Suspension Seat Post
Posted by EMale1965@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 37 comments
Anyone have any experience with a suspension seat post? Do they work as well as having rear suspension? I see a lot of e-bikes that have a front suspension, but not as many that have the rear suspension. I was wondering if I could pay less for just a front suspension e-bike and then add a suspension seat post for the rear.
DMTolleson@reddit
https://www.envelo.cc/products/sp25-ncx-suspension-seatpost-350mm-black-30-9
Terrorphin@reddit
It will iron out some of the vibration from the rear wheel, but rear suspension is most useful off-road. Road bikes typically don't have it because the cost / weight penalty just isn't worth it. Suspension seat posts likewise offer little real value.
BunnyEruption@reddit
I don't think it's the cost/weight penalty so much as the slight decrease in pedaling efficiency, which doesn't really matter on an ebike.
cold-corn-dog@reddit
I disagree. They are very helpful for bumpy patchwork roads, sidewalks (where legal), speed bumps, and similar.
Terrorphin@reddit
That's great - I think the fact that road bikes don't have them very often shows that most people don't find the trade-off beneficial - but there is certainly some value.
cold-corn-dog@reddit
My ass says otherwise.
rausrh@reddit
I wish I could for my 2015 Trek Domane 5.2. Stupid trek and stupid proprietary seat 'caps' instead of posts.
unseenmover@reddit
i dont like um b/c the change the distance between the seat and pedals when compressed.
aninjacould@reddit
My Trek Electra Townie Go has seat suspension. It doesn't have front or rear suspension. The seat helps but it's definitely not as good as having front suspension. At 20+ mph you really feel every crack in the road.
generic317@reddit
If you have the Fat Frank tires, they are made to absorb road imperfections. One thing I find among friends is they run too much air for the FF’s to work that way.. maybe try different psi
InfluenceEfficient77@reddit
Shitpost
lrmat@reddit
I have some experience here. My first e-bike was a Tern HSD S11, and that came with a Cane Creek Thudbuster, it worked as advertised for NYC streets. It took the edge off of some decently knurly streets. I eventually swapped it out for a Kinekt seat post and that was a noticeable improvement (which makes some sense, the Thudbuster uses rubber inserts, the Kinekt has actual springs). I can easily recommend the Kinekt, I installed it into my Jackrabbit XG-Pro as well. When I replaced the Tern with a Velotric Summit 1, the first thing I did was swap out the seat post to the Kinekt. The way I Ride in NYC, I decided I really should be using a dropper post to give me a little more agility, and maneuverability between cars. Si I swapped out the Kinekt for a PNW Coast suspension dropper seat post. While it soaks up bigger hits, it doesn't isolate you from the little bumps and hits. I mitigated that by swapping the seat from my Jackrabbit to the Velotric. The seat is a Brooks B67 (with the springs). Between the two, I get something very close to where I was at with the Kinekt, while also getting the advantages of a dropper post... This is my long winded way of saying, from my experience, the Kinekt is a super viable alternative to full suspension for city riding.
Ok-Impression-4766@reddit
get a pnw suspension dropper post
MaxTrixLe@reddit
It’s nowhere near the same as a rear suspension, but it’s a great improvement for ride quality
ralphiooo0@reddit
Makes a significant difference. I bought a new bike which had suspension seat and been riding it for last few months.
Busted out the old bike the other day and my ass was feeling it after 10 min.
ralphiooo0@reddit
Makes a significant difference. I bought a new bike which had suspension seat and been riding it for last few months.
Busted out the old bike the other day and my ass was feeling it after 10 min.
529bikes@reddit
A suspension seatpost is a solid middle ground, but it is not a replacement for actual rear suspension. What it does well is absorb small bumps and vibrations that would otherwise travel straight through the saddle. For paved roads with occasional rough patches, cracks, and potholes, it makes a noticeable comfort difference.
Where it kind of falls short compared to real rear suspension is on bigger hits and at higher speeds. Rear suspension absorbs impacts at the wheel before they reach the frame, which helps with traction and control. A seatpost only cushions what reaches the saddle, so the rest of your body (hands, feet) still gets the full impact.
For a commuter e-bike on mostly paved surfaces, a front-suspension-only bike with a suspension seatpost is a perfectly reasonable setup and saves you a lot of money and maintenance compared to a full-suspension frame. Just make sure you get one rated for your weight, e-bike riders tend to sit heavier because of the extra speed and less standing. Hope that helps, enjoy the bike!!
ArmchairPancakeChef@reddit
The one that comes with the Xpedition 2.0 is crap.
Relative-Display-676@reddit
I've been using cane creek thudbuster for almost 20 years on my hardtail mtb and it's fantastic!
m2keo@reddit
My question to those with upgraded seat posts and expensive seats(cloud9, etc).. How do y'all prevent theft of such items. These seem like the easiest things to steal on a bike.
I know there's thin wire locks u can wire thru the seat to the frame but those can be snipped off easily, no?
ellipticorbit@reddit
I use Hexlox on several key bolts including the seatpost binder bolt.
band-of-horses@reddit
They don't work as well as a full suspension but they work better than a stiff seat post. I had a Suntour NCX on my last ebike and it was ok but not amazing. On my new bike I got a Redshift ShockStop City and it works even better and gives a pretty smooth ride over typical urban bumps. Big improvement over the stock ride. You're not gonna want to offroad it but for cracks and potholes and patches on city sidewalks and road it does the job reasonably well.
Ancient-Chinglish@reddit
I have the Suntour NCX suspension seatpost on my RadMussion and it definitely makes a difference
TenMilePt@reddit
The NCX is excellent. Have them on a couple different bikes. The trapezoidal shaped ones are so much better than the pogo-stick design. Really helps the back on bumpy roads and paths.
Visible-Weight-9732@reddit
This☝️
arkw@reddit
I use a redshift stem and seatpost on both gravel and commuter ebike
TheFlightlessDragon@reddit
I really liked having a suspension post, but at the time I didn’t have rear suspension or any suspension on my old bike.
godzillabobber@reddit
We have Suntour on all our bikes - six in total. What makes them better than the spring ones that move up and down is that the Suntour moves back and forth and the distance between you and the pedals stays constant. That makes pedaling smoother. You get slightly closer and farther from the handlebars and you dont really notice that.
Ohm_Slaw_@reddit
I have a Suntour NCX suspension seatpost. It helps quite a bit. I ride mostly on the road but it smooths out the imperfections in the pavement, the rough transitions, the speedbumps.
I have another bike with an actual full suspension. It's better. More travel, more "kush".
_Cerebral_Musings@reddit
Won't replace rear suspension, but...
weregeek@reddit
In my somewhat limited experience, the parallelogram shaped suspension seat posts work much better than the spring piston type posts. Amongst the the parallelogram shaped options, the least expensive one that I know works well is the Suntour NCX. Make sure that you read the retailer warning on the Suntour site if you go that way.
sanjuro_kurosawa@reddit
FYI how people use suspension seatposts and full suspension frames varies a bit.
When you ride on rough terrain, particularly downhill, you should be out of the saddle to let your knees flex. There's also a requirement to maneuver your body according to slope and obstacle, so you need to be out of the saddle. Naturally, you don't need a suspension seatpost then.
When riders pedal, they will most likely be sitting. Then a suspension post has value. And you're likely on the seat on the climbs and the flats, which could be 90% of the ride time.
Full suspension is useful on rough terrain, and depending on the quality and tuning, be fine on the smooth terrain when you sit. But will you pay top dollar for quality shocks and frames? And there are many types of full suspension ebikes.
My other thought is that there isn't a leader in suspension posts because there's a limited market at the high end. Personally, I rather have no rear suspension than a crappy one.
Tallguywithcamera@reddit
I have an Aventon fat tire, I weigh 250, I mostly only notice the suspension seat post working going over speed bumps and larger ruts. Which is enough for me to make it worthwhile to have.
arenablanca@reddit
They help. My first ebike had skinny hard tires and I compared it to riding a brick. I already owned a Cane Creek Thudbuster so I stuck that on and it made a big difference.
That same seatpost has lasted me probably 15yrs now and is on my 3rd bicycle.
Ok-Conversation-7292@reddit
Oh yeah, it's definitely the way to go if you want to save weight and money.
Ok-Type-8917@reddit
I have a cheap one and can definitely tell the difference.
Then_Fee_1638@reddit
I have one, can’t say I notice it most of the time. My bike is a fat tire so some suspension effect just in the extra rubber