ImprezaDrvr

I just got a Ritchey WCS alloy seatpost to replace a couple of Thomsons that I had sitting around that didn't give me enough height/setback. All's well, except that it won't hold my saddle level. Did a century Sunday and spent the last 20 miles with a saddle proctologist because by that time I didn't want to get off of the bike and screw with it. Anyone else have this problem? What'd you do to fix it? I had it set up correctly to begin with, it just won't hold.

DaveB1234

We have similar Ritchey posts on our tandem. There is only one small ribbed washer on the bottom to keep it from slipping. I've sanded the top of post to provide a rougher surface and I've tried to make the ribs deeper in the washer. It works for the most part, but I plan on replacing the posts soon.

ImprezaDrvr

That was the suggestion that I got from my LBS, to rough up the smooth surface that the clamp rests on. I might take a hacksaw to it lightly and mar the top up.

The sad thing is that I had a Ritchey post on my mountain bike back in '96 and it did the same thing. You'd think that they would have figured out how to engineer one that works by now.

sydney

No issues with any of mine,but no excess bacon overloading them either.

DaveB1234

It's not a matter of excess bacon -- the posts are of poor design.

ImprezaDrvr

Well, if 190 pounds is too much for them to work properly, I'm not sure that they should be in the seatpost business.

Thanks, as usual, for being a dick, though. Insightful and helpful as always.

Bikepacker67

BWHAHAHAHA!

royalflash

my Ritchey seatpost holds level but that is bit frustrating as I want to tip the nose down a bit- no way - the saddle just returns level but loose

there is some excess bacon on mine but I am just a carpet smoking nose picker

'nother

Did anyone bring popcorn to this thread?

cuda2k

'nother - you find the popcorn, I think I can find some rum & coke go to with it.

rufvelo

Ritchey bars, stem, seatpost are used by some top Euro pro teams.

However my personal experience with 6 months usage - they're sh*t.

Stem keeps creaking embarassingly even though I've greased thoroughly, once even loosened dangerously on a ride inspite of recommended torque on 4 bolts!

Seatpost can't hold seat level either.

ImprezaDrvr

The thing is that I've had nothing but great luck with their bars and stems up to this point. I've run them for years.

Emailed Ritchey and they just said to call their warranty folks, but it's not a warranty issue. The post doesn't hold. I put some grippy rubber that Wifey the physical therapist had in her office between the clamp and post, so I'll see what that does. If it doesn't hold, I'll get something else.

'nother

Bah. Looks like the show's over already. Catch you next time

seely

At 150lbs, my Ritchey seatpost NEVER would hold position. Throw it in the trash, and get thee a Thompson setback. It will give you the same setback as a standard seatpost w/ an offset clamp.

king koeller

All this talk about this post or that post being sh*t....
The only post worth any thing is an old school Campy or Campy copy micro adjust two bolt design.
It can't slip. It's design is flawless. I would almost say it's a perfect design. And when you want to angle the nose down .5 mm you can. No if's, and's, or but's.
Case closed.
Sydney is right on the money about some cheap seat posts can't take alot of bacon...
I'm 211, and i've had posts that slip, then i replaced them with 2 bolt design micro-adjust.
problem solved... forever!

Grand Bois

There's nothing wrong with the Ritchey design. I have them on two of my bikes and they don't slip. I weigh 190.

You're not putting enough torque on the bolt. You really have to crank it, that's why it's an 8mm. An allen key is not the best tool for that. I use an allen bit mounted on a 3/8ths drive ratchet.

ImprezaDrvr

It has two bolts and neither is an 8mm. And I'm not taking a ratchet to anything that clamps down on carbon saddle rails. In all honesty, I shouldn't have to, the post should work without any problems. That's why we buy stuff to begin with, right? To perform a function. The rest is bling. But if the functional side of things is off, the product is crap.

Thomson setback posts, as I said in my first post in the thread, don't offer enough setback for me. The extra cm or so that most other setback posts offer is the minimum for me, pretty much.

I put some super grippy rubber on the underside of the clamp, between the round wedge that the bolt slides through and the bottom of the post head. Hopefully this will be enough to hold it. Otherwise, FSA uses a clamping system much like Thomson and offers posts with more than enough setback.

Grand Bois

We must be talking about different posts. Come to think of it, mine are Pro, not WCS.

Never mind!

rufvelo

Mine's Pro too, not WCS. Still why do I have to pay 50-80 each for poorly engineered aluminum (not hi-tech carbon).

I'll second the micro-adjust suggestion, my 2 microadjust seatposts from the early 90s (around $30 each I think) work like a seatpost should, allow for fine adjustments and hold the setting without fuss.