Road Cycling - Suspension Seat Post

I am looking for a suspension seat post for my road bike.
The problem is that i only have 2.5 inches from the top of the
bikes frame tube to the rail of the saddle.
Any body know of a suspesion seat post that will fit?:confused:

Take a look at the U.S.E. XCR Seatpost. It's listed at having a 2.3" travel. Also remember that you'll probably have to preload some initial sag anyways.

Thanks iv looked at this one it will not fit.

Suspension seat posts are a poor idea for a road bike. Have you considered a sprung saddle, such as a Brooks Champion Flyer (http://www.wallbike.com/championflyer.html), or maybe even a Brooks B72? (http://www.wallbike.com/B66B72.html)

Originally posted by D*Alex
Suspension seat posts are a poor idea for a road bike. [/URL]

I personally don't like suspension seatposts... especially on a roadbike. I agree that a sprung saddle or one with elastomer bumpers (I believe Selle Italia has some) would nbe a better choice. I've noticed quite a few new bikes in the guise of road/touring-comfort such as the Specialized Sequioa come with suspension posts. I rather like everything about the Sequioa except for the suspension post. Wouldn't an elastomer/sprung saddle cost less than a suspension post? They would certainly be far less prone to developing wobble over time like suspension posts seem to do.

Problemis that the saddle iv got i like the shape of.,it also has a cut out in the middle.
Its comfy on smooth road but as soon as the road gets a bit rough every knock and vibration is felt.

what's the issue of suspension seatpost on road bike?

is it that the cushiness will induce some "bobbing" in the saddle as you pedal, subtracting from power available at the crank?

>>>what's the issue of suspension seatpost on road bike?

is it that the cushiness will induce some "bobbing" in the saddle as you pedal, subtracting from power available at the crank?<<<<

I know a couple of road bikers that won't ride without a suspension seatpost. Personally, I will NOT ride my bike without one since it enables me to ride for 7 - 10 miles without pain and stopping. If your not doing anything technical, a suspension seatpost makes good sence and will make the ride pain-free for several miles and allow you to go further.

I can understand the logic behind road bikers not wanting to "Bobble" since it will subtract some power at the cranks. There may be some truth to this but I can't seem to measure the time or energy lost. Since I'm not looking to beat Lance's speed record, the suspension suites me just fine.

The road bike experience is all about speed and pain.

Orbit, your frame sounds suspiciously large. A well fitting frame would usually have a good handful of exposed seatpost to grab. A large frame makes it harder for you to move around in response to the terrain.
If your bike is giving you a rough time, consider fitting wider tyres, as long as you keep the pressure up, they are quite speedy. You should also think about raising yourself off the saddle over bumps, and distributing more weight to your arms.
I ride an old-fashioned road bike with a Brook B17 and 28mm tyres, over tracks and trails as well as rough roads, but dont feel the need for any suspension.

Man, if you can't go more than 10 miles without pain, you better get a 'bent!!

On a roadbike,it doesnt work like front shocks.It hardly ever works.It only will for the biggest bumbs.Even if you set it,then when you sit on the saddle,you go down an inch or so and screws up your saddle height.

>>>Man, if you can't go more than 10 miles without pain, you better get a 'bent!!<<<<

That is certainly an option I'm looking into. I visited a recumbent dealer last year and could not believe the confort those bikes gave you. My suspension seat post could not compare to the plush seat a bent offers. I was going to buy one but they didn't have my color. ;-(

The reason I can't go more than 10 miles without disconfort is due to the fact that our roads are poor and I'm not a fast rider. I rented a bent last year and was able to cycle nearly 25 miles before stopping.

Back to the main subject.

Road bikers use several tricks to avoid disconfort caused by the rock hard seat post by using carbon forks or standing up on the peddals when hitting ruts.

The problem with this is your putting all your weight on the knees will eventually get you sooner or later.

i gotta agree with d*alex here.... you can't be sitting on the saddle right for you to be getting pain from only 10 miles of riding. either that or you need to find a saddle that fits you.

remember, a good saddle isn't supposed to be soft and cushy.... it's supposed to be firm (supportive) in all the right places.

Should it be wider then a pencil?LOL

I recently put a suspension seatpost on my Trek 1000 for commuting. The large cheap aluminum tubes transmitted every thing up to me when riding the streets to work. After going 22.5 miles in, and 22.5 miles home, I was really beat up. The shop didn't have the Specialized Sequoia post, so I got the one used on the Cirrus instead. After playing with the adjustment, I found that I had it fairly stiff, so after the initial depression when I sit on it, it doesn't move much. What the suspension DID do was to make a cheap aluminum frame feel like my older heavy steel Trek 420 frame in the bumpy areas. Not much movement of the post, so my position doesn't vary, but the "feel" of the ride changed. I now have STI shifting when the lights change right in front of me and I want to downshift quick without taking my hands off the levers.
For the longer rides, I still have my Lemond Zurich.

My frame is the correct size.Its just the design the tube for the seat post travels a long way above the top tube.I have got a recumbent and yes they are really comfy.But i have been advised by my eye doctor that it might not be a good idea to exercise in the recumbent position as it my raise my iops.

I guess it depends on your pedalling style. The bike I bought 2.5 years ago to start commuting had a suspension seat post. It was fine for a while. However, after a few months to a year I began to work on developing a smooth, circular pedal stroke. At that point the sluggishness, bounciness, mushiness, whatever you want to call it, introduced by the seatpost suspension became very obvious and objectionable. I tightened up the adjusting clamp to completely lock out the suspension, and things felt much better.

Suspension seatposts are fine if they fit your style and provide comfort without interfering with your pedal stroke.

That´s it. Just forget suspension for seat posts on road bikes. On MTB it´s ok, but on road bikes it will not work, like disc brakes, too.
Try a carbon seat post and a carbon fork - and watch out while cycling.

Originally posted by Piratello
That´s it. Just forget suspension for seat posts on road bikes. On MTB it´s ok, but on road bikes it will not work, like disc brakes, too.
Try a carbon seat post and a carbon fork - and watch out while cycling. Disc brakes won'twork on road bieks eh? Explain this: (http://www.giantbicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.000.asp?lYear=2003&bikesection=8830&range=138&model=10658)
http://www.giantbicycles.com/images/_upload_us/bikes/models/zooms/2003/OCR_Touring.jpg

Sure LOOKS like a road bike, it's in the "road bike" section on Giant.com, and it's not a cyclocross bike either. So viola DISCS on a road bike.

of course it works, a lot of things do work, but very often there´s not much sense in it.
Road rims and tires are so "thin" that you can´t profit from all the braking power disc brakes provide.
In addition to this disc brakes are a lot heavier than normal road brakes.

Originally posted by Piratello
of course it works, a lot of things do work, but very often there´s not much sense in it.
Road rims and tires are so "thin" that you can´t profit from all the braking power disc brakes provide.
In addition to this disc brakes are a lot heavier than normal road brakes. Baloney on both points. Effective braking is much better with discs than with rim brakes. Remember the last time you rode in the rain and how gingerly you had to operate the brakes just so they'd work? No problem here Now I'll grant you they are less than twice as heavy as "normal" Shimano 105 (the rest of the bike is 105 so I'll use that as my benchmark) 318 grams (post mount) for the Avid's vs. 353g (F&R) for Shimano 105. Now I'll admit the "Lance wannabes" would pass carbon fiber rectally before they'd put something "so heavy" on their Trek 5200 TdF Replica, but for someone doing touring or commuting or something where they just don't care what Tyler Hamilton runs or what the local velo snobs think, someone who just wants to be able to stop on thier terms they could be a VERY valuable addition

Back on topic: Try a seatpost if it's not what you want there's always eBay

You forgot that disc looks cool to.

While that's true. IMHO I think the function of them far outstripps the zoot factor

still I believe that you won´t be able to bring the breaking power on the road. The stronger you break the more your tire will slip and slide.
This is all I have ever heard from bicycle mechanics.
But if you are satisfied with your brakes, so may it be and it´s ok.

It's a little thing called modulation. Properly adjusted discs will allow for far more range of pressure than the "binary" setup you seem to have stuck in your head.

Re: disc brakes on road bikes it seems to me I read a few months ago that a couple of big name pro road teams were trying out bikes with disc brakes, primarily, perhaps, for possible use on some of the nasty classics like Paris-Roubaix.

yes, because of the mud.
Crédit Agricole also once tried suspension forks.

I am close to deciding that the sespension seat post on my trek needs to go. I get a very decided amount of side to side wobble. The comfort factor is nice, but has reached a point of deminishing returns.

I haven't noticed any side to side wobble from my suspension seatpost yet, but I need to adjust it for more firmness.
I'm wondering if disc brakes will last longer on long twisty descents, where controlling speed is necessary for those of us that are not pros. Will the brake pad last longer and have less effect on the rim due to heating up?

I'm wondering if disc brakes will last longer on long twisty descents, where controlling speed is necessary for those of us that are not pros. Yes they will.



Will the brake pad last longer and have less effect on the rim due to heating up?Yes the pad will last longer - still no excuse to ride the brakes the whole way down in the manner that I've seen some of the MTB'ers do it. (Stupidity on a stick.) They WON'T affect the rim - they're attached to the hub so no build up of heat on the rim. The rotors are designed to dissapate heat and will do so as long as you allow them to cool a bit. Again don't ride like the old farts around here drive keep your mitts off the brakes. They'll be there if you need them for a lot longer than rim brakes of any kind.

I'm not good on downhills yet. I was thinking of braking on descents where the cars have to slow to 15 mph for most of the curves, and without braking, we'll be doing over 30 mph. Lots of hills like that here with miles of descent and MANY switchbacks..

Just don't ride the brakes the whole way down. The discs will have more availiable power for a longer time, but if you're not smart about it you can warp the rotor if you overheat disc

I am really curious about these disc brakes. I have Ultegra brakes on my road ride and I can barely apply them to take the edge off, or grab them and stop both tires instantly (of course that is a bad idea, but the brakes have no problem stopping a 40mph tire cold). So if I can lock both wheels instantly from 40mph, and I can modulate them too, exactly what advantage will the disc brakes offer me?

Realistically I dont care about pad life, the replacement pads for my brakes are cheap. Heat isnt a problem, or never has been. I dont ride my road bike in mud and the brakes work fine, actually too well, in the wet weather. I am not a weight weenie but I certainly will not add one single gram to my bike if there are no benefits to it.

Honestly I am curious.

Allan

Orbit,
I have a Specialized Seqoia with suspension seatpost, I just measured the post and you need 4" from top of tube to seat rails so the specialized post will not work for you with out frame modification. When I bought this bike I thought the seat post was going to be the first thing to go, but I like it. I increased the spring tension so that it springs when you when you hit a major bump, RR crossing etc. to soak up the major shocks. I do not get any "Bobble". The only negative is the weight, I weighed it at about 16 oz. (30% more then Specialized advertises) I am thinking about trying a good carbor post to see how that works. I don't think carbon would do much for you with only 2.5" of exposure. Good luck.