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I've a knackered back. Riding on roads on a fixed seat post doesn't do me any good. I've been using a Brooks sadlle with springs and that is fine. Solves the back problem. But it is heavy and gives me some discomfort around the bones of my pelvis.
I'd like to go back to my trusty Rolls saddle but the only way I can see is with a suspension seat post.
I tried one of these on my hardtail mtb 20 years ago and it didn't seem to have much effect. Do they now work, and if so which are the best models? Must be 27.2 which was a problem way back then.
The ones with a parallelogram design like the thudbuster really do - because the movement is down and back you keep the same distance from the BB so bob is minimised and youdon't get stiction to the same extent as inline telescopic design posts which IME are useless
thudbusters always didwork - LT "more" than ST, obvz
I had one of the cheaper Suntour ones; that required a little more maintenance and weighed a fair bit. The action also made it feel like the bars were moving back and forth. Do the Thudbusters also feel like that?
I've used both the old USE telescopic ones and the Thudbusters and thought both helped.
In fact, just dropped you a PM, may be able to help...
i run a USE telescopic post.
no side to side play.
no worn pivots. (my main gripe with the thudbuster)
works well and provides alot of comfort on my cargo bike due to the fact that the rear end is heavy and crashes through things.
bobs really not an issue as variable springs availible to taylor the ride.
Even my fat bike has a sus seatpost.
My 2p:
<my LT 'buster helps on the mtb
A few USE's I saw as a wrench (15+ years ago) moved more side to side than up and down
I've seen a few cheap ones on commuters that worked really well.
Thanks guys. Lots of useful info.
Pyro, you are a star. I've replied to you, thank you very much.
I had a Rock Shox inline post on my old bike. I'd planned to replace it with a normal post but actually quite liked it.
It was elastomer sprung so did sweet FA in winter and was very soft in summer.
Been using Specialized seat posts with inserts which dampen down road buzz for years. I can’t say that I can tell the difference but being as my road bike is a particularly rigid aluminium crit frame with pretty skittish wheels I suspect that the lack of back problems suggest it works quite well.
"my road bike is a particularly rigid aluminium crit frame with pretty skittish wheels"
Same here. That's why I need some help. Thudbuster sounds good.
I've got both types of Thudbusters.
I wouldn't call them suspension seatposts though. They are really small bump absorbers, which they do quite well.
However a triple sprung Brooks saddle like a B73 is much more pleasant plus more compliant on hi-frequency vibration stuff.
As for weight, the saddle is heavy, but you use a basic and light seatpost with it, so if you look at it as saddle + post combination, I doubt there would be much in it. Plus you can get rid of the padding in your shorts.
Brooks saddle I have is a B66. Only double sprung, but good enough for what I want. Picked it up, looking like new, in a charity shop for £20!!!
Love my USE suspension posts. They make a huge difference to my back at the end of the day and after a short time are un-noticeable in operation.