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I realize this isn't everyone's taste, but indulge me for a moment...

I just bought a beater cruiser bike on craigslist, and I'm trying to move the seat farther towards the rear of the bike for a more "relaxed" riding position.

Some questions:

  • Is there a name for this kind of modification? I'm just calling it a "bent seat post", but I might have better luck Googling if I knew what this was called.
  • Is it safe to cut handlebars for this kind of seat post? A local mechanic told me they wouldn't support a person's weight, but some of the examples below appear to be modified handlebars.
  • Is there some other material I can use? Someone suggested water piping, and I'm looking for more alternatives.
  • Can a seat post like this be purchased? I'm guessing no, but you never know.

Some examples via Google:

enter image description here subtle bend

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enter image description here welded joint

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enter image description here

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    One downside is these make the front wheel much more "lifty" when going up a grade. So bear that in mind if you want to (or have to) ride any significant uphills.
    – Criggie ♦
    Feb 14, 2020 at 3:13

3 Answers 3

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After some more searching, it looks like I'm looking for a layback seatpost, and they're available for purchase on eBay.

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    Or "high setback" maybe...
    – freiheit
    Jul 2, 2013 at 17:42
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    I would be wary of frame failures- the torque on the seat post and seat tube with the rider as far back as some show could be too much. Make sure the seat post is relativity stiff and inserts most of the way into the seat tube so it spreads the load on the frame.
    – mattnz
    Jul 4, 2013 at 0:59
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There are seat posts available that have a curve that can be used to the rear or to the front. Without knowing your height or more importantly, your weight, recommendations can't be made, but I'll include links that may help you decide. I surely wouldn't recommend making your own from handle bars or any material you don't know the history of. If the seat post should happen to break off at the wrong moment, (I don't know of any good time for that to happen!), serious injury could follow. Find a seat post meant for and designed for moving the seat rearward.

http://www.chubbyscruisers.com/shop/bent-seat-post

http://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=backward-curved+seat+post+for+bicycles&s_it=spelling&v_t=keyword_rollover

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I used an old chromo handlebar section to make a layback seat post and used it for one winter of riding without problems. I only weigh 155 pounds and my riding was slow and smooth as it is mostly on ice. I have since replace the handlebar seat post with a real layback I found in a junk shop. I only replaced it as it fit, looked better and was cheap. Never even thought about the handlebar breaking, which now seems so obvious I wonder how I missed it.

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