[Vena]

Hi guys,
I should get the new race frame for the next season in few weeks, and i'm wondering the build.

What do you think about carbon seatposts?
Are they fragile when you crash in DH?

They are much more expensive than a "classic Thomson" seatpost, but also much lighter.

So, is the Easton EC90 Carbon Seatpost a good choice, or should i stay with the Thomson?

 

[MrPlow]

i know a few guys running the easton carbon posts pre EC days and they go well, main trick is to get some carbon grease. It helps stop the post from slipping in the frame so you dont have to tighten it up.

Another alternative would be to run an Ibeam setup.

 

[Sandwich]

thompson...why mess with near perfection? Cut your post shorter and you'll save the same weight.

 

[Sghost]

A carbon post used to be the way to go, now we have I-beam.

 

[mattmatt86]

Thomson Elite - ~230g $65-80
Thomson Masterpiece - ~193g $100-130

Easton EC90 - ~190g $115-150

 

[Sandwich]

So 40g of difference? I say lay off the bean burritos and not worry about it....but some people run 3 ti bolts on their rotors.

 

[boogenman]

take a dump before you ride, you will be lighter and safer

 

[DirtBag]

Cut an inch off your Thomson. 35.1212g saved.

C'mon. 40g?? Take the extra $50-80 and save real weight somewhere else.

 

[Zutroy]

I've got EC90 CNT zero offsets on a couple bikes, not the DH though. It's easily as strong as the Thompson and is lighter. It's also lighten your wallet. If you've maxed out all the other eight savings...and you got money to burn....go for it.

If not, just get a thompson

 

[ridenorcal]

id go for a thompson, I'm running one on my dhr and I'm happy with it. I consider myself a weight weenie, but when the trade off is 40g (or 3g if you get the masterpiece) versus potentially getting a nice carbon shard straight to the gooch, ill take the little bit of extra weight.

 

[Kntr]

Thompson MP

 

[dhmike]

carbon seatpost and dh don't go together . i broke a easton ec90 this summer and it's making me think twice about running carbon bars.

 

[Kntr]

I broke my EC70 bars in less than a month a few years ago.
My buddy's Gravity Lite Carbons had cracks in the carbon after a summer of riding too.


Here comes the carbon debate.

 

[schwinnstr8]

My cousin snapped my EC90. I then moved on to a Thompson MP.

 

[DirtyMike]

carbon seatpost and dh don't go together . i broke a easton ec90 this summer and it's making me think twice about running carbon bars.

I remember that

 

[BmxConvert]

I've found that the Bontrager Race X Lite ACC has been very durable for me. I have 2 of the posts a 31.6 and a 27.2. One is on my dirt jump/urban bike, the other on my dh bike. I've been running them for 2 years with no problems at all.

The ACC is an Aluminum Core Carbon post. it has a sliver of aluminum inside to help with durability. I've had some big crashes and not a single whimper from either post.

-Kevin

 

[jonKranked]

option 3: get in really good shape, don't sit during a race run, and ditch your saddle/seatpost altogether

edit: might wanna toss a piece of foam on the back end of your TT, just in case

 

[chicodude]

I remember that

User error.

 

[Kntr]

Even Mountain Bike Action broke a carbon post a few months ago on a test.

 

[greenblinker104]

or do the lightest and cheapest combo: pivotal seatpost and a slim pivotal seat...

cheap and cheap and lighter than any combo until the lets say $200 mark. you save yourself well over $100 and put that to good use

dmr full length pivotal post - 226 grams
basic slim pivotal seat - 266 grams

thomson elite post - 230 grams
wtb team rocket v - 240 grams

cost of the pivotal setup - $30 + $30 = $60
cost of the thomson and wtb setup - $90 + $140 = $230

so you give up fowards and backwards adjustment (my saddle is always in the middle for mt bikes anyways so that wouldnt matter) but yet you save $170 and gain 22 grams of weight (but you might need a seatpost shim so add on another few)...

done and done

 

[jonKranked]

Pivotal seats/posts are nice, and available for a great price (when compared to other options), but they lack the fore/aft adjustment of rail saddles and i-beams.

Not knocking pivotals, just be prepared to lose that adjustability. For bmx / street this is fine. Not sure if I personally would wanna give it up for dh.

 

[DirtBag]

Pivotal seats/posts are nice, and available for a great price (when compared to other options), but they lack the fore/aft adjustment of rail saddles and i-beams.

Not knocking pivotals, just be prepared to lose that adjustability. For bmx / street this is fine. Not sure if I personally would wanna give it up for dh.

I did it for my Highline. Love it. I tested it beforehand by placing the pivotal from my DJ to see how it lined up. The set-up weighs next to nothing.

 

[Zutroy]

Not to say this is the case but did you use a torque wrench when tightening that seatpost? You can cause a failure in a carbon post if you tighten it to much.

Also a zero offset post would be a better choice for a DH bike. That's part of the reason why a thompson is so tough, less leverage on it.

 

[Huck Banzai]

Not to say this is the case but did you use a torque wrench when tightening that seatpost? You can cause a failure in a carbon post if you tighten it to much.

Also a zero offset post would be a better choice for a DH bike. That's part of the reason why a thompson is so tough, less leverage on it.

A DH bike with a (Very) XC post on it.

umm

...Darwin.