Bicycle Mechanics - New Trek Navigator 2.0 - Loose seat

I bought a new Trek Navigator 2.0 and I have been having a problem where the seat shifts left and right slightly while riding. It's not loosing height, but during riding I can feel it shifting from side to side. I have tightened the bracket as much as possible, but it keeps shifting. I have noticed a large amount of grease has been applied to the seat post. Could that be my problem?

I just checked the post on my 5 yr. old 3.0 , it's the elastometer (shock absorber ) in the post , tighten it all the way will (should ) eliminate it

I just checked the post on my 5 yr. old 3.0 , it's the elastometer (shock absorber ) in the post , tighten it all the way will (should ) eliminate it

I found the bolt you are referring to, but it was already pretty tight. It does seem a little better. The seat still has a little movement to the left. Maybe that's as good as its going to get.

decide if you even need the suspension seat post,
in the quest of not having it feel loose.

The grease is there so the post doesn't seize in the seat tube, don't remove it. I think any suspension post is going to have some play. Replacement solid seat posts are cheap and easy to install.

I bought a new Trek Navigator 2.0 and I have been having a problem where the seat shifts left and right slightly while riding. It's not loosing height, but during riding I can feel it shifting from side to side. I have tightened the bracket as much as possible, but it keeps shifting. I have noticed a large amount of grease has been applied to the seat post. Could that be my problem?

We have 4 Trek bikes, two of which date back to 2004. A pair of Navigators and a pair of newer Multitracks. All came with the sprung seat post. All after about a year of use developed the sideways shifting you describe. They use a plastic washer/guide with a key slot. The key slot wears with up and down seat movement. This then allows the movement you describe. I took the seat post out and went in with a socket and tightened up the nut to the point where the seat could no longer move up and down. That cured the side to side shifting while pedaling. That of course killed the sprung effect of the seat post. With a good seat and padded shorts we found we could do without the sprung seat post. It also made it easier to adjust seat height for best pedaling with knee angles. The idea of the sprung seat post adding comfort while riding is questionable.

We have 4 Trek bikes, two of which date back to 2004. A pair of Navigators and a pair of newer Multitracks. All came with the sprung seat post. All after about a year of use developed the sideways shifting you describe. They use a plastic washer/guide with a key slot. The key slot wears with up and down seat movement. This then allows the movement you describe. I took the seat post out and went in with a socket and tightened up the nut to the point where the seat could no longer move up and down. That cured the side to side shifting while pedaling. That of course killed the sprung effect of the seat post. With a good seat and padded shorts we found we could do without the sprung seat post. It also made it easier to adjust seat height for best pedaling with knee angles. The idea of the sprung seat post adding comfort while riding is questionable.

Thanks for the reply. Am I removing the seat post from the seat to access key slot? I have tightened every bolt I could find with no luck. If removing the seat post from the seat, how do I go about doing this? Sorry, bike maintenance is very new to me.

Low cost telescopic suspension seat posts have play, side to side..

the elastomer within a parallelogram nature of Cane Creek's thudbuster
seat posts don't have rotary play, but at a premium price.

Consider a rigid seat post, and a saddle with springs on it, instead..

Low cost telescopic suspension seat posts have play, side to side..

the elastomer within a parallelogram nature of Cane Creek's thudbuster
seat posts don't have rotary play, but at a premium price.

Consider a rigid seat post, and a saddle with springs on it, instead..

I'm taking my Navigator to the bike shop after work today. I'm honestly interested in getting a regular seat post installed. Would my saddle seat be compatible with a regular post?

Of Course..

I was thinking of switching to something like this: http://agees.com/product/bontrager-ssr-seatpost-27.2mm-154693-1.htm

Would this post be able to support 240 pounds? Thanks.