Some sub-human, malicious and moronic miscreant stole my seat--saddle, post, light and all--using a hex wrench tonight, leaving the front quick-release wheel untouched. The bike is an almost-new Specialized Tricross '08.

My questions are: how hard is it to come by a post of appropriate diameter and length?
What's the least expensive yet quality way to replace them and how much should i expect to pay?

Ideally i'd like the new post to be black like the stolen one was.

Grrrrrrrrr

16.99 for the cheapest seat post at Performance last time I checked.

Any bike shop will have a replacement seat post. Price is comparable to Performance.

+1 on about $15-$20 for house brands like Performance's Forte'. You LBS will be able to supply the equivalent in a generic/budget brand like Pyramid/Serfas/Etc..

Ive got a similar question. My fiance has a Magna MTB that the seat was stolen from in similar fashion while it sat outside last year at her old apt.

I have tried buying a couple posts at a time (they cost me about $.25 after my volunteer discount) from the co-op and taking them home to try them, but so far, the closest ive been able to find is a few milimeters too small and slides down to the bottom of the tube. Im going to take her bike over there and try every post in the shop on saturday, but if that doesn't work, any thoughts? I dont even know where Magnas were/are sold, and she's had it for at least 8 years.

I have found that you can get nice cheap alloy seat posts with built in clamps from Niagara Cycle Works for under $10.

https://www.niagaracycle.com/index.ph...sort=3a&page=4

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: https://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. :/

Either bring your bike down to the co-op and try before you buy and/or measure the inside diameter of your seat tube (to the nearest .2mm) with a set of calipers and do the same to the outer diameter of various seatposts. Or, bring your bike to a shop so they can measure for you and sell you the correct post.

Your cyclocross bike is more than likely 27.2mm, which is standard for newer and older, higher-quality road frames.

While various posts may vary in the amount of setback they have, most are in a very narrow range. A narrow enough range that the position of your seat rails relative to it can compensate for the variation. Look for one that looks like it has about the same amount and you'll be fine.

If you liked the last saddle, maybe you should get the same one as before. According to, https://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=22307 , the standard Tricross came with the Specialized Avatar, which can be bought at a Specialized bike shop or online (not cheap though). Be aware that it comes in three different widths to fit differently spaced sit-bones: 130, 143, and 155mm.

Called my lbs and they said that the original saddle is model-specific and can't be ordered. The closest to it is indeed the Avatar and it'll be a cold day in hell before i'll pay $80 to replace the stock saddle on a $650 bike.

This just gets better and better.

Not exactly... there are a few common sizes - 27.2 and 31.6 included, and a handful of oddball sizes. If your bike takes 27.2 or 25.8 then you will likely find a post the first place you go. With other sizes you may or may not get lucky.

The good news is that all sizes are usually available for not too much money, if you are willing to order it through the interweb or your LBS.

shims? a general seatpost shim can be put in your seat tube, and seeing how they are semi-universal, find one colse and put it in. maybe it will change your required seat post diameter to one that you can more easily find to install.

on a more personal note, to steal just the seat and post on a bike is just like having your steering wheel stolen in your car. one word for that thief... karma!

You may also want to invest in one of two theft deterrent options

1) QR collar so you can take the post/saddle with you when you lockup
2) Pinhead skewers, this will secure the post, but the saddle is still vulnerable

100% wrong and bad advice.

Seatpost sizes cannot be "approximated", you NEED the exact correct size. Shims are only temporary until you can get the proper size, a stopgap, not a solution. Seatposts come in .2mm increments all the way from 24 ~ 32mm.

The thing is, i won't take it with me when i lockup. That's simply not an option for me. I would prefer all my skewers & whatnot be of the slow release variety.

Nobody recalls the seatpost security device that fit down inside the tube? I wish i could remember more details; maybe i could approximate it.

I'm going to buy the Forté Precision Seatpost and E3 Form Ti saddle from Performance later today unless something better comes up. I wish i could find a security option before then. The pinhead skewer idea is ok, but then you have to carry around another key, right?

I think i'll have to buy some lightweight cable and run it through the rails when i lockup. It will at least be a bit more of a deterrent.

+1

More like you *want* the correct size so stuff doesn't get more complicated in the future.

Yeah, I need to take her bike in, just means I have to drive over instead of biking over, and I love biking over

Here's the link for your bike specs.
Your seatpost size is a 27.2

https://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=22302

Looks like the exact replacement will run $100.00

https://bikestoponline.com/itemdetails.cfm?id=1955

Yeah, i think i mentioned somewhere up there that my seatpost was 27.2. Thanks for tracking that down. I decided to go with the $70 replacements instead of the $200 replacement. Now, if performance would just get the thing to me already--it's a lot harder going 10 miles without a seat.

Something I did for a while when I had a quick release seatpost collar:

Run a lock and cable around your saddle rails and seat stays on the frame. I used this: https://www.kryptonitelock.com/Produc...=1001&pid=1122 and a small master lock.

It's not perfect; the seatpost itself would be vulnerable and the cable could be cut relatively easily. But it's one more deterrent to couple with a non-quick release collar.

It's not even a QR seatpost collar--the thieves used a hex wrench and left the QR front wheel. I really lucked out they didn't take the wheel, too.

Already bought this at REI to do just what you say. Maybe it can double as a pannier lock when touring, but small price to pay either way to avoid losing another seat.

Thanks for the advice!