Seatposts, layback, and a daft idea

[531colin]

A conversation reohn2 and willcee have been having on Cyberknight's saddle thread struck a chord with me. I thought I maybe should start a new thread rather than hijack Cyberknight's, so here goes.
Brooks saddles are notorious for not going back very far on the rails. This is a problem for reohn2, who is tall, and me. I'm not tall, just awkward.
So, the search is on for a seatpost with a lot of layback.
Reohn2 mentioned EA50 posts, but they have just a bit more layback than a regular (cheap) hockey stick post;




The EA 70 post of the same vintage has much more layback, but at the time I was too mean to get one. Now, of course, I realise they are a lot cheaper than a made to measure frame.

So now for the daft idea. I got a secondhand steel micro adjust post (cheers, Will). My plan is to cut the top off this post and braze it to either another plain steel post or the bottom bit of this post (if its long enough) to get more layback, as in this mock-up;



I would braze the two bits of post together with a bit of a fillet, and probably silver solder stainless plates either side of the join for bracing so that the stainless plates are in about the same place as the sticky tape here where it bridges from one post to the other. I weigh about 11 stone, and I only need about 100mm. of seatpost showing, so I don't think I would break it.

So, daft idea, or could it work? Anybody got another idea?

[gaz]

SR-Sakae Ringyo MTE-100 will do the job if you can find one. PM sent re a long shot for finding one.

[random37]

Potentially ok, providing you're on your own time and don't mind an ugly post.

If you were in the mood to fabricate seatposts, I think a micro-adjust extension clamp would be a better idea, and probably not as hard.

[robinlh]

yeah,I think the tape might well fail,but you could try gaffertape...........
Funny,I'm 6'3'' tall and all my Brooks saddles are not mounted all the way back.
They are also mounted level with the top of the handlebars and these are not mounted on especially long stems.
I find that a distance of 26'' is perfect,measured from the front of the saddle to the horns on the brake levers.
I don't find that the longitudinal position of the BB centre makes any appreciable difference to this,on my bikes their position varies by as much as plus or minus an inch,and I don't ever notice which is which.
I use 175 mm cranks,and this does make a noticeable difference,shorter and longer feels quite wrong.
If you find the reach length you like you can adjust all your bikes to that distance.
This is for touring,i don't do anything else and i don't enjoy looking,or feeling,like the fastest sixty year old in Cornwall,if you want to get lower,use the drops,i nearly never do for long.
robin

[rogerzilla]

Paul Hewitt found me a post with lots of layback for the Cheviot (I like a saddle setback of 80-90mm). It is full carbon, which I wasn't expecting.



(N.B. Try and avoid loading your bike like this. You get tank-slapping shimmy at 31mph).

[thirdcrank]

Once upon a time they made seat pins which had horizontal adjustment - our old Saxon tandem used to have one (and I gave the whole machine to John Bell, if he still lives down the road from Spa cycles.) It may even have had two. The front one was a sort of angled "T" shape, if I remember correctly and the captain's seat was on the front part, with the stoker's bars behind. The saddle was attached with a standard saddle clip, rotated at 90 degrees to normal, so it could be moved fore and aft (to maintain the nautical terminology.) All in chromed steel. I think the stoker's saddle may originally have been on something similar but "L" shaped, but I've a feeling my dear old dad replaced it.

[horizon]

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7406&start=0&hilit=saddle

I think the above is relevant - I haven't read the whole of this thread. I stil use the VK adjuster but funnily enough just yesterday I was looking at removing it to save some weight but it actually gives a superbly comfortable position with the Brooks. I don't use one on my other bikes so it must be the saddle though I tried some measuring and couldn't find much of a difference. Nonetheless it did the trick.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Unbr ... r-1307.htm

Still available at £21.99. heavy but superb.

[reohn2]

The EA50 suits my needs exactly with the saddles I use (San Marco Squadra and Selle Italia Turbomatic 2) the Squadra has enough adjustment to go back atleast another 25mm so the saddle isn't clamped at the extreme end of travel,the Turbomatic 2 is as far back as it will go on a 73.5 deg seatube,but has about 12mm of adjustment left on a 72.5deg S/Tube.
I'm quite happy with the way things are and if I should break a saddle rail I have spare ones as both saddles are obsolete models from the 90's.

Similar to Rogerzilla the nose of my saddles is 90mm behind the BB spindle and I use 175mm cranks.

What I find puzzling is when robinlh says his saddle layback position in relation to BB spindle is different on each bike as I'm a firm believer that once you've found the optimum saddle to BB spindle relation, the handlebars are then adjusted by the correct stem (length) and height (steerer tube spacers/angle or quill stem adjustment) to suit the rider.
Also with the right depth of H/bar drop(the tops of mine are about 25mm below saddle height) and reach(I use a shallow reach and drop PRO LT) I find I can spent quite a long time on the drops(20 minutes or more)and be comfortable.

[reohn2]

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7406&start=0&hilit=saddle

I think the above is relevant - I haven't read the whole of this thread. I stil use the VK adjuster but funnily enough just yesterday I was looking at removing it to save some weight but it actually gives a superbly comfortable position with the Brooks. I don't use one on my other bikes so it must be the saddle though I tried some measuring and couldn't find much of a difference. Nonetheless it did the trick.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Unbr ... r-1307.htm

Still available at £21.99. heavy but superb.

I remember you recomending the VK adapter to me,but when I examined it I felt it wasn't right for me.
Thanks anyway

[gilesjuk]

Lots of layback in this? 10 degrees or 7 degrees.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=8569

[reohn2]

Lots of layback in this? 10 degrees or 7 degrees.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=8569

Giles
That doesn't have as much layback as the EA50 I use.

[reohn2]

Colin
I don't recall the EA70 having anymore layback than the EA50 and I sure I checked them both out at the time I bought mine,I've been googling but can't find a picture of one

Just found one here:- http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Easto ... 360017539/
And they're still available but only in 31.8mm and it doesn't seem any further back to me

[Tonyf33]

I recently sold a Selcof seatpost that had a decent layback, I used it briefly with a Brooks Pro. The cheapest new one I've seen recently is this one from Parker, bargain at £12!
http://www.parker-international.co.uk/9 ... gn=pid9939

[rogerzilla]

The old EA50 had more layback than the current one.

[Gearoidmuar]

I'm 6' 2.5" and don't have my Brooke's saddles fully back on any of my bikes, and never had. ???