Barcelona rider

How much more comfortable does fitting a decent carbon seat post make to an aluminium bike?

Jim Bonnet

I can't say on aluminum. But on my Look 585 I broke a carbon post. Replaced it with an old control tech post and could tell the difference. The broken post was replaced under warranty and I'll be putting it back into use soon. Bottom line is from control tech aluminum to selcof carbon there is a difference on the same bike with the same seat. Is it worth the $$ ? That I can't answer for you.

ImprezaDrvr

See, I've had the opposite experience in that I put a carbon post on my old CAAD3 Cannondale frame and it didn't change a thing.

Trev Doyle

I would say there will be little or no noticable diff. I think posts are too stiff, and too short to feel dissimalarities. The main reason to go to carbon would be for a weight loss.

johnny99

Probably depends on exactly which seatposts you're talking about and also how much exposed length you have. On most traditional geometry bikes (less than 12 inches of exposed seatpost), I really doubt that carbon will make a significant difference in "comfort".

fmw

No noticeable difference for me. I found the carbon post to be a little heavier too.

Triguy

I'm a bit of a skeptic of a post being a big factor in ride qualty but I did read one test where they had bikes of very similar dimensions and vairous frame materials. They then switched out the posts from aluminum to CF to titanium.

They found the greatest increase in comfort came from a titanium post.
Supposedly the tests were done without people knowing what they were riding.

merlinextraligh

I replaced a D/A aluminum post on my Merlin with a FSA CF post. Couldn't feel any difference. And the real kick in the pants was the FSA had too much set back to get my position right, and only weighed 5g less. So I went back to the D/A, and have a $150 CF seatpost sitting on my workbench.

Jim Bonnet

agreed... My carbon post is in a frame with 8" of post showing. The ControlTech post has a "rib" up the middle of the post as it was originally a mtn. bike post.

so I guess YMMV.

cheers-
jim

BarconsOrBust

I got a carbon post for the weight difference and shortly thereafter it cracked. Even though it was most likely my fault for overtightening it, I am still resentful that I learned the hard way that anticrackiness is more valuable to me than weight. The worst part is that the Thomson Masterpiece seapost is only about 10 grams more than the Alpha Q Prolite that I had...I got caught up in a cloud of carbon and didn't even think to check the weight or value of other materials.

JoMo

Exactly the same result. (Also installed on CAAD3)

DocRay

I switched from ally to carbon-no difference.

CPcyclist

It is mostly a cool factor not much in comfort improvement.

I found set-back does more on my Felt F1R.

TCR

None. The only difference is in bling and your stress level - they like to slip when undertightened and fracture when overtightened.

squeegy200

In speaking to a reputable frame builder, he made mention that the vibration absorption characteristics of a carbon seatpost become apparent with about 7" of exposed stem. Anything shorter and there is virtually no benefit.

I guess that would be one arguement in favor of compact frame geometry.

wile e. coyote

There's greater potential for gaining comfort and losing grams in your choice of saddle. I think the seat clamp matters more than the material too. 1 bolt vs 2 bolt. side by side vs front & back, and setback as mentioned above. I would think that zero set back would minimize the differences in materials, since setback puts the tube more into bending.

grnhrnt

Its pretty hard to beleive that the previous posters didn't feel the difference between an aluminium saety post and a carbon seatpost!

I replaced my alum. seatpost (EA50) to the cnt EC70 and felt the difference immediately. The carbon sp took away the small bumps/ vibration on the seat plus it was much lighter.

StanSeven

That's my exact experience as well. I ended up with the Thompson Masterpiece as well on my latest bike thanks to advice from my LBS. I rode on a borrowed Alpha Q from a friend who found it too short for his new frame and found absolutely no differnec in the ride between the two.

Grasschopper

I had a TT Alpha Q on my Salsa and switched to a Thompson Elite. I will say I did feel a difference but it wasn't huge...I will attribute that to the steel frame though...no expierence with CF post on any other frame material. My new Specialized has their carbon post which from the reviews I have read is supposed to be the best CF post in regards to vibration absorbtion. They aren't the lightest but they supposedly DO absorb vibrations very well....I guess I will find out...as long as it allows me to put the saddle in the proper position.

As mentioned above I am sure the post and the setback make a large difference.

Barcelona rider

The reason I have put this thread is that I believe I have eliminated most other factors which conribute to road shock: invested in a six13 pro with the sweet carbon down tube which makes a heck of a diff, invested in 2 new mich carbon tyres which are so much more comfy than races or lights, staying with the slr xp saddle and the si 415g fork which comes with standard will stay for now. What I do have is an alein use seatpost with 15cm of exposed post. It is a real bastard to adjust cos of the ridiculous double screw system they use which is why I am changng it- thought I would consider a chorus 250mm, a record 250mm or just a standard alumiunim centaur 250mm. All three comes in at about 185g ( the alien is 150g but 30g makes no diff to me)- I weigh 64-68kg. Scared of crushing or slipping from overtightening or undertightening. Also the EC90 all carbon easton post looks fab. The ec70 is quite a lot heavier.

Grasschopper

Carefull with those Campy posts. They have smaller "teeth" for the angle adjustment which makes them more fine tuneable than most clamps of that type but I have heard of people stripping those teeth out and the post is worthless. Look at the Thompson posts, they have IMO the BEST adjustment system on any seat post. VERY easy to use and super tunable. The specialized post is similar but you have to get to one of the bolts from the top which can be a pain if you don't have a saddle with a big cut out.