Besides shaving a few grams and aesthetics, assuming you don't need any setback, is there much to be gained from a nice seatpost for road riding?

Adjustability is one reason. Good seatposts use good hardware, so you can really dial in your saddle fore-aft positioning as well as saddle angle.

Seatposts do feel different to some people, but that part is mostly objective. We have posts made of different material combination to appeal to different people. The main qualities -- in my book -- are lightness, expense, visual, shock absorption, and durability. The quality of the machining and the way that the post is put together is a big issue for me. Thompson seatposts, for instance, are heavier than many expensive posts, but have cleaner lines and have a known durability.

AND: Jabba reminded me of the obvious difference between many seatposts being that they have different clamp technologies employed. Some people could care less, but many have (least) favorites.

Thomson seatposts have full analog adjustment and a fore/aft degree marker, along with having really fine worksmanship.

****** points.

Ease in adjustability is nice, but how often do you really adjust your seatpost?

If you buy a Thomson, get a used one. If I hadn't found a $30 Thomson on CL, I would be running another Kalloy of some sort on my Cross Check right now.

Thomson setback = about the same as any other seatpost. Don't buy a Thomson setback thinking that you're gonna gain any cockpit space, because you won't. The straight one is great for moving you a little bit forward, though.

Don't buy a Miche Supertype if you're gonna run a Brooks. It makes you look like an idiot.

I won a new thomson seatpost on ebay for $40, and to be honest I can't tell a differance at all from the cheap stock seatpost my bike came with. Personally it's a waste of money to get a good seatpost like I did just of a fixed gear. For a road or mtb, I guess that's another story. Now way would I pay the full amount for a thomson seatpost, ridiculously over-priced for something that will not no difference in your bike.

What makes you think that the Thomson made no difference because you're on a fixed gear? You aren't gonna find a 9 speed specific seatpost.

the functional difference is durabililty and adjustability.

the difference isn't really noticeable at first, but after thousands of miles and hundreds of adjustments the small parts holding the saddle clamp together usually wear out on the cheap posts (i'm sure there are exceptions).

posts designated as "micro adjust" (not just thompsons) allow you to change your saddle angle in smaller increments, which can be especially useful with brooks saddles as they sometimes have a pretty small sweet spot between pressing on your junk and sliding you off the front.

is all that worth paying 3-4 times the cost of a regular post? depends. i've never bought a thompson at retail price, and probably wouldn't unless my financial or riding situation changed. but if it did i'd certainly consider it.

I also love the solipsistic nature of the assumption that just because I don't notice any difference, there is no difference!

even if it did set you back a lot further i wouldn't advise moving your saddle to correct reach, that's putting the cart before the horse.

i always get the saddle position right first, then adjust reach with stem length and angle. if this can't be done using a stem of reasonable length then the frame doesn't fit me.

Posing 101.

Is expense a quality?

You know, I don't have to adjust my saddle that often. I put Regals on everything, and I almost always get the setup dialed in during the first long ride or two. I have a $15 Kalloy on my fixed gear that probably has close to 10,000 miles on it, and it's still solid as a rock. I haven't touched the clamp in 5 years or so, and it doesn't even squeak. I'm probably ****ed if I ever have to take it apart, but I don't see that happening unless/until I break the saddle.

This is a good point though.

I've only had experience with two "high quality" seatposts. An NJS Sugino Mighty, which was a ***** to set because the adjustment bolts were on top of the clamp vs under it (like Thompson)

And two different Thomson Elites. I ride a Brooks, so the infinite adjustability is worth it's own. It's lighter that a comparative carbon seatpost and structurally stronger.

I think it's the same reason people ride Phil's. Yeah their bearings are incredible, and you simply just DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT, ever.

I had a Kalloy seatpost on my Kilo back in the day and I stripped all the threads, from the clamp, not even the bolt, with just hand torgue. I wasn't even used a ratchet wrench.

I haven't ever had to worry about a seatpost.

And Phils really aren't worth the money nowadays.

Srsly.

I have 3 bikes that I ride regularly and have Thomson's on all of them. I have had Specialized and American Classic posts fail on me. No issues with the Thomson's.

They are lighter and stronger and more adjustable than pretty much any other post on the market. Looks is subjective, but the anodizing on the Thomsons must be superior to some other posts since the seat bag on other bikes have worn through the finish on some cheaper posts as well as some nicer ones and the Thomson posts are still PERFECT.


Just because the incremental gains in performance are drastically reduced from say, a steel 2-piece post vs a cheap Kalloy Aluminum post, does not necessarily mean that a nice post is not "worth it".

A Corvette Z06 can arguably do 95% of what a Lamborghini Murcealago can do, but I doubt that the Lambo owner cares nor thinks about how much money he/she could have saved on a Vette.

That made me laugh so hard I sneezed

I run Thomson or Thomson-esque seatposts on most of my bikes, and I will continue to switch my remaining fleet to that style. I like two-bolt designs because I feel much more secure, whereas I have bent the bolt on a single bolt design (standard Kalloy) without doing anything too silly. Of course. I weight 250lbs.

Yes. Some words have multiple meanings.

Notice that they are first and second listings for this word.

+123%

I have stock seatposts on all my bikes right now, and it just DRIVES ME NUTS that there are discrete angle settings. I want the setting right in between where the seat wants to go. But I can't get there with my current seatpost.

i have the same seat post and it is a it's a campy style clamp. there are tools that are made so you can adjust the bolts with ease.

What's analog adjustment?

I guess I wasted my money on a thomson because never in my life have I worried about seat angles. I keep all my saddles straight as an arrow. Who wants the thomson? I will trade someone for some Nitto B125's 40 cm, 25.4 clamp handlebars.

but that's exactly what allows you to get dead flat, vs. +0.5* or -0.3* with a notched single-bolt seatpost.

that said, i'm a supertype *****. they come in *colors* now! don't tell ice-t.