Seat post

[smoggy]

I'm thinking of restoring an old (late 80's) road bike but the seat post is too short. It's 27.2mm diameter and I'd need 200mm of extension to obtain a proper fit.

Did anyone make seat posts this long in those days?

I have found some new polished aluminium ones that would look ok (Ritchey for example make one) but would prefer to keep it of the same era.

Cheers

Leigh

 

[hamster]

I don; think it will be too hard to find, depending on exactly how special a post you are looking for...

 

[Jonny69]

I can't think of any from back in the day. They were always a lot shorter and it's only a recent thing to ride a smaller frame with more seatpost.

Have a look on eBay. Raleigh do a budget one in that diameter about 350mm long and it's plain aluminium with no branding.

 

[mjray]

I've been looking at this because I just spotted the "minimum insertion" mark on mine through its surface damage - oops!

Raleigh seem to do chromed steel if that's better for the bike, as well as alloy silver or black. 230mm and 300mm lengths in 25.4 and 27.2 are all about £7 retail so the longer one should be OK - I can let you know after I buy one, if you like, but I think SheldonBrown.com says it's usually 50mm minimum insertion. An integral-clamp alloy post is £23 retail in most sizes from 25.4 to 31.6mm and 400mm long.

 

[smoggy]

Yeah I can find plenty of new posts that would look ok and are long enough and plenty of old ones that aren't long enough!

Some nice ones on Velo Orange.

 

[glpinxit]

After a (very) long search I concluded none were made BITD. I have variously settled for modern alloy and a Campag Centaur steel one. Vanity means I prefer the latter but TBH it is bottom of my list of things I aim to get right (and my long legs mean I never could in the 70/80s either so that feeling remains authentic).

 

[gavr]

Re:

200mm of extension is a lot. The campag seat post came in two lengths, the larger being 180mm. I think the Shimano 6400 was a bit longer but wouldn't have been more than about 200mm total.

 

[mjray]

Re:

Really? I wouldn't have expected Raleigh to start making longer steel posts recently. I thought foot long posts had been about ages but maybe not. Anyone got an old parts catalogue?

 

[gavr]

Re:

Really? I wouldn't have expected Raleigh to start making longer steel posts recently. I thought foot long posts had been about ages but maybe not. Anyone got an old parts catalogue?

They made steel seat posts for shoppers and non racing bikes of course - the Raleigh Twenty seatpost was 330 mm in total length but 28.6 mm diameter, for example...