Quick release on seatpost (MTB)

[KevinV]

Dunno if this is a dumb question or not...why do some bikes have a quick release clamp on the seatpost and some a standard allenkey clamp? Any particular reason or not really?

[dirtrider]

The one is easier to adjust your saddle . In most cases you can replace the allenkey one with a proper one !

[Johan Bornman]

Quick releases on seatposts are usually of poor quality and after a while they stop working. Even the best ones are junk. Those with clamps on their seatposts have "upgraded" their bikes. Weight weenies will tell you they save 4 grams that way but the real reason is that they've decided to put an end to slipping posts. You'll notice that continuously adjusting your seatpost or sliding it all the way in to make the bike fit in your car's boot, damages the post by gauging deep furrows in it.

 

Clamp your post and forget about it.

[dirtrider]

Johan I don't like to argue with you cause you is cleverer than me but this time you got it wrong ! I have been sliding my bikes seat post in and out for the last 5 years and it still looks as good as new ! As for the seat clamps , I have not managed to break on yet and even the one on my Avalance Reflex still works perfectly . MY wife had one of those permanent clamps on her bike and I got so demoer in everytime I had to go and find a spanner to adjust it that I eventually got the proper thing .

[KevinV]

Thanks Johan, that's what I thought. I don't adjust my saddle height so don't see the point in having the quick release. I assume my LBS will have allenkey clamps in stock so will go get one.

[AndreZA]

How many times do you need/want to adjust your post? On a XC rig you do it once and let it be. If you don't use the feature then replace it with a allen bolt one. I think a cheap allen bolt one still works better then an expensive QR one.

 

 

[AndreZA]

Thanks Johan' date=' that's what I thought. I don't adjust my saddle height so don't see the point in having the quick release. I assume my LBS will have allenkey clamps in stock so will go get one.[/quote']

 

Take your old one with. There are dozens of sizes for these things. Just get the cheap BBB one. They look nice, work great and are cheap.

 

 

[KevinV]

Looks like it boils down to personal preference then. Some friends of mine lowered their seats for downhill singletrack years ago. Would be a mission to get tools out each time. I ride mostly cross country so don't adjust mine.  I agree that any weight saving is not worth anything so it just depends on how often you feel the need to adjust the saddle, whether it's for riding the bike or just transporting it.

[Tumbleweed]

never had a problem with quick release either, so i don't reckon they're all junk.

[Ox_Wagon]

I replaced my quick release with an allen key bolt to stop it sliding and have not had a problem since.

[MintSauce]

If you tighten a quick release post properly it won't slip. At the moment I run an allenkey clamp because I never lower my seat. Just too much hassle. Even a QR clamp will be too much hassle for me.

 

However, having had some experience with an on-the-fly adjustable post, I reckon I see one of those in my future.

 

Not on an XC bike, but on a longer travel bike(5inches +) and specifically for really technical and steep terrain it really makes a huge difference.

 

So....my point being that if you're not as lazy as I am and ride difficult terrain then the QR is the way to go.

 

 

 

 

[Hog_]

Haven't had an issue in more than a year. Granted, I haven't used the thing more than twice. May as well have a normal one then hey?

 

 

[Canaris]

Why the quick release, that is simple, because you want to adjust your saddle height on the fly (okay you have to get off for a few seconds first).

Why would a Mtbker want to do that?  well some riders prefer a lower saddle position on technical climbs,tricky corners and decents.  (Something about more stability with bent knees, and not losing your manhood over the top of the saddle).  However, on jeep track, road and smooth going a heigher saddle can translate into faster times, less pressure on the knees ext.

 

So the solution:  Buy a expensive hydrolic adjustable seatpost OR install a quick release.

 

(Thanx  minty for trumping me on this)

[TNT1]

 

 

So the solution:  Buy a expensive hydrolic adjustable seatpost OR install a quick release.

 

 

Do you need seal oil with that?

 

[HomerSimpson]

I had problems with my QR clamp on and off....I found that after very bumpy, technical ST descents the post would slip a mm or so.  So, one day, when I tried to "fasten it properly" the QR bolt sheared off.  Changed to an Allen key bolt and even a very recent endo did not budge the seatpost at all. 

[Johan Bornman]

Johan I don't like to argue with you cause you is cleverer than me but this time you got it wrong ! I have been sliding my bikes seat post in and out for the last 5 years and it still looks as good as new ! As for the seat clamps ' date=' I have not managed to break on yet and even the one on my Avalance Reflex still works perfectly . MY wife had one of those permanent clamps on her bike and I got so demoer in everytime I had to go and find a spanner to adjust it that I eventually got the proper thing . [/quote']

 

You lie, you don't want to argue with me 'cause I'm gonna beat your ass this weekend on the hills, that's why.

 

I've had very bad luck with my seatposts. The more they cost and the prettier the finish, the worse they look after the first adjustment. My favourite is zig-zag gouges at the back.

 

Seat clamps of the QR type are notoriously badly engineered. Have a look at them. They all have that crappy external cam mechanism and the bolt is engineered so that its weakest part is even more compromised. You'll notice how the bolt is butted so that it is thick in the centre (where you don't want it) and thin at the thread end (where you need extra strength). Plenty of people can tell you how their bolts broke. All of those breaks were in the threads, from repetitive tightening and loosening. If the post has a tendancy to slip, the bolt gets cranked more and more until one day, on a trail far away from home, it breaks.

 

I don't understand why seatposts need constant adjustment. I read here about people who have a favourite pozzie for technical sections, another for wet sections and another for XC. I just ride.