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LP Composites Seatpost
By Jon Sharp
Have you ever pushed yourself on a longer-than-usual-ride over rough terrain on your
hardtail? If you have, then there's a good chance you've wished for a smoother
ride. Yes, as a hardtail owner I'm not too proud to not recognize the inherent
weaknesses associated with its design-sometimes, they are uncomfortable. And so,
armed with my humility, I set out in search of a comfort-enhancing product that
wouldn't hinder performance.
If you read the previous review we did on the LP Composites B3 handlebar, you'll
remember that we love some of the characteristics of carbon fiber. We loved the
handle bar, but when they sent us the seatpost, however, we were skeptical as to
how well it could cut out vibrations. Before I get into all of that "comfort"
talk, let's talk features.
The LP Composites seatpost has an infinitely-adjustable clamp for the saddle.
For those unfamiliar with this wonderment, it means that there aren't notches cut
into the different parts that allow you to ratchet your way through the saddle
angles. No, this is a design similar to the Thompson seatpost clamp. A screw in
the back and a screw in the front allow you to position the saddle at the exact
angle that suits you best. And that suits me fine! This feature alone makes this
post more comfortable than most OEM posts being sold on bikes today.
Because the entire shaft is carbon fiber, the seatpost doesn't experience the
common seizing and bonding problems associated with aluminum posts. With that in
mind, the grease that normally is applied to post and frame is a bad idea in this
case. The first step to installation is cleaning out that grease. This is a tedious
process. They recommend alcohol. I used that in conjunction with paper towels and
string. (The string used to retrieve the paper towels so you don't pack your frame
with them.) The cleaning went something like this: (1) Wad up paper towel. (2) Tie
string around it. (3) Douse it with alcohol. (4) Shove it down into the frame.
(5) Retrieve paper towel and repeat until it comes out clean.
Once cleaned and installed, I immediately fell in love. "How can this be?" I
asked myself. I rode all the familiar trails and found everything more comfortable.
Sure, the rocks were still there, but they didn't hit me as hard. "Yes, but does it
rob my power?" was my next question. I took my sluggish mountain bike out on the rode
and felt like I could ride forever. No longer did I feel the incessant vibrations
associated with knobby tires. With this carbon fiber beauty in my arsenal, I could
tackle any trail with the confidence that I'd be able to stay in the saddle longer,
with a broader grin across my face.
Summary: The LP Composites seatpost is beautiful, light, and oh so comfortable.
The post they sent me was a 350 mm x 27.2 mm and it weighed in at 225 g. It comes in
the familiar black carbon fiber or black and yellow carbon/Kevlar weave. This seatpost
isn't the most inexpensive (as is common for carbon fiber), but it is so comfortable.
I recommend it to anyone looking for a more comfortable ride without the cash to buy a
full suspension rig.
Jon Sharp is a Contributing Editor to GearReview.com specializing in mountain biking.
For more information contact:
www.lpcomposites.com
LP Composites, Inc.
P.O. Box 977
White Salmon, WA 98672
USA
Phone: 509.493.4447
Fax: fax: 509.493.4420
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