# Ti or carbon seatpost?



## leskjm (Jan 15, 2011)

I was going to get a seatpost for my hubby as well...thinking about getting the Eriksen Ti seatpost. They seem to have gotten great reviews, but I thought carbon would be more comfortable. Any thoughts?

Thanks guys!!
Jan


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

Ti. Eriksen or Bold.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*CF motivation*



leskjm said:


> I was going to get a seatpost for my hubby as well...thinking about getting the Eriksen Ti seatpost. They seem to have gotten great reviews, but I thought carbon would be more comfortable. Any thoughts?


There are two views on CF seat posts. "I can't tell any difference," and "It's a significant improvement." Oh, and there's "Crap, I tightened the seat post clamp too much and crushed it!"

IME when you have this kind of split view, then the "improvement" is likely due to placebo effects. But maybe that's just my personal bias 

Anyhow, the Ti post will last forever and work just fine. You'll never crush it by over tightening the seat clamp. Get that one.


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## natedg200202 (Sep 2, 2008)

Ti doesn't do anything that aluminum won't do (in a seatpost) except cost a bunch more. You could argue that a Ti post is more durable than a Carbon one. Personally, I don't get Ti as a seatpost material, unless you are very, very anal about matching a ti frame. 

My preference for seatpost (in this order): Carbon, Aluminum, Ti


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## cyclust (Sep 8, 2004)

The best seatposts, IMO are the best aluminum ones. You simply can't beat a Thomson, Ritchey WCS or a few other good Al posts. You can spend a BUNCH more, and you wind up with a post that may be a tad lighter, but nowhere near as durable or practical. Same thing goes for handlebars!


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## balatoe (Apr 15, 2009)

I bought a matching Deda Zero 100 aluminum stem and seatpost with silver finish for my titanium bike. They are light with beautiful finish and best of all, didn't cost me an arm and a leg. 
Sure, I would love to have a ti seatpost for it's bling factor, but I doubt a ti seatpost is more reliable than an aluminum seatpost and it costs much more than an aluminum seatpost.


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I personally think you can't go wrong with an aluminium Thomson seat post. Easy to install, simple, light weight, looks nice with a titanium bike, and costs half or a third what a titanium post costs. 

Its a seatpost -- you won't feel any difference no matter what its made of. Maybe folks will argure metal over carbon fiber, but I've never heard an aluminum versus titanium argument. If you believe there's a difference, you ought to look into latex inner tubes as well. 

Crushing carbon seatposts? I suppose its possible, but not very likely. I bet the collar would break first. My wife and I have several bikes with carbon posts that I routinely take the seat posts off to transport them over the years. I have to loosen her seatpost to get it in the workstand everytime I clean her bike. Yes, I clamp my carbon posts into Park work stands. Over the last 15 years or so, I've never managed to crush a carbon seat post. Of course, I'm sure Kerry will chime in and tell me why I'm wrong in a few minutes.


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## arshak (Jun 13, 2005)

leskjm said:


> I was going to get a seatpost for my hubby as well...thinking about getting the Eriksen Ti seatpost. They seem to have gotten great reviews, but I thought carbon would be more comfortable. Any thoughts?
> 
> Thanks guys!!
> Jan


Saw a guy in Virginia back in 2005. His carbon seat post suffered a catastrophic failure and the splintered shaft went through thigh, skewering him. The broken seat post missed his umm... "family jewels", by a couple of inches. This was on a Mountain bike. Ever since, my faith in Ti Seat posts have only been reaffirmed. A Thomson is a really nice seat post too. Consider a USE Sumo Ti seat post too


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## laffeaux (Dec 12, 2001)

cyclust said:


> The best seatposts, IMO are the best aluminum ones. You simply can't beat a Thomson, Ritchey WCS or a few other good Al posts. You can spend a BUNCH more, and you wind up with a post that may be a tad lighter, but nowhere near as durable or practical.


I agree completely. If you want a light and strong seat post that functions well, get a Thomson Masterpiece. It's lighter then any titanium post that you will find, and lighter than most carbon posts as well.


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

cyclust said:


> The best seatposts, IMO are the best aluminum ones. You simply can't beat a Thomson, Ritchey WCS or a few other good Al posts. You can spend a BUNCH more, and you wind up with a post that may be a tad lighter, but nowhere near as durable or practical. Same thing goes for handlebars!


I use aluminum posts because they do the job best for the money. I don't want a fragile carbon post. However, if I was spending $3000+ on a frame, I would certainly consider spending an extra $80 over a Thomson Masterpiece for a Bold post that looks nicer with a Ti frame and weighs less.

It just seems bizarre, given the threads about DI2, $5000 Chinese production frames and this thread about a Serotta, people would be getting up in arms about spending $100 or so extra to get the most premium seatpost available to go with this premium frame.

Sure, the OP could just get a Ritchey seat post, or a Kalloy. She could have also bought Schwinn frame to stick it in instead of the Serotta. So this Champions of Cheap routine is absurd.


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

Ti makes for a nicer gift than carbon. Either that, or nicely-finished/crafted steel has that "special" factor. But stuff is pricey.

That isn't to say carbon makes for a crappy gift, it's just that when most people do _want_ carbon, it's to say they have the modern "better" stuff. IMO, most carbon posts look cheap unless paired with a chrome clamp. Ti also seems to be the less common and obtainable due to pricing.

Functionally, I can't remark about either material at my weight (135-140lb). I would be critical of clamp design if anything, especially if your husband runs carbon rails.


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## cpcritter (Sep 24, 2008)

I got the Eriksen for my Litespeed. It is a beautiful piece. As mentioned in an earlier post, I am very anal about my bikes, so I even took the time polish it to match the my polished frame.

If it were me, I would appreciate the Ti post more than the carbon. Everyone else has aluminum and it works...but that wasn't the question, was it?.


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## Lookbiker (Sep 2, 2006)

Thomson Masterpiece is great; I now use a Bold titanium post on my ti bike and it is super. No difference in "feel" but the Bold is beautifully machined.


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## SilentAssassin (Jul 29, 2010)

steel.


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## gamara (May 20, 2002)

I don't know what groupset your husband plans to put on it or should I surmise that you are planning to surprise him with that as well? But what I do know is that the one titanium seatpost that I've always loved in design was the campy record/chorus one. Highly collectible & very difficult to find new but they are out there.


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

SilentAssassin said:


> steel.


Steel seatpost? Which steel seatpost?


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

pmf said:


> Crushing carbon seatposts? I suppose its possible, but not very likely. I bet the collar would break first. My wife and I have several bikes with carbon posts that I routinely take the seat posts off to transport them over the years. I have to loosen her seatpost to get it in the workstand everytime I clean her bike. Yes, I clamp my carbon posts into Park work stands. Over the last 15 years or so, I've never managed to crush a carbon seat post. Of course, I'm sure Kerry will chime in and tell me why I'm wrong in a few minutes.


While I haven't actually crushed a carbon seatpost, I did crack one due to over tightening. FWIW, with carbon fiber, a cracked post is just as useless as a crushed one.


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## TWB8s (Sep 18, 2003)

rx-79g said:


> Steel seatpost? Which steel seatpost?



Don't take the bait, unless she wants the old Tioga from my commuter I don't think they can be found.

Since it's a gift for her hubby and his taint, I suggest getting him either a Thomson or a Ti. I have a Campy Record Ti in my Seven, Bontrager ACC (Aluminum Core Carbon) in my Ferrous, Bontrager XXX Carbon in my Serotta, Syncros in my Bianchis and a new model American Classic in my Flyte. The other bikes have various aluminum posts (older American Classics, Shimano, Campy)

They all hold my seat in the right place which is the most important thing they do. Unless the OP's husband's frame is markedly short, the length of the post won't significantly contribute to the quality of the ride. I've rotated posts enough on my bikes over the years I can't feel a change in the post material. I doubt the OP's hubby can either.


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