I bought the suntour NCX some time ago and i have to admit once dialled in properly with the correct spring etc for your weight its very impressive for the money no issues of the seat rails rubbing either..I'm 17+stone and was expecting a lot of bouncing but after adjusting the pre load to my needs it is the perfect cure to my aching backside ..
Well, this video is nearly three years old now, so maybe too late for comments. However, other people may still come across it while researching suspension seatposts, as I did, so worth putting in my remarks. I only want to say that the Suntour NXC is better than portrayed here. I went out to look at mine this afternoon to see if there were any wear marks from the saddle rails. There weren't. The reason is that the illustrated example has the saddle well forward, so the low part of the rail IS indeed likely to contact the forward pivot of the parallelogram. How much wear that causes will depend on how severely the bike is ridden. My saddle is set much further back and there is no chance of contact with the seatpost. The NXC is also much cheaper (in UK) than is suggested here. So - you are not wrong, but you're not entirely right, either.
I want to chime in too 2 years later, and confirm your opinion. Originally bought one of these Suntours for my mum's ebike, as she uses it a lot on gravel and forest roads, and she is in her 60s now, so needs some extra comfort. She absolutely loves it, and the couple of times I have ridden her bike, it indeed works amazing. And even after 2 years of use there is no sign of wear, no rubbing like mentioned in this video. I am pretty sure that is very much setup dependent. I also have a Thudbuster LT on my dad's bike, and while that one is amazing too, it cost me £120 when I bought it, while the Suntour was £45 at the time. And I would say the suspension quality is pretty much equal. If I had to buy the posts today I would just get two Suntours.
I have owned and used a LT Thud Buster for over ten years, and have not had any problems. Since you are not typically on your seat when going downhill there is not much help there, but on cross country riding it does what it is suppose to do.
I just bought the bodyfloat and can say it's worth it, got it for $185 with everything, extra springs included, it's made well and does give you the sensation of floating, and if that's wasn't enough it doesn't look like ugly and clunky like the NCX or the TB.
Great review. I'm buying a hardtail (FS to expensive) Fatbike with the Rockshox Bluto fork 120mm and 4.7" tires, and adding a cane creek thudbuster, so that should be nice on my old man back.
Love my Thudbuster...I ride back and forth daily (about 10 miles round trip). So that's over 5,000 miles in the two years I've owned it. I had to buy another one today and you might be wondering why. Nothing wrong...I just bought a second bike. BTW, I'm not sure what the weight limit is, but my weight has varied between 250-270lbs. And I take my backpack with me wherever I go...so that's another 20-30lbs. Admittedly I had to change the elastomers once. But not a single problem during my ownership.
I have recently bought the TB LT for some specific reasons. First reason was, I needed a alloy seat post for my trailer clutch. Second reason, I wanted to ride that 50kg trailer almost 2000km and reduced the stress for my carbon frameset. Third and most critical because it came last to my mind: I had to fit the Di2 battery into the seat post, so most suspension posts with pistons would not have worked. The Thudbuster did a great job.
I too am riding a "knock-off" Canyon VCLS 2.0 seat post and which also goes under the Ergon brand name as CF3 Pro. It has stood up fine for day in day out commuting for two years but isn't without its faults. Firstly its supposed to be 27.2 mm but in my opinion comes in at 27.0mm. Secondly the poor tolerances on the horizontal rail retaining pins result in play that allows the saddle to see-saw (i.e. rock) slightly from nose to tail. Still, what do you expect for £40 instead of c. £200 for the Canyon VCLS I've now placed an order for Redshift's new shock-stop seat post which as just been launched on kick-starter.
I have the Thud buster LT and I love it [actually I have two, one for road and for mtb] you could have just one but that would require changing the dampers for road or mtb [it is a slight inconvenience if you switch bikes as much as I do]. I've had them for about 4 years with thousands of miles on them - NO PROBLEMS. I would recommend this to anyone who has spinal issues like myself [two cervical fusions]. I've done several centurys with it, I then switched it for the rigid post just for a 20 miler and I was miserable! so ,never again will I ride without the Thudbuster. The other seat posts in this vid, well, I have no idea. happy and comfy riding to all.
Steve Cliff Miller Hey Steve , I too have back issues and am looking at getting a Thudbuster seat post . I would get the long travel , but I think the linkage assembly would be too long for my bike as my current seat post only sticks out of the frame about three inches . Could you give me a measurement of the linkage assembly not including the clamp ? Thank's .
I've been using suspension posts for over ten years. 'Suspension' is a bit of a misnomer - you can't sit on the saddle like you would on a full suspension bike. The real purpose is to keep the saddle from pounding your ass into mush on rough terrain. They do nothing to improve the bike's capability to handle bumps. Despite misgivings, I tried the CC Thudbuster LT and now consider it the best suspension post ever designed, and the fact it's still on the market over 15 years after its intro confirms that. It is NOT just a beginner component. It's a set it, forget it unit, and the lack of damping is not a drawback.
TL;TR after 2 weeks of thinking I bought NCX. After 15km I must say it's AMAZING! It's hard to believe how well it works on bumps and in holes. It almost feels like you are biking on asphalt. I was really surprised. Perfect for my 40km in the mountains in every weekend. My bike: i.imgur.com/Vtnywn5.jpg
I use a suntour suspension seat post for my electric bike and its the best buy I've ever made for my bike,as I ride an ebike Waight doesn't matter mutch so I would say this suspension seat post is just the job for an electric bike.
I run the cane creek thud buster lt....it has been great for me, I'm a weekend warrior so I don't race or compete just xc casual riding. It is a very bouncy seat on rough terrain. To sorta help with that I went with the stiffer polymer inserts. And another thing to note is when you are off the saddle going down fast rough terrain this seat post can be loud. And the only issue I ever had is the bolt golding the polymer fell out and I lost the bolt on the trails but the polymer never fell out. And it is heavy but for the comfort it's worth it
Haha, I sense a weight weenie! I used to be one, but now I'm at least 30 lbs over proper cycling weight for my height, so a few grams off my seatpost wouldn't make a difference. I'm probably gonna try the Cane Creek ST, which is something like 1/4 lb lighter than the long travel version for you weight weenies. I just didn't want to long travel to turn into a pogo stick on me. I ride mostly on paved paths and the parkway, so I thought it would take away from pedaling efficiency too much. Plus I got a Brooks saddle to try out. Should be plenty of cush for my bad back.
I have the suntour. You still have to stand up when the terrain is very bumpy or when go downhill. But when you are seated It eliminates all the vibrations and reduce the impacts. I can keep seated and pedaling in many places where I had to stand up.
Thanks for nice comparison, but interestingly, prices are quite different here. Suntour SP12 is for CZK1600 (approx. $65), Canyon VCLS is for CZK3400 (approx. $135) and Thudbuster costs CZK4300 (approx. $170) so I am considering Suntour, but Canyon for $55 would be really nice.
I have an ncx and love it. Upper bracket can be flipped around to remedy the rail contact and create more forward position. But what I really want is a dropper with similar suspension design. I have an emtb with dropper. But even this dual suspension bike over hard icy paths on ice spiker tires creates tons of vibration on butt. So if you know of a dropper post with suspension, and affordable, let me know
I have used both thudbuster LTs and the suntour over the last 8 years for both hard-core enduro and cross country riding. The units perform well albeit with the weight and other limitations as nicely covered in the video. However my gripe concerns reliability: all the units wear out at an astonishing rate, on average after 1000 miles the bushings are so worn that the saddle rattles and for me the units are finished. I have tried a bushing replacement kit for the TB LT but they were a rip-off considering the price I paid ($50 a set) since they did not address wear on the main spigots - I even replaced those hollow spigots with solid steel stock but it didn't extend the life of the unit by very much. But saying all that, I do think about how all that wear and tear has been on the hardware rather than going into my lower back (I have had disc problems for 20 years) so I guess the investment has been worth it to keep me riding... The canyon carbon leaf units are new to me so I will be trying a set, thanks to the OP for the recommend
Have you had a chance to try the Satori Animaris seatpost? Specs, price, and design seem worth a look. Under $50, 1.4lbs, 43mm of travel, parallelogram mechanism.
I got one for my ebike. Huge improvement over the original stiff post. I haven't compared it to any of the more expensive ones, but for 50$ I'm keeping it.
Coincidentally I have also been running with a knock-off (Chinese clone) of the leaf-spring Canyon carbon seatpost. I used it almost exclusively for commuting, which entails regular kerb drop-offs. The seapost lasted just over two years until it failed catastrophically across both "prongs". although it was inserted a moderate distance into the seat-tube there was no gouging of the carbon to hasten the failure. The rear failed under compression and I was able to finish the remaining eight miles of my commute gingerly perched on the nose of the saddle, with the rear section working under tension - an interesting experience. Were I riding off-road the outcome could have been a lot, LOT worse.
Did the carbon saddle survive these years? Ergon is a fair enough brand even if it is a knock of design. I have seen the same model in Temani and unbranded too, the unbranded ones having claims of breaking after a while.
I am thinking of NCX the first one. But can you tell me after howuch kilometers it gets ruined with that rail. And also how do I know if it fits or do I have that carbon that doesn't fit well. Also I don't understand when you say that a person easily fall in corner s. Thanks in advance for replay
I've used a Thudbuster LT on a hardtail for two years and thousands of miles on trails. I recently finished 500 miles in Colorado on the Continental Divide Trail. I often ride most of the day. It's better technique to stand up when it gets bumpy, but it's tiring to do that all day. This takes a lot of the sting out of rough trails. For a hardtail mountain bike, I'd recommend the Thudbuster for trail riding. You probably need to replace the elastomers every year.
I use one on a hardtail also and it does the job solid build with plenty of adjustment. I tried it on my gravelbike and it was a bit heavy for that application the ST might get a start here.
Hello Picked up another Clone of ebay had to sand the pinch bolt plate not fitting the groove properly also install 3 sheets of paper to thicken up the seat post , slipped a little
Canyon’s S25 post is 30.9mm Diameter according to their website? www.canyon.com/en-de/accessories/?category=2706#open=&id=61104 Also it is non-setback post, intended for MTB. (and Ergon only seems to offer 27.2 so far... I own that one, and a collection of shims)
I have owned 2 Thud Busters and both bent. My local trails are flat, Louisiana, and I'm only 180lbs.So not sure why they bent . My buddy has also reported that his bent too. I now have a Kalloy suspension post and like it a lot.
Tried knock off. 31.6 post - it came undersized by a bit more than.5 mm in diameter. This was enough to keep it from being able to tighten enough and slipped no matter what clamp I used. I plan to try with a .020 in shim between the post halves. Not very optimistic as it has significant slop in the bike.
The Suntour doesn't seem to have any damping system, just preload. If it's an undamped coil spring, it's going to be even 'bouncier' than the self damping elastomers of the Thudbuster, which also has a preload capability.
Ok, i received the setback version of the aliexpress knockoff, but it does not seem to bend, there is no flex. Is it supposed to not be bendable by hand?
This will e great on a ebike for road use since when the rear tyre goes over its uncomfortable but not as bad as going rigid on the front I have a front suspension bike but would like maybe a suspension saddle for when the rear end goes over a bad pot hole
I just bought a Felt off road bike with 29 inch tires, the seat is rock hard would this seat post work with an off road bike? I mostly ride through vineyards
Hi, thanks for the video. I am looking for a 26.8. Can you give some options? A 27.2 seatpost only enters a little, most do not enter at my bike's tube.
They make a spring rail you mount between your seat and seat post. I haven't tried one though. I too want a suspension post but not at the loss of my dropper.
who cares about weight when you want more confort? i run sr suntour since 1.5years (more than 4000km on mtb bike), no issue. juste have to think about oiling axles regulary. the confort is really high, i just wondering why no brand sell a real suspension seat shock with a really controled move?
@@manfirebirdF350 what's a responsible price. Keep in the this would be engineered with finite analysis and such to be the lightest possible but still give excellent performance and reliability
Hi ThreeDigitIQ, I am currently planning to buy one of those for my electric bike. In particular, I would like to ask you which one do you think is the best seat post between the Suntour and the Thubduster? Thanks a lot for your help. Have a nice day.
Canyon's sister company Ergon sells this seatpost (just Google "Ergon CF3" to find a dealer or check out www.ergon-bike.com/en/product.html?a=sattelstuetzen) - that's what I've got on my gravel bike and I love it!
You are correct, as long as you are planted on the saddle. The moment you raise or hover, that weight point moves to the pedals (I should have been more specific). On trails, most turns over 5 mph would not work so well if you remain seated. With that said... Think of a baseball bat or louisville slugger. Imagine holding it at the grip end with one hand and trying to keep the heavy end pointing up while running. Then, turn the bat over and hold it by the hitting end with one hand and try to keep the grip end pointing up while running. It's the same bat, same weight. But it is significantly more difficult on your muscles to keep it balanced when the bulk of the weight is further from the pivot point of your wrist. In this case, the seatpost, saddle, handlebar are all weight that you are pivoting from the point your tires are in contact with the ground. It is true that if you put your hand under the end of the bat, the opposite is true. It's easier to balance then with the heavy end up and lighter end down. However, that is not representative of riding because you are pivoting the base (or ground). However, if you could move the ground under the bike while you ride to counter the movement of your bike, it would be easier to keep it balanced.
I have suspension seatpost on all of my bicycle however the Cane Creek rattles. The XLC suspension post uses the same type of linkage but as spring loaded and does not rattle but weighs almost kilo. RedShift is selling one I'm going to look at, I have their suspension stem and it's fabulous.
Jesse Evans As long as it is treated like a carbon road post, it should be fine. I made the mistake of over tightening the seatpost clamp, but it still seems to be working fine.
Aliexpress.com I had to search for Carbon seatpost and keep scrolling until one of them pops up: www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/declaration-causes-seceding-states
Hi ThreeDigitIQ, thanks for the info. I want to buy the canyon vcls 2.0 seatpost, but i haven't found it where i live. Could you please tell me where can i buy it in the net?, Thanks you very much.
The Canyon vcls 2.0 is also sold by Ergon. It is called the CF3 Pro Carbon. www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/product/cf3procarbon . Aparently, the CEOs of both companies are brothers and many of their products are crossovers between Canyon and Ergon. The seatpost I purchased is a knockoff imitation from Aliexpress.com
It's been great for XC riding! I cracked it tightening the tube a while back and it still holds me well. I keep waiting for it to break and it has outlasted 4 saddles. However, if I ride a trail with more than one or two jumps/gaps, I wan't to switch over to a dropper.
Bruno Furtado I have not tried the ST (Short Travel), but I wish I had. The ST is slightly different in shape to accommodate the full sized elastomer, to produce 1.3 inches of travel. That is enough to take out the bump, but not too much to pull you away from the handlebar like the LT does. The ST is just over 1 pound in weight, and that is far too heavy for the speed I have been riding lately, so it is unlikely I will be trying a ST any time soon. However, with that said, if you are a casual rider that does not make sharp/fast turns or ride berms on the outer edge, then it is likely a great option and will last forever.
Thank-you for taking time to make this video review. Do you mind providing a link or the name of the seller for the Ergon seat post? I tried multiple searches on Aliexpress and was unable to locate it. As my frame is 31.6mm, it seems the Aliexpress seller is my only option.
I know I am 5 years too late with my reply, but just in case for others interested: you absolutely CAN use a 27.2 mm seatpost in frames designed for larger diameter seatposts: you just need to buy a shim for that. They weigh absolutely nothing, and the perfect solution. I did just that when I was building my parents' bikes, so even if they will change bike or frame in the future with different seatpost tubes, they will be able to carry on using their seatposts. Remember: you can always use a thinner seatpost in a bigger frame with shims, but never the other way around (for example a 31.6 mm seatpost will never fit into a 27.2 mm frame).
Do not buy this knockoff seat post. I bought one that was supposed to measure 27.2mm and it was far smaller. Tighten the clamp at 5- 6nm and it slipped down at 8nm- 10nm the same, the excess force crushed the seat post tube and had to be repaired.I measured the base along east west axis @ 25mm however the piece is so poorly made it is not circular and would not even start into a shim, this post also tapers dramatically and the saddle clamp rattles moves forward and aft unsecured . The manufacturers pretended there was no problem and offered no solution. I would,not trust the integrity of such a post and it could be made from something other than carbon, any way it is unusable as is. Fortunately Aliexpress has an exemplary appeal process and I received a full refund.
I notice we both have a tendency to try out the knockoffs whenever the opportunity presents itself. My friends say I am cheap, I tell them they have no sense of adventure. LOL
+Bruce Wright "Knowingly buying a "knock off" means that you are intentionally stealing from the legitimate IP owner and the manufacturer." I don't know for sure that any "original" piece of equipment is going to work as well I expect. The originals tend to be thee to four times more expensive. Why not experiment with whats affordable, available and the spend the money on what you know works?
@@brucewright719 Not necessarily. It depends whether or not the patent is still viable. For example, I buy the Walmart version of lots of name brand products. Walmart is selling the same thing at a better price. It's called competition.
+rafasz83 In some countries it is labeled as Ergon CF3. The CEOs of Ergon and Canyon are brothers. amzn.com/B00ATP4FLG If you want the knockoff, you can find them on Aliexpress: goo.gl/6q0CCQ
+ThreeDigitIQ Thanks a lot, your video was very helpful. I am 6´3 tall and weigh 230 pounds, do you think the CF3 is the best option for me? Thanks again!
It's just listed as a carbon seatpost. Have to go a few pages into the search to find them: www.aliexpress.com/item/Top-brand-full-carbon-fiber-road-bicycle-seat-post-mtb-cycling-parts-bike-seat-tube-rod/32602967543.html
I ordered it from a seller on Aliexpress that had a lot of positive reviews. I have had to add washers to the screw that adjusts the angle because it kept slipping. I also cracked the back side by over tightening the seat post clamp. However, it still works great. Unfortunately, I may have damaged it to a point that I expect it to fail in the next 12 months. Therefore, I am ordering another one. This time I will put the washers one first (before it starts slipping). I will also add some FSA carbon compound in between the two leafs and in the area of the seat post clamp. I will be posting a follow-up video in a few months as I put more rough terrain miles on.
ThreeDigitIQ They do look interesting and I am keen on given them a try myself. They have the 31.6mm diameters for MTB but only the single length 330mm. Is that length the overall or useful length? I currently have a 395mm post length but don't need it that long and have plenty of left over. My @1 length is 70mm, and allowing one post diameter 30mm means I should have 100mm minumum post length under the seat post clamp (rough rule of thumb). I currently ride 230mm length from the clamp which means in theory a 330mm post should be ok but offers no room to move. With a flexible post maybe the sag means I require more length - not sure. What do you think? Are there any quidelines supplied with the post as to how much length is needed under the clamp (most posts indicate it)?
DJ Johnston I put the measurements on this image: i.imgur.com/m0cfVlI.jpg Hope that helps... The jury is still out on if this post will last, but for the price, it is definitely worth a try.
Thanks - very useful. Only 3.5cm recess is very small so my guess is this post must be strong as hell to cope with the bending moment. The measurement is very much as described.
i got my canyon seat post from Aliexpress. I put it on a Ridley x-fire cyclocross bike. I needed the larger size. I did have to modify it however. I had to dremel the lower portion so that i could slide it past a rivit in the frame. It does take some of the ridged road vibration out. not eliminate it... but so far so good...
you missed out the longest lasting sus post of all... Have a look at the Vybe from USE or Ultimate Sports engineering, there ones out there still being ridden having being installed back in the early 90's!
most of the kickstarters are just scams to separate fools from there money... im positive you will eventually get some cheaply made shit that will break or develop bend after few rides
Has anyone tried the Specialized CG-R Cobble Gobbler seat post? I know it's designed for the Specialized Roubaix for the Paris Roubaix race. But some said it could be used for Hardtail MTB . Has anyone tried it?
+ThreeDigitIQ I purchased one for Specialized Roubaix road bike. Haven't tried it yet. But if it works great I'm tempted to try one on my 29er hard tail mtb. But since it's made for a road bike I'm sorta waiting to see if Specialized will make one specially for mtb.
+aikidragonpiper71 the specialized cg-r (cobble gobble response) post is an awesome post! however, it is designed to smooth out constant vibrations while road riding. I don't know if you will get the desired response on the trails. if you do, let us know!
I'm confused. Why wouldn't you just stump up the dosh for a genuine Canyon VCLS 2.0 Post? Canyon being a German company produce a perfect seat post to very high tolerances and it just works and continues working. The rest of the seat posts were the real thing why go for a knock off Canyon? You get what you pay for.
Purchased the knockoff just to test it out to see if I liked it before deciding if the style is useful to invest $200+. However, 6+ years of use and the knockoff still fits and still working. Definitely got my money worth.
" For beginners " ? What constitutes a non beginner , someone that has a death wish and is addicted to adrenaline? The entire original idea of riding your bike in nature ,on a trail, has all but been co opted by thrill seeking adrenaline junkies. I'll bet not one of these high speed Kamakazis could tell you one subtle sound that they blew by, or one bird or animal that entered their vision or one tree or boulder that was extraordinary in its singular beauty or anything else in their immediate environment. I was riding in the mountains on old crappy one speed schwinn s before most of you hot rods were born. In those days we took in every thing around us and we're grateful for what nature had to offer. Yeah we occasionally rode fast but not as a main objective.
To simply dismiss QUALITY linear suspension seatposts because they "function at the wrong angle" is a mistake. Everything from the USE to the old Rockshox posts (made even better when the insides are swapped for a simple spring) function really well and don't carry the weight issues of these posts. Not to mention, I find the change in cockpit distance that comes with the posts you review much more disconcerting than a change in just saddle height while riding.
I fitted a Suntour NCX to my new hardtail EMTB build....it works great and is really comfortable absorbing the worst of the trail roots and rocks. Just needs fairly frequent light greasing on the roller to keep it silent in operation ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WcXPJjchg1Q.html
