30.8 seatpost for a road bike
05-02-12, 07:33 PM
#1
Advisor
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Central New Jersey
Posts: 544
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
30.8 seatpost for a road bike
A friend dropped off his bike at my house today. While there, I noticed his seatpost was large than mine, 30.8. Is this going to become the standard for road bikes?
05-02-12, 08:16 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 6,900
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Over the years there have been at least 40 different seatpost sizes so you have little to fear that 30.8 will become the "standard" any more than the 27.0 size on my 1983 Centurion did. Oddball sizes seem to be the one thing that you still can find, at least in seatposts.
05-03-12, 04:26 AM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: vermont
Posts: 3,081
Bikes: Many
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 10 Times
in
10 Posts
For an aluminum bike I think it is a great platform. With many frames having a seat tube of diameter 34.9 and losing a bit of that for weld shrinkage, the more common 31.8 leaves the wall thickness a bit thin directly under the attachment point of the tubes.
05-03-12, 06:01 AM
#6
Administrator
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Delaware shore
Posts: 13,558
Bikes: Cervelo C5, Guru Photon, Waterford, Specialized CX
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1106 Post(s)
Liked 2,173 Times
in
1,464 Posts
I think it's very short sighted and self centered for the manufacturer. Many customers/owners change seat posts over the time they own the bike for a number of reasons - they want more/less offset, they want better adjustments, they need a different clamp for their favorite saddle, etc. Seat post producers will only make a set number of sizes and suppliers will only stock the same.
In this case, the owner may be stuck a few years down the road.
In this case, the owner may be stuck a few years down the road.
05-03-12, 06:25 AM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,569
Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1851 Post(s)
Liked 678 Times
in
429 Posts
Yeah, different seatpost sizes can be a PIA. Of the bikes and frames currently in my garage (road, mountain and cross), I have five with 27.2, two with 31.8 and one with 27.0.
