Defective suspension seat post on a Fold XS bike

Thanks Sondors. the mechanics are light years ahead of the Sondors seat post. All the contact points move freely on a ball bearing. Very nice design.
 
Suntour seat post suspension update: I was able to go on a 10 mile ride today. It gave me some good time in the saddle to further evaluate the Suntour seat post I installed. Yes, there is a big difference in ride quality. You definitely could feel the difference as compared to the seat post suspension the Fold XS came with, although I have my doubts if it actually works. I played around with the adjustment on the Suntour, making it slightly "softer".
My weight is around 177. The instructions say it should be set at the factory for average weight. They explain the adjustment should be calibrated so that when you sit on the bike, the travel of the suspension should be around 1/3 of the total travel distance. That is hard to really see unless you have someone watching. I did like it a little on the loose, cushy side but you must realize, it will probably bottom out if you go over larger bumps. I rode on side walks, streets and some grassy areas. If riding off-road, I would think it should be adjusted slightly tighter to prevent bottoming out. For road riding, I like the softer feel. It provides a nice gliding feel.
The main point is that after a 10 mile ride, my lower back and backside felt much better. As the suspension compresses, the seat moves back slightly. This is not noticeable at all.
All in all, I highly recommend this suspension seat post. NO, I am not getting any kick-backs from this company. I just want to give credit to a product that is well designed.
 
SondorsMXS said:
Wings02-I finally got my MXS seat post apart (likely the same as yours)! Working on smoothing it out tomorrow. Just couldn't take another day with the "stiction" action on my ride yesterday. It sucks.... So I will be putting a craytex bit on the edges (The bearing surface is 90*, not beveled). I think this will improve the sliding action between the nylon/plastic, and the inside of the seat tube. There was also some chrome plating flaking off in the seat tube, as no doubt Wings02 has seen. This however, isn't the problem. I believe the inexact dimensions between the nylon and the hollow seat tube, coupled by the 90* edge tilting into/away from the seat tube. Thoughts? I'll have more T&E on this tomorrow. I tried to protect the tube with painters tape, but since its at the bottom, I'm not bothered it got boogered up. You NEED a vise (under the jaws of most regular vises contain a "V" shaped pipe holder.

1. Use a set of snap ring pliers to remove snap ring under seat post.
2. Use a 6mm allen wrench to fully remove silver screw under snap ring.
3. Remove the spring (its in a plastic bag, assumingely for lubricity.
You need some sort of pipe holder for a vise if you don't have this feature. Once in a vise, a large adjustable wrench on the flats of the second pic (lefty loosey) and if the seat tube isn't spinning, it will finally break free.
4. Once you get it fully unscrewed, it takes several HARD pops to pull the nylon fitting out that is attached to the seat
Note* the roll pin won't help you if you remove it. The seat base is pressed into that piece. I couldn't get it to budge.
Click to expand...
NO VICE REQUIRED: Suspension seat post disassembly with NO boogering. I have 2184 miles on my Sondors MXS and successfully "repaired" my suspension seat post 1500 miles ago. Previously, I had never popped out the nylon/plastic piece at the top of the post for fear of breaking it. Thanks to the information and great photos from you, I went for it and was successful. Here's what worked for me, by modifying your process only slightly. Maybe you'll decide to repair your Sondors suspension seat post for future use, or as a spare. NO painter's tape, NO towel and NO VICE needed. Just use the "VICE" Sondors supplied you with ... the seat tube, seat post clamp and your almost 70lb MXS. SIMPLY unscrew the top cap on your seat post, WHILE IT IS STILL ATTACHED, firmly, to your bike. The clamp, tube, post and the bikes mass are more than sufficient to secure the seat post while unscrewing the top cap and also while "popping" the nylon/plastic piece loose as well. NO BOOGERED UP POST. The rest of your disassembly instruction were PERFECT. I did remove the plastic bag covering the inner spring and discarded the bag. Cleaned the I.D. of the seat post and used an NGLI-2 EP lithium grease on the spring, the inside of the post and the shaft. After reassembly, I reinstalled the seat post and worked it up and down for a few minutes. Adjusted spring tension for my 175lb weight and rode off into the sunset. It worked much smoother and even improved some over the next 80 miles of "test rides". 1500 miles later it's still working great. I did try a silicone grease, but that was NOT up to the task. Good luck and smooth(er) riding. Thank you for your photos and information.
 
Great tips WarehouseGuy! I used lithium grease as well. Only have 150 +/- miles, so maybe better later on. How did you clean up the I.D.? Thanks.
 
Merry Christmas Wings02! What size seat post did you get? I know my MXS may be different (and I'll check), but may be buying one also with some Christmas gift card I got.
 
I'm interested in knowing how much the minimum seat height is affected with a different suspension seat post. I'm short, 5'7" and I worried if I get a nice suspension seat post I won't comfortably be able to touch the ground while remaining seated. I know I can fit the minimum seat height with the factory suspension post but after all the talk about how poor quality it is I was really hoping to change it out.
 
wings02 said:
The suspension seat post on my Fold XS bike seems to be binding up. When I took off the seat post and compressed the suspension post, it seemed to be binding when released, meaning it was traveling smoothly. I have a seat suspension on my Cannondale and when doing the same procedure, it operated smoothly. Has anyone experienced this same problem? I'm not really sure how to address this on the Facebook page so I'm reaching out to forum members before I ask Sondors directly.
Click to expand...
Hey wings02,merry Christmas, when I first got my bike it didn't bother me(seatpost), but riding my friends bike with a real suspension seatpost I had to change it.The sondors seatpost, chatting with other sondors owners,all said that the seatpost that comes with the bike is probably the least thing they empathize on the bike,toss and buy yourself a better one
 
Merry Christmas to you as well! As mentioned previously I took the advise of another forum member and purchased the Suntour seat post suspension. Works great!
 
Wings02-What size diameter post did you get? I see we didn't get an answer back from Ton Rob. I bought the same post in 30.9mm. It seems too large? I measured with a cheap micrometer and that was the closest size from what was stock (of what they offered).
 
Yes, it is 30.9. Make sure the the seat release mechanism is open. It should fit right into the seat post tube
 
I believe I opened it (unscrewed it) far enough to release all the tension on the seat tube. How did yours go in (easy or firm/hard)? The stock Sondors one goes in with a smidge of slack.

I'm buying another digital caliper tomorrow to check the one they sent me and the stock seat tube. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for responding so fast.
 
I looked at my MXS specs sheet (forgot I even had it 😬), and it looks like the MXS is a 27.2 diameter. So this one will have to be exchanged.
 
Well I installed the 27.2mm SR Suntour NCX (with the required 30.4 to 27.2 spacer they sell on Amazon) today. WOW!!!!!! I'll say it again WOW!!! What a HUGE difference and upgrade. That thing is built like a tank. Very high-end feel to the materials. I weigh 230 so I also bought the red heavy duty spring upgrade. I greased it like the medium spring was from the factory. I also thought I would feel like I was moving back with each compression because of the cantilever suspension design, Wings02 was right, not noticeable at all. I went over some dirt covered railroad ties at 20mph and laughed at them. Best bike upgrade for the money!
 
The review of the Fold XS lists the seat post diameter as 27.2. Is this incorrect?

I have a Fold XS coming and would like to explore the possibility of adding a PNW dropper seat post so I can pedal with full leg extension and drop the seat when I come to a stop.

Note that PNW Coast model offers 40mm of tunable air suspension.
 
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