# Single Position Seatpost and Soloist Team



## vespajg (Aug 24, 2007)

Seems like many on this forum have purchased the single position carbon seatpost for the Soloist Team, so 4 questions:

1. Why does Cervelo state that the single position carbon seatpost is not compatible with the Soloist Team? 

2. If it is, why do they not sell it or offer it as an upgrade? 

3. If it is not, is it REALLY compatible and for marketing (or some other) reasons they say it is not?

4. If it indeed will work and since Cervelo will reportedly not sell you one for the Soloist Team, where can you buy one? (seems many people point to RA Cycles in NYC).

thx!

~jg


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## Rollo Tommassi (Feb 5, 2004)

*Not sure what you mean*

I'm not seeing on their site where this is stated; However, having just gone down to our sales floor and tested it, you can indeed fit either post in either bike.

The 'two position' post enables the rider to change seat angle; this post does not come standard on the carbon Soloist.

Now, while there may be a marginal weight savings with the single position post over the two position post, there is no difference in set back on the clamp. I am not sure why the single position post would be considered an upgrade.

I can check on whether or not there is a difference in the clamping forces needed between the two, and if for any reason Cervelo forbids using the standard carbon post in the Team model. :thumbsup:


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## vespajg (Aug 24, 2007)

Thanks for checking. 

This following is cut and pasted from the Cervelo website. Hard to find but you access it by asking a seatpost question and a few FAQs come up, including:

"Question - My Cervélo came with an Aluminum aero seatpost. I would like to upgrade to a carbon seatpost. Is this possible?

Answer - Aero seatpost upgrade
Yes, Cervélo models that are shipped with an aluminum seat post also fit our two position aero carbon seat post so you can upgrade to the carbon post with flippable head. The one position aero carbon seat post at this point in time is not compatible with our aluminium frames."

In addition, I have read on this forum some people's experience when trying to get a single position seatpost. Namely, that Cervelo would not sell them one.

I'm seriously considering a Soloist Team for my race bike this season and prefer the single position post - both aesthetically and to make TT set-up easier with a saddle permanently installed on the dual-position post.

I'd appreciate any information you can provide regarding clamping forces and whether Cervelo forbids use of the single position post on the Soloist Team. If I can use it, I'm also looking for a place to buy one!

thx!

~jg


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## Rollo Tommassi (Feb 5, 2004)

*I think....*

the original spec on the Soloist Team was an alu seatpost - prior to 2006 - I can double check. My guess is that the 'answer' on the website is a pretty old post (no pun intended)

I've got an email into my inside guy regarding compatibility and clamping limits, so I'll post back as soon as I hear from him.

In regards to people not being able to get a single position seatpost, I'd have to research that (were they trying thru the shop or as a consumer directly to Cervelo?)


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## Cheers! (Aug 20, 2006)

They fit. 

Cervelo Carbon *Small* Single position seat post mass = 171.5 g
Cervelo Aluminum *Med* Dual position seat post mass = 358.7 g

I originally emailed cervelo about this. They said they don't sell the single position seatpost retail. I even asked Peter White when I met him at a Cervelo presentation on the the company and such in Toronto. His response at the time was that they only make enough for the Soloist Carbon and SLC frames + a couple more as attrition for warranty if there is a need to. I also asked him for a job, but that is an unrelated matter. 

I got my from Ebay. There was something like 33 bids at the end, and I had to make 5 bids at the end with 10 seconds left in the auction to win it. Had to ship it all the way from California to Toronto too. I paid 130 bucks USD + shipping. No change in ride comfort. But I took almost 200 grams off the bike.


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## thedips (Mar 26, 2007)

wow .. i didnt realize that the weight saving from dual to single was that much... the flippable head and post is quite heavy... on my carbon seatpost... i still think its close to 300 on weight... i believe i have a small or medium... i should weigh it...

single post would be nice.. very amazed at how much it still sold for! you would think you can get a new one strait from cervelo.. but then after reading how they swap parts such as forks and such, they do seem like they are always at a shortage of parts for their bikes


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## vespajg (Aug 24, 2007)

This morning's response from Cervelo:


"The single position post is sold only with the Soloist Carbon and Soloist Carbon SuperLight. If you have one of these frames and are looking to replace the post then you can order a replacement through your local Cervelo Dealer.
If you are looking to obtain the post for use in your Soloist Team or P2 SL please do not order one. You can not use this post in our aluminum frames. 

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely

Dave
Cervélo Customer Support"

Not sure why . . . ~jg


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## Cheers! (Aug 20, 2006)

Right now the 2007 and 2008 Soloist team comes with a carbon dual position seat post. The carbon dual position seatpost is compatible across their whole soloist line. So logic would say that the single position would fit fine, AND it does. The shape and size is identical. I've put 2000+ kms on my this summer. I call BS on the Cervelo Customer Support thing. 

I would continue to scour ebay, or get your bike store you bought your cervelo from to order one from you. Get them to say to Cervelo your soloist carbon seatpost is too short (there is a min insertion length) and you need a longer one when in fact you have a soloist team bike. 

Good luck.


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## garbec (Mar 3, 2006)

*Not sure why???*

Can someone at Cervelo give us a specific reason why? Is it a structural reason or is it strictly a supply and demand situation? The real reason would be refreshing..

I have the single position carbon post on my Soloist Team. I ended up with the single position post, which I prefer, because the shop replaced another customers damaged dual position post with the one from what ended up to be the bike I purchased. According to the shop they had been trying to get a dual position replacement, but it was back-ordered.

I like and prefer what I have, but I don't want to be riding around on something that is un-safe. Please let us know!! Thanks.


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## Cheers! (Aug 20, 2006)

2 years ago when I first inquired about the single positions seat post and if it could be used on a soloist team, the Cervelo customer service guy said yes. But they weren't selling any. Gerald over at the Cervelo forum on the Cervelo.com website kept on promising to make it available, but has not.


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## Rollo Tommassi (Feb 5, 2004)

*Spoke with my man at Cervelo today*



garbec said:


> Can someone at Cervelo give us a specific reason why? Is it a structural reason or is it strictly a supply and demand situation? The real reason would be refreshing..
> 
> 
> The main reason is, of all the testing they do of their frames and components, they have not tested that particular combination; their testing gets certified to CEN standards, which is time consuming (paperwork, etc). They won't sell something that hasn't been tested and certified.
> ...


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## vespajg (Aug 24, 2007)

Interesting as I found a string on the Cervelo website (maybe it was the slowtwitch forum?) wherein one of the owner's of the company (Gerard I think) stated that the single post could be used on the aluminum frames. Someone must have raised the corrosion issue since that time. 

While I understand that testing the single post/alum combination might not be high on the priority list, I find it interesting that Cervelo doesn't just coat the single post as they do the dual post so that it can be used across the range. Seems like a simple solution given that they market the dual post for the carbon frames. That alone makes me think that, if the single post was coated, nothing would be lost performance-wise for those that purchase the carbon frames.

I understand the certification thing, but something just doesn't seem right . . . not implying any malfeasance on Cervelo's behalf, just that it seems like a half-baked rationale for denying aluminum frame purchasers the benefit, or perceived benefit, of the single position post - a little lighter, easier set-up . . . whatever the reason. Given the number of requests for this combination or complaints about the set-up of the dual post, there is obviously some measurable interest in the single post that Cervelo is not meeting. And I wonder why? Maybe they just didn't coat the single post for 2005-2007 and now won't represent that it will work in alum frames unless it's either coated or certified. And maybe they'll coat it in 2008 or beyond? Reading between the lines, maybe that's what they're saying . . .


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## Cheers! (Aug 20, 2006)

I think you guys are taking this a little beyond common sense. 

First. The single position seat post is coated. It's gel coat/epoxy. That is what binds the carbon fibre layers together. A carbon fibre seat post will not corode as long as you don't expose the carbon layers/strands. Also a good bicycle mechanic or prudent owner should be using the correct lubes and preps to assemble the bicycle. 

This includes using carbon prep:
Tacx Carbon Assembly Compound: http://www.tacx.com/producten.php?language=EN&lvlMain=18&lvlSub=66&ttop=Carbon assembly compound

or the stuff made by syntace:
http://syntace.com/index.cfm?pid=3&pk=1347

second. A seat post is a seat post. There is no other special analysis done to say this seat post will work 100% or 99% or 98%. I doubt cervelo did any analysis for the FSA seatpost offered on the R3 other than ordering one as a sample and sticking it in the bike and saying... Yup it fits! There is no certification for seat post / bike frame safety etc etc. You are dreaming. 

My only assumption about the single position seat post is that it must cost a lot of money and/or resources to make, and hence Cervelo's reservations about trying to offer it as an after market upgrade for the soloist team guys. The 2007+ all offer the carbon dual post. If I was Cervelo I would say that is good enough and let the owners just suck it up if they don't like it.


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## vespajg (Aug 24, 2007)

Said the man with the single position post. 

I respectfully don't agree that this has gone beyond common sense as the posts (including your previous posts) actually answered, or helped answer, the original four questions that I posed. Seems that at some point, you yourself asked Cervelo and others on this forum about the single post. Not very common-sensical of you?

Cervelo appears to be the one that raised the CEN certification issue. I assume that Cervelo has a tolerance/failure analysis that, when applied, renders a component either within or outside an acceptable tolerance level/failure rate, whatever that may be. From their response, it seems that they have not applied that analysis to the single post/alum combination and therefore will not sell the post for use in the alum frame. I'll be sure to tell them that there is no special analysis next time I'm dreaming about it. And that the single post is "coated," although I wonder if they were referring to an anti-corrosion coating applied (or not applied) within the seat tube and not the seat post? Not sure their explanation is logically sound, but either way, I'm sure that as the designing engineers they will appreciate the information.

As for your assumption, while I admittedly do not know, I'd be surprised to find that the cost of the more basic, single position post is drastically higher than the more complex, carbon dual post. Not saying it couldn't be, just that I would be surprised. And if cost is not an issue and it's not an upgrade problem, it would be nice to have the choice of at least purchasing an extra single post.

Lastly, regarding the FSA post on the R3 . . . that post is a standard-sized seat post (32.4 mm) manufactured by another company, most assuredly to a standardized diameter and to a standardized tolerance level when used in the proper standardized seat tube. That situation differs considerably from an in-house design of a proprietary seat post engineered to fit a specific and unique seat tube to be manufactured, installed and sold by a single company. There are significantly different liabilities associated with such a product. So - I guess you're probably right - Cervelo probably didn't test the FSA post as rigorously as the Soloist post, if at all. But that doesn't mean that the FSA post wasn't tested.


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## garbec (Mar 3, 2006)

Rollo - Thanks for taking your time to speak with your man and reply. I'll have to keep an eye on my post and hopefully at some point they will test the combo. After all, I always have the option to upgrade to carbon frame....

Thanks again.


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## Cheers! (Aug 20, 2006)

vespajg said:


> Said the man with the single position post.
> 
> I respectfully don't agree that this has gone beyond common sense as the posts (including your previous posts) actually answered, or helped answer, the original four questions that I posed. Seems that at some point, you yourself asked Cervelo and others on this forum about the single post. Not very common-sensical of you?
> 
> ...


Dude, it is just a seat post. Don't get so worked up on it. 

Yes, I originally asked about the single position seat post because I wanted one. So I got one and installed it. 

I can speak from experience and from an engineer's perspective. The likely hood of this post failing is very slim. There are two failure modes on this seat post. 

1.) less likely is the post failing under compression or "buckles". This failure mode will be the same for both a soloist team and a soloist carbon/SLC-SL bike










2.) More likely failure is the post fails as a cantilevered beam. Where one end is fixed and the force is applied on the other free end to bend the post. This is possible because the seat tube is not on the same vector as the force applied. Again this failure mode is also shared for the other soloist frames made from carbon, since the geometries are the same.










Of course you can also look at the cyclic loading of the post. In this case that would most likely fail where the aluminum head is bonded to the carbon tube. But if this was a major concern it would also fail in any frame regardless. 

but I digress... 






So to answer your original 4 questions:

1. No idea. Gerard Vroomen originally said it would fit fine. From my own operational experience it fits fine as well.

2. That is Cervelo's own prerogative. 

3. Supply issues? 

4. Ebay. They pop up every once in a while. 

As to why I think it will work perfectly...
-The soloist bikes all use the same "Aero Seattube Collar" Hence the clamping force and how the force is distributed is the same.










-Unless your soloist team is pre 2004 and it's one of the painted ones, all the recent ones are anodized. An anodized surface is very hard, strong, and chemically stable. Meaning the chances of galvanic corrosion to occur on an Aluminum anodized surface is VERY VERY small. The whole point of anodizing a surface is to increase surface hardness, and take away the ability for the aluminum to corrode. 

that is my 2cents. Enjoy your carbon single position seat tube. It helped my Soloist Team weigh in at 15.23 lbs with pedals and bottle cages.


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## Rollo Tommassi (Feb 5, 2004)

*Ur welcome*

:thumbsup: 



garbec said:


> Rollo - Thanks for taking your time to speak with your man and reply. I'll have to keep an eye on my post and hopefully at some point they will test the combo. After all, I always have the option to upgrade to carbon frame....
> 
> Thanks again.


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## vespajg (Aug 24, 2007)

Sorry if I gave the impression that I didn't think it would work. I actually assumed that it would - I was just curious what Cervelo's perspective was given their inconsistent responses (that i learned from your earlier posts and others). And their most recent response doesn't make much sense when you dissect its logic.

And I know it's just a seat post, but we all know that spec'ing a custom build is, well specific to the eye of the customer. Only having two seat posts to choose from isn't ideal in some customer's eyes, and may influence some people's decision, especially when one weighs more than the other and has other perceived limitations.

As far as failures, I think they are more concerned with legal liability and possible negative impacts on the post material that MAY lead to failure, not the integrity of the post as designed.

It's all good . . . Happy New Year.


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## ping771 (Apr 10, 2006)

I am from the NY area, own a Team Soloist with a one position post. R&A does sell them aftermarket ($150) b/c they're a huge store and they can carry those items in stock separate from the SLC and the SLC-SL. I got mine from my LBS, b/c the owner is really nice and he took one from a Soloist Carbon frame. I bought a ton of stuff from him, which helps. 

If you desperately want one, call R&A. My lbs says there are no issues with that post and aluminum frames. I've ridden it for 6months and no problems.


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