Velo Orange Setback Seatpost

There are very few long setback seatposts out there. Really, just 3 I can think of. One is made by FSA, and FSA’s design mantra is ‘make it look like an off brand Transformers toy from 1987’ so we don’t tend to sell much FSA stuff, except that threaded headset that Rivendell also likes to use, which is the result of a vacuum fluctuation at the FSA factory. It just appears, and they go with it.

Nitto makes a nice one, but really, it’s a bit much. Cost wise but also looks wise. Nickel plated steel shaft, lugged head. If you want it, you want it, but to me a seatpost should be as simple as possible, not ornate. Oh, IRD makes one, but it’s 1 bolt, and we’re not a big fan of one bolt seatposts, as they like to slip.

Right, so back to the Velo Orange Seatpost. It’s 27.2mm as seatposts should be. Comes in shiny black or a weird but elegant brushed polished clear anodized silver. It reminds me of old Suntour stuff, in a good way, but it’s not your typical silver. It’s nicer, really, just different.

2 bolts, front to back, as they should be. We could quibble about the design a bit, but on the whole it’s good. Big M6 bolts, ease of adjustment is probably a 7/10, which is better than 95% of all posts out there.

The Velo Orange setback posts has 32mm of setback, aka 7mm more setback than a Nitto S83 or Jaguar. It’s forged, all one piece, which is far and away the best way to make a seatpost. 300mm long, so not really a mountain length, but it’ll work on most bikes.

Why would you need a seatpost with this much setback? Because bikes these days have silly steep seat tube angles. If your bike has a STA between 73.5 and 75, do yourself a favor, get this post. For the 73.5 seat tube angle bike, put the saddle in the middle of the clamp. For the 75, move it back to the limit lines on the saddle rails. That will help with your fit, but only of course if you also move the bars back a similar amount. IE if you go from a 100mm stem and a 0mm setback post, and put the saddle in the middle of this VO post, you need a 30-35mm shorter stem to keep reach the same. Your knees will thank you.

It’s a bargain, and would be reasonably priced even at 75 bucks.