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View Full Version : Thomson Masterpiece vs Elite question...

SoCalSteve
11-09-2008, 01:50 PM
Hi all,

Just curious if anyone has both these seatpost....and, if they do...besides the obvious weight difference, are there any other differences between the Masterpiece and the Elite...both mechanically and/or aesthetically.

As always, thank you all in advance,

Steve
rnhood
11-09-2008, 01:57 PM
I have both however, the Elite is straight and the Masterpiece is set (or angled) back. Same length on both. Other than the slightest weight difference which is hardly detectable handling them back and forth, I feel no difference on the bike. Both are good posts.
SoCalSteve
11-09-2008, 01:59 PM
I have both however, the Elite is straight and the Masterpiece is set (or angled) back. Same length on both. Other than the slightest weight difference which is hardly detectable handling them back and forth, I feel no difference on the bike. Both are good posts.

Do they LOOK any different from each other? Besides one saying Masterpiece and one saying Elite?

Thanks!

Steve
Elefantino
11-09-2008, 02:06 PM
Do they LOOK any different from each other? Besides one saying Masterpiece and one saying Elite?
Not really.

http://www.lhthomson.com/elite_features.htm
rnhood
11-09-2008, 02:10 PM
No. The exterior milling and overall finish is identical. The Masterpiece just has slightly thinner sections of wall thickness.
jtferraro
11-09-2008, 02:17 PM
there is a length difference:

Masterpiece = 240mm
Elite = 250mm
BdaGhisallo
11-09-2008, 02:18 PM
Steve,

Go with the Elite. The $$ difference to get the Masterpiece isn't worth it, imo. Plus, the Elite is available in a greater variety of diameters and lengths, of you need an odd sized one.

Geoff
Ken C
11-09-2008, 02:20 PM
The Elite is light enough I have never considered using the Masterpiece. I can imagine a broken seatpost causing some gruesome damage.
SoCalSteve
11-09-2008, 02:21 PM
Thanks all!

Steve
Elefantino
11-09-2008, 02:23 PM
Go with the Elite. The $$ difference to get the Masterpiece isn't worth it, imo.
+1.

Elite. Everything else is just a seatpost.
Ahneida Ride
11-09-2008, 02:32 PM
Steve

I have both .... pretty much the same ...

As noted the Masterpiece is a bit shorter.

The finish on the Masterpiece post is ever so slightly different
from my Thompsom stem.

It's more about bling ...

My Best
Ken Robb
11-09-2008, 03:51 PM
and a cynice might ask how much of the saved 40 grams is due to the missing 10mm. :rolleyes:
PacNW2Ford
11-09-2008, 07:44 PM
From the Elite 27.2 post specs, you save 47 grams going from a 330mm to a 250mm, so only about 6 grams per 10mm. Yah, I am pretty bored tonight.
Louis
11-09-2008, 07:50 PM
A while back I purchased a used Elite off the Classifieds here. If you run your fingers up and down the side (on the thin part of the post) you can feel a section where a previous owner over-torqued the seat clamp and permanently deformed the wall.

If the Masterpiece is even thinner in this area I'd stay away from it.

Louis
Louis
11-09-2008, 07:58 PM
From the Elite 27.2 post specs, you save 47 grams going from a 330mm to a 250mm, so only about 6 grams per 10mm. Yah, I am pretty bored tonight.

Not to be too much of a nit-picker, but: Technically this is not quite correct, since all the weight is not in the shaft. You'd have to make an assumption about what % of the weight is in the shaft if you wanted to figure out the weight / mm of that section.

The overall point is correct, the weight / mm is very small.
11.4
11-09-2008, 08:29 PM
We regularly use both models. The clamping mechanism on the Elite has been machined down in places to create some of the lighter weight on the Masterpiece. As a result, the Masterpiece saddle clamp is a bit more refined and cleaner -- the edges are milled off from the cold forging of the pieces, that kind of thing. The bolts are such are all the same.

The shaft is noticeably thinner on the Masterpiece. Its enough to make a slight crimp from your seatpost clamp almost inevitable. You have to treat it just like you would a carbon post -- non-slip grease, a torque wrench on your seatpost clamp, that kind of thing.

If the weight really means something to you, go with the Masterpiece. It won't break on you and it's impressively light. Compared to a light carbon post, the Masterpiece may crimp a tad but nothing is going to break on it -- it's basically as tough as an Elite. But if you don't chase grams, definitely go with the Elite.
PacNW2Ford
11-09-2008, 09:47 PM
Not to be too much of a nit-picker, but: Technically this is not quite correct, since all the weight is not in the shaft. You'd have to make an assumption about what % of the weight is in the shaft if you wanted to figure out the weight / mm of that section.

The overall point is correct, the weight / mm is very small.

The assumption I made was that the heads of the two posts are identical, since I was comparing the two lengths of the same model, the Elite.