Looking at the Cane Creek eeSilk seatpost for my gravel bike. Any thoughts/reviews, good or bad on a suspension seatpost in general and on this specific model? TIA.
I haven’t ridden this one, so take that under consideration. Just looking at its design, I don’t like it. The direction of initial travel is backwards, not down.
I’d take a good look at the Kinekt seatpost.
I tried the cane creek. Didn’t care for it. Just didn’t feel quite right. That’s probably not helpful as a review.
Now I have the redshift sports shockstop seatpost. It’s a bit heavy but works great.
I have a simple telescope coil spring suspension seatpost installaed on my gravel bike. The spring is exchangeable and comes in different strengths to match rider weight, and has an additional preload adjustment screw for fine tuning. I know that the experts say that this type of system isn’t ideal because the direction of travel of the suspension is towards the bottom bracket and not towards the rear wheel. I really like it though, because while it does make the ride noticeably smoother and takes away the rougher bumps, I don’t constantly bounce around on it while pedalling and still feel that I have a pretty good connection to the terrain. I also like that it doesn’t add a ton of weight to my bike.
I can’t speak to other types of seatposts (this is the only one I ever tried), but I definitely recommend getting one (whichever type you end up preferring). Makes the ride much more enjoyable.
Cane Creek has been making posts with that same basic design for more than 20 years under the name ‘Thudbuster’ which they still sell. The eeSilk is just a way to jump on the gravel bandwagon although I do think the design makes far more sense on a ridged gravel bike than a mountain bike. If the design was inherently flawed it would have died out long ago. If the design were revolutionary it would have caught on years ago in the world of hard tail MTBs and have moved out of the realm of super niche accessory. Under the right usage conditions I am sure these things are great but I think those right conditions don’t represent how/where most people ride ridged bikes.
James Huang at cyclingtips mid testing has good things to say:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CV_H_Cql-KK/?utm_medium=copy_link
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I haven’t ridden this one, so take that under consideration. Just looking at its design, I don’t like it. The direction of initial travel is backwards, not down.
I’d take a good look at the Kinekt seatpost.
kinda backwards is how you want it. as another person posted, i think the redshift is more popular.
I had a Redshift seatpost on my prior gravel bike. It ‘worked’ just fine but I didn’t really notice that it made long rides any more comfortable. That bike also had the Redshift suspension stem, and that was actually a pretty nice upgrade. It smoothed out a lot of the chatter on rough roads. If I was going to pick between suspension stem and seatpost, I’d definitely choose the stem.
I haven’t ridden this one, so take that under consideration. Just looking at its design, I don’t like it. The direction of initial travel is backwards, not down.
I’d take a good look at the Kinekt seatpost.
kinda backwards is how you want it. as another person posted, i think the redshift is more popular.
I did a blog post a while back on the why… Basically it keeps the center of the travel arc where it belongs – at the front hub. I believe the Redshift does similar, though they’re a bit higher on the arc. Thudbuster and the ee have too small of an arc and starts at the top of the circle, rather than at the side.
I haven’t ridden this one, so take that under consideration. Just looking at its design, I don’t like it. The direction of initial travel is backwards, not down.
I’d take a good look at the Kinekt seatpost.
kinda backwards is how you want it. as another person posted, i think the redshift is more popular.
I did a blog post a while back on the why… Basically it keeps the center of the travel arc where it belongs – at the front hub. I believe the Redshift does similar, though they’re a bit higher on the arc. Thudbuster and the ee have too small of an arc and starts at the top of the circle, rather than at the side.
i don’t know that there’s a mathematical reason that the fulcrum needs to be at the front hub, but i think that’s a pretty good spot. as good as any.
I’m going a different direction and trying a brooks C13 cambium saddle on my gravel bike. I put a brooks B17 on my cruiser bike and think its the most plush/comfortable change that I’ve made (aside from getting bigger tires and lower pressure)! Maybe not as dramatic as a thud buster, but I hope the C13 adds another element of comfort!
I haven’t ridden this one, so take that under consideration. Just looking at its design, I don’t like it. The direction of initial travel is backwards, not down.
I’d take a good look at the Kinekt seatpost.
kinda backwards is how you want it. as another person posted, i think the redshift is more popular.
Yes. D
Backwards then downwards is exactly what is needed. Pure vertical puts a harsh transition in the movement (the movement of your saddle/arse as its already moving forward really wrt the ground. Lots (all ?) of the best full susser rear designs make the axle move backwards before / as well as up in reaction to bumps. It helps prevent the whole bike being stopped dead in its tracks.
I think the Thudbuster has different options on the elastomer that is chosen, with the right preload in the elastomer and subsequent stiffness there to reduce/manage the bobbing in the seat when pedalling, vs your weight.
As to why they didn’t become ubiquitous, I recall everyone seemed overly focused on weight and nothing else in mountain biking when they 1st appeared (even if the bike was a twangy noodle that never pointed the same way twice, and fractured after 3 rides, that was ignored in pursuit of the sub 20lbs holy grail)
Pardon the ask, but when you write “ridgedâ€, do you mean to say “rigid†as in stiff? I just want to make sure I’m understanding correctly. Thanks.
the post that James Huang is a new unreleased eeSilk that has more than 25mm travel and is suppose to be worlds’ better than the shorter travel posts out there and the longer travel thudbusters. supposedly can power through rough sections much better, from what testers have shared…
When I initially built up my fargo, I put a thudbuster LT on it. Too soft, even after trying different elastomers. Its not for me, maybe a ST would work better, but I just ordered a PNW dropper instead. It likely depends on your riding style or prefefence.
Thanks. That’s only 5mm of travel more. I didn’t want the additional 15mm that the plus has over the regular.
correction: the EEsilk Plus with 35mm travel is released: www.backcountry.com/cane-creek-eesilk-plus-alloy-seatpost
this’ll be my present to the gf this winter. I trust Huang’s reviews.
Redshift is also coming out with a lighter elastomer-based seatpost this winter. Similar linkage as before, but no springs/preload anymore. 20mm travel.
https://redshiftsports.com/products/shockstop-pro-suspension-seatpost-rt
Looking at the Cane Creek eeSilk seatpost for my gravel bike. Any thoughts/reviews, good or bad on a suspension seatpost in general and on this specific model? TIA.
I,ve been using the SWOTRKS post for the last couple years. It’s not super springy like some others but there is a noticeable difference in how my low back feels after a ride.
I haven’t ridden this one, so take that under consideration. Just looking at its design, I don’t like it. The direction of initial travel is backwards, not down.
I’d take a good look at the Kinekt seatpost.
kinda backwards is how you want it. as another person posted, i think the redshift is more popular.
I’ve been using the Redshift stem and seatpost, and I LOVE them. IMHO, they are game changers as far as making rides more comfortable. Its not like mountain bike suspension but it does allow some give so your back is not tortured. And I feel no change in speed when I compare my rides before and after adding Redshift. Used it in multiple races this year, from 40 miles to 140 miles. Highly recommend Redshift