Road Bike Seatpost
As the primary support of your body weight, seatposts are a critical component for maintaining a comfortable and efficient bike. For the most part, seatposts are utilitarian in nature. For recreational riders, the seatpost that comes with your bike will probably last the duration of the bike's life. As long as it allows the saddle to be adjusted to the proper height, and holds there, your seatpost is doing it's job.
If you're a racer or fast recreational rider that maintains a lightweight ride, you realize seatposts can be relatively heavy. A new seatpost can easily save 100 grams or more, which makes them a popular weight saving upgrade.
As with all components these days, seatposts are made of carbon or aluminum. Carbon posts provide more dampening of road vibration, while aluminum saddles deliver stiffness and generally cost less. Steel seatposts are fairly common on older bikes, but few after market steel seatposts are available. Campagnolo, Reynolds, FSA, and Leopard are just some of the seatpost manufacturers we carry at WesternBikeworks.com.
Carbon Seatpost
The flashiest seatposts available are made of carbon fiber. Reynolds Ouzo Pro Carbon Seatpost and FSA K-Force Lite Carbon Seatpost are high-end carbon posts with lightweight aluminum seat clamps. A carbon seatpost will smooth out the ride of an overly stiff frame and probably save a fair amount of weight over most stock seatposts.
Carbon seatposts might not be for everyone. Compact frames, such as a Giant TCR, often require a large amount of exposed seatpost and have rather sharp seatpost angles. If your frame leaves over eight inches of seatpost exposed, we advise sticking with an aluminum post.
Aluminum Seatpost
Aluminum seatposts deliver many of the qualities of carbon, light and stiff, at a lower price. The Thomson Masterpiece Seatpost is a great lightweight seatpost with excellent reliability. Thomson makes some of the most reliable stems and seatposts on the market.
Setback
Seatposts are often made with a "setback", the post bends a bit backwards. This will accommodate riders who prefer to be positioned farther back on the bike. Setback positions are often utilized by racers as they emphasize the role of the quads and hamstrings in the pedal stroke.
Profile Design Fast Forward Carbon Seatpost is designed for time-trial and triathlon riders who prefer to be positioned over or in front of their pedals. This allows them to maintain aerodynamic positions and emphasize the muscles most effective when traveling over flatter courses.
It's Stuck? Whaddya mean it's stuck?
For some chemical reason, carbon fiber likes aluminum. Aluminum seatposts can run the risk of seizing to a carbon frame, and vice versa. When left in contact for a long period of time, carbon and aluminum will bond together making seatpost adjustment difficult if not impossible.
One easy way to prevent this is to ride a seatpost that is the same material as your frame. If you are particularly loyal to your Thomson seatpost and carbon frame, just check up on it every couple months. Applying a smear of grease to the clamped section of seatpost should prevent seizure without compromising the stability of the post.
Carbon bonding with aluminum isn't necessarily common, but it happens. If you're carbon bike has been sitting for a couple of years and you can't adjust your seatpost, hope is not lost. You're probably going to have to pull that bottom bracket out and see if you have a hollow seat-tube (Bianchi is a popular brand which often doesn't). If so, make sure the top end of you seatpost is fully sealed (if not, plug up the hole), get a can of Coke and pour it down the seat-tube and let it sit overnight. Seriously. I don't know much about chemistry, but there is something in carbonated sodas that loosens up seized parts. Just be careful once you get the seatpost to budge that you don't get coke all over the place, and flush it out thoroughly with some sudsy water so you aren't wondering where all those ants are coming from next summer.
Steel seatposts and frames, often found in older bikes and high-end custom bikes, run the risk of corrosion. Corroded steel parts are even more of a problem than a seized aluminum part. If you're experiencing corrosion in a steel frame, take it to a mechanic. Always install steel posts with a touch of grease.
If your post is stuck, but you don't think it's thoroughly seized, flushing it out thoroughly with WD-40 or Tri-Flow and letting it soak in overnight will probably get it to budge.
As with any bike maintenance technique, be very careful. You don't want to crack a frame, or get a piece of cracked seatpost lodged in your aluminum frame. Seized parts are best loosened with patience, technique, and Coca-Cola rather than brute force. When assembling a bike, don't forget Park Tool ASC-1 Anti-Seize Compound, a specially formulated grease for seize prone parts. Contact us a sales@westernbikeworks.com or 1-800-651-4050 for any questions regarding seatpost selection or maintenance.
