Seatpost for TT

[kgreene10]

I did my first ITT last week and it can only be described as grueling -- straight into a sustained 30 mph headwind, mildly uphill, and at 5k feet of altitude. I was really unhappy until it ended and then I wanted to do it again. Anyway, I did it all on my road bike with no TT equipment, so I was even slower than general lameness would have made me go.

I don't want to buy a TT bike for the 2-3 I'll do a year, so I would like a quick and easy conversion for my road bike. I'm thinking clip-on aero bars and a new seatpost/seat that I can install all in one. What would be a good forward-style seatpost for this purpose? Can I take one with setback and flip it around?

Thanks.

-Ken

[batman1425]

I think a Thomson Elite setback post flipped around is the way to go. Its a great post, affordable, comes in tons of sizes to fit nearly every frame, and you can get one a little longer than normal to accommodate the extra rise you will need when moving the saddle so far forward. Thomson mentions on their website that their setback post is an excellent option for exactly this application.

[Michael Maddox]

I think a Thomson Elite setback post flipped around is the way to go. Its a great post, affordable, comes in tons of sizes to fit nearly every frame, and you can get one a little longer than normal to accommodate the extra rise you will need when moving the saddle so far forward. Thomson mentions on their website that their setback post is an excellent option for exactly this application.

+1

I've done this with a Thomson on my TT bike, which doesn't have a seattube designed for the tri-geek position. It works well, and if you're lucky enough to get the right post, it almost looks like a straight post in a straight seattube.

[RPS]

I don't want to buy a TT bike for the 2-3 I'll do a year, so I would like a quick and easy conversion for my road bike. I'm thinking clip-on aero bars and a new seatpost/seat that I can install all in one. What would be a good forward-style seatpost for this purpose? Can I take one with setback and flip it around?
Thanks.

-KenI like your idea of having a dedicated saddle and post for time trialing -- the easier the conversion the more likely you will train for the TT in that position. Not only could you find a different saddle more comfortable in the aero position, but you’ll also minimize the chance of making mistakes when switching back and forth.

If dedicated post/saddle were the case you wouldn’t need a reversible post, although it doesn’t hurt.


By the way Ken, if you were also asking (not sure) about flipping a standard seat post around it won’t normally work. With a standard road frame that has a seat tube angle of about 72 to 74 degrees, if you flip a standard post around you won’t have enough adjustment to get the saddle even close to level. There are some exceptions of course, like posts that have a round saddle clamp that permit infinite adjustment. Those are usually more expensive than the TT dedicated fast forward types.