I have some store credit to use at a shop and would like to buy a new carbon seatpost to soften the rear of my bike.
comparing the - Syantace P6 hiflex - roval/specialized terra
I would like to choose the one that has the most built in flex, but all things being equal, the syntace makes the most sense as it is slightly cheaper and has a 2 bolt clamp design that cannot slip.
Any thoughts for those that have ridden these posts?
By far, the best is the Canyon/Ergon seat post. Is ordering something an option? Might be worth an ask.
I have the Specialized CG-R. Dumb design. That "V" in it does nothing (maybe dampens vibration?). The seat post can flex, but only if a lot of it is exposed. The worst thing is that single bolt clamp. I'm always hitting a bump where it lets go. What is the point in having a rough road bump absorbing seat post if it lets go when I hit a bump?
I’ve used the Niner RDO seat post which is a rebranded Syntace Hiflex. Really the benefits are barely noticeable, it certainly does not “soften the rear of the bike.” I would suspect the Roval is about the same. If you currently have a alloy post then it might be a more noticeable change. As Chas stated the Canyon post is really amazing and blows away any other carbon posts.
So I have actually already purchased the Ergon and attempted to use it. It was fantastic. However, I have a Lynskey bike that has a seat tube insert that has ridges/ribbs on the inside of the tube. As the "leaf springs" of the Ergon post slide against each other, they are slowly damaged by these ridges in the seat tube. I noticed it after only a couple rides when I went to adjust the height of the post. I took the bike and the post to a local carbon-fiber repair specialist in town and after inspection he said the existing damage was only "cosmetic" but long-term could impact the integrity of the post and likely was not worth the risk.
jmcgukin wrote:So I have actually already purchased the Ergon and attempted to use it. It was fantastic. However, I have a Lynskey bike that has a seat tube insert that has ridges/ribbs on the inside of the tube. As the "leaf springs" of the Ergon post slide against each other, they are slowly damaged by these ridges in the seat tube. I noticed it after only a couple rides when I went to adjust the height of the post. I took the bike and the post to a local carbon-fiber repair specialist in town and after inspection he said the existing damage was only "cosmetic" but long-term could impact the integrity of the post and likely was not worth the risk.
For the record, what Lynskey frame is it with that issue? (Hoping it's not the same as mine!)
I used to have a GR250 and I did have the same problem with the Canyon post. I used a shim and a second seat post clamp on the post itself, it stopped any slipping.
I'm using the "free" Lynskey seatpost that came with my GR270. I find it comfortable with my Cambium. My only complaint is it's not as neat as my Eriksen Sweatpost, but that thing clicks so it can freeze in Niflheim.
jmcgukin wrote:LJSmith, tell me more about your shim, I still have the Ergon post and would love to make it work.
I took a 27.2 to 30.9 seat post shim and cut a 1/2” section off of it. Then I slide it onto the post and using a 30.9 seat clamp tighten it. So I essentially use a second seat clamp and shim to keep it from sliding down.
P6 is solid. Approved for MTB use, comfy, easy to adjust....and won't slip/rotate. I will say that it is noticeably more comfortable the more it is exposed/out of the frame. Also the amount of saddle rail support is significantly longer than most post.
Andypstockman, have about 165mm of seat post exposed. From your experience would that be good enough for some decent flex on the P6?
Ljsmith, that sure is a clever idea, but makes me a little nervous. I ride my bike on single track often and not having the post supported as intended by the manufacturer is a little more risky than I am comfortable with. Lynskey did tell me I could ream out the existing seat tube insert to widen the tube and insert a very thin shim within the tube, but that seems pretty involved.
I have the Niner RDO (Syntace under the paint). On my hard tail with lots of post exposed it made a noticeable improvement. I’ve moved it to a touring bike (because lime green) and it wasn’t a noticeable improvement. I can only conclude the more post thats showing the more effect it has.
In my case the hard tail shows double the post from the touring.
I also had the Cannondale SAVE post on the hard tail. That thing was great too.
The EBay Chinese faux Easton carbon posts are really soft riding. I have a Ritchie Superlogic, which is sold as a flexing post, on my gravel bike but it’s not as flexible as that cheapo “EA90” was.
If someone is after a bargain upgrade, can’t beat em. They are heavy tho.
I installed a CF seat post on one of my bikes and couldn't stop the post from slipping inside the seat tube. So I added a second clamp to the seat tube....
First I picked up an inexpensive seat tube clamp from the local Co-Op.
I then ground off the lip on the clamp. The lip is there to keep the clamp in place and not slide down the outside of the seat tube... But this is exactly what I wanted to do.
I then pulled out the seat post, removed the original clamp, and slid the modified clamp onto the seat tube. The original clamp and seat post were reinstalled and I tightened both clamps.
Boom - no more sliding! Total fix cost about $3 but it did add a few grams to the weight of the bike!
This bike was an old school titanium with round tubes. Newer bikes with shaped tubes might not work so well.
NoCoGreg wrote:I installed a CF seat post on one of my bikes and couldn't stop the post from slipping inside the seat tube. So I added a second clamp to the seat tube....
Well, carbon paste is the official solution. It is a little gritty so that it stops the slide.
I did have one older bike where I must have worn the seat post down a bit - it kept slipping about an inch lower than where I wanted it to be. It was a long ride, and I was far away from home (and getting pretty irritated with my seat height)
so, being a gravel guy, I took the seat out, rubbed my hand in some dirt and gravel to make my hand gritty, rubbed that on the seat post, reinstalled - and boom - no more seat post slippage. ;-)
