thompson v raceface

[Diamondback]

i finally stripped the hell out of my seatpost bolt on a Kalloy generic seatpost. its a weird size 28.6 so it wasnt the easiest to find.

raceface has a diabolus for $59-77 and thompson has one (special order) for $79-90 bucks. and of course the generic kalloy is still $14-20 bucks. easton doesnt even make that size.

if youre not racing XC, just trailriding and dont care much about the weight, whats so good about the thompson? ive been riding for years and never knew why trail riders prefer thompson. is it because you want to look cool? i dont get it. I went ahead and ordered the raceface and saved around 20 bucks.

[Gabriel Zink]

Adrenaline bikes has the 26.8 in stock in thompson. It is the best post on the market.

[BoingBoing]

I thought Thomson was supposed to be lighter and stronger...

Pick two:
a) strong
b) light
c) cheap

[MotoDave]

I also like Thomon's clamp design. I've broken too many cheap setposts ... Yeah I am a fatass.

[bikeadict]

Thomson posts aren't the lightest, but they are the industry standard in durability. if you buy the thomson you'll never replace it with another (unless you go all weight weenie)

[SAR_boats]

Here are the advantages to Thomson vs. Raceface:

Thomson:
Made in the USA (even the fasteners)
Machined from a solid billet of aluminum
Fairly lightweight
Clamp design is set it and forget it.
All fasteners used are grade 12.9 (strongest available)

Raceface:
Made in Taiwan
Fasteners used are grade 9.8 or 10.8
Seat angle clamp can slip if hit hard enough
I believe post and head are investment cast Aluminum. Head is pressed onto post


A Raceface Deus XC post that is 31.6x400mm is 240g a Thomson Elite 31.6x410mm is 247g

A raceface diabolus post that is 27.2x350mm is 356g. I would bet that the Thomson is still stronger.

Don't get me wrong, Raceface makes good parts. I love their cranks (but not their BBs) and I have used their posts and stems without any problem but given the choice I would go with Thomson

[.8down]

dont forget resale...if you pick up a Thomson at 55 used, its almost as good as a new and you care for it, it will sell again for that much or like 5 dollars less. And they sell easy too...if you look at all the ads on here with Thomson(there are lots by the way) they are normally the first things spoken for...that and King headsets...

[Kritter]

You def dont buy thomson for weight. Durability and craftsmanship are why I use them. The posts I replaced were actually lighter.

[dirtyjeff]

Originally Posted by SAR_boats

Here are the advantages to Thomson vs. Raceface:

Thomson:
Made in the USA (even the fasteners)
Machined from a solid billet of aluminum
Fairly lightweight
Clamp design is set it and forget it.
All fasteners used are grade 12.9 (strongest available)

Raceface:
Made in Taiwan
Fasteners used are grade 9.8 or 10.8
Seat angle clamp can slip if hit hard enough
I believe post and head are investment cast Aluminum. Head is pressed onto post


A Raceface Deus XC post that is 31.6x400mm is 240g a Thomson Elite 31.6x410mm is 247g

A raceface diabolus post that is 27.2x350mm is 356g. I would bet that the Thomson is still stronger.

Don't get me wrong, Raceface makes good parts. I love their cranks (but not their BBs) and I have used their posts and stems without any problem but given the choice I would go with Thomson

100% agreed. but,if anything on my bike was going to slip, I want it to be my seat if I "hit it hard enough" , those are my boys, get out of thier way!

[tkblazer]

thomson FTMFW.. only other post i run on my bikes is a gravity dropper

[simonmtb]

I´ve ridden both on trail bikes and think either would be a good choice. Personally I prefer the look of the Race Face post. No matter which you buy, I don´t think you will be dissapointed.

[art23rockpile]

Thomson for seatposts and stems... hands down. I have nothing but good things to say about them. They're finely machined, aesthetically designed, and made in USA.

[BrewMaster]

For seatposts I think it is worth having a good clamping mechanism if for nothing else but to avoid loose bolts and the annoying creaking that comes with that.

I have a cheapo $5 Zion seat post on my bike. Everything about it is fine, but the clamp needs to be tightened every few weeks when it starts creaking. That wasn't the case on my Thomson post.

[Keith B]

People always forget about the Thompson Masterpiece post - its as light as an Easton EC90SL carbon post at 190g

[BoingBoing]

Originally Posted by MotoDave

I also like Thomon's clamp design.

I, too, appreciate the clamp design. It has markings which tell you exactly what angle you have the saddle set at. Perhaps some other seatposts are similar, but I have yet to see that feature elsewhere.

[mntbiker12]

Allow me to jump in for the Raceface... I've owned only Thomsons up until now, but with my current setup, I needed a bit of offset to dial in my cockpit. I couldn't find a Thomson setback when I needed it, so I went with the RF Diablous because it has the inch offset I needed. I've never, ever had any problems with durability, slippage or the clamp. I've been running it on my 5 Spot and I've never been rougher on a bike than this one. Also, I'm pushing 200lbs, so I'm not a light rider. Thomsons are definitely the standard, but in one rider's opinion you can't go wrong with the RaceFace.