After finding a crack in my quick release, I’m hoping that I can find something that

a. clamps better
b. has a more comfy handle
c. won’t crack
d. not expensive
e. in stock in a 34.9

TBH after a flick through CRC, our winner looks like this ragley one for a tenner

If only it were in stock! What else is there?

Hope

Personally I reckon the best seat clamp out there is the chromag one, here, but it’s 30 quid… It ticks all your boxes except d. I dont like seat clamps with plastic bushes as they are prone to creep and essentially will loosen up during use. Never had the loosening up problem with my chromag one..

+1 for the Chromag, have tried several Hopes, Salsa’s (which are also good), Santa Cruz seat clamps and loads of generic ones, and Chromags are the best by miles, well worth the money and wait…

I love the look of the X-Lite ones

plastic bushes… are prone to creep and essentially will loosen up during use

Is it really noticeable over the course of a few rides? Mine was creeping, but that was probably the crack propagating over the course of a few months.

£30 is a lot but only 50% more expensive than the cracked one. I’ll wait and see what the afore unmentioned manufacturer says before I decide what to actually do.

and add

f. any colour so long as it’s black

What kind of riding actaully requires a qr saddle clamp? Never moved mine once!

I’ve always loved the Salsa ones myself. the Ragley one looks like the one that came on my Pace 305 and I can’t grumble, it does the job. However, mate has one that came with his Chameleon which is very nice.

I’ve had a Salsa Fliplock for years with no problems. They also come in tarty colours if you’re that way inclined (it was the biggest selling point for me 😀 ).

What kind of riding actaully requires a qr saddle clamp? Never moved mine once!

😯

Your trails must be boring to death.

Never moved mine once!

Replace it with a bolted one then. 🙂

Your trails must be boring to death.

TBH most of my riding is Peaks or North Wales, not what you’d call boring, and I’ve never seen the need to change my seat height.

What kind of riding actaully requires a qr saddle clamp? Never moved mine once!

I think you may be lost. Perhaps you should try this?

Optimum seat position for flat and uphill is WAY out from the nicest position for a technical downhill. If I’m lazy I leave it up, but the trails are never as fun and the riding is never as flowy and fun.

Is it really noticeable over the course of a few rides? Mine was creeping, but that was probably the crack propagating over the course of a few months.

noticable in half an hour. I’ll put some numbers up in the morning.

hope

Optimum seat position for flat and uphill is WAY out from the nicest position for a technical downhill. If I’m lazy I leave it up, but the trails are never as fun and the riding is never as flowy and fun.

Isn’t it a bit annoying to get off and adjust your seat every time you go downhill? Would drive me nuts.

Not if you’re going down a steep and/or sustained technical downhill, no.

The Chromag one IS lovely.

Salsa!

Isn’t it a bit annoying to get off and adjust your seat every time you go downhill? Would drive me nuts.

It’s a shame no-one’s ever designed some form of quick release system.

Hope ones look pretty but are crap. Too difficult to do up tight enough and a poor lever shape.

Salsa or Santa Cruz are the best I’ve tried by miles.

Another vote for the chromag. Far superior to the onone jobbie it replaced. Never slips or sticks

Isn’t it a bit annoying to get off and adjust your seat every time you go downhill? Would drive me nuts.

No, most of the rides I do are up for a while, down for a while, up for a while, down for a while. Generally I might do it twice in a 2-3 hour ride. Seems a bit too few to get my knickers in a twist about.

The Santa Cruz ones are excellent! You can get them from the Santa Cruz UK site. They are 34.9mm and tick all of the other boxes too! I love mine 8)

The Santa Cruz clamp on my carbon Blur was rubbish. I replaced it with a Hope and it’s been fine since.

+1 for Chromag. Used for 1 year with no issues, a real piece of art too 🙂

I had a woodman clamp and had to replace the plastic bush with a homemade brass one. No troubles since. Go for one with a brass bit!
On-Ones still have a brass shim I think and only £14.99. I forgot to get one when I ordered my frame hence the Woodman from LBS.

New Hope are much better than the older one – better lever shape, and easier to get tight enough.

At a slight tangent, try using Carbon Assembly Paste on the seatpost instead of grease to reduce the clamping force needed, and thus reduce the risk of damage to the new clamp when you get it.

Buy English, buy Hope!