carbon seat post recomendations...

elderone
elderone Posts: 1,410
edited November 2012 in Road buying advice
Im looking to fit a carbon seat post to my ali bike but i have no idea what to look for or how you go about size and fit etc.Can anyone throw some light on the ins and outs of getting the the right post at the right price.
cheers.
Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori

Comments

  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    There are two main sizes so you just need to measure your current one (most modern ones are 27.2 or 31.6). This is where having some decent calipers comes in handy. Then, mark the insertion point on your current seatpost, take it out and work out the length of post that gets inserted into the seat tube. You need to ensure that the replacement has about 100-150mm minimum to go down the tube (most seatposts come in 300-350mm which will be fine for most folks unless you have a frame that is too small for you). Getting a post that is slightly too long is no bad thing apart from the weight penalty...but we are talking about perhaps 100mm of carbon here so I don't feel the need to get the hacksaw out.

    You might also want to check your setback. This is the amount that central part of the saddle rail is behind the centre of the post itself. I need a large setback on one bike (due to the geo, so need a ~32mm) but I am standard on my other 2 (so the standard 22-25mm is fine). Some seatposts even have zero setback, all depends what you want.

    I can recommend the Specialized S-Works Pave, very comfortable and can be found for as little as £80 but only works with modern saddles due to the way that the clamp works.

    Oh, most posts on 'tinternet state not to use grease but to use the special paste for assembling carbon components (avoids big torque requirements to keep it in place, apparently), although my old post was assembled using grease and it works fine without needing excessive torque to keep it in place, but I am not that heavy.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    Once you have established which size you need (just measure the diameter), then get the cheapest. All they are tubes of composite with a clamp for the saddle... there is no magic or better or worse... just some short pipes... make sure you don't get one that is too short a pipe.
    Imagine you go to Homebase to buy some PVC pipe... same thing, the one on offer is always the best one
    left the forum March 2023
  • antonyfromoz
    antonyfromoz Posts: 482
    One other factor to consider is the type of clamp - the posts themselves might be pretty much the same but the clamps tend to differ in design quite a bit. I have single bolt clamps on my bikes but there have been times when it has been difficult to get the ideal seat angle due to the design of the clamp where the seat's angle is detirmined by the grooves on the clamp itself - this usually is not too much of a problem but you have to decide which of the avialable grooves in the clamp offers the best angle for the saddle. The two bolt designs are often described as being infinitely adjustable in that the seat angle can be set in any position due to the detirmining factor being the relative tightness of the front and back bolts - ie you can change the seat angle by loosening the front bolt and tightening the back one etc. HTH
  • on-yer-bike
    on-yer-bike Posts: 2,974
    The more you pay the lighter the post.
    They do crack if you over tighten.
    Some people think it important that the post brand and colour matches the bars and stem.
    Pegoretti
    Colnago
    Cervelo
    Campagnolo
  • junglist_matty
    junglist_matty Posts: 1,731
    The Canyon VCLS post is very good and lightweight
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    USE Alien Carbon is £40 from whitstanley (270mm length, 27.2mm dia) and has the new clamp so dead easy to adjust. Mine just arrived. God knows how much torque to tighten it though. It is looking at me desperate for an outing, but it's raining.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    coriordan wrote:
    USE Alien Carbon is £40 from whitstanley (270mm length, 27.2mm dia) and has the new clamp so dead easy to adjust. Mine just arrived. God knows how much torque to tighten it though. It is looking at me desperate for an outing, but it's raining.

    It has stopped raining...
    left the forum March 2023
  • random man
    random man Posts: 1,518
    The post diameter should be marked on it. You should see it when you remove it. You can replace it with a smaller diameter post as long as you use the correct size shim. Do not buy a post larger than the frame :wink:

Categories