seat post's

[ferret]

What makes one seat post better than another or what to look for when choosing a new seat post 

[Butterfly]

Don't buy a Push?
What do you want it for? Fast bike, touring, audax, shopping?

[ferret]

good question, I suppose a bit of everything except fast!!! only do fast down hill so that doesn't count

[Deano]

Twin bolts make for easier adjustment of saddle angle.

Layback/inline affects your position.

Length counts too - you don't want too much inside the seat tube.

If none of that matters, I'd go for the cheapest one of the right diameter.

[Butterfly]

Depends. I've just finally found a secondhand thudbuster to fit my Galaxy and the tandem (they've shared before) and my bottom and shoulders are soooo happy .

Otherwise, not a Push (did I mention that? ).

[Deano]

I hadn't thought of suspension. There are probably a few other things I've forgotten, too

[Jurek]

Don't bother with carbon fibre ones.
Unless you are a weight weenie.
Although there are some really sexy ones out there  (I have an Easton EC 70 on one of my bikes) it's  only marginally lighter than an ally equivalent  - at a fraction of the cost of a c/f one

[Veloman]

Don't bother with carbon fibre ones.

But I find my carbon seat post absorbs more bumps/vibrations than my alloy alternatives.

Agree about the weight as my Alpina is same as alloy posts.

[Euan Uzami]

ones where the top and bottom parts of the clamp aren't inline with each other
like this one: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/use-alien-titanium-cyclops/rp-prod8259?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Shopping&utm_name=UnitedKingdom&gs=1&gclid=Cj0KEQjwjtGfBRCN4-LU9ODG1-wBEiQAy_Xp7wWHxJUuy65IO5ntj2P03popd7wh7vJvP0wxruMaUiwaAjIi8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
put more stress on the rails of the saddle ...

...than ones where the top and bottom clamps both clamp the same piece of rail, like this one:
http://www.probikekit.co.uk/bicycle-saddles-seatposts/thomson-elite-inline-seatpost/10779931.html?utm_source=googleprod&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=gp_cycling&affil=thggpsad&switchcurrency=GBP&&affil=thgppc&gclid=Cj0KEQjwjtGfBRCN4-LU9ODG1-wBEiQAy_Xp759DtSccGE7M0W8YLaTGC0ciV9htaJ6t0kJhuRIJWcsaAkMm8P8HAQ

most saddle rails can probably cope with the 'increased stress' of the former type but the latter type is obviously better.

single bolt ones like this http://www.wiggle.co.uk/use-sumo-titanium-350mm-seat-post/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&utm_source=pla&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=uk&kpid=5360174322
the clamp is lighter but they usually rely on friction and thus have to be torqued up, so might suffer from the inconvenience of not being able to alter it with a multi tool if necessary.

[ferret]

I'm not going for suspension, at least I don't think I am ? so basically is there any point spending 60 or 70 quid on a alloy seat post when I can get one for 15 quid, I mean they're all round tubes with fancy brackets on one end, right ??

[PaulF]

For me the bracket design makes the most difference in getting it precisely adjusted. Favourite one in that respect is a Bontrager post that has a bolt that sits parallel to the cranks and allows very precise adjustment of the saddle angle

Got a carbon post on my road bike which is much more forgiving than the alloy post it replaced (coincidently a Push) but I don't have much post showing on that bike.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Some are black some are not.   

[ferret]

Nail and head come to mind there asterix, this is pretty much what I think;)

[mrcharly-YHT]

Black Al ones are much less likely to bind inside the down tube.

Twin bolt are a pig to get the seat on, but then very easy to make small adjustments.

Some seatposts won't work with some saddles. The Genesis-branded one that came on my CDF won't fit a Brooks saddle.

[vorsprung]

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/apostrophe

[Wowbagger]

I have had both carbon and aluminium on my bike. I bought carbon not because it was lighter, but because I was trying to remove as many causes of vibration, and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, as I could. The carbon one was a git to adjust because it was constantly getting stuck in the steel frame. I've still got it but I replaced it with a cheap aluminium one, which snapped. I now have another not-very-expensive aluminium one which hasn't snapped yet. I weigh more than 18 stone. This could be a contributory factor in seat post snappage.

[zigzag]

my preference for seatposts - correct layback, infinitely small seat angle adjustments, light weight, flex for comfort. and it shouldn't break, of course

[Mike Conway]

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/apostrophe

Ha! I was going to ask what belongs to the seat posts of the world...

Thomson inline posts for me, though Condor has one that does exactly what a Thomson does - twin bolt / light / alloy etc.

[ferret]

now thats useful info mrcharly so maybe my question should be what would be a good seat post for a road bike used for a bit of everything that would be a good fit on a brooks b17