Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say, and after spending some time with Specialized’s remarkable Cobl Gobl-R seatpost we can now see beyond the unconventional looks to the attractive beating heart within.
- Highs: Added comfort, little weight gain
- Lows: Looks take some getting used to
The CG-R is an ungainly looking 27.2mm diameter seatpost. But as initially dismissive eyes look closer, the questions start coming. What’s it for? How does it work? Does it work?
And what better way to answer those than by taking it to the Tour of Flanders? The CG-R was designed with the cobbles of the spring Classics in mind, although there are lots of allegedly paved roads elsewhere that have given it work during testing.
The carbon CG-R has an unusual kink – just below where the post attaches to the saddle – containing an insert made of the same Zertz vibration dampening elastomer that Specialized uses in its Roubaix frames and forks. This insert is 18mm thick, and in theory absorbs some of the shocks delivered by rough roads, ensuring that your saddle remains a more stable platform.
And it works. The Genesis Volare that we attached the post to was already comfortable, but even compared with fitting that frame with a conventional carbon post there was a small but tangible increase in comfort. Don’t get us wrong, the road still speaks to you through this seatpost – and the Flandrian cobbles talk quite loudly – but it never becomes a full-blown slanging match.
The alloy head assembly allows the saddle to be attached and adjusted fore and aft with just one bolt, and while we’ve heard of larger riders suffering from slippage, the 260g post gave no problems to 68kg of tester.
Obviously the CG-R is not a cheap seatpost option, but if comfort is your primary concern it should be somewhere near the top of your list.
