Bicycle Mechanics - Cracked Thomson seatpost

I have a Thomson elite setback seatpost on a cross bike I bought used earlier this year--the seatpost came with the bike when I bought it, and I have no idea when the seatpost was purchased. I hadn't ridden the bike in a couple of months because I've been commuting on my folder and haven't had much time for recreational riding.

I took it out for a ride on Sunday and noticed a lot of creaking from the seatpost. I thought maybe something just needed some grease, but I took a look at it and there was a rather large crack (more than halfway around) at the very top on the rear of the post.

I emailed Thomson to see if they could do anything about it and they told me that they wouldn't because the crack was from overtightening of the bolts. Does this sound right? I thought these things were supposed to be renowned for their strength and durability...

Now I'm stuck with no seatpost and it seems like my only options for setback seatposts (I need the setback for the bike to fit) are a) Thomson b) really expensive or c) all of the above. I don't really want to buy another Thomson since this one crapped out on me, but I also don't want to put a lot of money into it.

Thoughts?

I have a Thomson elite setback seatpost on a cross bike I bought used earlier this year--the seatpost came with the bike when I bought it, and I have no idea when the seatpost was purchased. I hadn't ridden the bike in a couple of months because I've been commuting on my folder and haven't had much time for recreational riding.

I took it out for a ride on Sunday and noticed a lot of creaking from the seatpost. I thought maybe something just needed some grease, but I took a look at it and there was a rather large crack (more than halfway around) at the very top on the rear of the post.

I emailed Thomson to see if they could do anything about it and they told me that they wouldn't because the crack was from overtightening of the bolts. Does this sound right? I thought these things were supposed to be renowned for their strength and durability...

Now I'm stuck with no seatpost and it seems like my only options for setback seatposts (I need the setback for the bike to fit) are a) Thomson b) really expensive or c) all of the above. I don't really want to buy another Thomson since this one crapped out on me, but I also don't want to put a lot of money into it.

Thoughts?


Sorry to hear about your cracked seatpost.

Thomson posts appear to have a lot of setback because it is incorporated into the tube rather than the post head, but in reality it's only 16 degrees... several inexpensive posts can equal that, and a lot have even more setback. Look for something that has the setback in the head of the post, like so:

http://www.universalcycles.com/images//products/medium/11086.jpg

that particular model (FSA SL-280) has 25mm of setback and is available for something around $20.

Yea, I have a really cheap set back Forte post that I got years ago.

I emailed Thomson to see if they could do anything about it and they told me that they wouldn't because the crack was from overtightening of the bolts. Does this sound right? I thought these things were supposed to be renowned for their strength and durability...

Their call. And frankly they really have no responsibility at this point, it's second hand goods with an undocumented history.

How much setback do you need? If I'm reading it right, the Thompson has 16mm of setback. You can get a Kalloy with 20mm setback for $20. Just means you scooch the seat forward a little