Cyclocross - suspension seatpost

Anyone use one? I am getting rocked on uneven grass and my lower back is not happy. Not worried about the weight as they are about 500g and my current post is 300g. would it mess with power transfer? thoughts? concerns?

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes//Product_10053_10052_175494_-1___

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/20013-275_SETRD9-43-Brands-215-Sette-Products/Sette-Ryde-SP-367A-Suspension-Seatpost-27.2mm-offer?utm_source=Googlebase&utm_medium=datafeed&utm_campaign=FTP&offer=IN210GLB.htm&zmam=3075515&zmas=1&zmac=30&zmap=275%20SETRD9

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?665179-Thudbuster

I don't know about high quality suspension posts, but I had a cheapo on my old GT Timberline and I could feel it sapping my power (what little I had then) with every pedal stroke. It was like riding on a pogo stick. Anything with enough resistance to not do this probably won't help you much on rough grass. Your best bet there is lower tire pressure. A good suspension post might help with the bigger thuds.

I'd make sure that you're not running too high of a tire pressure first. Many make that mistake.

Chances are the impacts from CX racing are not causing your back pain. Work on increasing your back, hamstring and general flexibility. Core strength is also very important. The countless accelerations in cross racing can quickly fatigue your back and cause the pain. Also, many racers run their saddle height slightly lower than their road fit. Give that a try.

I have been using a Koobi saddle on my Tricross since January. The elastomers really smooth out the trail chatter.

USE, made in UK is not cheap, but they offer a series of rider weight adjustment
spring and elastomer kits
to get the spring rate and the weight on them synchronized.

I have been using a Koobi saddle on my Tricross since January. The elastomers really smooth out the trail chatter.

That sounds, together with playing with tyre pressure (and maybe using a higher quality tyre with more threads per inch) like a good idea:



http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/tech/?id=2002/reviews/koobiPRS

Do the bouncy bits at the rear make a difference? It depends on your bike. If you ride a hardtail or rigid bike, then yes. If you ride a dually, the difference isn't noticeable. Initially, you spend a lot of time looking at the rear end of your bike trying to work out what's feeling so weird, then you get used to it and enjoy the fact that most of the little bumps disappear and the bigger ones have the edge taken off them. 10mm of travel can't do a whole lot to smooth out the trail, but it can do enough in combination with a very well shaped saddle to make a hardtail much more comfortable on those longer rides.


And some suspension can in theory make you faster - whenever your bodyweight gets lifted up, even by a millimetre, the energy to do so is stolen from the kinetic energy of the bike. If the Koobi smooths out vibration and doesn't steal pedalling energy, then it should be a win-win.