# Ritchey One-bolt post tips?



## Guest

Wanted to see if anyone had any tips or experience getting the Ritchey superlogic one bolt seatpost to hold tilt adjustment?

I've got one mounted up with a newer Concor saddle clamped right in the sweetspot of the saddles rails, which was part of the reason I bought it, the setback was perfect for me. I've gone over the install multiple times, got all the parts to the clamp, checked my tightening of the torque including using a different wrench. 

But I end up with the same result each time, saddle is tight fore/aft from what I can tell but I can slap the nose or tail of the saddle with the palm of my hand and adjust tilt. Its not even close to usable right now.

I would just try making the bolt tighter but based on the meager response so far from Ritchey I can guess what that will do to my warranty.


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## Raider1

I just ordered one on these and I'm interested in a solution if I run into problems.


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## Guest

I didn't really find a common problem that anyone had had with them. A little bit on someone struggling with a WCS one bolt but it wasn't clear to me what was giving them trouble.

The shop I got it from asked for some pictures of the post and saddle but they haven't had a chance to get back to me. Based on every picture and diagram I can find of the thing I have all the pieces to it and nothing is broken so we'll see. I tried contacting Ritchey about it and they just pointed me to the dealer, so nothing but wasted time on that front. 

I'm ok with people having dealers handle questions/issues, but I don't think its too much to ask for a little trouble shooting or exchange of questions from the manufacturer when you're dealing with expensive parts.

Its a sharp looking, light weight post with perfect setback for me but till I figure out this tilt issue its just a pretty stick!


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## wim

*A thought.*

Since this post clamps the rails from their sides, it seems to me that precise saddle rail spacing is important if there's a torque limit. If the rails are too far apart and you torque to specs, you might have moved the rails towards each other, but still not have quite enough friction to hold the tilt. Check the saddle rails for the 44 mm center-to-center industry standard. If they're further apart, I'd carefully bring them into the 44 mm standard and try again.


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## Guest

Sounds possible I will take some measurements when I get home. 

I have had the seat in a couple of other "conventional" posts that I have and would think I would have noticed something like that when clamping it in them. Its one of the current Concor saddles and while updated I think those still have a little different structure at the rails than your average modern saddle.

But I see what you're thinking wim, and something along those lines seems possible. An issue of that type makes sense with the fore/aft clamping being tight but the tilt not holding, ie the post head is grabbing the rails but not tight enough to the head itself to grab the top of the post. 

Still doesn't make me real excited about the post, these rails can probably be "adjusted" but if its very sensitive to the rail width I'm sure there are other rails out that of different materials that would be hard to adjust if it was necessary.


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## wim

kytyree said:


> Sounds possible I will take some measurements when I get home.


Well, Ritchey offering different clamps for differently-shaped rails makes me think that just a small deviation from the norm could reduce the effectiveness of the clamping mechanism. For example, the difference between a round 7 mm diameter rail and an oval 8 x 8.5 mm rail isn't all that much, but I think Ritchey wants you to get a different set of outer clamps if you're working with the ovals.

If it were me, I'd over-torque by at least 20% and see if that holds the tilt, but I know you don't want to do that.


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## Guest

Yep, knew they had different heads for it depending on the rails. That was part of the reason I contacted Ritchey and went over the type of saddle I was using etc thinking maybe that was the issue but that didn't prove very fruitful. I'm assuming they all ship with the standard round head but I'm not positive and would kinda like some confirmation about which one I have and which one I might need before I look at getting another one. I may be able to see if I have a saddle around with different rails and use that to see if it makes a difference to narrow things down a bit.


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## Dr_John

I've been using one for about a week and really like it. It replaced a Ritchey WCS carbon 2-bolt seatpost, which I found very difficult to accurately adjust. The new one-bolt is significantly easier to get and keep in position while tightening. I did have to replace the hardware with the 8 X 8.5 mm clamp for my Sella Italia SLR. Fits perfectly, and I haven't had any problem with losing my tilt adjustment.

FWIW, I weighed mine at work on an analytical balance and it came in at 147 g.:yikes:


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## Guest

Dr_John, which saddle are you using with it, that may help me sort out mine.


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## Mr. Scary

One word... Thomson

Every seatpost I have seen with the side loading bolts like Ritchey and Bontrager tend to slip and the nose ends up pointing up or down. I struggled with a Bontrager a few years ago and gave up and I weigh 135 lbs and had issues. That said I know somebody that superglued the post internals together prior to assembly (so the glue was wet as he set the saddle up). It held but obviously any adjustment requires a regluing.


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## Guest

Thomson's are nice, but their setback post is not elegant solution, nor does it really offer the amount of setback I would like. I run a zero offset Thomson on my MTB and probably always will but they just don't work for me on a road bike.


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## Uncle Grumpy

Mr. Scary said:


> Every seatpost I have seen with the side loading bolts like Ritchey and Bontrager tend to slip and the nose ends up pointing up or down.


Never used a Race Face XY then huh? They're not made any more, but they are my all time favourite saddle for ease of set up. One side loading bolt to clamp the rails, and other to clamp the tilt. You could adjust tilt without affecting the saddle fore/aft position and you could adjust the fore/aft without affecting the tilt, brilliant.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=881

Of course, this is simply me giving props to a seatpost that is hard to find, it doesn't help Kytyree with his slippage issues. The only thing I would suggest there is to make sure the rail diameter matches that of the seat cradle on the post. Could be a manufacturing tolerance problem with the seat post. Stranger things have happened.

Grumps


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## Dinosaur

This is common for one bolt seatposts. A lot of times it depends on the saddle you are using. Some just won't level out, some will dial in perfectly. I have a one bolt that I can use with a Fizik Arione. It won't work with my Regal. I do cinch up the bolt as tight as I can get it, otherwise it will slip. I have used a Ritchey WCS ******* (al) and it works o.k. Just a little fussy to get my saddle level. The one bolt is actually easier.

Thomsons don't have enough setback for me. Only 18mm. 

Ritchey has no tech support that I am aware of.


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## Guest

You are right they have no tech support, I wasn't expecting much (I thought) but it seemed within reason to get a little insight on the different clamps etc.

I can get it level, I just can't keep it there. I put out some inquiries to shops that carry the other clamps in addition to the place I bought it from. Hopefully between hearing from them and measuring the rails when I get home from work I'll no if I'm going to be able to fix it. 

I knew they had more than one clamp for it but since I was using what I thought was a saddle with pretty standard rails didn't anticipate it as a problem. I'm also wanting to try a different saddle and will probably wait a bit till I can measure those rails since I haven't found their dimensions anywhere before I spring for another clamp they're only $17 but I would like to only buy the one I need.

I'll throw this out there though for what the superlogic sells for I think it would be a good idea for them to offer it with an option to select the proper head.


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## Mr. Scary

Uncle Grumpy said:


> Never used a Race Face XY then huh? They're not made any more, but they are my all time favourite saddle for ease of set up. One side loading bolt to clamp the rails, and other to clamp the tilt. You could adjust tilt without affecting the saddle fore/aft position and you could adjust the fore/aft without affecting the tilt, brilliant.
> 
> http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=881
> 
> Of course, this is simply me giving props to a seatpost that is hard to find, it doesn't help Kytyree with his slippage issues. The only thing I would suggest there is to make sure the rail diameter matches that of the seat cradle on the post. Could be a manufacturing tolerance problem with the seat post. Stranger things have happened.
> 
> Grumps


Since the two adjustments are independent of each other I guess it is not the same thing as the design I was criticizing now is it? But thanks for your valuable input, how did you pull yourself away from "busting a grumpy"?


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## Uncle Grumpy

Mr. Scary said:


> Since the two adjustments are independent of each other I guess it is not the same thing as the design I was criticizing now is it? But thanks for your valuable input, how did you pull yourself away from "busting a grumpy"?


How'd you pull yourself away from being scary ?  

I just took a look at the Ritchey One Bolt. Never seen one before, and don't care to see one again. Just don't trust the look of that clamping system. 

You're right, the Race Face is not the same as the Ritchey 1 bolt post, for 2 reasons. Firstly, the RF has 2 bolts, secondly, they actually work...

Again, hardly valuable input, but pointlessness is just one service I offer. :thumbsup: 

Cheers,
Grumps


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## Guest

Well I'm back to not knowing what the problem is.

I had high hopes but got home from work and measured everything. Saddle rail dimensions aren't the problem, they're standard and both the aftermarket clamp kits are for rails that are either rectangular or oval in shape. Based on width of the rails and distance between them it should be fine. 

Guess I could have somehow gotten one of the other clamps instead of the standard one but I bought it new and I don't have any sure fire way of telling which one I have. And then there's always the possibility that the sonofbuck just ain't gonna work.

I appreciate everyone's help, I'll let you know how it turns out.


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## Dr_John

> Dr_John, which saddle are you using with it, that may help me sort out mine.





> I did have to replace the hardware with the 8 X 8.5 mm clamp for my Sella Italia SLR


I should have mentioned this is a carbonio - oblong carbon rails. I replaced the original hardware not because of a slipping tilt adjust, but because the rails wouldn't fit in the grooves.

Odd to hear about Ritchey. I emailed them about which hardware I needed and got a response in about 5 minutes.


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## Dinosaur

That's a bummer- seeing what these puppies go for. (gulp). I noticed Ritchey does not list a phone number but does have a fax number.


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## Guest

Dr_John, good to hear you got a response from them, that was what I was looking for from them as well, but all I got in summary was "would you help me?" "no".

Looking at the clamps I had a feeling mine was the one for the round rails the grooves just don't look right for anything else. 

I contacted Excel sports, not where I purchased it, but they carry the post, the saddle and the clamp kits. They also said the clamp I have should work on the rails of the saddle I have. Appreciate them getting back to me, at most I was going to buy a $17 clamp kit, and they were a lot more helpful than others.

I used an email fill-in form on Ritchey's webpage to contact them, they emailed me back but there wasn't any type of technical support, information etc. in it, a chitlin recipe would have been more helpful.


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## Dr_John

Yeah, perhaps my fast response came because it was sales related ("what clamp do I need to buy") rather than tech support related. I bought my seatpost directly from Ritchey since Excel didn't have the one I wanted in stock when I ordered. So how am I supposed to deal with the retailer if I have questions/problems?

As a side-note, Excel has always been great for me. They're one of my top 5 online retails. Never a bad experience with them, and I've purchased a lot from them.


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## Guest

While I contacted them thinking mine might be sales related, ie "you need this clamp" since I told them what saddle I was using and so on they may have picked up pretty quick that buying something else from them wasn't going to help solve my problem.

I've had good luck with Excel as well, they were one of the first shops I can remember ever dealing with online. I can still picture their early website where I would go to "window shop" at all the goods that were well beyond my reach.


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## LGD

I have the Superlogic post. When I first put it together, I greased the bolt threads and put just a dab of carbon paste on the carbon/aluminum interfaces. No slipping after that with a Fizik Arione, Kium rails. You definately need to grease the threads and get the bolt up to the torque spec, which is fairly high for a seatpost head- the grease will allow for a more accurate torque on the bolt.


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## Guest

Its not the torque or the grease thank you though, I've been down that road and tried it with and without and verified the torque by using different wrenches. No matter how I've done it the clamp holds the rails tightly but has almost no pressure on the post itself at all.


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