One of the easiest things you can do if you fancy a cheeky little upgrade is to buy a new seatpost, and if you really want to treat yourself then this Hope Carbon edition is one to go for. It looks stunning, weighs next to nothing and has one of the simplest seatclamp designs for the user going. It’s a beauty.

  • Pros: Excellent seatclamp design, easily adjustable, amazing quality
  • Cons: You can go carbon for a lot less

Hope is very proud of the fact that it designs, tests and manufactures in-house here in England, and when it delivers stuff like this seatpost it’s easy to understand why.

> Find your nearest dealer here

First of all, I found the installation and adjustment of the saddle very simple. Rather than bond a clamp into the top of the carbon fibre tube Hope has created an assembly that passes through the post. (If you’re interested, you’ll find this drawing on Hope’s website of the assembly.)

hope_technology_limited_carbon_seat_post_-_saddle_clamp.jpg
hope_technology_limited_carbon_seat_post_-_saddle_clamp (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

It’s a selection of beautifully CNC machined aluminium alloy mounting plates which have near-infinite adjustment for saddle angle.

You don’t need to remove any part of the assembly to get the saddle in place, all you do is loosen the bolt that passes through the centre, line up the rails and tighten. There are a selection of adapters to fit non-round saddle rails too.

The Hope weighs 197g for this 27.2 x 350mm post, which is pretty good but certainly not the lightest we’ve seen. Hope has gone for durability and strength, claiming that the Carbon post can be used for road riding plus cross-country and even downhill mountain biking.

It’s achieved this by using T700 for the post, which has one of the highest tensile strengths for what are known as ‘standard modulus’ carbon fibres.

The shape also helps, as the inside of the post isn’t round; the wall thickness of the rear section is thicker than the rest of the post.

hope_technology_limited_carbon_seat_post_-_detail.jpg
hope_technology_limited_carbon_seat_post_-_detail (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

Hope also uses various layups of carbon fibre on the outer diameter to resist pressure from the seat clamp and to give the neat finish.

For height adjustment you get clear markings on the rear of the post in 10mm increments. Going by the minimum insertion line there is a good 270mm of length to the saddle rails.

hope_technology_limited_carbon_seat_post_-_measure.jpg
hope_technology_limited_carbon_seat_post_-_measure (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

This is the only length option in a 27.2mm diameter, but you can get a 400mm post in either 30.9mm or 31.6mm diameters.

All of this adds up to a very well designed and engineered product, which is why you are paying more for it than others on the market. For most road applications it is probably over-engineered, but with the quality you know that longterm durability shouldn’t be an issue.

> How to set your saddle height

The recently reviewed Reilly Cycleworks Vector seatpost is lighter than the Hope by 36g and a lot cheaper at £89.99, so as I said up top, you can go carbon for a lot cheaper. But I stand by my overall findings, that as a package the Hope post is an exquisite piece of kit for whatever type of bike you are riding. The quality is exceptional – but only you can decide whether it is worth the extra outlay.

Verdict

An excellent piece of engineering with looks to match, which arguably makes it worth the money

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Hope Carbon Seatpost

Size tested: 27.2x350mm

Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Hope describes it as, “UK manufactured Carbon seat post, light enough for Road and XC use and strong enough for DH. Stiff, light and strong Carbon Seat Post.”

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Hope:

100% designed, tested and manufactured in Barnoldswick, England

High strength carbon fibre construction with aircraft grade aluminium seat rail clamps

Smooth internal surface finish removes any unnecessary resin rich areas to minimise weight

Varying wall sections to optimise weight and areas of high stress concentrations

Same ultra-fine seat rail adjustment as tried and proven on our previous ‘Eternity Seatpost’

Available in Ø27.2mm x 350mm, Ø30.9mm x 400mm and Ø31.6mm x 400mm

Weights: 27.2 185g// 30.9 & 31.6 220g

15mm layback

Each seat-post employs 24 individual ‘plies’ of carbon, pre-impregnated with a highly toughened epoxy resin system, designed to ensure a safe and rugged unit.

The bulk of the laminate comprises Unidirectional T700 fibre – the highest strength Standard Modulus fibre available. (Unidirectional fibres provide the maximum tensile strength and stiffness with minimum weight.)

This is combined with strategically positioned plies of 3K twill woven fabric, adding hoop strength to resist clamping forces and mitigating failure mode in the event of serious crash damage.

The 1K 2×2 twill weave fabric outer ply, also contributes in this respect together with a super smooth finish and striking visual aesthetic.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

It depends how you look at it. As a generic carbon seatpost it’s heavier than some half the price, but if you take into account the quality, the machining and the design, you can see why it costs what it does.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Really easy to set up and very comfortable to ride on.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

It’s just a beautifully thought out package.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Some will find the price excessive.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

There are carbon fibre seatposts and there are carbon fibre seatposts… This Hope Technology Carbon post is one of the most comprehensively engineered packages out there, but it comes at a price.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month’s test bike  My best bike is:

I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed