I ride an aluminum frame and after a couple hours end up longing for a Soft(er)ride. I was thinking of trying a suspension seatpost. What are the pros and cons of using a suspension seatpost. I admit, they seem dorky and heavy… Also, any recommendations on specific product to try or stay away from?
jg
I can’t say much about suspension seatposts. But now you’ve got me wondering about the following: What kind of tires are you riding? What size are they? How many psi do you run them. Do you ride in bike shorts or training shorts? What kind of saddle do you use? Have you ever used a neoperine seat cover like a DeSoto or QR?
The reason I ask about the tires is that when I bought my first used aluminum framed road bike, it came with some Continental tires that rode hard as a rock. When I swapped them out for a set of Michelin Axial Pros 23’s(now Pro Race) the ride improved markedly. I even tried a set of Michelin 25c tires instead of the 23’s and you could ride down as rough a road as you please and they rode like a Cadillac. However, as far as handling, the larger tires felt a little unstable on a high speed descent.
you are right, they are dorky and heavy and suck for the road.
I used this on my MTB, excellent, I highly suggest you get one:
Moots Ti laidback post
Only true disadvantage, as evidenced by others, is that some think they are dorky. (There is also a minor weight factor and can be some bounce in the seat). I love mine. I push the dork factor even further. I train in the winter on a front suspension Cannondale cyclocross bike with a suspension seat post. For that extra cool factor, I even ride with a rack. I end up carrying everyone’s shed clothes, etc. I had a Cannondale road bike that was very fast, but uncomfortable. Unfortunately I could not put a suspension seat post on it due to the high seat post. I love my Trek for fast group rides and I have no race bike envy relative to my P3, but I still ride my dorky suspension seat post in the winter or on slower group rides.
I’ve got one that I use full time on my commuter bike and occasionally on my other bikes. I also have a Softride. I find the seatpost does help on roads with lots of potholes, expansion joint cracks, etc. But it’s not very smooth on chip-seal roads where there is more vibration and less “shock”.
The benefits of a suspension seatpost over the Softride:
(1) A regular frame with a suspension post is still lighter than a Softride.
(2) Assuming you already have a frame, a suspension post is a lot cheaper than a Softride.
(3) You can tune the preload on a suspension post to allow for more or less bounce. No adjustment is available on a Softride.
The benefits of the Softride:
(1) Much smoother (there’s no stiction with a Softride) than a suspension post. Really nice on rough roads.
(2) Aerodynamics. Just about any Softride (including the Solo) is going to be more aerodynamic anything else with a suspension seatpost.
Hope this helps. You can generally pick up a Rock Shox post for around $50 if you look around. I’d say it’s definitely worth a try.