First off, yes, I already searched the archives for anything on the topic, but nothing came up that was relevant.
I recently purchased a 2005 Fuji Aloha with a Ritchey Comp seatpost. The geometry of this bike supports, as best I can tell, getting steeper than the stock 76 degree seat tube angle, based on lengths of top-tube and chain-stays.
The seatpost has ~0.75 to 1.00 in of “setback” inherent in its head. I have tried shoving the saddle all the way forward, but I am still trying to dial the position a bit more forward.
HERE IS THE QUESTION: If I value my life (and my wife and two kids have something to say about this), Can I SAFELY turn this seatpost around and have it “set forward”? If the answer is “NO”, then what seatposts might support this? Do I have to go to a straight-shaft Thompson, or even a set-back Thompson turned forward? This would not break my heart either since I already have the post set to its “min insertion” line and might use a few more mm’s of length.
For the record, Ritchey’s response was “Ritchey does not recommend doing so.”
On a lot of seatposts the angle of the clamp wouldn’t allow you to flip it around and ride comfortably on the saddle. That’s why they sell specific forward seatposts.
The Bontrager seatposts can be turned around on the ‘Race’ or better versions. The clamping mechanism is a cylinder so it does not have any limitations to the angle that it can be set at. The problem with many seatposts is that if you turn them around you have to work with the extreme end of their adjustment range, which is why Ritchey doesn’t recommend it. As far as the Bontrager post is concerned, one angle works like any other at the clamp. They have a 5mm offset and a 20mm offset. If you want to really move the seat forward you want the 20mm version.
Do I have to go to a straight-shaft Thompson, or even a set-back Thompson turned forward?
The Thomsen setback works both ways, and is perfectly safe in either orientation. Thomsen even says so somewhere on their website. From Trisports.com “The Thomson Elite Set Back Seatpost can be flipped around and is perfect for triathletes who want to come “just a little” more forward. So, in triathlon terms, this would be the Thomson Elite Set Forward seatpost!”
I have a bike that I started on that had a 74-degree STA, and I put a Profile Fast Forward seat post on there (after finding the Thompson Setback turned around wasn’t steep enough for me), and got up to around 80 degrees. It was a little squirrely, but I got used to it really quick and did fine on that until I bought my current bike.
As others have mentioned, a lot of seatposts won’t allow you to do this; the saddle will end up being nosed way up. I recommend going with a Thomson Elite or Masterpiece. I have used this setup (flipping it forward) with success. They are the strongest and most reliable posts on the market.