carbon v titanium seat posts

[jackthelad]

Hi guys I am putting a new build together and was looking at carbon seat post,when i came across the van nicholas titanium seat post at planet x. How does this seat post compare to carbon

jackthelad

ps forgot to say the frame is the genesis equilibrium 20 steel 725,I am guessing it is ok to fit titanium to steel

 

[PK99]

Be careful how you tighten a carbon post

 

[jackthelad]

pk thanks for the pic,I always use a torque wrench on my road bike carbon post,but at the same time I tend to nick up small turns at a time

 

[Smokin Joe]

Save yourself some money and buy an alloy one.

It's just a stick to hold the saddle. The broken post in PK99's picture is not clamp related because it's well above the clamp.

 

[martint235]

Save yourself some money and buy an alloy one.

It's just a stick to hold the saddle. The broken post in PK99's picture is not clamp related because it's well above the clamp.

+1 to the alloy. I've had a couple of carbon seat posts and broke both of them. The last one the clamp became lose from the post as it is stuck on somehow (the clamp being metal) so the whole thing including the saddle could shift round. On an alloy post, the bottom of the clamp is the same piece of metal as the post so this can't happen.

Unless you're really into cutting weight but I doubt you'd save much.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Another vote for alloy, anything else is unnecessary unless your planning a pro career next season

 

[Rob3rt]

I havent used titanium seatposts, but I certainly prefer carbon seatposts over alloy ones. The weight saving is next to nothing, but IMO it makes a small, but noticable difference in comfort. Plus carbon looks nicer, and looks are very important

 

[gb155]

I havent used titanium seatposts, but I certainly prefer carbon seatposts over alloy ones. The weight saving is next to nothing, but IMO it makes a small, but noticable difference in comfort. Plus carbon looks nicer, and looks are very important

+1 on both points rob

 

[smokeysmoo]

You can get a carbon wrapped seat post, best of both worlds if you like the look of carbon

 

[Garz]

+1 to the alloy. I've had a couple of carbon seat posts and broke both of them. The last one the clamp became lose from the post as it is stuck on somehow (the clamp being metal) so the whole thing including the saddle could shift round.

+2

I bought one in sale from planet-x and this happened to me. Sent it back and the mechanic rang asking if I prefer a refund. We had a long chat and he basically said all the cheaper end carbon ones are naff.

 

[mickle]

I had a customer once whose Syncros post failed as he was riding over some lumpy singletrack at speed. One lump broke the post and the following one made the ragged end of the broken shaft enter his body near his rectum.

I ran an Easton carbon post for a while. I lent my bike to a (much lighter) mate and it failed as he was riding it. Luckily my bike was ok.

Carbon is a wonderful material which works brilliantly in the right application - witness the slender suspensions struts of F1 cars dealing with all those forces at 180 mph. I'm not convinced that it can tolerate being clamped in a bike frame the way that we do - a system of seat post retention which was designed for steel posts in steel frames and which has remained essentially unchanged for well over a hundred years.

 

[fossyant]

Can't say I notice any difference with carbon vs alloy seat posts.

Got carbon post on my commuter, and it's been fine in 2.5 years - but I'm not a monkey when it comes to making sure is the right torque.

As it's Ti, I'd get a Ti post if I was you.

There is very little eigh difference between high end carbon or alloy components weight wise - but both need to be treated carefully. Lower end alloy is heavier and thicker so will tollerate monkey arms !

 

[Smokin Joe]

+1 to Mickle's post.

The carbon post supplied with my frame was junked after a year when I took it out and discovered a crack in it. It had not been over-tightened and it wasn't a cheapo either. A seatpost has to cope with a considerable amount of stress as you are trying to "lever" it against the frame tube as you ride, particularly in a compact frame with a lot of seatpost showing.

As for the comfort issue, I've ridden steel, alloy and carbon posts and I have never found a jot of difference, neither can I see how it makes any. You have a cushion of air in your tyres and a saddle which is designed with enough padding to absorb the bumps, how a rigid tube can make sod all difference is beyond me. I reckon people read the marketing bullshit and the rest is in the head.

 

[accountantpete]

Another alloy user here. I think carbon seatposts make a small difference but it could be down to wishful thinking.

Probably a pro who spends 5 or 6 hours a day in the saddle would say different.

 

[vorsprung]

I bought a custom Titanium frame a few years ago. I got a titanium seat post for it, rather than a carbon or alloy one because

1) Titanium has good properties for absorbing road buzz and makes the ride more comfortable
2) I wanted to mount a SQR block on the seatpost
3) Aesthetics/ matching/ weight it is "better" (at approx 2.5 x the price)

The Titanium seatpost has been recycled onto my current best bike, a Specialized Roubaix, mainly because of 2)

If you have carbon ANYTHING that needs "clamping" then use a torque wrench. I have a mini one set to 5nm which is fine for the seatpost and bars

If you are getting a seatpost DO NOT get a cheap one. Cheap seatposts of any material seem to be one of the most common things to fail