Favorite seatpost?

[Scott Altland]

And why?My 29er has been metamorphasizing the last year...original steel fork...front suspension..back to rigid this time with a Niner thru-axle which absolutely is the ticket.Soon to purchase a carbon fiber handlebar.Next I'm changing out my seatpost to one with some setback.I now use the Thomson Elite (straight).After experiencing for the 1st time the joys of carbon fiber I'm left with a few seatpost options.Living in rocky PA my terrain is as varied as it gets. My thoughts were upgrading to a Thomson Masterpiece setback (the security of aluminum/lighter weight),a CF post ...suggestions on a durable one...any problems with them on rough terrain?And the last is a Kent Erikson Ti seatpost although the price is scary.How's a high end aluminum SP compare to the other materials?I posted a similar question about bars wondering if the exact same qualitys would apply in this usage.Having said all that any input is appreciated.BTW I'm light weight at 150ish.
Thanks again.
Scott Altland

[Gattonero]

How long, for instance?

[Scott Altland]

330-350 mm range.

[pdxmech13]

any post that moves to get out of the way is A OK in my book.

[Nathanrtaylor]

Eriksen ti seatposts are really really nice all around. Hard to beat except for the price.
Enve seatposts are also nice, but the saddle hardware can be a little finicky. Just crank it down.
Thomson setback posts aren't the most attractive, but on mountain bikes they look fairly normal.
I'm currently using a Fizik Cyrano aluminum post, and it gets the job done. Simple to adjust, strong, and has an aesthetically normal look even in the models with setback.

Dropper posts are going to be fairly limited in setback, but since you are currently rigid up front that's not the direction you are planning to go.

[davids]

any post that moves to get out of the way is A OK in my book.

I used a drop post for the first time when I rented a bike in Moab. Once I got the hang of it, it made stupid steep descents easy.

In the meantime, a Thomson setback.

[Zandr Martin]

If you actually need real setback for fit purposes the Thomson is a terrible choice. Not only is the nominal setback (16mm) far less than the "standard" 25mm but the length of the rail cradles further inhibit saddle movement meaning effective setback is pretty minimal. For a two-bolt choice with actual setback the Truvativ posts are nice.

[Gattonero]

If you actually need real setback for fit purposes the Thomson is a terrible choice. Not only is the nominal setback (16mm) far less than the "standard" 25mm but the length of the rail cradles further inhibit saddle movement meaning effective setback is pretty minimal. For a two-bolt choice with actual setback the Truvativ posts are nice.

Apparently we can wait until this winter to see a Thomson with 25mm seatback AND this will be obtained with a new head/cradle design, not by the bend in its shaft as it is now (which could be hard to digest).
I am waiting, good pair with the X2 stem, and made in US ftw

[mbeardsl]

Eriksen ti seatposts are really really nice all around. Hard to beat except for the price.
Enve seatposts are also nice, but the saddle hardware can be a little finicky. Just crank it down.
Thomson setback posts aren't the most attractive, but on mountain bikes they look fairly normal.
I'm currently using a Fizik Cyrano aluminum post, and it gets the job done. Simple to adjust, strong, and has an aesthetically normal look even in the models with setback.

Dropper posts are going to be fairly limited in setback, but since you are currently rigid up front that's not the direction you are planning to go.

Agree on everything above.

- I love my Eriksens (look and flex) as the clamping mechanism stays super clean and I've never had a seat move in a cpl years at 225-245lbs+. That being said, I am just now replacing the one on my MTB with an Enve as (I *think*) the Eriksen is creaking like crazy - think it's not long enough after speaking with Eriksen so make sure you get it extra long, 8-10cm in the ST they say. It has 5k+ miles on it so has started to "smoosh" in my Ti frame which apparently happens with Ti on Ti. Have had zero issues with the one on my wife's bike and the one on my road bike.
- I'm not concerned with the Enve being durable after speaking with them (no weight limit etc). At 150 lbs you should have fewer than zero problems with it IMO. Just as expensive as the Eriksen.
- I can't stand Thomsons as they always creak like crazy for me due to all of the parts being open to the elements and my weight cranking on it.

[Shoogs]

Thomson, I haven't found anything better.

[Nathanrtaylor]

Agree on everything above.

- I love my Eriksens (look and flex) as the clamping mechanism stays super clean and I've never had a seat move in a cpl years at 225-245lbs+. That being said, I am just now replacing the one on my MTB with an Enve as (I *think*) the Eriksen is creaking like crazy - think it's not long enough after speaking with Eriksen so make sure you get it extra long, 8-10cm in the ST they say.

Thread hijack, but have you swapped saddles around to see if it's a saddle wearing out? I used to run road saddles on my mountain bike (selle italia slr) and found that I got 2 seasons max out of them before they started creaking like crazy.

Also, I had an Enve 34.9 post that was super stiff and long enough to hang below the super thin bonded insert that my builder put in my steel frame. There was just enough difference in diameter between the post and inside of the seatpost that it would tap against the tube walls when I sat down and got up again. Tons of grease fixed it temporarily, but the final fix was hacking 10mm off of the seatpost every lap of a local trail until the click went away. (I'm fully aware that this may not have been what was causing the click, but since I no longer have that seatpost it doesn't matter. Still have the frame though and no click.)

The Enve posts used to say 4-5 Nm on the clamping hardware. HA! No chance. I called Enve and they confirmed that it should be more like 8-12 Nm and that the newer hardware specified as such. The Eriksen hardware, though similar, doesn't seem to require nearly the same torque.

[Will Neide]

Central Pa and techy rocks both up, down, and flat...........dropper post if the budget allows.

[blasdelf]

the best ever: SuperLogic Carbon 1-Bolt Post

lighter than most weenie posts, super easy clamp that never slips, and at least in 27.2 it has a bit of suspension to it

[MisterDangerPants]

I don't have any favorites, though have tried many (with a setback) for off-road riding. Like you, I'm a lightweight (140lbs) and currently ride a rigid bike (mine being primarily on northeast singletrack).

For carbon, I've had both ENVE and the Ritchey SuperLogic. The ENVE was very nice though I'm not a huge fan of the clamp. The really liked the Ritchey as the clamp was fantastic. Both were great quality, too.

For titanium, I've had Firefly, Eriksen and Black Sheep. All were really nice with quality but Firefly uses the ENVE clamp and as I said, I just don't prefer. The Eriksen clamp was pretty good with a single horizontal clamp. Of the 3, I liked the double horizontal clamp of the Black Sheep post over the others. Not perfect but pretty nice.

For aluminum, I'm currently running the Paul Tall & Handsome. Nice vertical double clamp, which I prefer. Locks the saddle right in place. I also like the Thomson clamp a lot, and have a straight post on my road bike, though have never tried their setback as I don't like the look. Interested in seeing the new Thomson 25mm setback.

If I had to choose just one of all of these, it would be the Paul Components Tall & Handsome.

[fortyfour]

I've had all kinds of seat posts along the years but two always stick out for me: first being Thomson and second being ENVE. Thomson coming in a 410mm length and ENVE in 400mm. I've always liked my mountain bikes to be low slung with plenty of top tube clearance, so having a reliable post that comes in a 400mm+ length was important. My own opinion: 27.2mm in a post is just the right diameter. Just stiff enough but not too stiff so you're getting beat up. That extra bit of seat post extension adds to a slightly less "stingy" ride back there. I've found the larger diameter posts on a mountain bike to be just a bit too stiff and harsh for a steel hardtail. That's just my own opinion though. Here's why I like these two posts:

What stands out about Thomson's post is that both fore and aft adjustments are handled separately, and when assembled, all components on the head of the post are captured so you're not fighting parts to stay in place when tightening/assembling. That's important to note also when leveling a saddle. Single bolt posts have a tendency to pull the saddle one way or the other so you have to start with the saddle not level and estimate how much the bolt will pull the saddle up/down once torqued. PITA.. To avoid creaks, the rails, clamps and hardware all get a light coat of grease on all mating surfaces before they go together. Another important reason why I like Thomson posts is the fact that it puts extra material where it's needed and removes it where it is not needed on the seat post walls. Fit and finish are top notch as well. I've had many and they all have been incredibly reliable. If you ride a lot in all kinds of conditions, things will develop clicks, creaks and pops. Just the nature of the beast when dirt and dust work their way in. Disassemble, clean and grease. Thomson's also made right here in the USA (That also includes all the forgings AND the fasteners...) That's important for my purchase decision.

When moving to a carbon option, only one name stands out for me: ENVE. Fit and finish are top notch. They also have a long term plan to bring all production on shore. (Another reason to support them.) Carbon, according to my opinion, is a perfect material for handlebars and seat posts as these are two of the 3 contact points on the bike. Carbon has a tendency to absorb trail "noise" and dampen that constant chatter. It is true that early hardware on the ENVE clamps stated a much lower torque setting so saddles would slip easily. That has since been upped to 8-12Nm. ENVE sends you two sets of clamping hardware (Second being for oversized carbon rails). A light coat of grease on the wedges and the assembly is painless. I do like that the hardware assembles from the side and the tightening is done from the side as well. One thing I have noted is that the wedge will suck the saddle up or down very slightly as it's tightened so I typically get things finger tight, level the saddle and then bring the bolt to proper torque spec and that seems to stop the saddle from moving. The wedge assembly expands into the bore of the head of ENVE's post, so once torqued, it's not going anywhere. I have not had one creak on me and I've had mine for a handful of seasons.

Both Thomson and ENVE's heads of their posts are integrated with the seat post column. They're not bonded or pressed on. That's a typical place for creaks to occur and both of these posts take care of that.

Both Thomson and ENVE provide incredible support. Another reason why I like both of these company's and another reason they are two of my preferred OEM suppliers.

Regarding Setback: I design the bike with the setback of the seat post to be used in mind. So this is part of the overall spec.

I have no experience with titanium seat posts so I cannot comment.

[doomridesout]

I am not sure if the Moots post is the same design as the Eriksen, but the Moots post I have for my road bike is the best design I've ever seen. Two separate clamps nested cleanly inside each other with a 5mm and a 6mm fastener, such that you can have do angle and rail clamping separately-- as in, clamp in the rails at the correct distance and have them torqued properly before you even touch the angulation, and vice versa. All doable with a 5 and 6 mm allen.

[steve garro]

Thomson/Moots/Erikson

Those are the only ones I've handled in the last # of years.
- Garro

[sk_tle]

I love my eriksen "sweetpost". Easy to adjust, looks great. Price is steep but mine is in it's third frame. It's definitely a keeper.

[mbeardsl]

Thread hijack, but have you swapped saddles around to see if it's a saddle wearing out? I used to run road saddles on my mountain bike (selle italia slr) and found that I got 2 seasons max out of them before they started creaking like crazy.

Also, I had an Enve 34.9 post that was super stiff and long enough to hang below the super thin bonded insert that my builder put in my steel frame. There was just enough difference in diameter between the post and inside of the seatpost that it would tap against the tube walls when I sat down and got up again. Tons of grease fixed it temporarily, but the final fix was hacking 10mm off of the seatpost every lap of a local trail until the click went away. (I'm fully aware that this may not have been what was causing the click, but since I no longer have that seatpost it doesn't matter. Still have the frame though and no click.)

The Enve posts used to say 4-5 Nm on the clamping hardware. HA! No chance. I called Enve and they confirmed that it should be more like 8-12 Nm and that the newer hardware specified as such. The Eriksen hardware, though similar, doesn't seem to require nearly the same torque.

Yeah I've tried 4 different saddles, 2 of which were new out of the box. I figured it was the saddle from the start as I use Specialized saddles and they are notorious for creaking where the seat rails enter the body. Also slathered more Ti prep than should ever be used just to see if it helped. No dice.

I think I am having the opposite problem from you - the post is too short so it's moving more than it should, if it were longer it wouldn't move as much as the extra length would help keep it from flexing in that area. Who knows. We'll see if the Enve fixes it. If not, I'll have a new pretty seatpost at least. Talked to the builder and Eriksen and they think it's the post. See pic (hopefully it'll attach) to see the "smooshing". Think I've ruled out BB, pedals, spider/chainring bolts, stem, bar spacer, cockpit controls, dropouts, and saddle but I've got it in the shop currently to see if I missed anything (headset?).

[Gattonero]

....

Also, I had an Enve 34.9 post that was super stiff and long enough to hang below the super thin bonded insert that my builder put in my steel frame. There was just enough difference in diameter between the post and inside of the seatpost that it would tap against the tube walls when I sat down and got up again. Tons of grease fixed it temporarily, but the final fix was hacking 10mm off of the seatpost every lap of a local trail until the click went away. (I'm fully aware that this may not have been what was causing the click, but since I no longer have that seatpost it doesn't matter. Still have the frame though and no click.)....

Interesting.
I've a similar situation with my Scapin Blato.
The ST ID is 29.4, I've been using a Roox* 29.4 x420 which did occasionally click. Now using a RaceFace* 28.6 x400something with a USE shim, it clicks like a bitch.
I quite like how the frame rides, super confident and is faster than my cat when on the prowl; so I keep on riding and don't bother about the noise anymore!

*= goes without saying, the "click" comes right from the seatpost, all the fastenings have been greased, the ST has been geased or smeared with carbon-compound, or copper-grease. Any of them would make it silent for 20km at the most