Bike Build Story: The seat area is now the last part of our component presentation for our Bike Build Story all about the Giant XTC Advanced 29. Here you will find fine carbon from Great Britain and a robust and comfortable saddle from the USA, which is also good for longer distances figure makes.
Seatpost: Hope Carbon Seatpost
We have already installed some parts from the traditional English forge Hope in our body. With the seat post, however, the gentlemen from Barnoldswick in the north of England are a bit out of line. If they are otherwise known for their milling skills and high-quality aluminum parts, the Hope seat post is made of carbon. However, it has one thing in common with all other Hope products: It is manufactured from start to finish on site in Great Britain - 100% Made in the UK.
However, the Hope Seatpost is only part of a major carbon offensive by the British. A handlebar is also planned, which has been in the planning for a long time, and in the meantime they have even designed and produced their own carbon fiber enduro frame - including the complex in-house milling of the corresponding shapes. But back to the seat post: This consists of a total of 24 layers of carbon, most of which are stable T700 fibers. But a lot of thought has been put into it and not just a rude "carbon tube" baked. In addition to the wall thickness itself, the composition of the fabric also varies: For example, the entire clamping area is significantly more optimized for pressure from the clamping.
The saddle clamp itself goes a little back to the roots. Here you rely on high-quality milled clamping jaws with a one-screw fastening. One or the other should already express their first doubts: A single-screw clamp on the MTB? This has always caused problems in the past, especially in connection with high-quality saddles and possibly carbon stays. The clamping screw often had to be tightened very tightly so that the inclination did not change during the ride - in the end the saddle suffered as a result. At Hope, this problem is counteracted with two countermeasures: The jaws sit on a counter plate with a fine grid. This helps with adjustment and also prevents twisting while driving. When fitting the saddle, however, it takes a little patience, as you should get the same notch on both sides. In addition, Hope supplies two different pairs of clamping jaws: Standard for round steel or titanium struts and special jaws for oval carbon struts, which are said to be particularly gentle on the material.
The post is available in diameters of 27,2 / 30,9 and 31,6mm, in lengths of 350 and 400mm and all with an offset of 15mm. Our 27,2mm version with a length of 350mm weighed 183g and was therefore even slightly lighter than the factory specification (185g). At 170€, the Hope seat post is not a bargain, but in view of the high-quality workmanship and production in England it is quite appropriate.
Saddle: SDG Circuit MTN Ti
The right saddle - that's always one of those things. It is perhaps the most individual and personal decision with every bike. Why? Because a saddle simply has to fit, especially if you don't just sit on the bike for 30 minutes now and then, but for several hours and want to prevent uncomfortable pressure points, numbness and pain. The path to the right saddle is often rocky - whether you randomly test yourself, whether you have a sit bone measurement or not, whether you have a fitting made, it doesn't matter: it's often the case that when you've found the right model, you don't want to more away from it.
Only when the saddle fits and is comfortable over longer distances do other features, such as weight, come into play. For our build, we decided on an all-rounder, the SDG Circuit MTN Ti, which the Californians approve for use in areas ranging from XC/marathons to downhill. Accordingly, the weight is also a bit higher than with pure XC racing saddles: our variant with struts made of a titanium-aluminium alloy weighs an impressive 220g. If you want to save a few grams here, you can go for the 165g light (manufacturer information) model with carbon struts.
But you also get a decent padding made of light EVA foam with Kevlar reinforced corners, so that the surface is not completely scuffed after just one season. The microfiber material has a good grip and you shouldn't slip back and forth even when it's wet. The SDG Circuit MTN Ti costs €109, the carbon version is significantly more expensive at €199 - everyone has to decide for themselves how much the almost 50g weight saving is worth.
Web
www.hopetech.com
www.sdgcomponents.com
We have hereby presented all components of our Bike Build Story. In the next few days the complete bike will finally follow and of course a detailed test!