Answer Carbolite Seatpost

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by cachehiker
As a poor soul cursed with short legs, I don't often leave as much seatpost exposed as most riders. Does anybody know what the approximate distance is between the saddle rails and the top of the aluminum sleeve on an Answer Carbolite Seatpost? Does anybody have one they could measure?

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I don't want to buy one and then have to return it because I can't clamp it low enough in the seat tube.

Not a big fan of carbon seatposts - not worth the money for the "benefit."

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by MtnBikerChk
Not a big fan of carbon seatposts - not worth the money for the "benefit."

Just in case anybody else is interested:

Quoted message said:

I would say that it is 8-3/4" from the last factory score mark
on the aluminum sleeve. It is 7-1/2" from the top of the
sleeve.
Thanks,
Merrill

This is between one and two inches too much for me. Given the durability issues associated with carbon, I'd prefer to be looking at titanium. I just can't justify spending the extra cash. After all, most of the remaining components are just LX.

I figure I have five choices for seatposts:
1. stick with the old, stiff, 350g OEM Kalloy aluminum post.
2. a lighter but still plenty stiff 220-250g aluminum post.
3. a less durable but softer riding 190-220g carbon post.
4. a more durable but softer riding 190-220g titanium post.
5. a very heavy but plenty cushy suspension post.

The bike is an aluminum GT hardtail setup for strictly XC. A slightly softer ride would be appreciated, and shaving off a few more ounces would be cool too. That leaves options 3 and 4. I'm trying to steer away from the truly spendy posts as well as those with a questionable reputation for durability like the older EC70's. I'm still unsure of how good the newer EC70's really are, so I guess the Titec C-191 is the next one on the list.

If it was full suspension, the seatpost would not affect the ride and the decision would be easy: Thomson. If it was being subjected to conditions more severe that strictly XC, I suppose I'd have to eliminate carbon entirely. Are there any other recommendations out there?

What durability problem with Easton carbon seatposts? The EC70 and CT2 which was the same one with the older head are the most durable carbon posts made and one of the strongest seatposts made. Definately the strongest carbon one there is as are most of easton's carbon parts.
Carbon will make for a rather smoother ride since they will damp out a good amount of the low level vibration caused by aluminum frames. It's actually quite a noticeable difference. The problem is if not enough seatpost is exposed on the frame the effect will not be as much if at all. It could also be a sign your running too large of a frame. Carbon post actually have higher durability than most aluminum posts. Their drawback is they are more susceptible to crash damage if the carbon gets deeply scratched or sheared because it can start fraying. Don't even bother looking at titanium posts. Most of them are intended for road bikes anyway. If you want a truly trouble free solid and reliable post why bother looking at anything other than a Thomson elite? The Race Face XY is another great post which has the best clamping system I've seen.

It's the crash damage that I'm referring to when I talk about durability issues with carbon. One of my riding buddies had an EC70 head break free of the post in the middle of a race at Sea Otter. I don't know if the classic endo he pulled in Crip's Hole had anything to do with it. I doubt it, but I usually suffer one really good crash every year myself.

There are others on mtbr that have had the similar failures with certain carbon seatposts as well as with carbon bars and bar-ends too. I'm just trying to make sure I get a decent post with a smoother ride with my sub-$100 budget. I'm not inclined to trust every carbon post I see advertised for $59.

I also wish I had less trouble with frame sizing. I need a standover 745 or less with an effective top tube of nearly 540. Most 52cm frames are 10mm too high, and a lot of 50cm frames push me to a 130 stem. My old GT mountain frame is 14.5" and fits me pretty well with 105mm stem, a setback seat clamp, and about 6-1/2" of post exposed.

I don't think thats much of a concern as I've seen the heads come of or break on many quality aluminum posts as well. LIke I said before, if you just want a no nonsense post get the Thomson or Race Face XY and forget about fancy materials.