Bike porn

No, to be porn it must have both. Assuming, for the sake of argument, that the Mercian needs a zero offset post, the Easton EC90Zero is objectively better (by some measures, at least) than a Thomson, but it would be an even worse aesthetic choice. If you concede that there is a post which is objectively better than the Thomson, your proposition is that including such a post in this build, regardless of aesthetic considerations, would make it more porn.

The Mercian has already prioritised aesthetics over function by being made from steel and having a quill stem, so a small increase in weight to accommodate a more aesthetically pleasing choice of seat post which does the job just as well as the Thomson would be entirely in keeping with the ethos of the build.

steel frames or quill stems aren't inferior to more modern equivelents, just different

i choose steel over aluminum or carbon not for the look but the comfort of the ride, i can cover more miles on a steel bike in comfort, i.e faster than i have on my alu bikes

• quill stems aren't as stiff as ahead stems but they still function beautifully and you'd be a crazy person to dismiss the system as redundent. i personally hate that when i pack my bike up for travel and remove the stem/bars that my forks want to drop out the frame, that could be regarded as a design flaw no?
  
  

p.s my material of choice is ti as my name might suggest, not as aesthetically pleasing as fillet brazed steel or hydroformed alu but does it for me as far as function goes.

p.p.s. thomson seatpost looks whack on the mercian

p.p.p.s DW... will you never learn!? you don't do yourself any favours mate.
;)