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Weight weenie seat post help.

46 posts & 29 voices | Started 3 years ago by GNARGNAR | Latest reply from Milkie

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GNARGNAR - Member

I've never been overly concerned with weight but I'm contemplating getting a new, lighter seat post....damn the consequences. I've snapped dh seat posts (the clamp assemblies), sheared bolts and broken seat rails so I figure I might as well not be lugging the extra weight around if it's not up to spec anyway.

Problem is....I have no idea what constitutes "light". I've looked at the models on CRC where the weights are stated but there seems to be no real price to weight ratio as such.

There are cheap carbon posts which aren't particularly light, very expensive ones which aren't much lighter....and well generally I am confused. So - if you please, could anyone tell me what constitutes a relatively low weight for a seat post and perhaps an example of a relatively inexpensive one (sub £50??). Cheaper the better really as it'll basically be disposable.

Thanks.

Posted 3 years ago #
UK-FLATLANDER - Member

Go for Thomson - bomb proof and reasonable weight.

Posted 3 years ago #
sockpuppet - Member

and it'll help you fit in on the next stw meet!

(owner of two, btw)

Posted 3 years ago #
gingerflash - Member

If you're expecting to break the post, you're much better off with aluminium as it will bend; carbon will snap leaving sharp bits to stick in you. If you're already breaking posts and saddles, then going for a light post probably isn't a good idea.

Otherwise, 220g and below is light. Carbon isn't just about weight though, it's good for absorbing small bumps, which is the point of the cheap, not very light, carbon posts.

Posted 3 years ago #
njee20 - Member

Some carbon is light, most isn't.

If you're hard on kit you're not gonna go wrong with Thomson. They're typically 240-250g for a 31.6, which isn't very light, but they're reliable, cost £75 at retail.

An Easton EC70 is about 220g and retails for £90

A Ritchey WCS Carbon is about 190g and costs £160

A New Ultimate Carbon, which I import, is 125g, but XC only, with a 90kg weight limit, and also costs about £160.

Take from that what you will! Sub 200g is light, sub 250g is light within reasonable budget.

If you want something which is lighter than a Thomson for less money, you can do far worse than a Smica alloy job.

Posted 3 years ago #
nickc - Member

Second Thomson. Not much in it weight-wise compared to cheap carbon posts, and will certainly last longer

Posted 3 years ago #
njee20 - Member

Ritchey WCS alloy? Slightly cheaper than Thomson, more layback, lighter.

Posted 3 years ago #
Daffy - Member

EC90 is light - they flex like buggery though.

Posted 3 years ago #
mboy - Member

Thomson for definite. Closest any bike component comes to the ideal "cheap, light, reliable, pick two" mantra of Keith Bontrager, without actually having to pick 2!

OK, they're not cheap to buy, but you can ALWAYS sell a Thomson for most of what you paid for it somewhere down the line. So they're cheap to own, as they don't devalue.

They are about the strongest post out there.

And whilst not the lightest, they're certainly on the light side of average.

Forget the bike whores, and the fashionistas insisting on Thomson cos of looks, and not wanting to be different. The fact is they are the best seatposts. They could be ugly as sin and I'd still buy em! The fact that they look rathr good in an understated way is just a bonus.

Posted 3 years ago #
njee20 - Member

Can't say I've ever noticed an EC90 flex, I've only used the inline version though, perhaps the (road specific) layback one is different.

I can't say I've ever noticed an inline post flex actually!

Posted 3 years ago #
Daffy - Member

I've never noticed it while I'm on it. I loaned my mate the bike a couple of weeks ago and was riding behind him....they really do flex.

Posted 3 years ago #
sq225917 - Member

The Smica Pro is lighter and as strong as the thomson, not such a looker and the clamp is a prick, but they last. The Smica quality is good enough for Ritchey to use the stems as their top WCS alloy model.

Posted 3 years ago #
njee20 - Member

Aye, and their bar ends are awesome too. Under rated brand!

Posted 3 years ago #
trickydisco - Member

How about the Kcnc

148g! and made of scandium

Posted 3 years ago #
Pieface - Member

Just go for a Thomson.

The most weight you'll realistically lose is 100g on a seatpost, which is a bit of mud on your tyres

Posted 3 years ago #
gingerflash - Member

For a big guy, I'd recommend Thomson too.

Posted 3 years ago #
ziggy - Member

A New Ultimate Carbon, which I import, is 125g, but XC only, with a 90kg weight limit, and also costs about £160.

Where can I buy one of those? 125 g you sure?

Posted 3 years ago #
mugsys_m8 - Member

Aren't USE Alien stupidly light, like 150grams? WOuldn't recommend one for someone who has already broken posts though, nor would I mountain bike on one .... so not very relevant esp as its around £80, but my USE alien does its job on the roadbike.

Posted 3 years ago #
saladdodger - Member

Thomson

If you can break a d/h post get the best for your own safty

Have a look at the tests thomson do this is from there website

Original Goals of the Thomson Seatpost Design:

Make the strongest post on the market.
Make a post with the correct failure mode, bend-don’t break.
Make a post with a long life cycle.
Make a post that engages with the saddle and the seatube of the bike in a simple manner.
Make a post that is light while being strong and safe.

We designed the Thomson post to bend above the max line, bend-not break. We designed all of the clamping mechanism to be stronger than the post so that no matter what, the saddle stays with the post in a failure. We received a patent for this failure mode; we call it our bending fuse. Carbon fiber will not fail in this manner. Carbon can be strong but when it reaches failure point it fails catastrophically.

Posted 3 years ago #
Pieface - Member

I know someone who had a Thomson post in a sub-zero frame. The post snapped the top off the frame.

Posted 3 years ago #
steve_b77 - Member

HOw about raceface Deus? Me likey them and they're pretty light I think

Posted 3 years ago #
GNARGNAR - Member

I've looked at race face, might be what I go for as I've liked their stuff in the past and it hasnt cost the earth. Thompson would be the sensible choice, but only if I thought I was going to keep the bike for a long time yet - I'm not so sure I will so I'd only end up selling it down the line. Also tbh, on occaisions where posts/seats have failed in the past I've been annoyed or shocked at the time but it's actually saved me from one or two serious crashes - I wouldnt have been able to stay on the bike otherwise, or I might have broken something below the pant line so indestructabilty is not neccessarily a good thing all the time.

Posted 3 years ago #
sheppie_hill - Member

kcnc scandium Ti Pro Lite for me. Nice post, hard wearing and lighter than most things out there. If you are a little heavier go for the non ti version; still light.

Posted 3 years ago #
Spaceman - Member

what about i-beam post and saddle combo? I find them very light as a combo and pretty cheap too. Some people have problems with comfort (I like them) but there is a new flexier saddle that's meant to be more comfortable than the older ones.

Posted 3 years ago #
righty - Member

I've been using alien aluminuim on a few different bikes for a while and there is not much that is lighter, although when I next need to I will probably give the KCNC ones a try

Posted 3 years ago #
poppa - Member

FSA tend to do good value for money stuff. Not sure why, but they are often the cheapest £/gram, e.g. compared to Raceface for example.

Posted 3 years ago #
cynic-al - Member

I know someone who had a Thomson post in a sub-zero frame. The post snapped the top off the frame.

That's not a very safe falure mode LOLLERCRAFT111

Posted 3 years ago #
Keva - Member

Another vote for the Kcnc here :

I use these on two of my bikes...

<http://clee-cycles.co.uk/cc/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/26/products_id/44?osCsid=6686219f4c7ef5a7de6f7568c1be628f>

Weigh 140g on my scales including dummy rails, quoted as 142g!

Ti Pro rider max. weight limit : 120kg for Road, 85kg for XC

...but there again I only weigh 60kg so can get away with it. If you're already breaking posts maybe light isn't the best option as Gingerflash suggested up there ^^^^

Posted 3 years ago #
njee20 - Member

Ziggy, the 27.2 is 122g, the 30.9 and 31.6 are actually about 135g (real weights).

You can email me on njee20 at hotmail dot com, or you can buy them from here. We're waiting on 31.6s at the moment, think we've definitely got a 27.2s and 30.9s, not sure about 34.9s.

Posted 3 years ago #
tinsy - Member

There is more to Thompson than the strength, the finish on them is ace and very, very durable it will look nicer for a lot longer, if you want an inexpensive carbon post, the Outland is is very good and got a nice finish to it at £33, with a very Thompson like clamp at the top, I have a Thompson and and Outland carbon, both are faultless in operation.

If you want a layback post the Outland isnt any good to you.

Posted 3 years ago #
mansonsoul - Member

The SDG I-Beam is one of the greatest innovations in cycling I reckon. Why everyone doesn't run them, I don't know. A £50 I-Beam post/bel air combo is far lighter than a Thompson with a ti railed bel air. They are strong and reliable, simple to adjust.

Some people claim to have regularly stripped the plastic grooves off the saddles, but when I was working as a guide in Bolivia, all our bikes were running them. They descended, that'd descended, hundreds of miles a week, with lots of crashes and fat people and sketchy rocky riding, and we never had one break. They are awesome.

Posted 3 years ago #
njee20 - Member

Because they snap regularly? You must have got lucky, every rider I've heard using one said it broke!

Ever wondered why they can be got so cheaply!?

Posted 3 years ago #
mos - Member

njee,
Your website doesn't seem to mention a weight limit for the carbon post?

Posted 3 years ago #
njee20 - Member

Yes, it's not my website, it's something a friend has done and it's only just gone live. There is a 90kg weight limit, XC or road only too. Frankly we're doing them because I wanted the kit for myself, and there's no UK distributor, so they were really keen for me to bring a few bits in.

The 'shop' is more just an easy way for people to order bits, we're not really assuming (at this point at least!) that many people are going to stumble on it and just buy stuff. I notice one of the sizes isn't there anyway! But they do come in 27.2, 30.9, 31.6 and 34.9.

We're not holding that much stock, so there's a bit of a lead time too, I've suggested that stuff goes on the site, but it's not happened yet!

Posted 3 years ago #
molgrips - Member

I've got two USE Carbon Aliens at 160g ish each. The first one I had in 2001 snapped (in 2005), but that was a known weakness in an early batch, and I got a free replacement. For all those worried about sudden failure and carbon shards - it'd been visibly bent for most of its life (I had it out just past the minimum mark too) and it snapped cleanly and perfectly at the top of the frame. I drilled the shim to get it out.

The new ones (2007 models) are as light and are still perfect. I have no qualms at all. One thing to consider though is that they don't recommend moving carbon posts up and down frequently since grit can wear the resin away. For this reason alone I might get rid of one of my carbon posts and replace it with ti.

I weigh 14st btw so not a lightweight.

A seatpost and saddle is a great place to save weight as that's the bit that's waggling around the most as you manoeuvre the bike through singletrack etc. That's why saddlepacks are bad

Posted 3 years ago #

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