Salsa Cycles Shaft

Price Paid:  $38.00 at aebike (I think)

Favorite Ride:
any less cars

Summary:
A seatpost is a seatpost, right? Well that's what I thought. But the Salsa Shaft changed my opinion. It's a really nice seatpost that is a doddle to adjust. It just makes your life easier. As I said, I thought seatposts didn't vary that much -the Shaft made me rethink. Top marks.

Strengths:
adjustability, really nicely engineered, got a quality feel.

Weaknesses:
Graphic does wear off if you use a wedge pack. Bolt does protrude out farther than other seats (no problem for me though). Not sure if it's sturdy enough for off road rides, but for on road, it's been terrific.

Similar Products Used:
various seatposts

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is the best seatpost ever! What makes it so great is the independent fore-aft and tilt adjustment. With other posts, trying to adjust these two at once is a huge pain, but with this one you can set the fore-aft and then adjust the tilt without ruining it. Also the way that the tilt is adjusted is much more precise than anything else I have ever seen.

Bonus: It says shaft on the back, how cool is that?

Strengths:
Ease of precision and adjustability, looks, price, comes in nearly all sizes.

Weaknesses:
None!

Similar Products Used:
Bontrager, a buch of cheap generic posts.

Price Paid:  $45.00 at Jenson USA

Favorite Ride:
Anytime it's not raining

Bike Setup:
'02 Colnago Master X-Light, Campy Chorus/Record mix, Mavic OP's, Deda Newton stem/bars, Selle Italia Flite Gel,
Vredestein Fortezza's

Summary:
This is a very clever design. You can dial in your seat angle and adjust your fore and aft position with a separate adjustment. Once you have your angle dialed in you will never have to touch it again. I was looking for a setback seat post to replace a Thomson Elite and I wanted something that would not break the bank. I found one for $45.00 at Jenson USA. The only problem is it was a 410mm (they did not list lengths for the 27.2) and I had to cut it down). It also matches the graphics of my Colnago. It doesn't have a big chi-chi factor, but it works.....

Strengths:
Unique design, black finish, nice graphics, easy to set up, PRICE. It works.

Weaknesses:
I've had to reset the angle twice as my saddle tilt shifted back on the first two rides. My saddles have to be perfectly level in order to work. Weighs more due to the extra bolts. The bolts will be hard to get to if you have a saddle like a San Marco Regal where the sides are not cut out like the new era saddles (no problem with my Selle Italia Flite). Make sure you order the right length. I could not find a 27.2 250mm, I had to cut a MB down, but it was easy.

Similar Products Used:
Thomson Elite non-setback.

Price Paid:  $56.00 at Bike USA

Favorite Ride:
Any ride I'm on

Bike Setup:
Litespeed Classic w/Ultegra, Kestrel carbon fork, wheelsmith wheels.

Summary:
This is really an innovative design: Saddle tilt is controlled by a cam-like device which is secured by separate bolts from the one which holds the saddle rails; the tilt bolts are easily accessable from the side. No more fumbling to make precise saddle adjustments. You can set tilt without affecting saddle fore-aft position and vice versa. {By the way, another reviewer was woried about the tilt bolts interfering with guys who have big legs and a narrow saddle. I match that description: no problems at all with the bolts hitting my thighs.}

Strengths:
Beautiful design: saddle fore-aft and tilt adjustments totally separate, tilt can be adjusted easily and precisely to fractions of a degree.

Weaknesses:
A touch heavier than posts in the $100 range. Not in most of the catalogs, and forget finding one at your LBS, but Bike USA has them. WWW.BIKEUSA.com

Similar Products Used:
Ultegra

Price Paid:  $79.00 at local bike shop

Favorite Ride:
solo training ride, local loop, hard and long

Bike Setup:
KHS zh2b with ultegra 8, 3ttt aero bars. (difficult bike to set up)

Summary:
Doesn't matter if you're setting up a new bike, a new saddle, or just trying to refine your position, the Salsa shaft gets the job done quickly and precisely. No fumbling or bumbling.
It stays put and is good lookin'! There may be lighter posts, more expensive posts, but none that offer the adjustability ease of the Shaft.

Strengths:
Easy adjustment, koool looks

Weaknesses:
They don't offer a 250mm in black yet. So I bought a mt. post and cut it down, losing some of the kooool graphics. They have promised to have one available this month (March 01). I can hardly wait to Salsafy another bike!!!

Similar Products Used:
A.C., Kalloy, Sakae, Nitto