Carbon seatpost

Forget it, any difference you might see would be in your mind only. Tires and tire pressure make a lot more of a difference than a seatpost, which makes none...

Put the correct air pressure in your tyres....most people put way too much. Or, get wider tyres....I also have an alu frame with an alu post, and use either 23 or 25c tyres for training, @ about 7 bars (I weigh 65 kg)....very comfy.

jonathandanger said:

I ride a pretty harsh aluminum bike and I was wondering if the switch to a carbon seatpost would make the ride a little more comfortable, or if the difference is noticeable at all. Anyone have an opinion on this?

As someone who "invested" in a carbon post at the strong urging of some LBS guys, I agree with the others who said save your money. If (big IF) there is a difference, it is not significant. I also second: use larger tires at the proper pressure, don't over inflate. Just like car and truck tires, inflation pressure depends on tire size and load, it is not a standard pressure for all.

The difference with tires will totally dwarf any tiny difference you might find with the seat post. Also, the other simple things like adjusting the fit, good bar tape, good gloves, good shorts.

My philosophy is to use at least 25's and 28's if they'll fit in the frame. Current frame is very tight with 28s so I'm going back to 25's. But I do not notice any meaningful difference for recreational and up tempo training rides with friends when I use the 28s, and they are definitely more comfortable.. In fact, I've read that wider tires with lower pressure might roll better and faster over certain surfaces because they roll through bumps rather than bouncing. Racing would be a different story perhaps, but I don't race.

Give it a try.

Camilo said:

As someone who "invested" in a carbon post at the strong urging of some LBS guys, I agree with the others who said save your money. If (big IF) there is a difference, it is not significant. I also second: use larger tires at the proper pressure, don't over inflate. Just like car and truck tires, inflation pressure depends on tire size and load, it is not a standard pressure for all.

The difference with tires will totally dwarf any tiny difference you might find with the seat post. Also, the other simple things like adjusting the fit, good bar tape, good gloves, good shorts.

My philosophy is to use at least 25's and 28's if they'll fit in the frame. Current frame is very tight with 28s so I'm going back to 25's. But I do not notice any meaningful difference for recreational and up tempo training rides with friends when I use the 28s, and they are definitely more comfortable.. In fact, I've read that wider tires with lower pressure might roll better and faster over certain surfaces because they roll through bumps rather than bouncing. Racing would be a different story perhaps, but I don't race.

Give it a try.

+1 EXCELLENT post!
I would add that I use narrower tyres for racing, but that is because at high speeds, aerodynamics trumps rolling resistance.

Camilo said:

As someone who "invested" in a carbon post at the strong urging of some LBS guys, I agree with the others who said save your money. If (big IF) there is a difference, it is not significant. I also second: use larger tires at the proper pressure, don't over inflate. Just like car and truck tires, inflation pressure depends on tire size and load, it is not a standard pressure for all.

The difference with tires will totally dwarf any tiny difference you might find with the seat post. Also, the other simple things like adjusting the fit, good bar tape, good gloves, good shorts.

My philosophy is to use at least 25's and 28's if they'll fit in the frame. Current frame is very tight with 28s so I'm going back to 25's. But I do not notice any meaningful difference for recreational and up tempo training rides with friends when I use the 28s, and they are definitely more comfortable.. In fact, I've read that wider tires with lower pressure might roll better and faster over certain surfaces because they roll through bumps rather than bouncing. Racing would be a different story perhaps, but I don't race.

Give it a try.

That does seem to work to some extent. I have two steel-framed bikes both of which currently have 23mm tires. The bike without anything carbon fiber is actually a mellower ride (though just as fast!). I suspect that the difference comes from it having a steel fork instead of a CF one. The CF fork bounces around where the steel flexes a lot more. I'm sure that CF is less rigid than aluminum, but it is most certainly not the wonder-material that it is hyped to be. But damn, it sure looks nice! 🙂

BikingBrian said:

+1 EXCELLENT post!
I would add that I use narrower tyres for racing, but that is because at high speeds, aerodynamics trumps rolling resistance.

I have heard this before, but at what speed does aerodynamics begin to trump rolling resistance, and how imortant a factor is it? I have a 200 mile race with mountains coming up, where based on last year's results, I expect the leaders in my start group to average about 20mph for the total elapsed time barring unforseen mechanicals and the like. There will be a lot of slow uphill and fast downhill in the first 120 miles. Last year I raced on 700*23s, but this year I was just planning on going with the same 700*25 Conti 4000s that I have been training on. The Conti 4000s advertise very low rolling resistance, and I kind of like the extra bit of shock absorption the 700*25s provide over 700*23s. I do have one new 700*23 Michelin Pro Race 2 in the bin though, and I know that this Michelin 700*23 tire seems to be the tire of choice for guys that race the entire season around here, albeit all the rest of the races are much shorter.

jonathandanger said:

I ride a pretty harsh aluminum bike and I was wondering if the switch to a carbon seatpost would make the ride a little more comfortable, or if the difference is noticeable at all. Anyone have an opinion on this?

Definitely lighter, in your hip pocket.

chainstay said:

I have heard this before, but at what speed does aerodynamics begin to trump rolling resistance, and how imortant a factor is it? I have a 200 mile race with mountains coming up, where based on last year's results, I expect the leaders in my start group to average about 20mph for the total elapsed time barring unforseen mechanicals and the like. There will be a lot of slow uphill and fast downhill in the first 120 miles. Last year I raced on 700*23s, but this year I was just planning on going with the same 700*25 Conti 4000s that I have been training on. The Conti 4000s advertise very low rolling resistance, and I kind of like the extra bit of shock absorption the 700*25s provide over 700*23s. I do have one new 700*23 Michelin Pro Race 2 in the bin though, and I know that this Michelin 700*23 tire seems to be the tire of choice for guys that race the entire season around here, albeit all the rest of the races are much shorter.

The faster you go the more relevant aero is. You also need to consider your body weight. Another option is to go 23mm on the front and 25mm on the rear. At the end of the day there ain't a lot of difference between 23mm and 25mm.

I race, but not seriously; I'd consider myself a strong Cat 5, maybe Cat 4. I don't think I will switch to larger tires, for a couple of reasons. For one, I'm not sure if my wheels would fit larger tires and tubes, and also I don't have the money to buy new nice tires, my Michelins cost me almost 100 dollars for the pair, and that is a great sum for a slightly employed college student like myself.

I tend to inflate my tires to about 115 or 120 psi. I've always heard that if I inflate less than 90 or 100 psi, I run the risk of pinch flats, correct me if I'm wrong.

I guess a carbon seatpost would not make much of a difference outside of my head then, but I may still buy one for the looks (I know, I know, but I happen to care about having a slick looking race bike.)

chainstay said:

I have a 200 mile race with mountains coming up

- what the heck race is that ??

- 200 miles is 320kms , nuts.

🙂

.

jonathandanger said:

I race, but not seriously; I'd consider myself a strong Cat 5, maybe Cat 4. I don't think I will switch to larger tires, for a couple of reasons. For one, I'm not sure if my wheels would fit larger tires and tubes, and also I don't have the money to buy new nice tires, my Michelins cost me almost 100 dollars for the pair, and that is a great sum for a slightly employed college student like myself.

I tend to inflate my tires to about 115 or 120 psi. I've always heard that if I inflate less than 90 or 100 psi, I run the risk of pinch flats, correct me if I'm wrong.

I guess a carbon seatpost would not make much of a difference outside of my head then, but I may still buy one for the looks (I know, I know, but I happen to care about having a slick looking race bike.)

US$100 for a pair of Michelins. Was that prorace2's? Have a look at www.probikekit.com they have much better prices.

Tyre pressure depends on the weight of the rider and the size of the tyres. There's also a degree of variartion for the surface and conditions. Then there's a degree of difference for personal preference. Do a search, there's a number of threads you will find good reading on this topic.

I have a carbon FSA post (other brand broke), but had to use an aluminum loaner for two weeks and I could tell a slight difference on really bumpy roads. And since I can't pick when I'm on a smooth road or bumpy road, I opted for another carbon post.

Plus, it looks good...

pistole said:

- what the heck race is that ??

- 200 miles is 320kms , nuts.

🙂

It is in the United States---called Lotoja which stands for Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The race website always claims that it is the longest USCF (United States Cycling Federation) sanctioned race in the country. Of course there are lots of ultra cycling events (non USCF races) that are much longer. Even though it is USCF sanctioned, it tends to attract a much broader mix of people than the regular weekend USCF races do. There are a lot of people like me that enter this race who don't race the regular weekend races, and there are quite a few regular weekend USCF racers who just leave it off their schedule since most of their training and racing is geared towards racing much shorter events. Last year there were thirty different start group/categories, including, but not limited to, seven different Cat V groups of about 50 each, and eleven different citizen group categories.

jonathandanger said:

I guess a carbon seatpost would not make much of a difference outside of my head then, but I may still buy one for the looks (I know, I know, but I happen to care about having a slick looking race bike.)

I would offer to sell you my spare carbon seat post if you were in Aust.

I can't really give an objective assessment on whether carbon makes any diffference cuz I've always been on a carbon post anyway.

But from what I've heard,some of these carbon posts have issues with cracking especially if you're heavy.

I've decided I will just stick with my current setup and buy a better pair of shorts instead... I was planning on buying a better bike this winter or early next spring anyway, so there is no point in further upgrading my bike. Thanks for all the help though.

willocrew said:

But from what I've heard,some of these carbon posts have issues with cracking especially if you're heavy.

I recently considered getting one for my mountain bike (when I needed a new post) and elected not to go with carbon for this very reason. There are enough stories around concerning catastrohic failures of carbon seat posts on mountain bikes to scare me off from putting one on a mountain bike. However, I haven't heard, nor really looked hard, for similar stories about carbon seat post failures on a road bike. I have one on my main road bike and no problems. The post came with a full carbon bike, however, so I can't really say what difference it makes.

I have an older, very stiff alumimum road bike that I keep in another location at a relative's home. I run a 700*28 tire on the front of this bike rather than a 700*23, and it makes a dramatic difference for overall comfort.

pistole said:

- what the heck race is that ??

- 200 miles is 320kms , nuts.

🙂

.

No, it's fun! 😉