Seat post too short

[Little Rach]

I bought a Ridgeback Metro Speed commuter bike a few weeks ago. It's absolutely fine but I have been increasing the seat height to find the best height for me and I've discovered that the seat post is too short for the position that would be most comfortable. The bicycle frame size is fine. I've never changed a seat post before and wondered how easy and how expensive it is. The seat post is a micro alloy silver 27.2 post. I bought the bike from Start Cycles in Newcastle but I've noticed they are not the cheapest when it comes to bike parts. Any suggestions?

 

[PatrickPending]

interweb, say chain reaction, wiggle, etc. Just know the length you're looking for and (you already seem to know) the diameter. Easy thing to replace.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Go online. Starts at £20, lots of choices. All reliable. Unscrew clamp and fit.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/seat-posts/?o=2
www.chainreactionchttp://www.wiggle.co.uk/seat-posts/?o=2ycles.com/seatposts
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/pp/road-track-bike/seatpillars-seatpillars/spin
http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/components/seatposts

 

[Pale Rider]

If Start are any good, they will swap the seat post for a longer one.

I've heard varying reports about them, so it would be a good test.

 

[Citius]

If Start are any good, they will swap the seat post for a longer one.

I've heard varying reports about them, so it would be a good test.

Not sure I'd be happy to swap a secondhand post for a new one off the shelf, if I was them.

 

[Pale Rider]

Not sure I'd be happy to swap a secondhand post for a new one off the shelf, if I was them.

The seat post ought to still look as new.

If they are selling a few bikes, they will probably have customers who want a shorter post, or may already have a longer one which they have previously swapped for a shorter one.

I needed a longer post for my Cannondale mountain bike.

The shop had about 10 of the Trail series in stock.

It emerged some had posts longer than mine, so swapping was no problem.

But all this does rely on Starts being a proper bike shop with an eye to customer service.

 

[Little Rach]

Thanks for the replies. My bike is about due for it's free service so I will see what they say. The post lengths on this bike increase with each frame size so hopefully it won't be a big deal for Start to replace it.

 

[dan_bo]

Get a long one (400mm) from ebay for about 8 quid.

 

[biggs682]

Get a long one (400mm) from ebay for about 8 quid.

but make sure you grease it before fitting

 

[Yellow Saddle]

but make sure you grease it before fitting

Grease IS the problem but I'll leave that for another post.

OP, remember, the longer the post, the more of it you need to have inside the frame. Don't rely on a little stubby 20mm bit inside. You should have at least 120mm inside the seat tube.

 

[Drago]

Get a 400mm post, so you'll have extra post inside the frame to compensate for the additional leverage the extra exposed post will give. Or buy a bike that fits you.

 

[jack smith]

@Little Rach i use start alot as im local, go in when you have your free service and expalin the issue to the store manager he will either swap it or discount you on a new one im sure, but i think they do cheap seatposts anyway.

 

[Little Rach]

Start Cycles did swap my seat post for me. I now have a much longer post with a decent length remaining inside the stem. Feels miles better and more importantly, I feel safe again. Very happy, especially as it coincided with a week of beautiful sunny days which made my commute even more enjoyable.

 

[jack smith]

Thats great, told you they'd sort it! They are petty good for service

 

[migrantwing]

Get a 400mm post, so you'll have extra post inside the frame to compensate for the additional leverage the extra exposed post will give. Or buy a bike that fits you.

Not always easy. My bike fits, but it all depends on personal body type/shape/dimensions and the brand and model of bike that you like and want.

I have about 8 inches of seatpost showing and my steerer is uncut. If I had gone for a smaller size frame, the toptube would have been way too short and I'd have had a helluva lot of seatpost showing or, possibly, would have had to buy a longer seatpost, then the saddle to bar drop would have been a ridiculous amount. If I'd have gone a size larger, the bike would have been too big with minimal seatpost showing and the top tube/reach would have been too much, plus the standover height would have been non-existent.

Same with my missus' bike. She has minimal seatpost showing, maybe a few inches, but she needs less of a saddle to bar drop. This bike also came with an uncut steerer.

A lot of companies seem to go for a racier geometry/look/feel, where they have short steerers and thus doing so can use a generic length steerer for all, or at least most of their available bike sizes. I guess a lot of people just want to buy a 'Buy and Ride' bike, with no or minimal fettling but, as we all know, it's very rare that you can ride a bike straight out of the box. I'm sure that riser stems are a top seller because of this.