Road Bike Seatpost Buying Guide

Benefits of a new Seatpost

A seatpost is one of the most cost effective upgrades you can make to your road bike - it’s an easy way to shave some grams off the weight of your bike - whilst adding comfort, with weight savings and comfort increases being most noticeable on carbon fibre seatposts. Unlike Mountain Bikes, which benefit from Dropper Seatposts - road bike seatposts remain fixed in place during a ride. 

Road Bike Seatpost Materials

The construction material of a seatpost is mentioned above, with different materials all offering different benefits and drawbacks. Aluminium seatposts are the cheapest to buy, and are lightweight - although they can provide a less comfortable ride compared to other options. 

Titanium seatposts are more expensive than alloy seat posts, but are also light - and provide a softer ride compared to alloy. Carbon fibre seat posts are both lightweight, and the flex in the carbon fibre can help dullen the vibrations of road riding, making them the perfect choice for those doing longer rides. 

Road Bike Seatpost Diameters

It’s important to find out the exact diameter of your existing seatpost, as your new seatpost must correspond with the exact internal diameter of the inside tube of your frame. Some of the most common sizes of seatposts for modern road bikes include 31.6mm, 30.9mm and 27.2mm. Older seatposts may have smaller seatpost diameters. 

Road Bike Seatpost Length

Seatpost length is one of the most important aspects of choosing a seatpost, with longer seatposts representing the most comfortable option for most riders. It’s important to remember that seatposts have a minimum insertion line to ensure safety, and to minimise the risk of the seatpost cracking. In some cases, riders can cut their own seatposts down to size, although with the range of seatposts on the market - there’s usually the right fit available. 

Road Bike Seatpost Shape

Another consideration to make when choosing your next seatpost - Seatposts can either be layback or straight. These terms refer to where the clamp sits on the seatpost - layback seatposts can give some extra comfort and flexibility, whilst also lengthening the feel of the bike which is handy for taller riders. Although some cyclists choose to experiment, if you are comfortable with how your bike feels on it’s current setup - keep it the same. 

Buy Seatposts Online

At Westbrook, we stock and supply an excellent range of road bike seatposts available to buy online, you can view the full range across our site - and as always, just get in touch if you have any questions about the collection, or which seatpost is compatible with your bike.