seatpost recommendations

[Climb01742]

now that i've discovered that the stella azzurra monza seatpost SUCKS :crap: i'd like to ask the assembled masses: what post has, in your experience, the best and simplest fore/aft and tilt (to get it level) adjustment? trying to get this freakin' monza level is virtually impossible. why shops sell pieces of horse-hockey like this is beyond me (oh, yeah, so they can make money, not help a customer.) the design of its tilt adjustment is idiotic. the post i'll be looking for needs to be 27.2 diameter and can support about 15cm of exposed post. thanks!!

[Roy E. Munson]

Bontrager Race X Lite or Race XXX Lite

[Louis]

This is too easy: Thomson.

[97CSI]

Thomson, always.

[Bill Bove]

Bontrager Race X Lite or Race XXX Lite
Good looking, light,super easy to adjust and it come in 0 setback or 20mm. Another possibility may be a U.S.E. Alien, the new one are much easier to adjust and are very, very light.
One mans perfect post is another's horse hockey, getting the saddle level may be a combination of your seat angle and where the grooves on a particuler post are. The Stella may work great on another of your bikes or for someone else.

[TimD]

Probably because at $189 or thereabouts they make a whole lotta money on each one they sell :)

That said, the Monza is a nice looking post, at least in pictures.

Tough to beat a Thomson as an overall package, IMHO. If you are concerned about weight, saw off anything past the 2" or so insertion depth.

TimD

[DfCas]

If you need setback.

[dave thompson]

Salsa Shaft. It has independent tilt and fore/aft adjustments. Very slick!

[93legendti]

Good looking, light,super easy to adjust and it come in 0 setback or 20mm. Another possibility may be a U.S.E. Alien, the new one are much easier to adjust and are very, very light.
One mans perfect post is another's horse hockey, getting the saddle level may be a combination of your seat angle and where the grooves on a particuler post are. The Stella may work great on another of your bikes or for someone else.

I had the older USE and the carbon cracked from tightening the seat post collar. I never had that problem with my Easton 3 EC-90's. I also like the Campy Chorus Ti. A forumite has 3 for sale, I think.

[Dave]

The amount of setback needed may influence your decision. If you want a Thomson, it would be rare for the straight-up model to be suitable, since the nominal position is like having a seat tube with more than a 1.5 degree steeper angle. The setback model has 1.5cm mre setback, but it's still .5cm less than a traditional seatpost, like campy or shimano's.

The FSA K-force is available in two different setbacks from colorado cyclist. The most setback model has the front of the clamp 1.5cm behind the centerline of the post. The ITM millenium also works well, but the tilt bolt in front requires an 8mm wrench, that some don't like. The front of the calmp is .5cm behind the centerline of the post.

Personally I wouldn't consider anything but 2-bolt models.

[Michael Katz]

Bold Precission. Have it made exactly the way you want it - choose the set back, diameter and length. Infinate tilt adjustment and easy saddle fore and aft, both based on loosening the 2 seat clamp bolts. And is drop dead gorgeous. Albert Bold is the most accomodating guy around. Great to do business with. :banana:

[slowgoing]

Campy titanium. Email me if you're interested but can't find one.

[gt6267a]

thompson. i really don't understand why other companies make posts. this thing make all my previous posts look like play school stuff.

[jeffhall]

Thanks 93, I do have 3 for sale. Got tired of all the crap posts and then got my Ottrott and the Ti simply looks great!

Stronger then Carbon. Lighter then Alloys. Ti, the best choice, even for Ben!

Got 4 because they are hard too find and will keep them if no one wants to pay $100 for one. But I need wheels too, so I could let afew go.

Brand new and beautiful.

Campagnolo Chorus Ti is the best option!

[Michael Katz]

I have the Campy Ti seatpost on one bike and the Bold Precission Ti post on another. Either one will certainly hold your saddle on your bike and the Campy is not a bad looking post. But the Campy is simply clunky looking compared to the Bold and does not nearly have the Bold's pizzaz. Trust me, if you are interested in a Ti post, your Ottrott deserves a Bold! You can order the saddle clamp in a variety of anodized colors to compliment your bike. And the Bold has almost unlimited continuous varability tilt adjustment while the Campy does not. The price for a Bold post is only about $30 more than the Campy.

[znfdl]

Gp to this page:

http://www.boldprecision.com/bicycle.htm#seatpost ;)

[Climb01742]

michael and zn, just checked out albert's site. i've heard great things about his quality and workmanship. a ti post would, visually, go well with the ottrott. the adjustability looks great. and being able to customize one would be kinda cool. the "bold" logo is quite discreet (that's a plus, too.)

roy and bill, i have a bontrager on my team sc and like it alot. if it was the right diameter, i'd switch it, but it ain't. and bill, please stop being logical. this is a rant. :p

[Kevin]

I have been happy with my Campy Record posts. I do not have a Bold post, but I do have Bold skewers and the quality is top notch.

Kevin

[Bill Bove]

and bill, please stop being logical. this is a rant. :p
My bad, sorry. Please don't put me on your ignore list :-)

[93legendti]

Thanks 93, I do have 3 for sale. Got tired of all the crap posts and then got my Ottrott and the Ti simply looks great!

Stronger then Carbon. Lighter then Alloys. Ti, the best choice, even for Ben!

Got 4 because they are hard too find and will keep them if no one wants to pay $100 for one. But I need wheels too, so I could let afew go.

Brand new and beautiful.

Campagnolo Chorus Ti is the best option!


Anytime.

[Johny]

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=BUY_PRODUCT_STANDARD&PRODUCT.ID=343&CATEGORY.ID=2&MODE=SPECIALS

[Elefantino]

A Thomson and a Dura-Ace.

The Thomson is more like a Pinot Noir, with a just hint of road feel, and a whimsical, je-ne-sais-quoi about the adjustment mechanism that requires care, but in the right hands can achieve greatness.

The Dura-Ace is a Cabernet: Sturdy, predictable, somewhat truculent but never impudent or flaccid.

I think I should mention that I saw "Sideways" today.

[bcm119]

The Salsa Shaft has, hands down, the best adjustment system. However, it would probably be a fashion faux-pas to put one on an ottrott.

Elefantino, cut the BS and spit your damn gum out!

[dave thompson]

The Salsa Shaft has, hands down, the best adjustment system. However, it would probably be a fashion faux-pas to put one on an ottrott.
You mean like this? Not if you have a Brooks saddle, it niftily hides the adjustment mechanism!

[Climb01742]

now that i've calmed down...after spending 2.5 hours yesterday afternoon trying every which way to get the monza level...while it was 78 and sunny outside...and wandering around the web last night looking at clamp designs...the monza design looks, to me anyway, even dumber. not only aren't fore/aft and tilt adjustments independent, but to adjust tilt you need to take the saddle completely off -- yes completely -- losing your fore/aft placement. and even then, adjusting the tilt angle is trail and error...adjust tilt...put saddle back on...take saddle off...adjust tilt...put saddle back...take off...adjust tilt...back on... i admit, i'm a dope mechanically, but this design is whacky.

it's particularly frustrating when you look at salsa, bontrager, bold, FSA, who clearly have it figured out...and that making fore/aft and tilt totally independent of each other, very easy and highly tweakable is an improvement.

the monza is elegant...but it seems it's lots of style, very little substance. :no:

[Brian]

Can someone please describe or provide a picture of the Bold seatpost clamp. His stuff looks amazing, but the website is a bit lacking. There are several pictures of some funky seatpost setups, but I'm not which one, if any of them, is the normal post. Thanks.

[Dave]

http://www.boldprecision.com/bicycle.htm#goldpost-lug

The way it looks to me, this design has nearly unlimited angle adjustment, but it also looks like the saddle's angle adjustment loosens up when the saddle fore/aft adjustment is loosened. If it works like that, no thanks. One of the advantages of models with two vertical bolts is the ability to adjust the fore/aft position without losing track of the angle adjustment.

Most often, a post like the ITM Milennium/Selcof allows the saddle to be moved fore/aft just by loosening the back bolt, without disturbing the angle. At worst, you may have to loosen 2 or 3 half-turns on each bolt of a 2-bolt model, to move the saddle and then retighten the same amount to maintain the angle.

[Climb01742]

dave, have you used an FSA post? how independent and how simple is it's adjustment? thanks.

[wwtsui]

I have an American Classic post on one bike, and a Wound-up Composites on the other (yes, it came on one of those other bikes that starts with "Se" ;) ). Both are single bolt designs, and I haven't had particular difficulty maintaining the angle while adjusting fore/aft with either of them. I'd say the wound-up is maybe a little bit better in this regard -- it has little ridges for the angle adjustment, so as long as one of them meets your needs, it's easier to make sure you haven't changed it when you move the saddle.

Good luck!

[znfdl]

Dave:

You are correct that you can adjust the angle and the setback by loosening the two screws. I have found this system to have the most flexibility for adjusting fore/aft and angle.

For me, once I have my seat set, I usually do not adjust the fore/aft or angle.

If for some reason, I have to take the seat off, I measure the tip of the saddle to the stem and to the spindle. Therefore, it is easy to recreate the position. Also, I have taken clear nail polish to make the fore/aft position on the rails. Personally, I like my seat slightly below horizontal. Again this is a painless way to recreate the angle.

Additionally, if a bolt loosens on a traditional seatpost your are in trouble. While if a bolt loosens on a Bold, you are still supported by one bolt.

Have owned a bold for two + years and no problems.

zinophile.

[Dave]

I have the FSA on one bike and the ITM/Selcof on another. The FSA is not as independent, I don't believe, as the ITM. I usually loosen each bolt 1-1/2 turns to change the fore/aft position, then retighten the same amount to maintain the angle.

Changing just the angle is quite easy with either design. Just loosen one bolt 1/4 to 1/2 turn and tighten the other the same amount to fine-tune the angle.

My only reservation about the FSA is the rather small M5 bolts. Most brands use M6 bolts that can take more tension, but so far the FSA has been fine; just don't get carried away when tightening.

[Jeff N.]

Salsa Shaft has the very best tilt adjustment of any seatpost. I just happen to have a brand new SILVER one, 27.2, for sale! 50 bucks and its yours, satisfaction guaranteed. That includes shipping. Jeff N. jefftnix@aol.com