Help Needed: Trying to identify manufacturer of my seat post.

About a month ago I picked up a used Trek 5200 road bike. It's four
years old. The seat post was too short, so I swapped it out for a
cheaper, heavier one from an older bike. I would like to get a longer
model from the same company as the original seat post, but I can't
identify the company. The stamp on the post says "Graphite Series,"
and the logo is a cursive "i" (lower case) inside a white oval. Can
anyone identify the company? Are they still around?

--
Rodney Dunning

On Jun 29, 6:57*pm, Rodney Dunning wrote:
About a month ago I picked up a used Trek 5200 road bike. It's four
years old. *The seat post was too short, so I swapped it out for a
cheaper, heavier one from an older bike. *I would like to get a longer
model from the same company as the original seat post, but I can't
identify the company. *The stamp on the post says "Graphite Series,"
and the logo is a cursive "i" (lower case) inside a white oval. *Can
anyone identify the company? *Are they still around?

--
Rodney Dunning

Hi Rodney:


Trek has archives of their previous models. Is this your bike?

http://www.trekbikes.com/int/en/bikes/2004/archive/5200

Peter H

On Jun 29, 3:57*pm, Rodney Dunning wrote:
About a month ago I picked up a used Trek 5200 road bike. It's four
years old. *The seat post was too short, so I swapped it out for a
cheaper, heavier one from an older bike. *I would like to get a longer
model from the same company as the original seat post, but I can't
identify the company. *The stamp on the post says "Graphite Series,"
and the logo is a cursive "i" (lower case) inside a white oval. *Can
anyone identify the company? *Are they still around?


It's "Icon." Icon was Trek's name for house branded
components on their bikes - like bars, stems, seatposts -
before they started using the Bontrager badge for that.
The actual components were probably made by
whichever component manufacturer Trek felt like
contracting them from, as are many other brands of
componentry.

There's no real reason to restrict yourself to Icon
seatposts - since they were an OEM item, finding
one may be a nuisance, and there's no guarantee
they actually had an equivalent-but-longer model.
Any aftermarket seatpost will do, if it fits and suits
your preference in material and clamp design.

Ben

wrote in message
...
On Jun 29, 3:57 pm, Rodney Dunning wrote:
About a month ago I picked up a used Trek 5200 road bike. It's four
years old. The seat post was too short, so I swapped it out for a
cheaper, heavier one from an older bike. I would like to get a longer
model from the same company as the original seat post, but I can't
identify the company. The stamp on the post says "Graphite Series,"
and the logo is a cursive "i" (lower case) inside a white oval. Can
anyone identify the company? Are they still around?


It's "Icon." Icon was Trek's name for house branded
components on their bikes - like bars, stems, seatposts -
before they started using the Bontrager badge for that.

Let's make a point - If Keith Bontrager is really involved in developing
those components the chances are that they're much better than otherwise.

On Jun 29, 8:05*pm, Peter H wrote:
On Jun 29, 6:57*pm, Rodney Dunning wrote:

About a month ago I picked up a used Trek 5200 road bike. It's four
years old. *The seat post was too short, so I swapped it out for a
cheaper, heavier one from an older bike. *I would like to get a longer
model from the same company as the original seat post, but I can't
identify the company. *The stamp on the post says "Graphite Series,"
and the logo is a cursive "i" (lower case) inside a white oval. *Can
anyone identify the company? *Are they still around?

--
Rodney Dunning

Hi Rodney:

Trek has archives of their previous models. Is this your bike?

http://www.trekbikes.com/int/en/bikes/2004/archive/5200

Peter H

The paint job is different, but that's it.

--
Rodney Dunning

Tom Kunich wrote:

wrote in message

*Icon was Trek's name for house branded
components on their bikes - like bars, stems, seatposts -
before they started using the Bontrager badge for that.

Let's make a point - If Keith Bontrager is really involved in developing
those components the chances are that they're much better than otherwise.

Let's also be clear-- it's exceedingly unlikely that Keith Bontrager
has anything to do with any of the components bearing his name
anymore. If that wasn't abundantly clear before, it sure was by the
time Rolf wheels were rebadged as Bontragers.

Chalo

On Jun 30, 9:59*pm, Chalo wrote:
Tom Kunich wrote:

wrote in message

*Icon was Trek's name for house branded
components on their bikes - like bars, stems, seatposts -
before they started using the Bontrager badge for that.

Let's make a point - If Keith Bontrager is really involved in developing
those components the chances are that they're much better than otherwise..

Let's also be clear-- it's exceedingly unlikely that Keith Bontrager
has anything to do with any of the components bearing his name
anymore. *If that wasn't abundantly clear before, it sure was by the
time Rolf wheels were rebadged as Bontragers.

Chalo

Let's be precise as well as clear, if you please, Chalo. When, as in a
year, did Keith Bontrager cease to create the designs sold under his
name?

I have a pair of Bontrager wheels that I love so much I'm carrying
them forward to a custom I'm ordering brazed-. They're Satellite
Elites and they were said to have been "designed by Keith Bontrager
specifically for the Trek Navigator". Of course, objectively, the
identity of whoever designed and built the wheel doesn't detract from
the objective value of a superbly designed and made wheel, but it was
really nice being able to say, "Keith Bontrager designed these wheels
specifically for my bike"....

Andre Jute
Seeking earnestly

Chalo Colina wrote:

Â*Icon was Trek's name for house branded components on their bikes -
like bars, stems, seatposts - before they started using the
Bontrager badge for that.

Let's make a point - If Keith Bontrager is really involved in
developing those components the chances are that they're much
better than otherwise.

Let's also be clear-- it's exceedingly unlikely that Keith Bontrager
has anything to do with any of the components bearing his name
anymore. If that wasn't abundantly clear before, it sure was by the
time Rolf wheels were rebadged as Bontragers.

That isn't what happened. Rolf was demanding license fees for use of
his patented paired spoke wheels, a patent that TREK discovered was
invalid, because he copied it directly from R. S. Lovelace patent from
1890 almost verbatim and adding a fifth claim that it prevented
shimmy. See page 157 "King of the Road" by Andrew Ritchie.

There being no need to pay Rolf for his wheels, TREK made their own
with a different number of spokes and a different shaped rim.
Bontrager is a name they use for most of their in-house products. I
assume Keith Bontrager still lives in Santa Cruz CA. But then that
is immaterial.

Jobst Brandt

Andre Jute wrote:

Chalo wrote:

Tom Kunich wrote:

wrote:

*Icon was Trek's name for house branded
components on their bikes - like bars, stems, seatposts -
before they started using the Bontrager badge for that.

Let's make a point - If Keith Bontrager is really involved in developing
those components the chances are that they're much better than otherwise.

Let's also be clear-- it's exceedingly unlikely that Keith Bontrager
has anything to do with any of the components bearing his name
anymore. *If that wasn't abundantly clear before, it sure was by the
time Rolf wheels were rebadged as Bontragers.

Let's be precise as well as clear, if you please,Chalo. When, as in a
year, did Keith Bontrager cease to create the designs sold under his
name?

Trek bought the Bontrager name in 1995. If I had to guess when
Bontrager component designs were no longer Keith Bontrager's designs,
I'd guess 1995.

Chalo

On Jul 1, 4:31*pm, Chalo wrote:
Andre Jute wrote:

Chalo wrote:

Tom Kunich wrote:

wrote:

*Icon was Trek's name for house branded
components on their bikes - like bars, stems, seatposts -
before they started using the Bontrager badge for that.

Let's make a point - If Keith Bontrager is really involved in developing
those components the chances are that they're much better than otherwise.

Let's also be clear-- it's exceedingly unlikely that Keith Bontrager
has anything to do with any of the components bearing his name
anymore. *If that wasn't abundantly clear before, it sure was by the
time Rolf wheels were rebadged as Bontragers.

Let's be precise as well as clear, if you please,Chalo. When, as in a
year, did Keith Bontrager cease to create the designs sold under his
name?

Trek bought the Bontrager name in 1995. *If I had to guess when
Bontrager component designs were no longer Keith Bontrager's designs,
I'd guess 1995.

Chalo

Thanks. I don't suppose anyone involved will ever come tell us the
truth, so your guess is probably more informed than mine. Pity, that.
I really liked the idea of receiving those fine wheels directly from
Keith Bontrager's finger, so to speak (think of that ceiling in
Rome...).

Andre Jute
Now let us praise great men -- Ecclesiastes