ritchey super logic single bolt carbon seatpost
there has been much discussion, if that's the correct term, on youtube lately over absolute black's hollowcage, shimano only, carbon jockey replacement unit, offering an oversized lower wheel, the effectiveness of which has been disparaged by several of those posting in the video channel. much of this 'discussion' surrounds the substantial price-tag attached to the device, one that outweighs the price of shimano's entire eleven-speed dura-ace rear derailleur. claims of increased efficiency or improved aerodynamics, if true, are highly unlikely to make any real difference to those of us without a professional contract in our back pockets. it could, therefore, aside from all the hoo-ha, be regarded as a solution looking for a problem.
of course, those of us who have lived in the velocipedinal realm for many years, have long been acquainted with the law of diminishing returns, where the cost of purported incremental improvements bear costs in inverse proportion to those benefits. whether you're willing to indulge in dave brailsford's almost mythical 'marginal gains' depends on both how easily led you are, and how deep are your financial pockets. i should make it plain that there's nothing intrinsically wrong with purchasing expensive components or doohickies for whatever reason, always assuming you're not placing yourself in debt to do so. after all, there are any number of motorists driving so-called sports edition vehicles, when their demands extend no further than getting to and from the office each day and the supermarket at the weekend.
for almost the last four years, my principal ride has been a steel ritchey logic frame, originally featuring a campagnolo chorus groupset, before being upgraded to record twelve-speed and a set of bora wto carbon wheels. however, through both variations and until last week, i have sat on a brooks cambium light saddle atop a 350mm ritchey logic aluminium one-bolt seatpost. unlike the single rear bolt that featured on the original campagnolo seatpost of yesteryear, the solitary clamp bolt about which ritchey make mention runs at right-angles to the direction of travel.
i'd be fibbing if i said it's every bit as simple a process to fit the saddle, as was the case on the aforementioned campag post, but there's no denying its ingenuity of purpose. and, if as many of us do, you have a seatpack in which to carry tools, tyre levers and a spare inner, there's no need to remove the latter to adjust the saddle. the one-bolt carbon seatpost generously sent by ritchey for review, features the same means of saddle fitting on the top of a similar 350mm length.
i confess that my reason for requesting such an item for review (after all, who the heck reviews seatposts?) was the substantial difference in price between the alloy version and its carbon fibre accomplice. the alloy post retails at a perfectly reasonable (i think) £75.50, but choosing carbon will deplete your bank balance by a further £153. and up till now, it never really dawned on me to ask why? from a weight weenie point of view, there's a saving of 82 grammes, or, in real money, three ounces. as several of my cycling colleagues have been keen to point out, i could save more by getting a decent haircut.
i would respectfully suggest that those 82 grammes would only make sense in conjunction with several other weight-saving ploys. when riding up the 6% climb past the rspb's aoradh farm, i know i was no quicker than the previous week, when carbon was not yet my friend.
fitting the post (27.2mm diameter) was entirely without drama. ritchey advise not twisting the post into place, thus avoiding scoring the carbon surface and subsequently causing potential stress risers. a drop of green oil on the lower portion of the post had it easily slide into place, before being clamped in place by the seatbolt. from an aesthetic point of view, the post does look impressively sleek and professional, even if it actually confers no measurable performance gains. however, it does seem a tad prone to scratching; after fitting my seatpack, i'd to slide the velcro strap upwards by one centimetre, in the process of which i incurred a small scratch near the logo. hardly a capital offence, but an unwelcome one nonetheless. perhaps an outer clearcoat would have fended off such absent minded ineptitude.
so, are there any gains to be had from fitting almost £230 worth of carbon seatpost? though i cannot claim to have ridden twice around the world in order to evaluate the item's potential benefits, the only determinable difference between it and its alloy counterpart, would appear to be a slight diminution of road buzz. if you can imagine islay's road surfaces to be a never-ending series of little pointy summits, the carbon seatpost gives the impression that those summits are now more rounded. it's possible that, on longer rides, this may prove an accumulative benefit, leading to a smidgeon less fatigue overall, but whether you feel that to be worth an extra £153, i will leave to your own judgment.
on the plus side, the one-bolt mechanism held the saddle rock solid over a variety of surfaces, including several cattle grids, while it remained at precisely the height it had been set before the grand d&eacutepart.
from a distance, it looks little different from matt black alloy, especially following a relentless drubbing from islay's equivalent of 'belgian toothpaste'. however, there is always the smug satisfaction that goes with riding one of the world's top steel frames, replete with a matching carbon seatpost (if that doesn't seem overly contradictory). and much to their credit, ritchey do not actually make any extravagant claims for carbon over alloy.
you pays your money, you makes your choice.
ritchey logic single-bolt carbon seatpost