choosing a seatpost: ti, carbon or aluminium?

[Sandal]

i'm planing to change my 7 years old and damn heavy coda seatpost for a new one. which one of these would you advise:

1. EC70 - light and well matches my frame. is it real comfortable to ride?
2. Thomson elite. it reasonably light + known as the most durable and adjustable aluminium post.
3. Syncros ti - ti is very comfortable to ride, i heard. and it's rather light as well.

if you can think of any other better option which i haven't listed here, please offer as well.

thanks!

btw i'm riding giant MCM hardtail and SLK/SLR seats, if that matters.

[Tippster]

USE Alien Carbon Post (make sure you get the MTB version)

Light and strong.

Nightmare stories of carbon posts are now a thing of the past.

Also carbon has natural shock absorption properties.



Tippster

[turb0]

I switched to the USE Alien Carbon a short while ago (thanks nino!) and I have been very impressed. I had switched to 26x1 Conti Grand Prix's on my hardtail about a month or so ago, taking away more of the vibration dampening on my rig. Switching to the carbon post brought a lot of the comfort back. I zip along on very uneven streets, so there is alot of vibration out there for me. With my scenario it works great. I unfortunately don't have a similar comparison for the off-roading but i'm sure it is similar

[polaris]

I had the same dilemma a few months ago. In the end I went for the Thomson for the following reasons....

1) I didn't want to use a shim for my 26.8 frame and very few top end posts are made in this size.

2) The main point of weakness on a post (in my opinion) is the attachment of the head unit to the tube (thats where my last one gave up anyway) and the Thomson simply doesn't have this interface - its one piece.

3) I'm fairly sure its not going to break on me (longer lifetime, better value for money).

I suppose it depends on your priorities. Have you thought about the Thomson Masterpiece? Light and strong (but a bit expensive).

[nikh]

Have you thought about the Thomson Masterpiece? Light and strong (but a bit expensive).

I would have chosen one had they been longer than 330mm.

[Eric W.]

If you want the ultimate post go for Moots. Laidback model shall offer quite a comfortable ride. Weighs between 147 and 226 grms. according to different lenghts and diameters. Truly the ultimate choice.

[eurorider]

USE Alien Carbon Post (make sure you get the MTB version)

Tippster

Tippster, what differentiates the two?

[polaris]

Moots are nice indeed, unless you need a 26.8. Next time I'm checking before I buy the bike!!

[Tippster]

USE Alien do a road and a MTB post.

Even for XC riding I'd stick with the MTB version.

[Joel]

Extralite UltraPost: light

[Bernard3rd]

Hello,

I can't really comment on the Easton or Thompson posts, but I have been using a Syncros Ti post on my OCLV hardtail since 1998 without a moments grief. I have weighted it and it is right around 200 grams, but I got a factory one off at 350mm (standard is 330). I also had a Titec carbon and a Syncros carbon, but I prefered the Ti post. It has a bit of flex (granted my 18 inch frame has 260mm of post from the seat collar to the saddle rails, so it is fairly long and probably flexes more than one that didn't stick out as far). I find that it is more comfortable than any other post I have tried. With my OCLV, Kenda Karma 2.0 tires running Stan's tubeless and this Ti post, I think I have achieved pretty good shock absorbtion for a hardtail.

[Smahatma]

AX Lightness post anyone?

[yoko]

AX Lightness post anyone?

Are you selling it?

I don't think AX-Lightness seatpost will hold on the harshness of a mountain biking ride. It is built for a road bike and is rider weight specific.

[carlos]

just ask davide rebellin, his carbon seatpost broke just before his giro d italia prologue ride.

if you want a trouble free post, just read the reviews on www.mtbr.com and be happy.

[Tippster]

I think it is really down to a material choice. This will be driven by the type of riding you intend to do.

Carbon = USE Alien
Alu = Thompson


Thompson is Ceremonious with strength and durability. I ride a Thompson Elete setback model now. I have a USE Alien on order.

USE Alien being carbon is 100g lighter than the Thompson elete setback and offers the vibration dampening as mentioned earlier.

I currently find the Ti rails on my SLR saddle already provide some vibration dampening.

Carbon posts no longer have the horror stories attached to them. USE Alien posts are also very well made.