Mountain Biking - Susp. Seat post or not?

I just bought a hardtail bike, I had a full suspension before, but it was too bouncy, and heavy. I am now considering getting a susension seat post for my bike. What are the advantages and disadvantages, and what brand would you recommend (something under $50 if there are any decent ones to be had for this price)

:thumbdn: I would say it's probably not worth it. I had a cheap suspension post on my first mtb bike (Specialized Expedition Elite '00) and it did almost nothing. My new mtb (Trek 8000 '01) has a rigid post and I like it much better.

The suspension post causes the distance from the pedals to vary which is annoying, and most of the cheep ones bottom out when you're sitting on them anyway.

My sugestion is that if you're going to hit a real rough that might hurt your bum, just stand up. Or try running less pressure in your tires. That smooths out your ride a surprising amount.

There are some high-end posts from RockShox and Answer that are supposed to be nice, but they're over $100 I believe.

I guess you're probably right about the low end susp. seat posts being garbage, I found a decent price on a rock shox seat post, has anyone had good luck personally with the rock shox post?

I've never tried a suspension seatpost, but a guy I have riddin with uses the Cane Creek Thud-Buster and he likes it a lot. Maybe you could find a bike shop that carries bikes with suspension seat posts that you could try out.

I really like my sus post. I have a USE Alien...which set me back about £70.00...worth every penny.

Rich :)

I had a CODA post that came stock on my F2000. I hated it!!! Everytime I rode down a steep drop and moved my body over the rear tire, the post would come up and get in my way. Every time I stood up, the saddle would rise as well, and I never felt like I knew where the seat was.

I didn't notice any significant "bump" resistance and decided it wasn't worth the extra weight. I switched to a Thompson Elite and have been happy ever since.

L8R G8R:beer:

I think I understand your point especially after my last ride. (I'm new to this so I'm picking up new things on every ride I go on at this point) Last time I went out, I got to ride alot of steep inclines that made me more aware of weight placement. Knowing where my seat was at all times was important to this effect. Now I'm leaning more towards getting a more cozy seat, and keeping the rigid post. I think I want to get a WTB comfort zone seat. Hey this is gonna save me big bucks! OK now I'm definitely decided.:D

Originally posted by Diligum
I think I understand your point especially after my last ride. (I'm new to this so I'm picking up new things on every ride I go on at this point)

Do you have a cool LBS that lets you tryout stuff?

I haven't asked about trying anything before I buy it at my bike shop. That would be awesome. Do you mean trying something in the parking lot, or actually taking it out for a ride for a day or 2? I know I can try anything in the lot, but I don't know about taking anything for a ride. I think maybe they would be cool with it, the guy who owns it is a really nice jewish guy...his shop is even open on sunday! I have so far based most of my knowledge of what is a good product and what is crap by reading these forums and MBTR.com

Originally posted by Diligum
I haven't asked about trying anything before I buy it at my bike shop. That would be awesome. Do you mean trying something in the parking lot, or actually taking it out for a ride for a day or 2? I know I can try anything in the lot, but I don't know about taking anything for a ride. I think maybe they would be cool with it, the guy who owns it is a really nice jewish guy...his shop is even open on sunday! I have so far based most of my knowledge of what is a good product and what is crap by reading these forums and MBTR.com

Oh, from your post that I quoted before:"I think I understand your point especially after my last ride. (I'm new to this so I'm picking up new things on every ride I go on at this point) ".

It sounded like your LBS was letting you tryout stuff on the trail. I guess I misunderstood your meaning. Oh well. I would be really sweet to have a LBS that would let you take stuff out.

Get a Ti seat post. Helps to reduce the harsh feeling you get from the rough stuff. Here is one that is priced right.

http://www.airborne.net/