suspension seatposts

[Dave W]

Get what you pay for at the end of the day.

[Vantage]

Get what you pay for at the end of the day.

At £15, free delivery, 4000 miles and a year later, having only been greased once and bounced over bad roads and offroad trails while fitted to a tourer which up until a few weeks ago was rolling on 32mm tyres at 80psi and having no problems whatsoever, I couldn't agree more
When/if it fails, £15 buys me another one. Money definitely well spent imo.

[BigG]

are they any good.? have no suspension on bike.tyres are schwalbe marathon supreme 700x42.

Dont forget you need about 2inches clearance above the seat lug. If I had that I'd be tempted by the Thudbuster it looks less likely to swivel.

The Thudbuster needs about 7" above the seat lug and the Suntour only a little over 1' less. Both are excellent, however, and in my opinion much to be preferred over the straight shaft types as they move in the right direction on impact.

[rogerzilla]

They have two main problems, even when they're working propertly:

1. Weight
2. The saddle height is absolutely critical for efficient pedalling and therefore you don't want it changing the whole time.

They are apparently useful for tandem stokers, who can't see the potholes coming.

[Milfred Cubicle]

I've suffered from back problems for years, and mountain biking especially caused flare-ups. Fitted a U.S.E. post last summer, £85 but worth every penny, as I've had hardly any problems since. Going touring soon, and intend to swap it to my touring bike.
I've got one of the Suntour posts too, it's o.k., but very heavy. The real problem is that it's a standard spring for all riders, so you need to wind up the preload to support heavier riders.That makes the action quite vicious, and it gives an alarming clunk as it tops out. No such problems with the U.S.E. Much lighter, different springs available, with elastomer damping to eliminate clunks. Rebuild kits available cheaply enough, but after a filthy winter of riding, I opened mine up to clean it, only to find it immaculate with no sign of wear. The only downside is about 3-4 mm lateral play, which feels odd when you waggle the saddle, but is completely unnoticable whilst riding.

[gentlegreen]

The one thing I do rather covet though is a remote controlled seat height adjuster.
I would be handy to be able to lower the saddle when stopped at traffic lights...
Then hoik it back up and surprise the roadie types with a turn of speed. .. As I get older I will appreciate a lower saddle for getting on and off.

[BigG]

They have two main problems, even when they're working propertly:

1. Weight
2. The saddle height is absolutely critical for efficient pedalling and therefore you don't want it changing the whole time.

They are apparently useful for tandem stokers, who can't see the potholes coming.

Saddle height is not in practice much of a problem. If the compression is set to just balance your weight with about 1/4" (or less) compression, then you will ride in this position most of the time - on road at least. The suspension kicks in when you hit a bump or pothole. Saddle height is irrelevant at such times and for such a short period. In any case, I do not find that 1/4" up or down has any significant effect on pedalling efficiency or comfort. No doubt many will disagree with this, however.

[Brucey]

The one thing I do rather covet though is a remote controlled seat height adjuster.
I would be handy to be able to lower the saddle when stopped at traffic lights...
Then hoik it back up and surprise the roadie types with a turn of speed. .. As I get older I will appreciate a lower saddle for getting on and off.

you need a 'remote dropper seatpost' then; they do exist (at a price...)

check out the 'Kind Shock eTen Remote Seatpost'

cheers

[gentlegreen]

you need a 'remote dropper seatpost' then; they do exist (at a price...)

check out the 'Kind Shock eTen Remote Seatpost'

That wasn't nearly as expensive as I feared
It'd definitely be worth it to keep me on the road for a few more years in my dotage.

[occamsrazor]

Hi,
Figured I'd tack my question onto this thread.
Am looking to get a suspension post for my steel hardtail 29er that mostly gets ridden on singletracks.
Can't decide between the Thudbuster LT or the Suntour NCX SP-12. Obviously there is a cost factor, but that aside has anyone here actually ridden both and can compare?
Thanks...

[les tocknell]

I've used USE suspension seat posts since they first came out and I find them excellent. Very adjustable, need very little maintenance and make a huge difference over stutter bumps (old railways) and forest tracks off-road and the near bridleway state of Herefordshire back roads I habitually ride on as well as voies vertes in France. I have one on my mtb and one on my road mtb. They don't move significantly up and down so don't affect your saddle adjustment, which you would measure sat on the saddle anyway wouldn't you?

[KevinH]

Hi,
Can't decide between the Thudbuster LT or the Suntour NCX SP-12. Obviously there is a cost factor, but that aside has anyone here actually ridden both and can compare?
Thanks...

I can't compare as the Thudbuster is too pricey for me, but I have a NCX SP-12 on my front suspension hybrid, which is used mainly off-road ( tracks, towpaths, etc ). I'm very pleased with it, it's a huge improvement over any conventional vertically sprung seat post I've used.

PS. if you do get a NCX SP-12, ordering from amazon.de gives quite a saving over the uk price. ( 58euro v £80 ).

[occamsrazor]

PS. if you do get a NCX SP-12, ordering from amazon.de gives quite a saving over the uk price. ( 58euro v £80 ).

Nice find, thanks a lot. On http://www.bike-discount.de they're 56 euros but out of stock and it's easier to deal with Amazon. I've ordered a couple of things off Amazon Germany before - some suitcases at less than half the Amazon UK price. If you stick to items that are shipped/fulfilled by Amazon then you even get free shipping...