Cupertino Bike Shop sold quite few French Laprade seat posts in the late '70s/early '80s and they held up well in all sorts of applications for all kinds of riders. Some were on the front of tandems with the stoker stem & bars attached and I don't recall any reliability problems even when put under that additional strain. Virtually all we sold were 26.8, 27.0 and 27.2mm diameter, so Fred's note about the 25.4mm diameter is probably something to consider.
The serrations that created seat angle adjustments were somewhat finer than the Japanese version and gave better adjustibility choices, and certainly held the saddle rails in a better grip than a one-bolt Campy Super Record of the same era, IMHO. The quality of workmanship was better than the Japanese version, but the cost was double too. Overall, a very nice product at a fair price, perfectly at home on bikes of the highest quality. The main problem was finding a reliable source of wholesale supply here in the States, especially after the Japanese version became available.
I can't recall if Laprades were the first one-bolt seat posts, but am having difficulty remembering any that came before. I think they preceded the Campy SR units by a few years.
Bill Bryant Santa Cruz, California
Fred Rafael Rednor wrote:
> A few minutes ago I sent a message in which I mentioned
> that I had one of these crack, seemingly spontaneously.
> Afterwards I realized that the post that broke had a
> diameter of 25.4 millimeters - the wall thickness of the
> tubular section must have been very thin. I suspect that
> 26.8 or 27.2mm (or even a 26.4mm) Laprade post would be
> much more durable.
> Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia