Why upgrade seatpost

Massive performance gains due the fact that it looks cooler therefore it must ride faster. Trouble with me is the more bling I buy the less I actually ride my bike for fear of breaking something or even scratching it.

Was it a waste of money? I went from an Easton ea50 to a Thomson. The Thomson was noticeably stiffer which suited me better. Went from the stock alloy Kona seatpost to a carbon EC50 on my rigid singlespeed. The difference was remarkable. Far more comfortable when seated. Mate bought a stumpy far comp,the standard seat post was lighter than the same size Thomson!!

If your standard post works, then it works. The conclusions we can draw from the Microbac Laboratories test : — There is a linear relationship between deflection and force for a small range , helping us to predict flex at different force rates. For dirt road use, deflection is king. Straight carbon seatposts offer the highest degree of vertical flex on big bumps, however, they tend to be a bit more jarring on the high-frequency small bumps.

Suspension seatposts are simply on another level in all regards, with lots of deflection as well as excellent damping abilities. For example, at lb force, the Ergon CF3 would theoretically flex its maximum amount of 20mm while the Specialized CG-R will only be halfway through its travel. Essentially, lighter riders will be far better suited to the Ergon or Canyon seatposts, while heavier riders should look towards the Ritchey, Syntace or Cannondale options.

Riders with less exposed seatpost will also benefit from the Ergon or Canyon seatposts. When these seatposts are deep in the frame, they are shown to flex twice as much as carbon posts from Ritchey, Specialized or Syntace at the same depth. But then again, less exposed seatpost on your bike significantly reduces the amount of flex, so a suspension seatpost is always the best option in this case more on suspension posts below.

In the wider widths, tyre sidewalls will require much less force to deform than the best seatposts. Between 2. The comfort effects start to diminish once you get into the plus-size tyre range 3. One cool thing about a flex seatpost and matching Redshift Shockstop stem is that it allows you to use narrower tyres without sacrificing any comfort.

The benefit of this setup would be that you could reduce your rolling resistance and overall bike weight while still travelling in comfort. Make sure to read my article about the springs in a series to understand whether a flex seatpost is useful on your fat tyre bike.

Ok, so both carbon and suspension seatposts are sounding pretty good here. But how would you go about choosing between the two? There are two disadvantages to using a carbon post: — There is only one spring rate available, and; — The comfort is dependent on the amount of seatpost sticking out of your frame.

By having a set spring rate, a heavier rider will enjoy a more comfortable ride, while a lighter rider will feel more vibration and big hits. Carbon seatposts also perform much better with more exposed seatpost 2x more flex , which hands the better performance to taller riders. A suspension seatpost is able to solve both of those issues. Most suspension seatposts have an adjustable pre-load too, which allows you to change the amount of force required to make the saddle start moving.

The main downside to choosing a suspension seatpost is the weight. JH There is a carve out specifically for law enforcement purposes I was tempted to write an offer to pay for refresher training based on the letter!

Log In Register. Support road. Help us to make it better. Tue, Jun 01, Continue Reading. Latest Forum Topics Car crashes into building - please post your Local news stories. What would you say to the Institute of Advanced Motorists in response? There are different lengths on offer, too. Seatposts will have a marker which shows the minimum amount of post that can be inside the seat tube.

If you ride a small frame with a lot of seatpost showing, you'll need to make sure you buy a post that allows for this. Similarly, if you ride a very small frame size and intend to have the saddle quite low, make sure there's nothing obstructing a longer seatpost from slotting in. However, whilst you can always cut a seatpost that's too long, you can't add to the length if it's too short.

Seatposts can be zero offset, or come with layback. A zero offset seatpost will place the saddle directly above the clamp - though of course you can adjust it forward and back on the rails. A layback seatpost slopes slightly backwards, placing the saddle further back, something you'd want to do if you can't get your knee in the right position over the ball of your foot with a zero offset version. All seatposts clamp to the saddle in their own unique way, and have different methods of allowing the saddle to point slightly down, slightly up or remain flat.

Some clamps are delightfully easy to use. Others are temperamental at best and will only cause you vexation. Check out the way the seatpost clamps before you buy. Aero road bikes come with aero seatposts. These are flatter and designed to channel air more seamlessly, limiting the resistance that slows you down. Rear lights can be a bit of an issue when it comes to an aero post, although many brands now offer adaptors that allow for the shape.

If you've got an aero seatpost, it's going to have a special shape and you'll probably have to replace it like-for-like or with something from the same brand; an upgrade could be tricky. If your frame isn't designed for an aero seatpost, but you really want one, then some brands offer round versions with an aero shape, such as those from Brick Lane Bikes.

However, obviously the aero bit won't fit in the frame, so you'll need to make sure it fits. Concerted efforts have been made in recent years to further squash out the road buzz that can translate to fatigue over long miles. There's the Canyon VCLS it stands for Vertical Comfort Lateral Stiffness seatpost, which uses a 'v' shaped split to create two thinner strips of material and thus disrupt the buzz from that nasty tarmac before it reaches the rider.

The Specialized CG-R features a 'z' shaped switchback containing the brand's 'Zertz' material; also embedded into forks and seatstays, this again is designed to cancel out shock and vibration. The same brand is also responsible for bringing dropper seatposts to the road audience: the Specialized Diverge , in its S-Works form, features a 'Command' dropper post.

The theory is that those riding the adventure road bike, like mountain bikers, will want to be able to adjust their saddle height to suit the terrain. Specialized bikes: which model is right for you? There's a wealth of options available, and in the cases above they can be purchased separately and fitted to your own machine, provided the diameter and shape are compatible.