Carbon seatpost worth it for comfort?

odessouky

I am in my third month of road cycling, and really enjoying it, but still have a long way to go in terms of fitness and weight loss...

So I am thinking about making things comfier so I can stay in the saddle more and increase my distances...

I've been advised that 25mm tyres would make a huge difference ...and a carbon seat post....

So basically, would getting a carbon seatpost really make a difference, and make the ride a bit more forgiving?

And if so, what do you suggest..

My bike is carbon, and it has a ritchey alloy seatpost, 300mm by 31.6mm..

PS: I AM ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT GAINS IN COMFORT, AND NOT WEIGHT etc..

Thanks

goonz

odessouky wrote:

PS: I AM ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT GAINS IN COMFORT, AND NOT WEIGHT etc..

Get a full sus carbon mountain bike.

ugo.santalucia

It's a legend... the vibration dampening properties of carbon fibre might account for less than 1% of the dampening properties of your tyres or your saddle.
Tyre size/ TPI count and pressure is what can increase comfort, the rest is bollox

markhewitt1978

How much seat post do you have showing? In general if it's only a few inches it won't make any difference, it may make a difference otherwise.

I changed from alu to carbon seat post but for weight savings, which I was happy with but I didn't notice a significant difference in ride quality.

apreading

Its not clear what you mean by 'gains in comfort'.

Are you finding that your bum is starting to ache when spending longer on the bike, or are you finding the ride harsh with lots of vibration transmitted to your body?

If the former then the saddle and shorts are the area that you need to look at, along with bike setup.

If the latter then as others, ugo in particular, have said - the aspects that influence vibration damping most are (in order and IMO):

1 Tyre pressure
2 Tyre type and width
3 Saddle flex
4 design of the rear triangle on the bike
5 and finally seatpost (but not just material - also inline or layback etc affects absorption properties)

I would have a good look at the first three before spending money on seatpost.

phillips1965

Hi. More time in the saddle will accustom your arse, carbon seatposts imo negligible gains.

markhewitt1978

phillips1965 wrote:

negligible gains.

I hear that's Sky's new motto

drlodge

ugo.santalucia wrote:

It's a legend... the vibration dampening properties of carbon fibre might account for less than 1% of the dampening properties of your tyres or your saddle.
Tyre size/ TPI count and pressure is what can increase comfort, the rest is bollox

And of those 3, I'd say TPI count is the biggest factor. Get yourself some Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX or Paves plus some thin butyl (Conti Supersonic) or latex inner tubes and feeeeel the difference.

odessouky

No pain in the bum after 50 miles or so....

Just feel the bumps and cracks in the road ...

As suggested above, the big difference I felt was when inflated the tyres...

My bike was a mail order from wiggle, and since it arrived a couple of months ago, I was riding GIT as it came in the post...

Last week a friend commented that my tyres felt very soft, and he had a pump..

Turns out I was riding at 70PSI since I received it...

He inflated the tyres to 120PSI, and I immediately felt the road much much more...

ugo.santalucia

ride them at 90 PSI and amen

drlodge

Had my Vittoria tubs pumped up to 130psi yesterday, must have been the reason my sit bones were aching after 60 miles in the saddle :roll:

Bordersroadie

apreading wrote:

1 Tyre pressure
2 Tyre type and width
3 Saddle flex
4 design of the rear triangle on the bike
5 and finally seatpost (but not just material - also inline or layback etc affects absorption properties)

I would have a good look at the first three before spending money on seatpost.

A good summary, and maybe add
3(b) Quality of pad in shorts
4(b) Frame material

apreading

What width tyres? Only reason I can think to run 100+ PSI would be if they are really skinny. For 25mm or 28mm then I would suggest 80-90 PSI. If they are narrower than this then get some wider tyres so that you can run at these pressures.

wongataa

I recently bought new tyres. The old ones had 60 tpi. The new ones 110 tpi. Both sets are the same size. The new tyres are a lot more comfortable at the same pressure. They absorb bumps a lot more.

ugo.santalucia

wongataa wrote:

I recently bought new tyres. The old ones had 60 tpi. The new ones 110 tpi. Both sets are the same size. The new tyres are a lot more comfortable at the same pressure. They absorb bumps a lot more.

Of course they do... it's the same difference as wearing a silk shirt or a shirt made of heavy cotton... the former is bound to be a lot more flexible and feel nicer

JayKosta

The size and shape of the saddle are the most important items for 'rear end' comfort.

Sit on a chair that shows your 'butt impression' and take notice of how wide apart the depressions are.
Find a saddle that is appropriate .....

Seatpost, tires, tire pressure, etc. are all secondary.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

odessouky

apreading wrote:

What width tyres? Only reason I can think to run 100+ PSI would be if they are really skinny. For 25mm or 28mm then I would suggest 80-90 PSI. If they are narrower than this then get some wider tyres so that you can run at these pressures.

My tyres are Vitoria zaffiro 23mm on shimano R500 wheels..

When they were on 60 PSI they were very comfy.

I do not know the TPI count of my tyres I'm afraid?

Bar Shaker

A carbon seat post has walls approx 5mm thick. Compare this to the 1mm thick walls of a carbon bike frame.

A carbon seat post will not dampen any vibration at all and the only weight saving will be from your wallet.

apreading

Get some 25mm tyres and run at 80-90PSI.

23mm at 60PSI would have put you at risk of pinch flats, so your mate was right to up the pressures. I still think 120 is too much though - you could try nearer to 100.

25mm tyres have less rolling resistance too - so would be better all round. See this thread: viewtopic.php?f=40013&t=12971361

slowbike

odessouky wrote:

apreading wrote:

What width tyres? Only reason I can think to run 100+ PSI would be if they are really skinny. For 25mm or 28mm then I would suggest 80-90 PSI. If they are narrower than this then get some wider tyres so that you can run at these pressures.

My tyres are Vitoria zaffiro 23mm on shimano R500 wheels..

When they were on 60 PSI they were very comfy.

I do not know the TPI count of my tyres I'm afraid?

As has been said - try them at 90psi (or there abouts ... )

Tyres are a consumable. Use these ones until they puncture loads or wear so thin you can see the inner tube.

The only thing you may need to buy is a track pump with gauge - and that's only if you don't already have one, which judging by a previous post I guess you don't?

Camcycle1974

Bar Shaker wrote:

A carbon seat post has walls approx 5mm thick. Compare this to the 1mm thick walls of a carbon bike frame.

A carbon seat post will not dampen any vibration at all and the only weight saving will be from your wallet.

Ah, but they look nice! Why is it that every review that mentions comfort as an issue (thinking C+ here) recommends a carbon seat post? I have both alloy and carbon posts on different bikes and can't notice any difference in comfort. The difference when changing between 23 and 25mm tyres is noticeable though, especially when reducing pressure. So, to sum up. No, not worth the outlay for a carbon post.

adamfo

I think most people could tell the difference in a double blind test between a Canyon VCLS Post and a stiff alloy one. Not high frequency vibration but flex hitting rough surfaces if you are fully seated. A vertical compliance bellow 350 Nm is typical of carbon posts. The Canyon is 191 Nm vs alloy post 400-500 Nm. Leaf sprung posts like the VCLS 2 are something else of course.

odessouky

adamfo wrote:

I think most people could tell the difference in a double blind test between a Canyon VCLS Post and a stiff alloy one. Not high frequency vibration but flex hitting rough surfaces if you are fully seated. A vertical compliance bellow 350 Nm is typical of carbon posts. The Canyon is 191 Nm vs alloy post 400-500 Nm. Leaf sprung posts like the VCLS 2 are something else of course.

Thanks for your input....

I did not understand a word you wrote though....

:P

Camcycle1974

lol, i like your style! if you look up canyon vcls you will find a seat post which is split in two which allows it to flex more than a normal one. the fact that they are almost £200 is enough to put me off straight away. do all the other things suggested before changing your seat post.

iPete

I could tell the difference between my Allez standard allu and deda full carbon.

I'd do a blind test but not sure how it'd end