Which seatpost for my road bike to give a more Tri position?
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fastdog5 posted 10 weeks ago.
Nitto makes one that is aesthetically more pleasing, I think it's called the 66. I had one on my road bike before I got a tri bike & it worked great. Thomson also makes a post called the elite that can be flipped around to make it a forward post. You can find both of them on ebay from time to time.
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Away posted 10 weeks ago.
Thanks, although my own eyes wouldn't call that Nitto very aesthetically pleasing! I'll look further into the Thomson.
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charlie6460 posted 10 weeks ago.
http://www.tri-zone.com/Details.html?cat=71&item=PFFWD
I am not affiliated with tri-zone
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Away posted 10 weeks ago.
I guess a post that simply has zero setback still isn't going to give me a whole lot more forward adjustability.
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Away posted 10 weeks ago.
Upon my further investigation, the profile fast forward is available in Carbon now and looks MUCH better than the old alum one I've always seen. Looks like this is the way I'll be going.
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akrupa01 posted 10 weeks ago.
I have heard good stuff on the Thomson as well! I use the Profile Fast Forward (non-carbon) you are talking about and it works great on my road bike. I'm not sure how "aesthetically pleasing" it looks, but I'm not in a magazine shoot :) It is heavier, but as I am only in my 2nd season I care much more about increased performance (which I have seen) from my new aero position and saving $$$! I'll worry about weight when I get FAST. I added aerobars and the seatpost at the same time, and was fitted properly at a reputable bike shop. I would highly recommend getting a proper fit if you are going this route-it really will take the guess work out of it-and possibly save you some pain later on.
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charlie6460 posted 10 weeks ago.
Away wrote:
Upon my further investigation, the profile fast forward is available in Carbon now and looks MUCH better than the old alum one I've always seen. Looks like this is the way I'll be going.
I have the carbon version. It does look "cool" and weighs a little less, but you will pay a little extra for that.
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106 days
zagfan posted 10 weeks ago.
As a side question to this thread, is there a seatpost out there similar to the one on the Cervelo P2C with two seat positions that would give me the option of a more agressive seat position when I want a tri setup on my road bike without having to switch out seatposts?
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262 days
GGehrke posted 10 weeks ago.
I have the Aerus Halo seatpost and love it. Very similar to the Cervelo design (possible it even has shared parts). I think Blue cycles also uses a version of the Halo post for their TT/Tri bikes.
It looks awesome and lets me put the saddle stupid forward. It's got an aerodynamic profile but fits a standard seatpost. It also doesn't look too stupid as an aerodynamic part on an otherwise non-aero-specific frame.
Google search for "Aerus Halo" will turn up a few stores that sell it. I am unfortunately not seeing it on any of the sites linked from here (to get the trifuel discount)
I also considered the U.S.E. Alien Tri seatpost (http://www.use1.com/products/rigid_seat_posts/carbon/aero_tri_tt.php)
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Away posted 10 weeks ago.
Would you mind explaining to me how the seat attaches with those 3 holes on top of the seat post? Or better yet, a pic of it on your bike. I'm just not comprehending it for some reason.
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zagfan posted 10 weeks ago.
Ggherke, thanks for the links, that's exactly what I'm looking for. I'm debating whether to buy a tri bike or a new road bike and this may help my decision. I live in Colorado so I ride lots of hills and can get a good deal on a used Specialized Tarmac Pro from a guy I work with. And after riding his bike and then jumping back on my Trek 1000 (which I am now realizing is too big) I'm hook on nice bikes. Its like going from a Ford Focus to a BMW 3 series!
How does the Aerus Halo affect your bike fit? Did you get fitted for the road bike geometry and then put your seatpost in the forward position with aero bars or did you get fit for each position that you would be riding in?
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GGehrke posted 10 weeks ago.
http://picasaweb.google.com/GGehrke/MyRoadTriBike
There are basically two wedge shaped circular bits that clamp together on the top part of the post, holding the seat rails. It's a little bit strange looking at it in photos but makes perfect sense on the bike. I love, too, that it is really easy to set the seat position and angle by loosening one bolt, setting it how you want, and tightening the bolt back down. Do be sure to tighten it hard, though -- at Sea Otter (road circuit race) I started slipping on the first lap and spent the next hour reaching between my legs and yanking every few minutes to get it back up.... er.... I mean...
But that's never happened to me before, I swear!
As far as the fit, I like to ride way forward and had always been riding on the very tip of my last saddle. I said enough is enough and got a forward seatpost and tri-specific saddle. Even when I'm doing road riding, I like a steep seatpost angle and I use my aerobars a lot. I am pretty flexible, so I like loooow bars, but even if you're flexible you need to be able to breathe, and this helped me open up my hips a lot. I was not 'fit' for the bike professionally, but I'm a huge aero/physiology geek, so I'm pretty confident I'm dialed in well. If you're already dialed in on a road bike and you're confident that's the right fit, then you'll just want to be sure you also move the seat UP in addition to forward (because if you think about it you need to move it in an arc around the bottom bracket, radius=length of your leg) and try to make the adjustments in increments.
I almost never adjust my angle between road/tri riding. In fact, at my A-race this year I was an idiot and accidentally set my seat lower than in practice for a less aggressive position. Doh! That's what I get for not marking the post (which is why I now have electrical tape around it, and to make sure if it starts sliding I notice it)
I also currently ride lots of hills (Central California) and do not see why people seem to think that you need to have setback to ride hills. If anything when I push hard up a hill I'm riding on the nose of my already aggressively forward seat. If I'm spinning along in the granny gear (yes, I have a triple and love it) I find I'm in the perfect position to keep a really high cadence. I do slide my butt way off the back sometimes on tough descents so that if I have to brake I don't fly over the front, though.
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Away posted 10 weeks ago.
That does look nice. I'm not sold on that clamping design though personally. For roughly half the price I'll probably just give the fast forward carbon a go.
Thanks for the pics and explanation though, pretty trick.
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zagfan posted 10 weeks ago.
Great advice. I've had a hand-me-down Profile fast forward seatpost on my Trek 1000 and have never changed it back to the original seatpost. My reasoning behind the road bike for the hills is that I spend a lot of time on the hoods. I haven't taken any tri bikes out for a test rid yet. My thinking is that a road bike is made for the hoods, a tri bike is made to be aero. Right now I just spend more time on the hoods either climbing or on my commute to work than I do in the aero position. Plus I'm still at that point where I can only afford one nice bike. Appreciate the help.
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jess1 posted 10 weeks ago.
In addition to the weight savings, i feel like carbon plays a role in vibration damping and a smoother ride. Just something to keep in mind.
Gehrke, is that electrical tape on your seatpost?
Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
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valdora posted 9 weeks ago.
Forward-Ti (160 g)
More agressive than a Thomson
Less agressive than Profile
http://www.valdoracycles.com/valdora_forward_ti.asp
I am affiliated with Valdora. No hard sell.
Just the info.
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kylie posted 9 weeks ago.
Valdora -- it might be info but it is still spam. Please contact tribro through this site if you'd like to advertise here.
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I'm aware of the fast forward post but am put off by it a number of reasons. One of which is simply the looks! I have a lightweight road post now but it has 18mm of setback. I currently have my arione saddle as far as it can safely go forward on the rails and I feel like it should still be a bit more forward.
Is my best bet to find a nice post with zero setback or is there some other alternative to the fast forward that's worth considering? I'm trying to avoid going for a Tri specific frame (atleast this season), and my road bike really is perfect aside from the geometry.