I've recently purchased a used mountain bike that came with an annoying suspension seatpost. I would like to replace it with something fairly simple yet durable, i.e., I don't need anything "fancy." I would also like to try out an offset post. Can you guys recommend something suitable that I could buy from say amazon.ca? Or suggest things to consider, or what not to buy. Thanks!

This is what I recommend, but it might be a bit more spendy than you want:

https://www.amazon.ca/Thomson-Bicycle...=thomson+elite

OK, so some things to look out for. Make sure you're ordering the seatpost of the right diameter. Best way to figure this out is to measure the one you have currently. Also make sure that your new seatpost is long enough so that you can ride with the seat as high as you like it!

At the end of the day seatposts usually are bad for three reasons:

1) They're heavy
2) They slip inside the seat tube.
3) The interface for attaching the saddle to the seatpost sucks.

You probably don't care about (1) if you're on a budget. Recommending a seatpost that doesn't slip and has a good saddle attachment mechanism is a matter of looking at reviews. Kalloy used to make good cheap seatposts, but they seem to have disappeared off the market. Not sure what other brands at a low price point are any good, sorry!

Most setback seatposts give you a setback between 10 and 25mm. As you "want to try it out", pick one in the middle I guess!

You have to measure your seatpost to find out what size you need before you buy one but you could get an inexpensive Race Face Aluminum seatpost for less than $30 in different sizes (27.2, 30.9, 31.6) with 375mm length and about 295g of weight.

They don't seem to have my size. I need 26.8.

Kalloy seatposts are fine and come in just about every conceivable diameter. Do an online search and you'll find places to buy. Not expensive either.

Great! Thanks!

I mentioned the Race Face as an example but if you search, am sure you will find more sizes.

Kalloy are more economical than other brands. Below are examples for 26.8 but you have to see what length you need and you don't have to buy those but at least you an idea of what you can get.

Kalloy 350mm seatpost for $15
Kalloy 400mm seatpost for $18

So my seatpost arrived in the mail today. Went with the kalloy. I've installed it and discovered I don't have as much tilt adjustment as I would like because my cockpit is slightly cramped and I was most comfortable with the saddle slightly tilted upward and as far back as possible else I felt like I was sliding forward. This tilt puts a little unwanted pressure on the lady parts but not enough that I'm worried about it. BUT looking at the two posts it looks like I may have gained a few cm in the cockpit with the Kalloy post due to the position of the clamp and as such the tilt might not be necessary. I've already installed the new post and am much too lazy to put the old post back in to measure if I have gained any distance from the handlebar. But I'm not too lazy to post pictures and have you wonderful and knowledgeable folks confirm this for me. I know the best test is to ride and see how it feels but I feel like I have a tendency to overthink how things feel and it gets lost on me. If this is the case than alleluia! I love everything about my bike but the tight cockpit weighs on my mind from time to time. Put in other words I guess my question is: is this kalloy post, as compared to the suspension post, in a sense "setback"? Sorry for the convoluted question.

old post



new post

That Kalloy is a setback seatpost. The non-setback ones have the clamp straight up from the shaft.

Saddle position is set properly with regard to the crank and the pedals, not with regard to the handlebars. Your question belies an improper fit with too short of a combined effective top tube plus stem reach. The solution would be to set the saddle correctly for your leg dimensions, and then to:

a) specify the stem reach so that the bars/controls are a comfortable distance for your upper body to reach while pedaling, with your weight balanced and no numbness in the hands.

b) have an associate look at the frame size and give you honest feedback whether the bike is too small and cannot be rigged to fit.

Good luck.

Thanks! That's what I thought. Just wanted to confirm.

I had fitted myself with the old seatpost (using multiple online resources) and the saddle was in the best position as I had it. Everything was set as is should be, I did all the little tests, like putting a weight on a string and holding it against my knee while I had pedals flat etc., and the cockpit still felt slightly cramped. My stem is already 110mm. The frame is 18.5" and I am just shy of 5'8" with a 32" inseam. Some might even say the frame might be too big for me but obv it is not. I think I have long arms, actually I know I have long arms and giant hands (bigger than most males). I will go through the fitting process again with the new post. I really just needed an extra couple cm and I think the new post will give me that. I had also removed the spacers from below the stem and placed them above to drop the bar a bit to provide more reach. In any case, I'm finally about to go for a ride and see how it feels.