Identiti Alloy QR Seat Clamp
Price: £6.99
From: Ison Distribution 01223 213800 www.ison-distribution.com
Tested: 12 months
Are you a saddle dropper? If not, why not? The usual reply is “I can’t ride with my saddle down”. This confuses me greatly. What advantage to bike handling can there possibly be in having a saddle wedged up your crotch?
The problem saddledrophobes have is unlearning their saddle-up habits. Everyone knows the Golden Rule of keeping your weight back on descents. Unfortunately it’s wrong. Well, it’s not wrong (as it clearly helps) but it’s not the act of putting your weight backwards that is helping – it’s putting your weight lower that is helping most.
Getting your weight low by hanging off the back of a fully extended saddle means your weight is far too far back and your arms are locked-out (so you can no longer control the front of your bike), your legs are fairly locked-out as well (so you can’t use them to absorb bumps) and the bike can’t move laterally very far at all.
With the saddle dropped you can lower your centre of gravity whilst remaining in the “heart” of the bike. You can bend your arms (controlling the front). You can bend your legs (softening the rear). You can lean the bike from side to side (for better cornering).
Saddle-dropping is good. Of course it’s possible to ride all kinds of stuff with your saddle up but with the saddle down you can ride steeper, faster, rougher, and just generally more stuff. Don’t pretend you’re not interested in that. You ride mountain bikes after all. So why not just give it a try? Unless riding with a saddle up your jaxi is some sort of reactionary declaration of allegiance to the ways of roadie/XC fascism…?
Oh, by the way if you do want to lose your XC jeyboy shackles and be free(ride) this QR seat clamp from Identiti is a brilliant choice.
Overall: A great seat QR regardless of price tag. For the money it’s absolutely fantastic.
Benji
Review Info
| Brand: | |
| Product: | |
| From: | |
| Price: | |
| Tested: | by for |
Comments (0)
Leave Reply
Post Comment
Looks identical to my Giant QR. If it is I wouldn’t touch it for love nor money. Too much opening and closing weakened the lever and it snapped after a while. Maybe I did it up too tight, who knows, but it put me off QR on my big travel Faith.
I’ve got one of these seat clamps and its good the advantage is the lever is very long so if you’ve got girly hands like me its a good choise.
However I’ve never heard anyone say “I can’t ride with my saddle down”. The usual reply is “I cant be bother to put my saddle down”, which I agree with to a certain extent if you about to drop 1000m in altitude putting your saddle down is worth it. However if you riding somewhere like the chilterns, cannock chase north/south downs. It can get pretty annyoing people putting the saddle down saddle up etc etc.
Also you cant be putting the saddle up and down in a race even an enduro !
yup, its a cant bother thing for me too.
up down up down up down up down up down up down .
and there isnt much that actually warrents it on the trails ive seen.
i would rather be able to pedal properly, the only thing i do put it down for is big long steps (where its impossible to ride without being able to let the bike move up and down about a foot beneath you)
I had one of these, don’t bother. The bolt sheered through the little clamp pad things after 2 rides
It looks like the one on my old Marin. It was rubbish and slipped no matter how hard it was tightened. One to avoid.
So what’s wrong with keeping an allen key handy and having a proper clamp?
Is that a plastic spacer between the clamp and the collar? I don’t know if it’s me (fat) but every seat clamp I’ve had of this design fails after a year when the plastic bit breaks.
Not sure about the clamp but a good argument for saddle dropping. I have the allen key / bolt combo and rarely drop my saddle ‘cos of the hassle. This may spur me on to make a purchase.
All hail the seat QR, I’ve met a few people who don’t drop their saddles and it certainly doesn’t seem to hold them back but surely if your that fast with your saddle up you can eke a bit more speed/comfort/stability without the saddle being in your way. It’s not that much hassle to stop and put it back up afterwards.
Mind you I’d drop my saddle for riding off a kerb.
Great review, Ben 😀
I had one of these, don’t bother. The bolt sheered through the little clamp pad things after 2 rides
Me too, exactly the same. Avoid!
Do you get paid for thinking up this rubbish????????????
Yes we do thanks
Dropping my saddle too much was the death of this QR
The little ‘bush’ fell apart and the rest corroded up 🙂
Ever thought of politics as a career?