How reliable are Enve seatposts?
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- spookyload
- Posts: 1048
- Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:47 am
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
I love my Raceface Next SL seatpost. Only problem is it creaks like 200 year old stair case. I have taken it apart and cleaned, greased, or lubed everywhere I can and it persists. Looking around the Enve looks sweet for weight and setback, but I can't find any reliable reviews about the clamp head. I am leary of single bolt designs like that, so I am wondering if there is any feed back here about it.
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- Shop Owner
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the enve posts are not my favorite (thomson), but i have had no problem with the head. one guy had saddle tilt slippage issues, turns out he greased the inner cylinder walls. after cleaning it all out, and for his case using some grip paste on the top cradle/top of cylinder wall area, there was no more slippage.
- spookyload
- Posts: 1048
- Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:47 am
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
thanks for the honest responses all!
On mtn bikes the clamp can move causing the saddle to tilt. Had to tighten the bolt tighter than the torque spec, Enve said this was ok to do. Also added a little carbon paste for extra friction in the clamp head. Try the Niner RDO post if you want a more secure carbon post that will ride nice (more flexible carbon layup), not the lightest, but works good.
- spookyload
- Posts: 1048
- Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:47 am
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
Just saw on the Enve website that they call for 12nm torque on that bolt now. That is crazy tight. I am gathering from sources now that carbon paste helps the solution a lot. I saw the Niner post, but unfortunately, no offset.
For what they charge I would expect something much lighter as well..
The trick is to apply a bit of grease on the alu parts, where they touch each other. IOW on top of the wedges.
- spookyload
- Posts: 1048
- Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:47 am
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
Current is 1.5cm, but the 2.5cm will be ideal.
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I've been pretty happy with how my superlogic seatpost works: I'm 155lbs, do aggressive XC on a hardtail. I would not go with the enve for its cost, weight, and purported slippage issues.
About clearing up seatpost creaks: I have very good luck with applying friction paste to everything: seatpost shaft, saddle rails, clamping surfaces, where the bolt rests, etc. Since the Next uses a bonded aluminum head, this part could be flexing and causing the creak. I try and stay with posts that have no bonded parts: I.e. Thompson, Ritchey's higher end stuff, Specialized's posts, others.
About clearing up seatpost creaks: I have very good luck with applying friction paste to everything: seatpost shaft, saddle rails, clamping surfaces, where the bolt rests, etc. Since the Next uses a bonded aluminum head, this part could be flexing and causing the creak. I try and stay with posts that have no bonded parts: I.e. Thompson, Ritchey's higher end stuff, Specialized's posts, others.
- TashkentTerror
- Posts: 104
- Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:55 am
- Location: Oslo Norway
If you want a post that holds your saddle in a death grip, go with a Thompson
- spookyload
- Posts: 1048
- Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2005 6:47 am
- Location: Albuquerque, NM
socratease wrote:I've been pretty happy with how my superlogic seatpost works: I'm 155lbs, do aggressive XC on a hardtail. I would not go with the enve for its cost, weight, and purported slippage issues.
About clearing up seatpost creaks: I have very good luck with applying friction paste to everything: seatpost shaft, saddle rails, clamping surfaces, where the bolt rests, etc. Since the Next uses a bonded aluminum head, this part could be flexing and causing the creak. I try and stay with posts that have no bonded parts: I.e. Thompson, Ritchey's higher end stuff, Specialized's posts, others.
The creak is coming from the pivots of the support arms. You can't disassemble the post t get grease in there, and any oil you put in solves it for about half a ride. Great post for adjustment, but poor design for noise. I know three different guys who ride this post, or the aluminum post version of it. They all creak in the same places.
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