American Classic seatpost review

American Classic’s unique J-bend at the top of this post keeps weight down without obviously compromising strength. The range of saddle adjustment that it offers is massive – you can even point the bend forwards if you want an especially short reach to the bars.

The slightly fiddly but high strength three-section clamp secures the saddle rails at the same time as it clamps onto the top of the shaft where this curves back. By moving the clamp forwards or backwards saddle tilt can be adjusted, but while this process is easy it also alters the setback measurement which makes it tricky to perfect your positioning.

The American Classic post is designed for road and mountain bike use. It’s a good weight for off-road use. On the road, there are lighter options and it lacks their damping abilities, although the layback helps take the sting out of harder hits. The graphics spiralling around the post aren’t exactly subtle.