At half the weight (~300 grams) and half the travel (20mm) of most squishy posts, it performs closer to the best carbon seatposts available. Continuing their 20-year suspension seatpost legacy, Cane Creek recently announced the all-new, fourth generation Thudbuster ST (Short Travel). Designed with touring, commutes, and e-bike trips in mind, it features 50mm of travel—up from 33mm on the original Thudbuster ST—to smooth out bumps and bounces on multi-surface rides. Building on the original Thudbuster’s parallel linkage, it also got a redesign for a higher rider weight limit (now up to 330 pounds), increased durability, and more travel. What about heavier riders? My current set up still has quite a bit of preload you can dial in (which stiffens the feel of the post without reducing the travel). But heavier riders may still find that they should be running a stiffer spring. For those riders, Redshift is working on a new stiffer spring option that will include both the main and inner spring with springs made from a material that is 25% stiffer. This option will likely be available for sale from Redshift in the new year.

The easiest way to determine your handlebar size is to see if it's printed on the handlebar. This will require removing your current stem faceplate. Alternate method: Use a fabric or paper measuring tape (or print one at https://printable-ruler.net/ ) and measure the circumference of the steerer tube. You will need to remove the compression cap and loosen the two pinch bolts to get access to your steerer tube so be sure you are comfortable in doing so and then reassembling properly.For my riding style, I’d love to be able to slide the saddle forward just a couple millimeters more than I can with the current seat head. For most riders, this won’t be an issue, but I prefer a more forward saddle position. Saddle choice can help here, but ideally the seat head would allow for more forward adjustment. The Verdict… for now Given that cyclists often have 60 to 70% of their body weight on their saddle, I don’t know if there is any other component that offers as much of an improvement in ride comfort (assuming you’ve already optimised your tyre width and pressure). Overall, the Pro version drops weight, is easier to set up and still offers a substantial advantage if you need more compliance. We think this new Pro version could find a home on lots of drop-bar bikes moving forward, because gravel events are getting more popular and don’t seem to be getting any shorter, smoother or easier. PUNCH LINES The easiest way to determine your steerer tube size is to use a pair of calipers to directly measure the diameter or take your bike to the local bike shop and they will be able to measure it for you. Alternatively, most of the time a manufacturer will list this under their specifications in the Frame/Fork section. Make sure you are looking at the correct model year as these sizes can change year to year. A suspension seatpost is a great comfort upgrade, as it will both absorb bigger hits, as well as dampen vibrations coming up from the road. This essentially means you’ll feel fresher at the end of a long ride.

On the rough trail, the spring seatposts are, by a large margin, the most effective at mitigating vibrations (17-24% improvement when compared to a carbon seatpost). In really muddy terrain, the Fender works very well to keep mud out of the works. So it’s probably best to run the Fender unless clearance issues prevent you from doing so. Can I use a saddle bag?mm is common on older road bikes with drop handlebars. - There are other less common sizes that we do not provide shims for. However, other handlebar shim sizes may be available at your local bike shop. Lastly, we have air springs, which are sometimes used in telescopic seatposts. The main advantage is that you can adjust the spring stiffness to a higher degree of accuracy. Suspension Seatpost Designs

Then I built up a new gravel beast and thought, hey, why not upgrade the seatpost as well. I retired the Thudbuster and sprung for a Redshift (pun intended). I’ve been on it for a month now and there are no downsides. I’m 175# and this post is perfect. I run it slightly soft and it keeps me planted through the big hits and eliminates most of the medium chatter. Small stuttery garbage is gone. The return rate is immediate and so I’ve had no issues taking this bike on the concrete. Yesterday, on a whim, I took this bike on a group road ride and was in the front the whole time. I’ve experienced no penalty for running the Redshift post on the road!

Redshift Shockstop Suspension Seatpost Review Wrap Up

But interestingly, data recently collected by the University of Exeter (England) suggests that once the seatpost is installed on a bike, it may not reduce vibration exposure. Fortunately, the Axiom Lazerbeam 180 not only has a rubber band that is long enough to fit around the seat tube of the Otso Warakin Ti, it also has an articulating clamp and a tall, skinny design that allows me to position it so it’s still visible to traffic. More reasons it was worth of an Editor’s Choice award. The other dropper option is the PNW Coast, which has 40mm of suspension travel and is the best-value dropper, by far. And finally, the air seatpost improved things a bit (6% improvement) but clearly requires a higher bump force to activate than other suspension seatposts. I’ve run it on both a rigid gravel bike and on a bike with a (gravel) suspension fork, and the effect on both was transformative.

I used to laugh at people with suspension seatposts. Like a couple of commenters here, I felt it was an issue of proper seat adjustment and tire pressure. As a KOM-chasing, overly competitive maniac that frequently destroys equipment, I felt I was NOT the use case for these items.It’s great if you have a ‘sporty’ ride position like me, or if you mostly ride smoother roads. Given it only has 20mm of travel, you will have to compromise on the rougher roads, but I still find it offers a significant comfort improvement over a regular post. Plus it doesn’t bounce, it’s light and it’s elegant. First Impressions: Out of the box I could immediately feel the lighter weight of this Pro version of the post over the standard version. The hollowed out pivots were noted next. Otherwise, detecting the other differences required a side-by-side comparison. The look is subtly different, but the over all look is definitely similar. The only dead giveaway that a rider would have the Pro version being the hollow pivots. The stated load limit of 110kg is disconcerting for Me as a heavy rider when out of shape. Thudbusters are rated to 150kg rider weight; the by.Schultz – 160kg (if I’m not mistaken). 110kg is vexatiously limiting. If you ride a mix of gravel and tarmac roads, I don’t know if you can do any better than the Cane Creek eeSilk. As a 200 lb rider, I knew I was going to need the second spring and I installed it immediately before putting the post on my bike. My gravel bike is something that I ride on dirt AND pavement and I knew I didn’t want to be bouncing around while pedaling on the road. This lead me to an initial preload setting of 3 on the 1-5 scale. The only real downside to the adjustment method is that you have to pull the seat post out of the bike each time but that’s a pretty minimal issue. With an initial preload set, I was ready to put my saddle on and install the post.