I’m taking a break from writing. Until it’s over, I’ll add content here labeled Did I Really Say That?
I know that Richard sizes his frames for a setback post and I’ve seen a few negative comments about bikes with zero offset posts. Can someone fill me in on the reasons for this ? Is it purely aesthetic or is there a sound reason surrounding geometry/handling/balance ? As always, thanks for insights.
The question about why to use one seat post type over another is still not an easy issue to resolve without parting a room. The non-setback posts were introduced as a way to fudge positions on already-built bicycles. Retrofitting them is fine, I suppose. But designing a bicycle to it rather than to the traditional setback style makes no sense to me.
Zero setback seat posts have become part of the vernacular – they are accepted. It’s sad that bicycles are now designed to the component rather than the way it once was. I don’t think of my position (sic) as living in the past; I think of it as forward thinking (again, no pun intended). I’m aware that having such strong points of view might insult some with fewer miles (and years) than I have. I’ll just live with the consequences.
If you want to know where the saddle should be, belongs, and works/feels best, ride your bicycle. Ride it a lot. Racing it is even better because, as a tool for the sport, nothing is worse than inefficiency. If you’re in the trade and want to help someone figure out what should be where, your riding and racing experiences will be the meal ticket through which the information is channeled. There are many folks with none of this history at all who are now consumers and, worse yet, tradesmen. Not everything comes with an app or a ______ For Dummies manual. If you ask the questions and don’t get the replies you want or hoped for, maybe look inside yourself and wonder if you’re ready to process the information. The only unit of measurement you need to master any of this is miles. If you’re lacking in this department it will take a long time and you still won’t get it.
The above was a reply I gave in mid 2012.
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