If you have ever felt the bone jarring affects of riding cobblestone streets in that quaint little section of ‘Old Town’, you know what a detriment it can be, to an otherwise beautiful and exhilarating experience. One way to reduce the numbing is to replace your current seat-post with a carbon seat-post.

Many serious riders are moving to carbon seat-posts for a variety of reasons that include better aerodynamics, less weight and dampening of vibrations from the road. Weekend warriors are also beginning to take note of the benefits of carbon seat-posts as a way to ease the occasionally pain advancing from the rear.

Unlike steel, aluminum or titanium, carbon seat-posts can easily be designed in a variety of shapes beyond the standard circular tube style. Today, you can find carbon seat-posts with a leading edge shaped similar to a blade. This not only looks cool and let’s everyone know that you are on the ‘cutting edge’ but it actually does add one more aerodynamic advantage. You’ll find these design features being used by the top racing teams..

If you enjoy expressing your riding prowess in races, every gram counts. A Carbon seat-post is one more way to reduce weight without sacrificing structural integrity or stiffness. In fact, the stiffness of carbon combined with weight reduction, allows for improved transfer of energy into speed.

Another benefit of carbon seat-posts is their ability to dampen vibrations from the road. Depending on the types of highways and byways you frequent, carbon seat-posts can help alleviate some of the affects of those ‘bad vibrations’ that have been having a numbing effect for generations of cyclists. In addition, depending on the amount of seat-post exposed, carbon can certainly help to reduce the shock and awe of the pothole prize winning back roads that await the unsuspecting cyclist.

Carbon seat-posts appear to be a high technology solution to an age old problem for many in the cycling world. With the design characteristics inherent in composite carbon materials, it would appear that carbon seat-posts will continue to grow their advantage over the competition. If you want to follow the leaders, the leaders are following carbon composite technology.

Weight reduction to save valuable time off bike race time in a primary reason for development of carbon fiber. The lightweight carbon frame and wheel sets should be equally fit with a carbon bottle cage for further weight reduction. It is an important component that carries body-replenishing fluids. The lightweight design should not clamp the bottle for difficult retrieval but still hold on bumpy roads. Design and weight are both important.

Performance Bicycle supplies the Forte Alpha Carbon cage. This containment device features and open front for easy bottle retrieval during the ride. It also has a friction tab to hold bottles fast when not in use by the cyclist. The lightweight design has a 26-gram weight and generally sells for $30.00. The less expensive Forte steel bottle cage has a total 55-gram weight for comparison.

The Elite Strada Carbon is also available from Performance Bicycle and Bike Nashbar. It has a relatively aerodynamic shape and 34-gram weight. Cyclists can feel comfortable the water bottle will not fall during the ride but still allows the bottle to be acquired easily even on the downhill. This bottle cage has a stylish appearance and typically sells for $40.00. Cousin to the Elite Strada Carbon is the Elite Custom Race Cage. Similar in weight, this cage may be purchased for $25.00.

Carbon Bike Parts is a new company located in Nevada. The company was founded by a group of semi-pro cyclists with a desire to provide quality carbon bicycle parts for a more affordable price. They have released a carbon bottle cage comparable to those available from Bike Nashbar and Performance Bicycle. The carbon bottle cage has a stylish sleek design for better aerodynamics when mounted to the frame. The Carbon Bike Parts water bottle cage has a 20-gram weight and can be purchased for $20.00.

Competitive cyclists may want to replace the steel bottle cage with the carbon to shave important gram weight from the bicycle. This bike component may only be a small weight addition to the frame. However, a few seconds can make a difference in a close important race.