damo010

Hi,

I'm planning to ride the tour divide next year and am looking at comfort options and have never used or know much about the shock absorbing / suspension seat posts.

Does anyone have any advise / tips for this type of posts?

Thanks Damo

Happy Feet

I don't know about seat posts but if you haven't bought a saddle yet you may look at a sprung one like the Brooks Flyer. Captures a good seat and suspension in one cost. Otherwise you may buy an expensive seat and an expensive post.

Just a thought.

seeker333

Cane Creek Thudbuster seatposts have been popular for several years. They provide very good shock absorption (for a seatpost solution) and are fairly durable, and rebuildable to some extent:

https://www.canecreek.com/products/seatposts

https://www.aebike.com/search_results...eek+thudbuster

Also, large tires that are not over-pressurized help make the bicycle more comfortable on off-road routes.

spinnaker

I had a suspension seat post. Believe me they are not worth the hassle. They rob power and can be very noisy. With the noise being the worst of it.

arctos

My suspension seat post experience is quite different from "spinnaker" above. There are many poor quality suspension posts. Often they are noisy, ineffective, self destruct quickly or have "sticktion"?(sp) where the sliding action is inconsistent and absorbs power.

I have used the Cane Creek Thudbuster post and the British U.S.E. post. I and my tandem stokers have been pleased with their performance. I also have the U.S.E. post on an old LeJeune Track bike I use around town and on rides under 25 miles. The U.S.E post tones down some of the harshness of the track bike. Both posts are over ten years old and still performing well.

Each of these posts are adjustable with elastomers and compression settings for the different weights of riders. Some like the Thudbuster because the movement does not change your relationship to the pedals when it moves unlike the up and down motion of the standard designs.
When I rode the Divide Ride I met many tourers happily using the Thudbuster because it took the edge off some of the washboard and other rough sections.

DropBarFan

I've ridden a Trek city bike with suspension seat post & fork. System is fairly cheapo but works good at smoothing out bumps. Fork suspension causes some bouncing when pedaling standing up, seat-post suspension is not very noticeable. Thudbuster might allow one to use a firmer efficient saddle w/o excessive padding which is somewhat the same approach as sprung Brooks.

damo010

It's those long washboard sections that have me thinking about rear end comfort!

Which post do you prefer to use between the two? do you find that peddling feels weird when the post is compressed when riding on bumps?

NYMXer

On my hardtail Mtb, I put a better quality telescpoic type of seat post suspension to smooth the bumps. While that is no replacement for rear suspension, it does help.
When it wears out, I will get the Thudbuster.
I don't ever seeing me placing one on a road bike

arctos

The Thudbuster is the better choice for the Divide Ride. The parallelogram movement keeps you in the same up and down position relative to the pedals. Using appropriate elastomers for your weight and then adjusting the compression with the bolt controls how much the saddle moves back and forth. You need to see one or sit one or watch someone on it to understand the way it moves. Not easy to describe. Doesn't feel weird after a brief use and proper adjustment.

Wheel size, tire volume and air pressure level have the largest influence on comfort on a rigid bike on the washboard sections. Adding a Thudbuster improves comfort again and then front suspension on a hardtail completes the usual menu outside of a full suspension bike. Of course frame material and design contribute to comfort as well.

Mr IGH

I ran a Thudbuster on my hardtail MTB for several years, I found it worked very well. I finally gave in and moved to a full suspension MTB but kept the Thudbuster, it fits my GG/Tourer and I might want to use it someday.

AdvXtrm

I just finished do a lot of research on these, as I'll have new bike arriving soon, I'm getting all the upgrades and addons in order.

As for the Cane Creek Thudbuster, the main complaint with the Long Travel version is that it's a veritable "Pogo Stick"; way too bouncy. ANother main complaint about both it and the Short Travel version is pervasive squeaking that can'[t be remedied.

On the other hand, for around half the price of the Cane 'Creak', there is the Suntour SP12-NCX. This one has on real complaints, and gets better reviews over all. I'll be going with this one on my new build , and it's only $89 on Amazon.

Check it out,
Details - SR SUNTOUR Cycling

grampa.sjb

I used something like the Thudbuster years ago, and it was okay. Be aware that the first time you hit a good bump on a seatpost like that, you first terrified feeling is that the front end of your bike has broken off and is falling away! That's because the suspension moves the seat backwards, away from the handlebars - but it feel like the handlebars are moving away from you!

Aidoneus

I installed a Thudbuster 3G LT one week ago for riding on paved trails with crack separations and root bumps. (The oak trees have declared war on my local trails.) I cannot comment on using it for an unpaved trail, but I will share my experiences on pavement.

First, there is only one word for saddle tilt adjustment: superb. Now for the suspension itself, mine came with two medium (#5) elastomers installed, along with a spare firm (#7) and a light (#3). According to their chart, I exceeded the weight limit for two mediums, so I changed one of them to a 7. Even with zero preload, I could barely get it to move on the trail. After doing a bit of reading, I realized that the chart was intended for very rough terrain. So I changed the 7 back to a 5, and I found my grease tube so installed it right the second time. Now I get good, though not great, cushioning over said cracks and bumps. Next, I am considering two options: changing one of the elastomers to a 3 (or even switching one up and one down); or moving my saddle back, which would probably work better, though it means removing my seat bag. That's another point, don't forget to add any weight attached to your saddle, especially if you go with the bikepacking method. I find myself trying to get farther back anyway, especially on longer rides, so I think that I'm going to just try that solution first.

kingston 

I bought my wife a thudbuster for the back of our tandem. She tells me that it is a big improvement. As I recall when I researched the purchase the thudbuster was the obvious choice.

damo010

I'm interested in the Ergon / Canyon leaf spring type of carbon post.

Any one tried these? They seem to get good reviews and they keep the weight down too!

Also there fairly cheap ones on ebay too, carbon copies (pun intended) for a 1/4 of the price.

DropBarFan

Ergon carbon/suspension seat post is kinda pricey & one might wonder about quality of knockoff versions. I'm currently using German SQLabs saddle with "Active System" elastomer dampening that seems to give some extra cushion with virtually no added weight.

IMHO touring bikes should have front/rear elastomer suspension: combined with aluminum frame the weight would be about the same as non-suspension production steel frames & furthermore obviates need for heavy wide tires for most roads. Elastomer allows shorter frames & better handling & saves the energy of shifting body weight over bumps. Some Paris-Roubaix pro riders use elastomer, why don't avg tourers have this option?

AdvXtrm

The Canyon version is no longer being sold stand alone, so you'll either have to find one for sale used, or you'll have to buy one of their complete bikes to get one. Like the Canyon unit, the Ergon unit is really road based, and not going to work for touring use. As I said before in my earlier post, I've done a lot of research on this over the past few days, and from all of the study and review I've done, I'm going with the Suntour NCX. I think it's the best touring unit available, and the price is fantastic and can't even be approached by the others. It's only $89 on Amazon right now. I really don't see how you could possibly go wrong with it. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.

Details - SR SUNTOUR Cycling