adlai

Are they worth it?

mikewille

yes.

LesterOfPuppets

I don't think they're worth the weight for the amount of shock they absorb. If you keep enough weight on your saddle for it to absorb a really big hit, you'll probably dent your rear rim.

Fatter tires with a little less pressure work better, IMO.

jeffpoulin

I've wondered about these too. Do they squeak when you hit a bump or when you're pedaling hard? If so, I think that would be a deal-breaker. Otherwise, it could be interesting, but I agree with LoP that I'd just rather have fatter tires.

LesterOfPuppets

Mine does not squeak at all. A very slight thunk when it tops out, but that only happens if I stay seated over a speed bump, for instance - I'll get full compression, then when my butt comes out of the saddle the post tops out. That's the only noise mine ever makes.

fietsbob

Cane Creek's are different from all the rest, they are a parallelogram linkage and move back as they go down,
everyone else is coilspring and some like USE offer a series of springs and elastomers in mix and match sets
to fine tune the suspension to the riders weight..
In short , not all Suspension seatposts can be lumped in together..


got specific makes and models in mind?

My Trekking bike came with a German Airwings seatpost ,
it feels solid till I hit a pothole or something..

LesterOfPuppets

That's true. I've never tried a Thudbuster. Only a couple of different telescoping posts.

adlai

Yeah, was thinking something like this

https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...s.php?id=31052

fietsbob

That one at $30 certainly is cheap to try.. I hope you don't miss saddle setback,
thats the main thing thudbusters offer .. setback,
That is because they don't have to go straight down, to work.

irclean

My experience with suspension seat posts has been negative. I'm a heavy guy and I found that when the seat post compressed with each pedal stroke it shortened the distance my leg would travel, thereby leaving my knees slightly bent. My knees would end up being sore after every ride. I tightened the adjustment bolt as far as it would go turning into an essentially rigid seat post and the pain went away. Of course, YMMV.

jayr

my bike came with one, so it's probably not the best quality, but I think I could do without it. It doesn't seem to do much on smaller bumps and I normally stand up to take some weight off the bike for larger ones. I went up from 28 to 32C tires and that made a huge difference in ride quality.

shouldberiding

Lower your tire pressure if road buzz is the issue, and take some or all of your weight off the saddle when going over bumps. Not worth the weight if you ask me. If the terrain is bad enough to require suspension there are better places for it, like the fork.

rex_kramer

Mine's not even a year old and already squeaking. I got sick of it rather quickly and tried lubing the spring to no avail. I finally gave up and just locked it down. I could easily live without it.

Schwinnsta

As well as tire such Schwalbe Big Apples, you can try seats with springs.

jayr

Good point on the springer seat if your bike and riding style can accomidate it. The one on my stretch cruiser is super nice (it works way better than the seatpost on my commuter) since it's hard to stand up to go over bumps on the stretch it works great.

whatsmyname

I woulkd never have bought one but I inherited a bike that has one and you know what - they're not bad at all. I'm neither light nor heavy and haven't had problems with bottoming out or squeaking.

EKW in DC

My hybrid came stock with one. I don't realyy care for it. It has a collar that can be screwed tight to lock out the suspension of the seat post. I now keep this tightened all the time; retightening is part of my weekly tire pressure check/reinflation routine. I agree with those who have said that wider tires work just as well. I have 700x35s right now and at 80 or so PSI (recommended inflation pressure), they soak up the little things. Any bigger bumps and I'm making sure to deweight the saddle a little anyway.

That being said, one of the reasons I don't like it is that I have to have my seatpost at the minimum insertion point for proper saddle height. When I sit on the saddle w/ the suspension NOT locked out, my saddle is that little bit lower. If I had a bigger (read, properly sized) frame, I might have a slightly different opinion.

alan s 

Suspension seatpost is completely worthless on a bike intended for road or smooth trail use (i.e., most commuter bikes) and just adds unnecessary weight to the bike, not unlike a suspension fork). A little padding on the saddle and lifting your arse when riding over larger bumps will completely eliminate the need for suspension. They are a sales gimmick.

Wanderer

And, they wiggle, too!

irclean

I concur.

noglider 

I use my knees as suspension.

alr

I would rather use a sprung saddle (and I do).