Is a suspension seat post worth it?
 

Again, I'm new. I really don't know a lot about bikes. Is a suspension seat post worth it? And, is there a great difference between brands? I'm not looking at is as a replacement for a rear suspension. Just something to take the edge off of the small bumps. I'm on a pretty nicely paved bike path for the most part. Thanks!

IMO, A traditional sprung saddle works better.

Not a bad idea. I was looking at those as well. Is there anything I should really look for in that type of seat? Or, is there a particular brand you would recommend?

You will see a fair number of positive reviews for inexpensive suspension posts on Amazon, but long term, they all go bad ... over time the bushings inside wear, and the seat wobbles from side-to-side. So I agree with kickstart, get a sprung saddle instead.

The Body Float seatpost is the one that works, and I have about 4,000 miles on my road bike version. Plus, it is sprung to your body weight and adjustable.

And, from someone who has owned sprung seats and the Body Float, the Body Float is far better.

By the way, it is not cheap...

http://www.cirruscycles.com

Since nobody has thrown it out - Maybe try a larger set of tires at a lower pressure? How much rattle are you trying to smooth over, say chip-seal or potholes?

Riding single track, rutted, rooty rock gardens? Get a full suspension bike.

Riding on pavement, groomed trails, MUPs, chipseal, or cinder? Get out of the saddle and use the legs as shock absorbers. I like the wider, lower pressure tire suggestion, too.

My Specialized Expedition came without a suspension seat. The bike is basically a comfort bike -- you ride pretty upright with your weight on your seat. I got a cheap aftermarket suspension seat (it's some kind of bungee cord suspension that can be adjusted by twisting to the desired tension.) That was a few years ago. The bike gets a lot of abuse (I use it as my winter beater) and the suspension still operates like it did the day I got it. I wouldn't want that kind of seat on my touring bike, but it adds significant comfort to the ride on the Expedition. I don't recall the brand or where on the internet I got it. Sorry.

This is a key point. I've never felt the need for suspension seatpost, but my bike with the most upright positioning is my fat bike, and on that I have 4" of rubber at low psi to take the bumps. On my other bikes I'm positioned such that using my knees up out of the saddle for suspension is a very natural thing. The bike I'm presently using as my commuter, a Surly Troll, has a Cambium C15 saddle, and I've found it really absorbs little road and trail irregularities well, even with 1.5" tires at 75 psi. So, as everyone has mentioned, there are many things you can do, but if I were riding upright at 65psi+ I might consider an inexpensive suspension post. I wouldn't actually get one, but I might consider it :rolleyes:

A few years ago I bought a hybrid with the seat post suspension. I also have a mountain bike without tho it does have front suspension. I can't tell much difference.

I put one on my fat bike, which has FS only. I put on a decent middle of the pricing seat post w suspension and ride quality has improved.
I would recommend one

I wouldn't waste my time or money on a suspension seat post. I had a Specialized Expedition (my first bike as an adult) and it had one on it. Wider tires running lower pressure, or getting out of the saddle and using your legs is what. I would recommend..and if you feel like you need more, a sprung saddle. Brooks Flyer is a terrific one. It's not cheap, but properly taken care of will last decades and the leather will mold to your posterior, like a good pair of hiking boots mold to your feet.

Worth it to Who? You or Me?

You Pinch every Penny or have money burning a Hole in your pocket?


cane creek thud buster , i have 1 of each , long travel came on my Bike-Friday,

I replaced a zero setback post , A German Airwings that Koga, OEM, selected ..

with the CC ST, which does offer a little set back. both are adjusted for my weight thru elastomer changes..

Most of my other bikes I dont have any , just the long distance tour rigs.


$25.00 seat posts bear no resemblance to those costing $250.00

Every suspension seatpost I've ever come across has wobbled. Whether it's side to side or up and down. Sure, most, if not all, of these were years old, but that's not the point. A wobbling saddle would drive me nuts. I have no idea if they were cheap or expensive ones, as I never bothered looking.

I think a proper saddle and a chamois would do you better.

^^^^This^^^^

Clearly nobody here has tried the Body Float. Even though it is expensive, it is worth it.

Good advice. Is it worth it to YOU??

I have a spinal curvature, which makes it impossible to sit on the seat squarely. This means that 70% of my weight is on my left sit bone. For me, definitely worth it.

Agree with Fietsbob, Thudbusters are great. I have two of the long travel posts. Probably overkill for commuting, but I love it. Every little curb cut, bump or expansion joint I ride over, and don't feel, I think to myself "that could have been my a$$!"

Any suspension you put in the back will reduce your power. Rear suspension on mountain bikes (until you get into expensive stuff but that stuff just locks out the suspension when it's flat and only kicks in when it gets bumpy) kills you power.

The best solution as some people have said is usually better or fatter tires. Schwalbe Marathon Supreme's are built with comfort as their top priority:
Marathon Supreme HS 469 | Schwalbe North America

Above a certain point fatter tires are also going to make you a little slower, but that's where I'd start - generally fatter tires also do a much better job of absorbing bumps than suspension is able to.

Not worth it. Neither are e-bikes.

How long do the springs last before they need replacing?

Springs basically don't wear out unless they're junky. And for $250 those won't be. if that thing fails it will be fatigue. The pivots might wear out but since it's all under compression you'd have a hard time telling. Also, the page says they've been around since 2011 so the answer is probably "at least 5 years"

I'm not sure why it's better than a springer saddle and/or a cheap straight suspension post of the $15-30 variety found on inexpensive comfort bikes.

The way they list the springs on the website, it gives me the impression at least, that these springs are effectively consumable items, even if it is years in between replacement.

I have had all three over the years. The spring seats are nice, but if your weight does not match the window of those springs, you are likely to get little benefit or bounced off. The less expensive seatposts, in my opinion, felt about the same for me. In both cases, they were very obvious during the ride, yet better than nothing on some bikes. The Body Float is amazing, in that it just disappears under you once the adjusting is done. On my commuter bike it saves my back and butt from those unseen holes and bumps (and, during the winter, my commutes are often in the dark and some things go unseen). On my fully rigid MTB it really saves my back and butt at times, given I am not standing 100% of the time and sometimes things just sneak up when you have been out riding for hours and are tired. In a nutshell, I have two of these on two different types of bikes and they are the best I have ever experienced.

They are small springs tasked with doing a lot of work, so they might fatigue from so many "cycles." I have about 1 year and 4-5k miles on the one. The other is about 6 months and maybe 30 MTB rides of 2-4 hours. And, there are no obvious signs of wear on either of them.

Suspension seatposts shouldn't have any effect on power (just more weight). Pedaling forces wouldn't compress the seat at all (if anything they lift you). Rear frame suspension is different because the downstroke also causes the rear suspension to compress. Even then its clearly possible to have modest suspension without much power impact (Roubaix, Domane, K8-s, etc).