shoota 

I realize this will disintegrate into a flame war BUT..
Hopefully I can get a couple opinions from people with firsthand experience with the Ritchey seatposts from sites like AliExpress and DHgate. You know, the $30-40 ones. It's not the carbon I'm concerned with but rather the clamp. Does anyone have any input regarding that?

shoota 

And if a mod could move this that would be great

CbadRider

Moved from the Marketplace to Road.

cderalow

I've got a fake FSA one on my Hybrid. Clamp is slightly better than the OEM alloy one that came from GT. Carbon seems fine so far (400 miles or so on it) and the flex/deflection it gives is a marked improvement.

zymphad

It's $28 with free shipping. Why not go for it? If it works, it works, and got a great deal! If it doesn't, you can return it. Can't you pay with Paypal? if anything goes wrong, you can dispute it.

I would spend a little extra and get the FSA ones instead.

Bob Dopolina 

^^^ right! 'cause we all know someone selling fake goods will stand behind their products and hon our some kind of warranty that doesn't exist.

OP, buy it if you must but know that if it sucks you are stuck with it. If it fails you have no recourse whatsoever.

achoo

I dunno - it might be sarcasm.

canam73

If you're getting a fake seatpost why stop at FSA? Go for an Enve or something top of the line.

Well, top of the fake line.

simnorm

I had one, I didn't like the single bolt design. Saddle would slip back so I had to torque it down real hard.

zymphad

He didn't ask if it "sucked." And I wouldn't expect for something so cheap, with free shipping, seller would care if you want to return it because you think it "sucks." He asked if it worked. If the clamp doesn't work, then it's broken. You can file dispute with Paypal for selling you a broken item.

And again, it's $28. Where else are you going to find a carbon seatpost for $28 with free shipping? It's a risk he can take, if it "sucks" he only lost $28. He can opt to buy an authentic Ritchey carbon for $200 instead.

Cue

The single bolt design badged as "bontrager" or "ritchey" requires a lot of torque, there's a two bolt design that's better AND cheaper ($25 shipped), but it's heavier by a 50-60 grams..

Bob Dopolina 

Maybe. But if delivered on time and to spec, maybe not.

Here?

zymphad

You're going to argue over a difference of $3?

And you really have issue with someone taking a risk to see if a $28 seatpost fulfills his needs with free shipping because you don't get a return policy like Nashbar? Whatever, this is dumb. People spend more on snacks and junk food per week than this.

dtrain

Since the flaming has started: I'd rather see you buy totally generic vs. counterfeit.

Bob Dopolina 

Not $3.00. A better product.

Cue

If you're gonna buy a knock-off china carbon seatpost, buy the two bolt design, like the one below. They've gone down to $23.

2014 New Ritchey WCS ultralight carbon fibre seat post mountain road bike seatpost bike parts 27.2/30.8/31.6*350/400mm-in Bicycle Seat Post from Sports & Entertainment on Aliexpress.com

shoota 

Well I wound up buying a two-bolt WCS Ritchey off ebay. The Chinese seller said it's a legit product but who knows, he could very well be lying. I'll report back when I get it.

zymphad

Sweet!!!

mpath

This. +1

shoota 

Well hopefully I didn't do either.

Young Version

You definitely, without a doubt, bought a counterfeit. Don't kid yourself--the seller's assurance means nothing.

Young Version

Much like knockoff carbon wheels, frames, forks, etc, a knockoff seatpost carries at least some risk of bodily harm. The $28 I potentially wasted would be the least of my worries.

Clem von Jones

Another danger with counterfeit items is they'll be seized at the port by a US Customs official and you'll never get it, so I'm thinking the identical item with no labels is the way to go.