow do 30 miles and report back. 110psi d'ya reckon?

23mm?? It 179lb weight, i'd start at 100psi front and 105psi rear - then see how they feel.

p9uma

Wirral_Paul wrote:

p9uma wrote:

Well, today I bought the conti tyres, I'll fit em tomorrow do 30 miles and report back. 110psi d'ya reckon?

23mm?? It 179lb weight, i'd start at 100psi front and 105psi rear - then see how they feel.

Ok, ta.

p9uma

Well, I went for a 30 mile lumpy ish ride today, my first on my own for about 18months. I put the new tyres on and they certainly make a difference. Not so much on the comfort, but a little bit better, but the rollingness (I know that ain't a word) was a huge improvement. I was very sceptical that they would make a difference but they did, and they seemed quieter too, but that might be my imagination.

On a side note, when I took the old stock tyres off I noticed they were starting to crack on the side walls, so it was clearly time for a change.

Thanks for help and advice fellas, much appreciated.