Thomson Masterpiece Inline Seatpost

As the distributor i-ride's website says, 'The Thomson Masterpiece Seatpost isn't for everyone.' If it is for you, though, you won't be disappointed. Forget weight, forget carbon fibre this, aerodynamic that... this is a beautiful piece of engineering that showcases a simple product at its absolute best.

• Pros: Beautifully machined and finished, really easy to set up, a timeless classic
• Cons: Some may consider it expensive for an alloy post

Let me lay my cards on the table. I spent a fair few years as a CNC programmer and machinist, so to hold the Thomson seatpost, let alone fit it to my bike, gives me goosebumps. The finish is just exceptional and the attention to detail is second to none.

> Find your nearest dealer here

For a start, the post isn't just machined on the outer diameter, Thomson also does the same for the oval internal one too, to reduce as much weight as it can while claiming to create a seatpost which is over 40 per cent stronger on ultimate strength tests than the strongest production seatposts on the market. Obviously, without a test rig and a shedload of seatposts we can't clarify that, but the Masterpiece is certainly one stiff, solid piece of kit.

According to the FAQs it has a rider weight limit of 91kg but that takes in mountain biking as well, so for road use you could probably use that as more of a guideline... he says to avoid any blame when you end up with a sheared-off post!

Both the head and tube are machined from the same piece of aluminium in one go so there is no bonding or joining anywhere, which increases strength and lowers the weight. Tolerances can be tightly controlled.

I was testing the Hope Carbon seatpost at the same time as this one, and when it comes to comfort there is very little in it. The Hope had a little more flex, as most carbon posts have, but the Thomson never felt harsh. I was using the same saddle too, in case you were wondering.

The two-bolt head system here isn't quite as easy to use as the one found on the Hope, but everything was relatively easy to set up for both fore and aft and saddle level. You get plenty of tilt adjustment too, from -5° to +29°.

On its website Thomson says that its clamp will work fine with a 7mm circular rail and you can get an accessory clamp kit for oversized rails up to 7x10mm, but the standard setup worked fine with the Fizik Aliante 00 I was using with oval rails.

Weight-wise, things are pretty impressive for a full aluminium alloy seatpost, with the Masterpiece coming in sub 200g just for the 330mm option we have here. If you don't run a lot of seatpost you can get away with the 240mm option to save a few more grams.

Speaking of options, there are quite a few with the Thomson. The post comes in either silver or black and in a selection of diameters – 27.2mm, 30.9mm or 31.6mm – and you have the choice of the two lengths above.

This test model is the inline model, where the seatclamp sits right on top of the post, but there is a setback option with a bias of 16mm towards the rear.

Like I said at the top of the report, this seatpost won't be for everyone. Some will see it as overpriced, overly heavy and even over-engineered, and to be fair at its full rrp it is really hitting the ceiling for what I'd pay for a decent seatpost.

Take a look around online, though, and you won't be paying anywhere near that. Some places you'll be paying around the £110 mark and for that kind of money this is a really impressive piece of kit.

> Read more road.cc reviews of seatposts here

Admittedly, you can pick up something like Fizik's Cyrano R3 seatpost for nearly half that and it's only about 20g heavier, plus as a previous owner I can confirm it is a very good component.

The carbon Reilly Cycleworks Vector post is £89.99 and just 160g if you want lighter and cheaper, or the Hope Carbon I've mentioned already is a similar weight to the Thomson but £135. There are lots of options out there.

And yet... the Thomson Masterpiece is literally that: a masterpiece in the way it is machined and designed. It's probably engineered to a level way higher than is necessary for road use, and it could probably lose a fair bit of weight if that was its pure usage, but it is a thing of beauty and, just like the latest frames that we are seeing, aluminium still has a lot to give.

Verdict

A beautifully engineered and finished seatpost that'll stand the test of time