Shawn Granton, the man behind Urban Adventure League, was running errands in his adopted hometown of Portland. He was riding at a speed normal for those circumstances when the seatpost on his Raleigh Crested Butte broke under him.
What was unusual, though, was the way it failed: in the middle of the tube, near the seat tube collar.
In my four decades-plus as a cyclist, which includes time as a bike mechanic, I have seen and heard of maybe a handful of seatposts that broke. And I can think of only one post besides Shawn’s that broke mid-tube: In my last bike-shop gig, I worked on a warranty claim for a customer who experienced the failure of an early carbon fiber post. I think he rode into a pothole or something, because the jarring threw him forward, away from the jagged edge of the sheared post. Had he not been thrown forward, he could have found out what it’s like to have a broken bottle shoved into his crotch. I don’t wish such a thing on anyone!
The only other mid-tube seatpost failure I can recall happened to a onetime mountain-biking buddy. During a ride in Massachusetts, his post bent about halfway between his saddle and seat collar. Perhaps that doesn’t count as a “failure,” but I don’t think he was anticipating a mid-ride change in his bike’s geometry!
I myself have had two seatpost failures. In the first, about 30 years ago, the seat rail clamp bolt broke on a Laprade-clone post. I was a block from my apartment , on my way home from work. Fortunately,, a driver about 50 feet behind me saw me and swerved away. Only my feet made contact with then pavement.
The second seat post failure was potentially more serious. I wasn’t hurt but I was pissed. On that post—an expensive after-market Syncros—the head, which included the seat clamping mechanism, separated from the tube of the post. I was doing (or trying) some stupid mountain bike trick when the break occurred. I think I did another stupid mountain bike trick to keep myself pedaling , more or less upright, through a turn.
Syncros wouldn’t replace the post, but the shop where I bought it gave me another. Not long after, Syncros had a major recall. At the time, I remember thinking “I should have known better than to buy anything called ‘Syncros’!” After all, it was the name, a few years earlier, of Campagnolo’s early (and short-lived) indexed shifting system. It certainly earned its nickname: “Stinkros.”
Anyway, I am happy that Shawn and his bike are OK—and hope he doesn’t experience another mishap like it.
What was unusual, though, was the way it failed: in the middle of the tube, near the seat tube collar.
In my four decades-plus as a cyclist, which includes time as a bike mechanic, I have seen and heard of maybe a handful of seatposts that broke. And I can think of only one post besides Shawn’s that broke mid-tube: In my last bike-shop gig, I worked on a warranty claim for a customer who experienced the failure of an early carbon fiber post. I think he rode into a pothole or something, because the jarring threw him forward, away from the jagged edge of the sheared post. Had he not been thrown forward, he could have found out what it’s like to have a broken bottle shoved into his crotch. I don’t wish such a thing on anyone!
The only other mid-tube seatpost failure I can recall happened to a onetime mountain-biking buddy. During a ride in Massachusetts, his post bent about halfway between his saddle and seat collar. Perhaps that doesn’t count as a “failure,” but I don’t think he was anticipating a mid-ride change in his bike’s geometry!
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I myself have had two seatpost failures. In the first, about 30 years ago, the seat rail clamp bolt broke on a Laprade-clone post. I was a block from my apartment , on my way home from work. Fortunately,, a driver about 50 feet behind me saw me and swerved away. Only my feet made contact with then pavement.
The second seat post failure was potentially more serious. I wasn’t hurt but I was pissed. On that post—an expensive after-market Syncros—the head, which included the seat clamping mechanism, separated from the tube of the post. I was doing (or trying) some stupid mountain bike trick when the break occurred. I think I did another stupid mountain bike trick to keep myself pedaling , more or less upright, through a turn.
Syncros wouldn’t replace the post, but the shop where I bought it gave me another. Not long after, Syncros had a major recall. At the time, I remember thinking “I should have known better than to buy anything called ‘Syncros’!” After all, it was the name, a few years earlier, of Campagnolo’s early (and short-lived) indexed shifting system. It certainly earned its nickname: “Stinkros.”
Anyway, I am happy that Shawn and his bike are OK—and hope he doesn’t experience another mishap like it.
I recommend only going at walking pace when having an alloy seat post on a friend's bike bend. Just a scratch... Never had any problems on my own bikes in over half a century.
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