Focus Paralane: Thomson Seatpost Clamp

After changing to the new Hylix seat post, I also changed the seat post clamp at the same time. The stock seat post clamp was too lightweight, and the aluminium bolt actually broke during tightening. I had been using a replacement steel clamp bolt while looking for a replacement seat post clamp.

A replacement seat post clamp was actually hard to find, as it requires an internal diameter of 29.8 mm, which is not common (again). I could only find one from Thomson.

Thomson seat post clamp

Looks pretty strong, with the cylindrical nut design that allows it to pivot as the clamp bolt is being tightened.

Weighs 27 grams, which is OK as long as it works properly.

This seat post clamp can apparently have a high clamping force even with a relatively low tightening torque of just 2.8 N.m.

This is new to me, as I didn't know that for carbon frames, the slot on the seat post clamp should be 180 degrees away from the frame slot.

This was the stock seat post clamp, with the slots aligned.

For the new Thomson seat post clamp, the slot will be placed at the front instead.

Thomson seat post clamp is a bit shorter than the stock clamp, so a bit of raw carbon will be exposed.

Slots of the carbon frame and seat post clamp are located opposite each other, according to Thomson's recommendation.

With the new Hylix seat post and Thomson seat post clamp.

Unfortunately for me, I could not use the stock seat post or the seat post clamp, due to various issues. It is kind of disappointing as I should not have to replace stock parts if I didn't want to.

After changing to this new seat post and seat post clamp, there is a creaking sound when there is load on the saddle, such as riding over uneven ground while I am seated on the saddle. I thought this was due to the lightweight Hylix seat post saddle clamp design.

Also, the seat post will still slip downwards, even though the seat post clamp was already tightened to the maximum torque of 2.8 N.m. This is probably because the surface of the seat post is quite smooth.

Therefore, I added fiber grip paste on the seat post to increase the friction and avoid slippage. At the same time, the creaking sound also stopped. Seems like the creaking sound was actually from the slippage between the seat post and the seat tube, so adding fiber grip also solves this creaking problem.

Latest specifications of the Focus Paralane. Weight is on par with the best road bikes at less than 7 kg without mudguards or pedals.

With the lower weight and lower gear from the 11-36T cassette, this bike can go up Lorong Sesuai rather easily.

Good drivetrain with a good gear range of 30 - 98 gear inches, suitable for 99% of my riding.