TEST & REVIEW: GENETIC SYNGENIC SEATPOST

GENETIC SYNGENIC SEATPOST

249g (27.2 300mm as tested) £34.99

The Genetic Syngenic Seatpost is a superbly well executed aluminium alloy model, pitched at racers. It certainly offers tremendous bang for very modest buck. Being picky, I’d like to see stainless, rather than electroplated fasteners but this is a very minor niggle.

Pros: Beautifully finished, lightweight and affordable post.

Cons: Limited range of diameters may alienate owners of older mountain bikes.

Genetic Syngenic Seat post cycle bicycle test review

Materials

Consensus within the office, suggested the model was a Thomson homage and a very good one at that. Standards of construction and detailing are very pleasing. The main post is made from double butted, CNC machined, 7075 series aluminium alloy.

Gentic syngenic seat post test review bicycle cycle

Ours was the road typical 300mm but there is a loftier 400mm option, for taller riders and/or mountain bikers. You can have any diameter you like, so long as its either 27.2 and 31.8.

Owners of older, mid to upper end mountain bike framesets (such as my Univega) might grumble a bit but these are the contemporary standards.

Genetic cite weights as being 215 and 251g, respectively. Ours came up as 249g. Nonetheless, this is impressive and a decent upgrade, from a stock, OEM model.

The black anodized finish is of an equally high standard. Much better than I’ve come to expect from this end of the market. I’d accidentally dropped the cradle, from four feet, onto a concrete garage floor - not a scratch. When it comes to my Holdsworth, I like an in-line design, since these place me, directly over the bottom bracket, for optimal power transfer.

However, for most other applications, some layback is welcomed. Minor points about electroplated fasteners, the twin bolt design, offers easy adjustment- I habitually default to for the torx bit, rather than 4mm Allen key, to avoid rounding/chewing.

Similarly, I find a decent wet lube, applied more frequently, more convenient than stripping and greasing. Ours bedded in, slackening very slightly, during the first few iles. Nipped tight with my Torx driver, they’ve not missed a beat in 300 miles.

Detailing

Continuing this theme, laser-etched graphics, extend to height and minimum insertion marks, make for easy adjustment/reinstatement, come seasonal re-greasing. Talking of which, if you’re building a bike from scratch, or following a respray, as with my gravel on a budget project rather than upgrading, be sure to have the seat tube cleaned and reamed first.

Otherwise, you run the real risk of unnecessary, and unsightly scratching. As you’d hope, ours was a precision fit in all my 27.2 seat tubes, gliding effortlessly up and down.

Performance

Most of the test miles have been on my fixed gear cyclo/cross cum gravel build, primarily since its regular Cane Creek Thudbuster ST proved incompatible with Passport bike packing seat pack (review to follow).

Saving 211g over said, greatly revered “boinger” With a decent 50mm, or so deep within its seat tube, there was still plenty of scope for bigger wedge packs, such as this Gran Fondo and SQR type luggage.

If you’re going this route, be sure to nip the SQR bracket very snug, to prevent it flexing and ultimately, making inroads into the finish. That aside, it has delivered in every respect. True, at 70 odd kilos, I’m hardly taxing components, in the same fashion as someone nudging 90.

I’d never subject it (or indeed, any nice post) to the rigors of trailer tugging - keep that OEM model, or a more basic design for this, if your machine(s) earn their keep, during the week.

Nonetheless, I’ve subjected ours to a mixed terrain diet, comprising of unmade, dirt roads, poorly surfaced roads and long, steady miles. Reassuringly rigid, there’s no doubting that my Thudbuster left me feeling fresher, at the end of a 50/60mile, mixed terrain escape and there were times, when carbon or titanium’s additional zing and lower weight might’ve been welcomed.

However, even across rougher sections, with Cro-moly hosts, I never experienced any butt numbing, spine tingling buzz and would readily spec its 400mm counterpart, for my mtb based gravel rocket.

Conclusion

Aluminium alloy seat posts might seem a touch Cinderella, compared with carbon composites and titanium. Nonetheless, they remain extremely relevant, durable options for general riding. Bottom line, I’d recommend the Syngenic to anyone wanting a nice post, but without putting a dent in their bank account.

Verdict: 4/5 Great value seat post that’s good enough for a nice bike, cheap enough for a workhorse.

Michael Stenning

www.ison-distribution.com

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