Originally Posted by Flandry

Thanks for your suggestions. I had a similar experience to TechKnowGN while trying to swap around some seats to temporarily adapt my roommate's bike for a friend to ride. Out of 7-8 random bikes around, not a single one had a post that fit the bike in question. That's where i was coming from with the first post.

Now that i look around, it appears there are just two standard sizes for post diameter (27.2 and 31.6) and a few standard lengths. Hopefully those hard-to-fit bikes are just pre-standardization or something. The Tricross takes a 27.2 in 35 cm length, but i can't find anywhere what the "setback" of the original post was, and i don't want to change the fit of the bike. Is setback pretty standard (ie either setback or not)?

Here's my specific bike with a photo: http://www.red-kite.co.uk/detail.asp...=SP8TRICROSSSS

That's a "setback" post, right?

Next order of business is the saddle. I really didn't want to have to go on that whole "quest for the holy saddle" odyssey right now. What's a good, inexpensive option similar to the pictured saddle?

I have been considering a Brooks, but am doubly hesitant to spend that kind of cash on a saddle at this point.

Finally, what does everyone do to prevent this kind of thing? I remember putting some kind of hidden cable device inside my post about 10 years ago to prevent theft and it worked (everything not nailed down was stolen off the bike once, and the seat survived), but i can't remember what that was or know if it would work now.

Thanks again for your help. This whole thing has me feeling so violated and aggravated. :/