With the rise in popularity of allroad and gravel cycling there has been a big influx of dampening components to improve ride quality. That includes suspension stems and seat posts which help turn even rigid bikes into plush rides. The Ergon CF Allroad Pro Carbon seatpost is one of the early innovators in this field and has been available on Canyon bikes as the VCLS seatpost for a few years. Ergon has now made the seatpost available for direct purchase with Ergon branding with a $299.95 retail price. Instead of springs or complicated mechanisms, the CF Allroad Pro Carbon seat post uses an innovative VCLS Leaf Spring which stands for vertical comfort lateral stiffness. The seatpost is constructed from a carbon fiber composite and features a 353mm length and is available in two variations: zero offset or a 25mm set back.
The Ergon CF Allroad Pro Carbon suspension seatpost combines a clever two-piece leaf spring design with carbon fiber construction.
| Rating | 8.5 / 10 |
| Retail Price | $299.95 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 239 (25mm set back) |
| Likes | + Innovative suspension design + Leaf spring adds compliance without excess motion + Generous minimum and maximum insertion lengths accommodates different setups |
| Dislikes | – Premium price – Open sides can trap dirt and water – Adjusting seat angle requires removing the seatpost from the bike |
| Where to Buy (US) | Ergon |
UNBOXING
The Ergon CF Allroad Pro Carbon seatpost comes in a large bright green box and graphics of the seatpost printed onto it. Spec and marketing details are printed along the sides. Inside the box you’ll find:
- Ergon CF Allroad Pro Carbon seatpost
- Carbon fiber shim
- Assembly paste
- Instruction manual
The included assembly paste is to lubricate the exterior and center contacting points for smooth operation. There is also an optional shim that can be placed near the center contact point between the two pieces of the seat post to eliminate any creaking or movement. Ergon includes standard round seat rail clamps with the seatpost and sells optional 7×9 carbon rail clamps for an extra $29.95.
FIT & FINISH
While companies like Redshift and Kinekt combine standard seatposts with suspension components at the saddle attachment point, the Ergon CF Allroad is a fully integrated design. The seat post uses a VCLS Leaf Spring which is short for vertical comfort lateral stiffness and is constructed using a two piece design. One bolt near the bottom of the seatpost holds the two sides of the seatpost together while the seat clamp region can flex upward and downward. Ergon claims a maximum rearward deflection of 20mm which can help absorb impacts and rough roads. It’s a clever design that keeps the weight of the seatpost down while still providing dampening.
Ergon offers the seatpost in a zero offset or the 25 mm set back version that is shown in this review. The seat post is quite long with a 353mm length and has a 27.2 mm diameter. Minimum insertion length is 255 mm while maximum insertion is 152 mm which should accommodate most riders. While this design looks sleek, it comes with a few downsides as the two piece setup does not allow for Di2 battery storage and there is a 220 lb weight limit. The seatpost is not designed for mountain biking, instead it is targeted toward road, all road and gravel cycling as a way to dampen the ride.
There are no adjustments in the stiffness of the seatpost, you can only adjust the seat tilt between -5 to 5 degrees by loosening the bottom bolt. Markings on the side of the seatpost make it easy to see the current angle adjustment and fine tune the fit. To adjust the seat angle the entire seatpost must be removed from the bike to access a hex bolt on the bottom which can be a bit cumbersome. However, attaching saddles is straightforward as it uses a two bolt side clamp design that is compatible with round saddle rails or oval rails with an optional kit. Ergon has incorporated what they call a Flip Head clamp which is exactly what it sounds like. Each side of the clamps can be removed and flipped to the other side to increase the range of saddle positions forward or backwards based on user preference.
COMFORT
We swapped out our budget friendly Whisky Parts Co No. 7 carbon seatpost on our Triban RC 520 for the Ergon CF Allroad Pro Carbon seatpost. Aside from the annoyance of having to remove the saddle to adjust the seat angle, installation is straight forward. Ergon has been quite generous with the length and min / max insertion lengths which allowed us to run a tall seatpost setup with room to spare. Unlike the springy Kinekt seatpost we rode with the Stromer ST5 which you feel move under you in most settings, the Ergon CF Allroad Pro Carbon feels more like a standard rigid seatpost as it can’t really be deflected by hand.
The claimed 20mm deflection range is nearly imperceptible while you are riding. Instead, we’d say the seatpost feels more like upgrading to wider tires as it dampens out harshness while retaining some feedback. Depending on your riding preferences this may be a positive or negative. For us, we preferred this stiffer suspension setup as it can also be used on road bikes without compromising the feel of the bike as softer setups can do. The simple leaf spring design is also only marginally heavier than standard seatposts which is a nice perk. There is some additional maintenance with this split design as dirt and debris can get between them which you’ll have to keep an eye on.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Ergon CF Allroad Pro Carbon seatpost to have a clever design and smooth ride. Rather than using springs or complicated clamp heads, Ergon has created a split carbon seatpost that uses a leaf spring design to reduce harshness and absorb impacts. The non-adjustable design is on the stiffer side compared to other suspension seatposts designs but provides compliance on or off road. We found the ride to be comparable to swapping to wider tires as the seatpost results in a smoother ride without compromising feel. The main downsides of the Ergon CF Allroad Pro Carbon is the premium price point, open sides which can trap dirt and the fact that the seatpost needs to be removed to make angle adjustments. That said, the Ergon CF Allroad Pro Carbon is a great suspension seatpost that doesn’t compromise feel or add a significant amount of weight.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Ergon. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.