Currently riding an Aluminium frame with stock aluminium seatpost - will switching to a carbon seatpost help smooth the ride? Have read mixed reviews so I thought I would see what STland thinks about it.
Go Ti
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That’s more than I really want to spend :(. Are you saying it’s Ti or nothing?
Moots Ti Laidback works, I use it on my '05 S-Works and on my MTB hardtail, it really adds suspension, like a beam bike. They are not very expensive for what you get, $165 http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=8783
shock absorption, if any, is probably dependant on how much seatpost is between the bolt and rails.
I’ll second the Ti. I was using a Torque Titanium forward seat post on a custom Tiemeyer TT bike and it was far better then a carbon or alum post that I had in the past.
No. It is not worth it. The shock absorbing effect that carbon offers does not apply in the vertical orientation of a seatpost.
You will not notice a difference, even though some say they do, I sincerely believe they are kidding themselves. I rode on a USE Alien carbon post for a few years before getting disgusted enough with the adjustment mechanism to trade it on a Thomson Masterpiece aluminum post. I could not discern one iota of difference in the ride characteristics.
It doesn’t matter if you have a carbon bike or an aluminum bike, I am willing to bet money you can’t tell the difference in the seatpost.
Do you or would you use it on your tt bike? If not, is it because it is not aero or because of the slight movement?
I have been thinking about getting a Moots to replace my MTB Cane Creek Thudbuster which works okay but has too much movement - with no damping. I have also been thinking about using one on my old very very stiff Cannondale road/tt bike.
David K
No. It is not worth it. The shock absorbing effect that carbon offers does not apply in the vertical orientation of a seatpost.
You will not notice a difference, even though some say they do, I sincerely believe they are kidding themselves. I rode on a USE Alien carbon post for a few years before getting disgusted enough with the adjustment mechanism to trade it on a Thomson Masterpiece aluminum post. I could not discern one iota of difference in the ride characteristics.
It doesn’t matter if you have a carbon bike or an aluminum bike, I am willing to bet money you can’t tell the difference in the seatpost.
Playing the Devil’s Advocate for a second: Perhaps you are the one who is kidding himself. (no offense, just offering another view)
Yeah, House, that must be it. Thats why I didn’t buy a new version of the Alien with the improved seat clamp, but stayed with the Masterpiece.
Aero seatpost? Come on…
Well, to me, this is nearly the same question as, “Should I get a carbon frame?” And it gets a similar answer: Maybe, maybe not.
Not all carbon posts are equal. Some carbon posts are a nod toward the current fashion of having anything and everthing carbon on your bike. As such, there are aluminum posts with a carbon wrap. This is largely for cosemetic effect to give the bike a more carbon-accesorized look. Perhaps you could make some argument for the material providing minimal shock damping characteristics as insulation over the aluminum, but I would maintain it is largely cosemtic when used as a wrap on a seatpost over aluminum.
That said, Easton makes an impressive carbon post with zero setback and a molded carbon head assembly. It is light, expensive and a trifle fragile but may have some shock damping characteristics. I wouldn’t know how to tell if it did or didn’t other than anecdotally.
Another good post is the Deda Blackstick. Now that one, i will say, does provide a noticeable degree of shock damping. We used them on our cyclocross bikes and I have one on my road bike. When you re-mount the cross bike after the barriers and come down on the saddle hard the post actually flexed enough to see it move. They are pretty pricey too. Most of the good carbon posts are.
I would suggest that a new set of tires may be less money and exert a greater effect if you buy softer riding tires such as high thread count Vittorias.
I use a bladed carbon 80mm deep seatpost on the TT bike.
I personally don’t think you’ll feel much of a difference having ridden quite a few aluminum posts, 3 or 4 carbon posts and 1 ti. The only way you’d really feel a difference anyways is if the post was bent (kinda like that Moots) or had a really really laid back head cantilevering the saddle over the post.
Like Tom said, it’s probably got more to do with the design of the post you’re using versus what’s it’s made out of. It might be worth a shot but there are probably better things you can spend your money on like a cushier saddle (love my Arione), nice bike shorts (Sugoi top o the line), bar gel or something along those lines. Or just drop that psi down by 5 and you’re good to go.
No. It is not worth it. The shock absorbing effect that carbon offers does not apply in the vertical orientation of a seatpost.
You will not notice a difference, even though some say they do, I sincerely believe they are kidding themselves. I rode on a USE Alien carbon post for a few years before getting disgusted enough with the adjustment mechanism to trade it on a Thomson Masterpiece aluminum post. I could not discern one iota of difference in the ride characteristics.
It doesn’t matter if you have a carbon bike or an aluminum bike, I am willing to bet money you can’t tell the difference in the seatpost.
Playing the Devil’s Advocate for a second: Perhaps you are the one who is kidding himself. (no offense, just offering another view)
He’s not kidding himself. Unless the post has significant setback, which would allow the post to flex like that moots post, it is geometrically impossible for the seatpost to absorb shock. It is virtually incompressible in the vertical axis.
Having learned this the hard way - do not interface a carbon fiber seatpost onto an aluminum frame. If you have any sort of water source around as from sweat, you’ll get galvanic corrosion between the carbon seatpost and the aluminum frame. I got 2 seatposts stuck in two different bikes that were each less than 6 mo old, one of which that had to be drilled out and thrown away (granted, I am a heavy sweater). It really sucks to watch them drill out and throw out your nearly new Easton EC90 Zero Setback post.
In my opinion, it doesn’t matter whether or not you get any incremental gain in performance if it compromises the maintenance or reliability of your bicycle.
Chris
Does your frame have carbon seat stays? If not, a carbon post might help. I have had positive feed back from a number of end users who have bought the 30 or 40mm offset Aerus posts. Unfortunately not all carbon posts are created equal. Some are just carbon wrapped around an alloy post. Other manufacturers are not using the full potential of the material.
Perhaps going with lower tire pressure, higher TPI, tubulars, bigger clincher tires or saddle will get you more bang for the buck in terms of comfort than a carbon post.
The point I was making is that he is saying anyone who says they can tell the difference is kidding themselves, I played the devils advocate and said maybe he is kidding himself. He has no proof that what he says is correct, so it could go either way.
I read that there is no difference between carbon and aluminium seat posts based upon the properties of the materials and the forces applied on seat posts. I’d tend to agree with that from my experience.
The same article said that titanium seat posts are actually the best. The best seat post I ever had was an old Campy Record titanium that I had on an older steel road bike. Very comfy materials combo. They pop up on ebay every now and then.