TDHudson

Can I get a recommendation for a very good shock-absorbing seatpost for my long-suffering Stoker/wife on our Trek T900? We ride on the Ozaukee Interurban Trail in Wisconsin and it has some completely heinous cracks and rough spots -- despite my trying to avoid them, she takes some real abuse back there from the shocks. Today she was getting some serious back strain from it.


We're approaching 7800 miles on the bike now, and I want it to be fun for her going forward. Thanks in advance!

Bellman

Many of our customers prefer the Kinekt seatpost. Also, keep in mind the added comfort that can come from high volume, low pressure tires. Good luck!

reburns

My stoker got a long travel version of the Thudbuster years ago, and she will not consider anything else now because of the long travel, inherent damping of the elastomers, and constant seat to pedal distance.

TDHudson

Thanks for the tips -- I'll report back on how it turns out.
-Tom

Leisesturm

Tires don't get anymore high volume, or lower pressure than the OEM tires on the T900. This can get sensitive, so what follows is very much individual and FWIW but ... suspension posts will reduce the power that can be input into the bike. Stokers especially, do not usually have much extra power to waste heating up the elastomer of a suspension post. The OEM seats on the T900 are awful but should provide more than adequate cushioning. I am lucky that the only thing my Stoker wants from a saddle is that it has a notch at the back for her tailbone to settle into! It can be hard, soft, cutout, no cut out, anything I put back there will work for her as long as the back is notched. I would first try dropping the tire pressures down to 40psi or even lower. We run them as low as 25psi which is when the front end starts to get sloppy. Again, sensitive, I just report the facts. I don't make them. In the o.p.'s situation I would be looking at core (abdominal work) for the back issues. Planks do work for that. We do no less than a two minute Plank every morning (we skip weekends ... sometimes) and regularly do 4 minute Planks in addition to the ab machine work we do 3x/wk at the Gym.

Murray Missile 

Our T900 came with 26 X 1.75 Bontragers, other years may have spec'd different tires. I just replaced them today with 26 X 2.0 Schwalbe Marathons and there is a noticeable difference in both ride and perceived pedaling effort. The bike rides smoother and feels like it rolls much easier. Of course I have to consider the fact that the Bontragers were old, hard and age cracked soo.... but higher volume tires are available.

We also have a Raleigh Comapanion I put together for the local rails to trails and a local canal tow path that are mostly gravel, patches of dirt and sand and occasionally chip and oil. I put 26 X 2.3 Kenda Small Block 8 tires on it and while they do have a bit more rolling resistance over the Schwalbes on pavement (although not bad considering the aggressive tread) they have an even smoother ride due to the large volume. They fit the Raleigh frame but clearance at the back of FD cage is tight. By visual comparison I believe they will fit the T900 as well. Kenda makes their Kwest line in a 26 X 1.9 that is nearly as wide as most 2.125's but I don't know how well they would hold up on a tandem. I have them on a vintage MTB turned townie and they handle and ride great.

Leisesturm

Nice. Our T900 (2015? Last year they made them) came new with Bontrager 2.0" which I didn't trust and the store wouldn't do take-off's so I ordered a pair of Schwalbe 'Big Apple' 2.0 to do my own swap. To this day the Schwalbes sit in the garage unmounted! The Bonties have been amazing. Four straight years without a single flat and we are on that bike every single day commuting through downtown Portland, OR with shopping and errands on the weekends. Flatted in the 5th year and I thought they were done. Nope. Not yet apparently. One additional flat since then. I haven't had any reason to consider bigger than 2.0. I have 2.4 on a cargo bike but I doubt the T900 could go any bigger than 2.0 and still mount fenders. We've got to have fenders. YMMV. Funny enough, one of our other tandems is a Raleigh Coupe (2005) which was the 700C flatbar (converted to drops 2007) road companion to the Companion in those days.

LV2TNDM

The Thudbuster seatpost has been THE CHOICE of suspension seatposts for tandem enthusiasts for decades. It comes with variable density elastomers to meet most stoker needs. I can't imagine your stoker wouldn't do well with this. If that fails, then perhaps the only solution for you would be a full suspension tandem. This would achieve the best impact attenuation she could achieve. Less unsuspended mass means the rear wheel can bounce in and out of potholes, up and over bumps and rocks with the most ease, allowing the rest of the bike and rider to be "insulated" from the impacts of the rough road surface. And this explains why the vast majority of mountain bikers today ride full suspension. It's so well designed and implemented that it's now the standard. Yes, it's overkill for "casual" tandem use, but if it's as bad for your stoker as your post indicates, then you may want to consider it.

jnbrown

We have gone through multiple shock posts including Tamer, Thudbuster but the Kinekt has been the best.