@@Cyclingabout I'm a firm believer in ultraRIGHT over ultralight personally. While I ride a 15lb wonder bike that I could easily take down to 14, why? At 15, she's my definition of bombproof and she won't be breaking parts on the road. In the end, a 14lb bike that isn't reliable is a 14lb anchor when you have to toss it in the back of a car to get a ride home. And for my steel bike? 18lbs is damn good. While I immediately began to weenieize it, I stopped myself. Honestly, for how I ride, I can't really discern it from my 16lb aluminum bike or my 15lb carbon bike. After a while, like Tom Cruise in "Risky Business", sometimes, you just gotta say, "What the..." and forget the numbers and just enjoy a perfectly functioning, shifting, rolling bike for what it is.
Many thanks! This one has been a huge project - testing multiple posts, thinking about the physics, finding the data, weighing up the pros and cons. 👍🏻
I purchased Suntour for my Specialized Roubaix. Amazing performance for less than $100, I can ride my bike much longer! Best upgrade ever for long trips! I always take 4 water bottles 1 liter each, spare tubes, some basic tools and pump, so extra 500 g of weight is nothing and riding pleasure without bumps or vibrations is priceless!
A superb video. I suffer acute chronic pain after my back was broken four years ago (it has since been fused twice). Suspension seat posts are the difference between my riding or never riding again (even after optimising wheels, tyres, pressures, saddle, handlebars etc). Your video helped me enormously. Thank you.
this is perfect bicycle channel for me on youtube, not about the newest and most expensive bikes or the lighest. just practice information and comprassion by experienced man for people who want to "eat kilometers" . subscribed after 1 video! good content and execution
When I was deciding on the set-up of my touring bike I referenced a lot of your online material that is quite frankly head and shoulders above anything else out there. This channel is similarly outstanding. The information is well presented, relevant, and in-depth. A great job guys.
@@Cyclingabout They way you get right to the point, no nonsense, is great. Your analysis of the mechanics makes me think you have a masters in ME or CivE. Just very well done.
A stem suspension and Long travel 50mm suspension post has kept me riding, after 45 years on bicycles I’m still to see a new idea that hasn’t been done. Good review by the way.
Of the great number of bicycle touring guys on here, this guy is truly worth watching and deserves support. I found most others to be more of useless content fillers and scammers. Their videos offer nothing. There is even a guy that all he does is this: -cycle to a mountain -walk up the mountain -walk down -cycle back to a van -cook a chicken -unashamedly thank supporters for keeping him out of the factory.
I trully think the suspension seatpost market is clearly gaining momentum right now as this segment is being picked up a lot by people in the last years.I myself have been wanting to get me a spring/air/elastometer suspension seatpost for my street training adapted dirt jumper, didn't knew much yet until I get to watch this video which revealed itself to be full with useful information on the several suspension seatpost systems in the market right now.Thanks for sharing the video and all the info in it, best regards from a Portuguese🇵🇹downhiller to you uploader 🙂👍🏻.
I have a RockShox Reverb dropper post on my full-suspension mountain bike. After a couple years of use, I noticed that when fully extended, it was no longer totally locked in position - it would bob a bit when I put my weight on it. The guy at the bike shop said it always happens to the Reverb and can't be economically repaired. So, I raised my seat post by a centimeter, so that the seat height is still correct when I'm sitting on it. And now I have an amazing suspension-slash-dropper seat post all in one. I just hope it doesn't deteriorate further because it is now perfect.
I am a big guy and have a Fat tire e-bike. I do a lot off-road and horse trail riding...front forks help immensely but it was the addition of a Cane Creek Thudbuster (elastomer-type) that made all the difference in ride comfort
thanks for the tip on the elastomer type Thudbuster. would you mind sharing what fat tire e bike you have? ive been searching for days.. im a big guy 300lb
I just saw this and remembered I made one of these as a kid back in the 70s. It was a car engine valve spring , and one tube that fitted inside another. A role pin went through both to stop it rotating. really simple and made riding very smooth off rd or along a bumpy footpath. Cost me nothing to make.
Seat choice also has a huge influence on the amount of suspension you have. My Fizik Arione wing flex, flexes beautifully. The combination of saddle, post, frame, wheel and tire flex combine to create the Shangri-la of rider butt bliss.
I don't know if all split saddles are like mine but the Serfas RX flexes really nicely. Bought it for a hardtail mtb and it has a decent amount of travel. I would check out all split saddles because i assume most will flex a bunch. the middle plastic allows a ton of movement on mine anyway
I am very happy with my Cane Creek Thudbuster(elastomer) for city, trail, and gravel use. Riding concrete trails the gap bumps were so annoying before. Made a huge difference for me.
In the video he said spring damped would be for slow and off road and for rougher road surfaces. And the elastomer for smoother roads and suspension bob. What made you choose the elastomer cane creek? What bike do you have? I'm indecisive, I have a giant cypress hybrid bike and ride rough asphalt city roads and bumpy bike trails with lots of bumps, incline and decline, and gravel. Main rides to work daily are 15 min. Commutes, but summer riding is 2-3 hour rides
@@tylerfields2368 When I bought it, I went for best result for the money. Cane Creek even shipped me new screws with barrels, as mine bent with time. Probably a bad batch, because the replacements show no sign of weakness. Basically I wanted the least travel and to knock off the spike of the motion. No back complaints after the seat post change. The bike in question was a big box hybrid, just front suspension fork, and nothing for the back, otherwise. The real question is do you want more movement that changes the distance from the pedal to the seat, or do you want something that takes the hard edge off of riding?
@@tylerfields2368 I don't see why any saddle would be incompatible. Of course the more free space under the saddle, the easier it is to put on. As for speed, there's never been a time that the seat made me question it. Just to note, I do have the short travel version, which did put the joy back in cycling long distances and jumping curbs.
@@lightdark00 yeah I do long distance riding, 70 miles, average or more, when headed to beach 2-3 hour commutes. After a hour with my seatpost and saddle, even with bike shorts, I'm sore. I'm 5'10 and 185-191 lbs. / Bike is size medium/l. I hear the short travel is for shorter riders?
Great info here for sure. One consideration for fat bikes if i may. I like a suspension seat post on my fat bike. When you pedal you can get an ever magnifying bounce in the tires at lower pressures. If you activate some flex in the suspension seat post, it seems to change the wavelength between oscillations, and cancels out the tire bob.
One other issue with fat bikes is that many of us ride these on snowy trails where people hike, and these are always bumpy. Lowering the air pressure to 3-4 lbs works but is a drag when going back on hard surfaces. So you can bring a mini electric pump or get one of these seatposts.
I really like how you you divided the video into sections because I revisited it to look at the different types and that made it a lot easier to find exactly what I wanted to know again
You are a blessing to the true cyclists out there... You videos are down to earth and realistic. Many cycling channels are nothing but Teleshopping Network of Cycling. They compare very very expensive component with very very very expensive one and recommend why you should go for a very very very expensive product. If you don't then you are not a cyclist. Keep up the good work.
Superb video, very informative! I've been using suspension seatposts for the last 20 years, mainly the telescopic variety from USE and currently have one on my road bike and one on my hardtail MTB. Definitely going to give one of the linkage / spring versions a go soon based on your recommendations! Thank you 😊
I bought the Suntour NCX yesterday for my 2021 Trek Powerfly 4. It doesn't bob, or bounce, but softens the jolts on rocky trails, down curbs, and occasional stairs. Money well spent, relative to the cost of the bike.
For 30$ i got a 50 year old urban bike with 3 spring suspension leather saddle. On a long trip even thou it weighs more than my collegues road bikes, i actually experienced less fatigue than them. They blew me away at first, but two hours later i caught up to them panting with sore as$ and backpain. Turns out comfort is more benefitial than aerodinamics or weight.
Fantastic review! Could you please also do one for sprung seats? Especially, one comparing sprung seats with suspension seat posts? It'd be interesting to see what you get for the same weight or price penalty.
@@oleg72333 I don't think I've ever seen a narrow seat that comes with springs. They are invariably either wide, very wide or ultra-wide (and weigh as much as some bike frames on their own).
You are scientist of cycling/bikepacking world. You prevent me from going blind by examining 200 different sources for 10 hours in order to get answers to the questions I'm curious about. Nearly an article.
One thing you overlooked was the sprung seat. These have been around for over a hundred years and were common enough because roads were once a lot rougher than we expect today. When vinyl became available in the mid 60s those seats had multiple fore aft springing under the seat and two large rear springs. These were intended to do a similar job to a suspension seat post. It seems strange to use the suspension post with a light and scarcely padded seat.
@@estebanleacho9315 Oh, I thought the commenter was referring to the old school spring seats, not the modern spring based suspension seats which were included in the video
I purchased an NCX directly through Sr Suntour's online store this same time last year. I got it for my quality hardtail MTB. I love it. I mainly ride from my home on streets to trails in my area, some pretty rough. When the post is adjusted properly it works wonderfully. You don't want it too loose or too tight. It is heavy but worth it if you ask me. Be prepared to take it apart often to clean and grease it as it can become creaky, usually seeming like something else on your bike is acting up but after a cleaning & greasing the noises stop. You can usually find a promo/coupon code for SR Suntour stuff and they ship free. I think I only paid about $80 USD total for mine shipped.
I recently acquired a straightforward spring-type suspension post, unbranded and quite worn where it slides. The extra comfort has been a revelation, especially on gravel roads. The downside is that it creaks with almost every turn of the pedals, even though the bike it came off was little used. Replacement needed. Thanks Alee for the excellent review of the market.
My biggest gripe with suspension seatposts is availability on road bike frames with the older standard seatpost diameter of 26.8mm. Both Cain Creek and Tamer once offered 25.4 dia seatposts that could be shimmed to what ever you liked.
I was thinking to myself that it would be great if someone made suspended dropper post as I wanted dropper but didn't want to resign from my suspension seat post. Here are 3 models. Very informative video
Just found your channel today. I am a 62 yr old ultramarathoner in a slow down phase. I used to ride in my teens (before I got my first car) and rode a steel bike with Reynolds 531 tubing and Shimano Dura Ace group set. I briefly returned to riding in my 30s but then my Reynolds 753 bike, with Shimano 105 group set was stolen. Recently, after a health scare i purchased a Merida Speeder 400 flat bar road bike and the dealer fitted 38c tyres to it. I ride with my son when he does his long runs of 24+ km on Sunday and I will ride to work on a pretty rough gravel road a few times a week, when the current Victorian restrictions are finally lifted. There are moves to eventually eliminate my job, within the next year or three, so I may be forced into retirement soon. If that happens I will ride and run a lot more, maybe even doing some touring. Your videos are amazingly well researched and produced. Far better than some of the channels out of the UK and US. This video was excellent and I will use the link to buy a suspension seat post soon. I need to figure out which sized seat post fits my frame. I also enjoyed the recent video on suspension framed gravel bikes, although they are out of my price range right now.
Very well done video! Great info and even though you prefer the eesilk, we at Kinekt ( Cirrus Cycles), support and thank you for the overview of suspension! Thanks, Evan Wert
Jones LWB - already a super-comfortable bike, two improvements I can certainly recommend… 80mm redshift shockstop stem; and a Cane creek eesilk seatpost. Now that’s perfect.
Great review. One consideration to take in to account would be the potential effect on the knees of the seat changing height when pedalling. I know from personal experience that if a seat post is even 3mm too low, my knees pain terribly to the extent that I can't cycle. Get the seat post height spot on and the problem immediately disappears. I can imagine that the sprung seat post changing height over bumps and under load of pedalling could potentially affect the knees.
The telescoping, pogo-stick style definitely tweaks the knees when compressing. The linkage style moves the saddle backwards as it moves down, moving the saddle in kind of an arc, rather than towards the bottom bracket, and it feels much easier on my knees.
I had a hard time not crying when back pain was brought up. I had such bad back pain that I thought I would have to give up riding. I took a chance that a suspension seatpost would allow me to continue riding. And it did. It has been at least ten years since I bought my first bike with a suspension seatpost. And while I still have some pain, it is bearable.
Would be amazing if big travel suspension posts had the ability to lock out through some sort of lever on the bar - when you go from rough terrain to a smooth road or vice versa. Or at least on the post itself
You might need to replay the video and stop more or less at the middle, there´s a mention to PNW Components, they have a product that is a suspension seatpost and a dropper post at the same time with the functionality you ask for
I added an elastomer to my Diamondback in the 90s. It was the first generation Thud Buster. The bicycle shop had concerns regarding longevity. They thought it would break apart, but it lasted the 15 yrs of the bike's life. And it is true that you can remain seated while you climb. It also helped with the big jars like rocks in the trail; not to mention, smoothing out rocky road chatter.
I use the Kinekt spring post for years now on a Surly ecr 29+ , and in my view it also compensates for the bouncing of the big tyres to, and of cause absorbs vibrations. A bicycle to explore hidden corners in my country. I also use them on an E-bike and on an other regular (travel) bike because of the comfort it gives. So I have 3 in use. They are expensive but it's worth the money when it gives good riding comfort. Nice review, I really enjoy reading your guide and this kind of technical explanations. I'm retired now (63) and can enjoy bicycling full time now. I live in the Netherlands, a champion in bicycle roads and luckily also enough off road possibility's. All my bicycles need to have reasonable off road capability's. The heavy lifting, traveling the world, that I leave to you.
I took the advice and got the Eesilk some months back. I can't even tell it's moving, can barely even activate it manually by hand, but it greatly reduced the lower back pain I was getting. Thanks for the recommendation, I was having to ride a full sus enduro everywhere to save my back, glad to be able to use my 700C again for the commuting 😁
That's great news! If you need just a touch more deflection there are two more elastomers available from Cane Creek, which might help to fine-tune the stiffness further. 👍🏻
I have one on my old hard tail, but I bought a new one, I took a short ride, I didn't ride it again for one week until the suspension seatpost arrived for it. Best upgrade and a must have for a hard tail.
Thats me two spinal fusions and now a bulging disc and I just got my new ebikes yesterday put a cloud 9 seat on it now looking for a nice suspension post.i may not be able to walk but I'll be able to ride🤣🤣🥶
My new ebike has front and rear suspension so i probably don't need a seat post but i am looking for a new seat. How is the cloud 9 seat, i'm thinking about getting one?
Three saddles and as many types of shorts in, I still can't seem to get comfortable on my bike. I have no idea how RU-vid knew I needed to learn about this device, but I think it might be the key to my problem. Thanks for the thorough coverage!
I love a good suspension seatpost. The one I've found to be best is USE - Ultimate Sports Engineering - though I don't know if they still make them. I don't like the ones that just bounce but USE have effective damping so I never feel it. Ever. It just does its job. The efficiency improvement from being able to sit and spin more than makes up for any weight penalty.
Use is an innovative company in seat posts. For years I have been riding two USE Sumo Titan in 27.2, which weigh 200 grams. They flex away all the small bumps without changing the measure of the lenger or the pedals. In rough terrain I use a g2 by fault on my hardtails and an older Cane Creek Thudbuster LT that I think is even better
Slapped a Suntour on my Nuroad Pro FE Gravel Bike, alongside the redshift suspension stem, these 2 together, as well as thicker tyres make the ultimate all round bike, and so much more flexibility for rough terrain and more comfort on imperfect roads
I'm a little surprised there isn't a spring suspension with a damper to control the rebound speed. In theory, that should give you the most control over the suspension's characteristics, since the spring and damper can both be adjusted.
I have a suntour ncx fitted on my ebike, Haibike trekking 6 with 2.4 inch tyres which are fully inflated, mainly use it on tarmac cycle routes and gravel tracks, I weigh 100kg, when I fitted it I adjusted the spring tension as per the instructions due to my weight, never had an issue with it bottoming out, I can honestly say it’s the best thing since sliced bread.
I bought a Redshift Shockstop seatpost for my Specialized Sirrus X5. I ride on roads, canal banks and a little (gentle) off road. It's not like floating on air, but I am more than happy with the way it dulls the effect of impacts. It's essential to dial it to the corrrect resistance, which I did by sitting on the stationary bike and bouncing, adjusting in steps, until it didn't bottom out, and fine tuning from there following rides. To adjust it you have to take the seatpost off, after which it takes only seconds to redial it. I am not an aggressive rider, and I detect hardly any unwanted bounce, or energy absorption. I weigh 74 kilos, and I have it set at around 3. They provide an extra supplementary spring for those who weigh somewhat more than I do. For me, it was a very worthwhile buy.
I have a long travel elastomer and it’s amazing. It never really feels like you bottom out, because you really don’t, it just gets exponentially harder to move. The downfall is that it really doesn’t look nice if you’re all about aesthetics.
Cane Creek is. Good company. I've used both models. The LT was set up firm. At my elevated years I ride paved trails that become familiar and I can get out of the saddle for back bothering bumps. My favorite suspension when caught out is the Brooks Flyer. Never had a butt sore issue.
Found this very informative. I'm thinking about one of these seat posts for my grocery getter, which what I ride the most now that I'm retired. You provided the most & best information, more than some of the manufacturers. Thank you!
I ride daily for all my transportation needs, 350+ miles per week on a Cannondale M900 hardtail. When I am lucky I may get up to 30% on trail, but the vast majority is road. I use a canecreek thudbuster, with the most amount of travel they got. It is awesome. I've had no maintenance issues, just works great all year round.
As at this moment I am just over the half way mark of a 4 000km cycle tour in W Australia.. First time I am on the Thud Buster...must say at the beginning I thought..no big deal...now I changed my mind...the thing is fantastic...
Nice video, thanks. Personally if I'm going to add the weight of a suspension post I prefer a combo dropper/suspension post like the PNW Coast Suspension dropper :-) You make a valid point on the angle of a shaft type suspension vs a "levered" type, but I only need it to work on the compression hits not so much on the small stuff - and it keeps my saddle height the same most of the time.
Please consider going old school. I've had the fully sprung Brooks B73 leather saddle on my road bike since 1981. Still looks and acts like new. Low tech with no complaints. People have always, and still ask me about it.
Your channel is one of the most helpful, information dense resources I have turned to while building my first touring bike. Thank you, just bought a redshift suspension seatpost.
Great video, very informative. There's just one thing unanswered - how long do they last? For example, @cyclingabout is there a km limit for the Cane Creek after which you have to change the rubber insert? Are they good for a long-term/distance bike travel?
I've owned the Cane Creek seat post. It was great, very cushy, but I would do some bumpy MTB riding. After a few months, I had to replace the elastimer because I was always blowing them out.
Agreed, thanks for sharing this! I'm really happy with my Sr Suntour NCX so far. My diy commuter eBike does 40 mph, and paired with some slightly wider puncture resistant tires (40c) there's no need for heavy, expensive, bouncy frame suspension for gravel / road car replacement.
Thanks for the effort to research and publish this valuable information. I had already gotten a suspension seatpost for my Ti frame road/touring bike. Your results show that I made the correct choice for the type of riding I do the most. Thanks.
When you can't use wider tires to reduce the bumps, a seat post shock suspension seems like a very good alternative. From what I've seen in multiple cities in the U.S., the bike racks mounted outside most mass transit (buses and trains) don't fit the fatter tires, and the drivers generally will not let you carry a bike inside the vehicle with you (there are exceptions). So if you integrate bike riding with mass transit you may be required to stick with thin "street" tires.
I know full suspension can help protect your rims, as when you hit a bump the bike can sort of move out of the way and not barrel your full human weight onto the rock all at once. Can a suspension seat post have the same effect? I imagine it'd be not as great of an effect, but still curious.
I think it should be much the same, since most of the mass is the rider's, which the force on the rims will still be cushioned from if the rider experiences a similar suspension effect. For a light rider on a heavy bike, it may be more of a difference, but even this might not be much. Suspension bikes are heavy, and the amount of mass of the frame bouncing is larger than for a rigid bike. But I'm no expert, just you ask an interesting question and nobody's replied in four months.
Thanks! I think GCN appeals a bit more to beginners and is definitely more entertaining to watch too. My content is very, very niche and is perhaps better for the detail-oriented cyclists out there!
I picked up the suntour SP12 a couple of months ago as I was getting bumped around a lot in the Peak District. It just smooths out everything and I love it. It weighs a ton, (hence the lower price) but I think it was great value and I highly recommend it.
I remember the first time I road using suspension seat post. I went down the usual road on my way to work... And nothing. I felt nothing, no rattles no jolts, nothing.
I have a Suntour, not too expensive, ok a bit heavy, but would not be without it. First time out, I live on a cobbled street, I thought I had a flat rear tyre it was so smooth. I like to set the seat far back, by reducing the spring preload.
This video explains exactly the differences, I was debating between the Kinekt and Thudbuster, I think that the claims such as, Thudbuster is better for roads and smooth surfaces needs to be proven such as: I rode 5 years on it on a specific bike which weights X lbs and the it covers 70% more of the smaller bumps than the rest of the seatpost!
Having made one for my dad (complete with split seat) none of them compare with the antique design i copied. I don't know what they're doing different (of the ones he tested to see which would work) but the simplicity of the old ones results in a really good even ride. It's entirely possible that because they're afraid to extend past 10 cm in the parallelogram system, they're limiting some aspects of the OG design. 1900's people had it right.
My Gazelle Medeo e-bike kicked like a steer out back, because of the weight of the mid-drive and rack-mounted battery. I was able to tune my Kinekt 2.1 post to perfectly match the firm, short travel front fork. I have a couple of collapsed discs, and it takes the sting out of bad pavement without compromising fit or efficiency. Maintenance-free, and quite unobtrusive with the protective wrap installed.
@@Cyclingabout i was hoping for a mention about using suspension seatposts (or stems) with bike luggage and how it will affect it. Edit: perhaps you could cover that in the next one? 😁
