InertiaEnforca

does anyone know anything about the aluminum thomson elite seatposts? i looked at one today at my local bike shop, and it seemed really nice...actually it seemed like the only decent one they had. has anyone ever tried one of these? also, what kind of a price should i expect for a seatpost like that? they were selling it for $79.99, which seemed a little pricey. im trying to decide if if should perhaps just buy it there or buy one on ebay. thanks.

cc700

that's about right for an elite.

thomson are great, but you have to pay for them.

operator

What exactly is so great about them? My $5 seatpost works just fine.

InertiaEnforca

i envy you. my stock seatpost has recently stripped out (this shouldnt happen, but i think the allen bolts must have came loose at some point...bc im not that heavy...about 174lb), and so my seat will no longer stay level (this hurts when i take longer rides). i like the thomson post bc all the parts are individually replacable unlike the current solid hunk of alloy that had been inserted into my bike frame in order to lower the cost of the price of the bike as a whole. (bianchi does this so that you think youre getting a good deal on a complete bike, and bc suckers like me who do not have a lot of money can ride the complete bike immediately after it has been purchased). well, im not actually complaining, it was just fine while it lasted.

Hirohsima

I use them (have one on my SS and one on my geared bike). If you are patient, you should be able to get one on fleabay for $50 shipped. They are the strongest posts out there and lighter any post of the same price and probably 90% of posts that are more expensive.

May consider them to be the best. I think they are great, and the only upgrade from a Thomson is a moots or something of that order.

InertiaEnforca

but yea, idk how great they are...ive never tried one. thats why im trying to get some opinions before making any decisions. you make a good point though.

nateintokyo

they are nice, but I only notice when I'm looking at my bike (not riding).

I found a nice Thomson 27.2 road post a few years back on eBay for $20. if $80 hurts, trawling the 'bay for a while can't hurt.

a b seize

i wish my stock (probably $5) seatpost worked just fine. it only has about 4 adjustments which all leave the saddle angled either too high or too low. not designed too well. but i agree...$80 seems like a lot unless you really need that extra little bit of performance.

666pack

are you sure you can't dial in your seatpost?
you can still adjust a single-bolt seatpost to any angle you desire, it just takes a bit more finesse.

Igneous Faction

My new frame uses a 26.6 post. So I'm stuck with a standard 10 dollar Laprade jobby. Whatever man.

^oZ

Thomson also makes 26.6, just sayin'..

Retem

thomson 70ish or kalloy 25ish

marqueemoon

I own three Thomsons (bought 1 new, two used and a little beat). They are nice.

cc700

some you can, some you can't. the cheapest ones you can't. you can usually adjust distance by sliding the seat rails back and forth, but you can't always adjust angle. many cheap ones have adjustable angle though, you're right. he should check.

In Absentia

I've never used one, but I held one once and I thought it was going to fly away. It's amazing how light they are.

bonechilling

From watching some of the tours over the summer, it would appear as though an aluminum Thompson is still the choice of the pros.

MIN 

Thompson is one the best aluminum seatposts made today. But the Thompson Masterpiece is even better (lighter). It's been $79.99 for over 10 years. Either there is a demand for it at that price or Thompson doesn't understand economies of scale, or both.

The main benefit of a Thompson is light weight, incredible strength and infinite tilt adjustibility.

With that said, I have a carbon seatpost (Sette) that uses the Thompson design, is lighter and I have not had a problem with creaking, etc. It was $50 from PricePoint.

Travis Bickle

Strong, light, not cheap. I have some but they are overkill except on mountain bikes where I need the strength. They also come in lots of sizes.

dutret

There are plenty of cheap(sub $30) two bolts these days. They're not as nice as a thomson but they are nice enough for most uses.

MIN 

Yes the Sette alloy is a good example of that. I opted for the carbon version for the lighter weight and smoother ride. Whether or not you can detect the increase in smoothness with carbon is another story. For me, it's worth the extra $20 in this case.