Thomson Masterpiece Seatpost
By Jon Sharp

When I unpacked the Masterpiece seatpost from Thomson, I was awestruck. I kept turning it over and over in my hands—noting with pleasure the fine machining that went into it. As much as I love my mountain bike, it almost seemed a shame to get the Masterpiece greasy and muddy by actually… using it.

What sets Thomson apart from other manufacturers, and what helps them create products of such extraordinary quality, is their original background. You see, Thomson didn't start out in the bicycle industry. In fact, that's not even their main focus. Thomson specializes in machining and has done so for 30 years. Their clients include Boeing, Ford, and Trane. Although you may balk at their relative "newness", one touch, one look at their products will change your mind.

The Masterpiece seatpost is a redesign of their original Elite seatpost—which was, and still is, incredible. By refining the Elite, Thomson has managed to shave 40 grams off the total weight, bringing it down to 193 grams for the 27.2x330mm post. Both the inside and outside of the post is machined from solid aluminum. By machining instead of extruding, they are able to maintain very tight tolerances, so they can keep the weight down, but still create an incredibly strong post.

The head is not bonded or pressed in, but is machined as one piece with the shaft of the post. It has a two-bolt, infinite-adjust clamp with degree-marks laser-etched in for easy adjustment. The clamping area is longer than most other posts—thus making it less likely to bend the saddle rails on hard impacts. Unfortunately, the larger clamping area means less fore-aft adjustment of the saddle on the post.

"That's all well and good," you may say, "but how strong is it?" That is where Thomson's machining experience comes into play—they fatigue-test their posts extensively. From their web site: "The Thomson seatpost has a clamp, head, and upper tube strong enough to withstand 350 foot-lbs of torque. The tube will start to yield and bend at the seat tube clamp at about 250 foot-lbs of torque." That's pretty strong. They also claim that all other posts they have tested failed (not bending, but breaking) at 150 foot-lbs of torque. Perhaps you aren't as pessimistic as I am, but I find it comforting that their post is designed to bend long before it breaks—a much nicer end to a hard landing, if you ask me.

On the trail, I found the post to be stiff, but not as harsh as I expected. Having spent a number of years on a carbon seatpost, I was surprised at how comfortable Thomson can make their aluminum posts. Setup was easy, and I never had problems with the seat slipping in the clamp.

Summary: The Masterpiece is aptly named. It is as beautiful as a seatpost can be—which is much prettier than I imagined possible. The workmanship in this post is as good as, or better than that of most other components on your bike. For $139, you'll have an expensive seatpost—but one that will outlast the rest of your bike, and will make you drool every time you see it. We recommend the Masterpiece seatpost by Thomson to anyone who can afford it. If you can't, try and get the Elite which is almost as light, but only $79.

Jon Sharp is a contributing editor for GearReview.com specializing in mountain biking.

For more information, contact:
L. H. Thomson
bikes@lhthomson.com
478-788-5052