Product Review: Kinekt 2.1 Suspension Seatpost

[The duke]

After purchasing my first e-mountain bike, I quickly realised it allowed me to spend much more time in the saddle. The electric assist negated the need for hard, standing pumping much of the time. The ebike also allowed for greater average speeds when on road and gravel, making small bumps more noticeable. I found myself with a little more butt hurt than I'd had on analog roadbikes.

DECIDING
The Kinekt suspension seatpost, I have been told, is the "gold standard" in the industry. The super responsive spring suspension and near perfectly vertical movement made this the "best-of-the-best". About 1.4 inches of suspension travel and at 560 grams, about twice the weight of an OEM seatpost. Supposedly a winner when comparing specs to a Thudbuster or Suntour.

PRICING
Retail price for the aluminum post is $249, but if your diligent in digging around online or have a good relationship with the bike shop that sold you your bike, you'll be able to pick one up for cheaper. The local shop where I bought an analog bike offered one to me at $160 plus our 9% CA salestax and the online store I bought my ebike from was willing to let me have it for $175, but with no salestax or shipping.

OUT OF THE BOX
Upon opening, I was immediately disappointed with a few things. The first was that the post was too long for me to test ride it. I'd have to cut to make my feet touch pedals.....and that means - VOIDING THE 30 DAY COMFORT GUARANTEE. ☹

The saw came out and the post went in. That's when the 2nd disappointment hit me. The control knob I had seen on all the Kinekt uploaded youtube videos and promotional material WASN'T THERE! I found out that this was an 'optional accessory' even though kinekt calls it part of the "anatomy of Kinekt". I felt this was very deceptive....I would be carrying around my hex wrench with me for adjustments.

I screwed on my seatpost and crashed into my 3rd complaint. The seat is now almost an inch further backwards. In my pursuit of comfort, I've tried to get my riding position as upright as possible, buying a 2" rising handlebar. Now I'm just a tad more leaned over, which isn't a deal breaker but isn't ideal either.

TUNING
Since I didnt get the advertised control knob , tuning was a lot more difficult. Instead of a reach around twist, I was having to get off and use my wrench. The instructions read: the Kinekt post should sag 1-2 cm under your weight. Wait, the total travel is 3.5cm or 1.37 inches! It will have a built in 'sag' of up to 2cm or 3/4 of an inch?? That means the travel I'll be getting is LESS THAN AN INCH??

PERFORMANCE
So off I went, ready to feel three quarter inches of pleasure up against my butt (never thought I'd ever say something like that). I hit the road, aiming for speed bumps, pot holes and curbs. After about 20 minutes of riding, I couldn't say that I noticed any difference at all. I came home disappointed. But after a longer ride I began to feel some benefits.

With the Kinekt, you still feel every bump. None melt away. You won't remain seated as you go over a curb or thru a pothole. When you ride over degrading, bumpy asphalt, you will still go numb with chatter. But I did finish each ride feeling just a little less fatigued. As I got used to the seatpost. I felt like I was peddling thru bumps and gravel just a little more than I did before. In sections where I used to stop peddling and use the legs to brace up my body, I felt I was getting a few more pumps in. If somebody told me my motor had been tuned up from 250w to 260w, I might just believe them, as I covered distances just a tad bit quicker. I dont know if it's worth two hundred bucks, but it was definitely doing something.

WHY I DON'T USUALLY USE MY KINEKT
While I do use my e-mountain bike for a lot of road riding, it is still a 'mountain's bike. I take trail shortcuts whenever I see them. I hop over embankments and take steep downhills. I've got my seatpost extended out 7 inches for regular peddling. Unfortunately, the suspension part of the Kinekt post takes up more than 4". That means when I want to drop the saddle, it can only go down 3 inches....not enough for me to comfortably downhill. It feels dangerous.

When I'm on smooth streets, which is about 70% of my riding, the Kinekt really doesn't do anything for me. For a curb or big pothole, I'll be standing on my peddles regardless. The Kinekt only serves to make me bob unsettlingly up.

When I'm on trails, which is about 20% of the time, the Kinekt doesn't provide enough travel to stay seated much more than a rigid post would do. Ruts, rocks and uneven earth would bottom out that sub-one-inch of travel in a second. The Kinekt adds a pound of weight and takes away a good grab point (the seatpost) when trying to lug my bike over or thru anything.

Where the Kinket post shines is on maintained fire roads with no ruts or potholes but lots of gravel. Also on failing asphalt roads that have degraded to have gravel everywhere, but those instances have to be with mid sized gravel to maximize the benefits

The Udden-Wentworth gravel scale categorizes gravel into granular gravel (2 to 4 mm or 0.079 to 0.157 in) and pebble gravel (4 to 64 mm or 0.2 to 2.5 in). The Kinekt lives in the spot right between these two types. Maybe 5-10% of my riding is on this. ☹

The kinekt is also a dust magnet and a pain to clean. I hear a sleeve is also an 'optional accessory' but I really dont want to spend any more on what I'm feeling like was a mistake.

So gravel riders, rejoice....this should noticeably improve your ride. I'm not sure how fully rigid bikes would benefit from this post, but on my nobby tire, front suspended, ebike, I'm feeling like I wasted my money.☹

 

[Johnny]

Since I have Op's permission here are my thoughts on Kinekt on how it compares to Satori Animaris. (I may supply pictures afterwards but right now I don't have much time in my hands).

Price:

Animaris around $55, Kinekt around $250...

Design:

Kinekt has 2 springs and a very tiny elastomer on the tip of the adjustment screw (it is very small so I don't know how much it affects the functionality).

Animaris has 1 spring and a large elastomer in between the moving links of the seatpost.

The idea is similar but design is quite different. The springs on Kinekt positioned more horizontally and the spring in Animaris is more vertical. This translates into MUCH LONGER vertical travel in Animaris(more on this later).

----


Kinekt is designed to be disassambled completely easily which is something I like. They made it very easy to service and change the worn parts.

Kinekt comes with a saddle clamp that let's you adjust the angle more accurately than Animaris however the clamp in Animaris seem to be just as durable.

----

Animaris raises the seat around 4.5" while Kinekt raises it 4".


Material Quality:

One of my biggest surprises(or disappointments depending on where you look at it) is that Animaris has very good build quality that matches Kinekt. The fit and finish of the moving parts are great. There is absolutely no play in the arms, bearings etc after 1.1-1.2k miles however Kinekt had some play when it arrived. The aluminum and coating used in Kinekt and Animaris feels and looks identical.

FWISW When I showed both of them to a couple of friends, they simply couldn't tell which one was more expensive.

Animaris is definitely heavier but not so much that it is prohibitive. I did not weight them.

Here I have to say that I share OP's disappointment about small things like adjustment screw. Normally I don't care about these things and I would say Op is nitpicking but please remember that this thing costs $250!!! The springs for example are no longer colored as depicted in their pictures.


Box Contents:

You just get the seatpost with Animaris. Kinekt gives you 2 additional springs for adjustment which is a plus. But Kinekt doesn't include an allen key for the seatpost which uses mm rather than inches and it may cause some inconvenience for those of you who does not have it. Again not nitpicking, for this price they should not skip these details.


Ride Impressions:

Now comes the important part, how do these ride?

They both do the job. However there are some differences.

The thing about seatpost suspensions is that you have to take them out and ride without them to remember/recognize how well they work. That is why I went back and forth between animaris, kinekt and finally rode without them to make my decision with a fresh memory.

I should note that I am using a Brooks B17 imperial with these suspensions.

I did my usual 15 miles loop 2 times with Animaris, 2 times with Kinekt.

1. Kinekt seemed to be slightly better at dealing with small imperfections on the surface you are riding on. I was expecting this but the difference is much smaller than I hoped.

2. For potholes, very bumpy terrain Animaris is better. And this is not a small margin it is significantly better. Unfortunately this is because Animaris have 2+" of travel while Kinekt after sagging has less than 1".

3. At higher speeds both did a very good job of eliminating those jarring spikes when you hit a crack, imperfection on the road.

4. Kinekt is plush compared to Animaris. It is very hard to move Animaris with your hands when you are off the bike. I like Animaris' feel more since it feels much closer to a rigid seatpost when pedalling and doesn't have the pogo stick feel.

5. Both Kinekt and Animaris are quiet but Animaris is quieter.

Warranty :

Kinekt customer service is very good. I am not sure that one can get that kind of customer service for Animaris. But then again given the price difference I guess this should be expected.



Conclusion:

Although Kinekt has the upper hand in spare parts and serviceability when its price is around 4 times of Animaris' I don't know how much this matters. I also have enough reason to believe that without servicing Animaris will last longer (I don't want to go into detail here).

I can not easily recommend this suspension since it is just trading blows with Animaris.

If I was gravel riding or roadbiking I guess Kinekt would have been a good choice but for ebikes, especially if you have to ride on very uneven terrain Animaris would be my choice.




On a side note I recently purchased Ergon Core Saddle and I have to say this saddle with Animaris is giving me the closest experience to full suspension so far.




I hope this helps

 

[rich c]

I never expected mine to melt away the bumps, it doesn't have the travel. My spring front fork with 80mm of travel doesn't even do that. I questioned the suspension post at first, until I rode a hard tail with rigid seat post again. I can definitely feel the difference.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

OUT OF THE BOX
Upon opening, I was immediately disappointed with a few things. The first was that the post was too long for me to test ride it. I'd have to cut to make my feet touch pedals.....and that means - VOIDING THE 30 DAY COMFORT GUARANTEE. ☹

You unfortunately bought the wrong one. They have two different kinds. Short version and the long version. You should have purchased the short version. Then you did not need to cut.

The tuning knob is an optional accessory. All their pictures show without the knob. The one on the cover is a carbon seatpost that is $325 or more [see pic below]

The carbon version does with the tuning knob and it is $329.

So, I do not see where they tried to be deceptive... ?!

 

[Feliz]

I adjusted my seatpost when I installed it and haven't touched it since, I don't see how it's an inconvenience. Anyway, it would take all of 2-3 seconds to insert the Allen wrench in the the bolt if adjustment was necessary. I

 

[The duke]

I agree with most of your impressions, you have covered some good points. I was going to write a comparison between this and Satori Animaris, do you mind me writing it under your thread ?

No, that would be great, as long as you don't say it's better. My hide would really be chapped if a $50 post ends up. Being better than mine. Haha!

 

[Alaskan]

A suspension seat post cannot possibly do the full job of a rear suspension on a bike, It can only be expected to do some of it.

Product photos are part of the description. It should be no surprise that there is a set back due to the parallelogram design and that the mechanism takes up some seatpost space.

This is why they don't offer one on a dropper suspension post as too much of the dropper space would be lost. I have the big knob but replaced it with the simple hex machine screw as that bulky thing sticks out and chaffs my saddle bag.

Overall, IMO this is not a very fair critique.

 

[Over50]

I was going to post something similar to Ravi's response but he beat me to it. I've purchased several Kinekt seatposts and it was very clear through the ordering process that the knob was an optional/add-on product. Furthermore it was very clear that there were different lengths and diameters of seatposts. Additionally it was very clear in investigating the product that there would be offset and also that it would restrict how far one could drop the post. For example, I knew with a simple measurement, before ordering, that I couldn't buy one for my wife because she drops the post too low. About 1/2 of the negative points raised in the review seem to be purchaser/rider error rather than fault of the company or the product.

My personal experience is I find the seatpost is best at dampening the consistent, small, vibration of riding on imperfect pavement. It also helps to keep me positioned in the saddle over those imperfections. It is easier to adjust and has more tuneability vs the Thudbuster ST posts I have (I ordered the tuning knob and the dust cover with full understanding they were add-on products) - and in fairness, I also like the Thudbusters. With both, I still do feel all of the larger bumps.

 

[The duke]

1. I never expected mine to melt away the bumps, it doesn't have the travel. My spring front fork with 80mm of travel doesn't even do that. I questioned the suspension post at first, until I rode a hard tail with rigid seat post again. I can definitely feel the difference.

   I was pretty ignorant going in and didn't know what to expect. Maybe of I ride on of for a month or two, I'll pick up on the subtle benefits.

 

[bubbala]

would also like to know ,which of the less pricey seat posts people have used.

 

[The duke]

I was going to post something similar to Ravi's response but he beat me to it. I've purchased several Kinekt seatposts and it was very clear through the ordering process that the knob was an optional/add-on product. Furthermore it was very clear that there were different lengths and diameters of seatposts. Additionally it was very clear in investigating the product that there would be offset and also that it would restrict how far one could drop the post. For example, I knew with a simple measurement, before ordering, that I couldn't buy one for my wife because she drops the post too low. About 1/2 of the negative points raised in the review seem to be purchaser/rider error rather than fault of the company or the product.

My personal experience is I find the seatpost is best at dampening the consistent, small, vibration of riding on imperfect pavement. It also helps to keep me positioned in the saddle over those imperfections. It is easier to adjust and has more tuneability vs the Thudbuster ST posts I have (I ordered the tuning knob and the dust cover with full understanding they were add-on products) - and in fairness, I also like the Thudbusters. With both, I still do feel all of the larger bumps.

Sorry guys! My research before purchase was to ask the pros "which one is the best suspension seatpost and how much does it cost?"

My local bike shop owner said "the kinekt, and I'll sell you one cheap. There's nothing better" he didnt have one in store, but did have this poster:

Since I had zero experience with these, I then called my online ebike shop rep and asked the same question. She said "definitely the kinekt....out customers give the best feedback on that one". Then she sent me the link to a YouTube commercial Kinekt made on the product.



It had the made no distinction as to the carbon and aluminum coming with different parts. I assumed they would be similarly equipt except for the carbon/aluminum distinction.
I never confirmed that both came with the same clamps, steel bolts, conical washers or cylindrical barrel nuts....guess I should have checked. I know I would have benefited from doing a lot more research online instead of just asking a couple of pros and going with it.

 

[Over50]

would also like to know ,which of the less pricey seat posts people have used.

Suspension Seat Posts

Can someone tell what kind of seat post is worth the money. I've looked on Amazon and there are plenty of suspension posts ranging fro mid twenty dollars to a couple of hundred. I purchased a low end post and it does smooth out the ride a bit over rough terrain, and was wondering if a more...

electricbikereview.com

 

[Deleted member 4210]

When I first read your review, the impression I got immediately was that 'this guy is much more interested in what amount he pays, than doing his homework and researching and asking questions of what it is he is buying,from who he is buying it from.'

As I read on, nearly every point you brought up, convinced me even more, each issue was a result of your failure to do your homework, and totally misguided expectations. Nobody from Kinect set out to mislead you, especially about the options. It's hard to tell from the little information you've provided whether you determined to get the right spring set, and even missing the length is a very obvious one.

Relabeling your review 'Unfair review' rather than 'harsh' review would be a much more objective characterization of what you presented.

I think Kinect, NCX, Thudbuster etc can each be effective when properly applied and an understanding of what the rider is attempting to accomplish. A lot of homework needs to be done, and that's where a knowledgeable shop can help you out. Some might even let you try a few out for comparison. It's impossible to discern which one is better over the internet and compare these without knowing what you really want, what your conditions will be, whether any will really do what you are expecting, and then taking into account an understanding of how each one works. Each are very different in the type of vibration dampening they are set up to do. Yeah they have a similar effect, but also how each one feels will be different for everyone depending on each person's weight, seat design, seat position in the cradle, and what's going on with the suspension of the bike. Even your anatomy and sit points can affect how one feels versus another.

You didn't even tell us what MTB you bought and whether you have suspension front and back ? Maybe you have the wrong eMTB and are asking far too much of the seat post suspension for your desired riding conditions ? Especially when you talk about amount of travel or lack thereof ? Did you not look at any of their fairly informative videos ? You can see what kind of travel it is doing.

 

[The duke]

When I first read your review, the impression I got immediately was that 'this guy is much more interested in what amount he pays, than doing his homework and researching and asking questions of what it is he is buying,from who he is buying it from.'

As I read on, nearly every point you brought up, convinced me even more, each issue was a result of your failure to do your homework, and totally misguided expectations. Nobody from Kinect set out to mislead you, especially about the options. It's hard to tell from the little information you've provided whether you determined to get the right spring set, and even missing the length is a very obvious one.

Relabeling your review 'Unfair review' rather than 'harsh' review would be a much more objective characterization of what you presented.

I think Kinect, NCX, Thudbuster etc can each be effective when properly applied and an understanding of what the rider is attempting to accomplish.

You didn't even tell us what MTB you bought and whether you have suspension front and back ? Maybe you have the wrong eMTB and are asking far too much of the seat post suspension for your desired riding conditions ? Especially when you talk about amount of travel or lack thereof ? Did you not look at any of their fairly informative videos ? You can see what kind of travel it is doing.

And you seem like the kind of guy who would never sell his customers the kinekt for $175, no matter how much they spent on an ebike from you. Haha....I kid, I kid. I've heard many reviews of how awesome you are!

I'm totally guilty of your charge of being price conscious, of not doing any prepurchase homework beyond asking a couple of bike shops which post was best,watching the kinekt commercial and looking at their advertisement. I also probably did have misguided expectations.

 

[Browneye]

Satori Harmony - probly the best $40 I’ve spent on the bike. No miracles, just takes out some of the jar to my spine and that’s a very good thing. Very happy with it.
Not much travel, and I wouldn’t call it soft. But hard jars are dampened.

We have a couple more of the cheapies from trek and specialized and they help a little bit. Always welcome.

The rst forks aren’t all that great either, but everything helps.

 

[FlatSix911]

Since I have Op's permission here are my thoughts on Kinekt on how it compares to Satori Animaris.
(I may supply pictures afterwards but right now I don't have much time in my hands).

Price: Animaris around $55, Kinekt around $250...

Design: Kinekt has 2 springs and a very tiny elastomer on the tip of the adjustment screw
(it is very small so I don't know how much it affects the functionality).
Animaris has 1 spring and a large elastomer in between the moving links of the seatpost.

The idea is similar but design is quite different. The springs on Kinekt positioned more horizontally and the spring in Animaris is more vertical. This translates into MUCH LONGER vertical travel in Animaris(more on this later).

----

Kinekt is designed to be disassambled completely easily which is something I like. They made it very easy to service and change the worn parts.

Kinekt comes with a seatpost that let's you adjust the angle more accurately than Animaris however the clamp in Animaris seem to be just as durable.

----

Animaris raises the seat around 4.5" while Kinekt raises it 4".

Material Quality:

One of my biggest surprises(or disappointments depending on where you look at it) is that Animaris has very good build quality that matches Kinekt. The fit and finish of the moving parts are great. There is absolutely no play in the arms, bearings etc after 1.1-1.2k miles however while Kinekt had some play when it arrived. The aluminum and coating used in Kinekt and Animaris feels and looks identical.

FWISW When I showed both of to a couple of friends they simply couldn't tell which one is more expensive.

Animaris is definitely heavier but not so much that it is prohibitive. I did not weight them.

Here I have to say that I share OP's disappointment about small things like adjustment screw. Normally I don't care about these things and I would say Op is nitpicking but please remember that this thing costs $250!!! The springs for example are no longer colored as depicted in their pictures.


Box Contents:

You just get the seatpost with Animaris. Kinekt gives you 2 additional springs for adjustment which is a plus. But Kinekt doesn't include an allen key for the seatpost which uses mm rather than inches and it may cause some inconvenience for those of you who does not have it. Again not nitpicking, for this price they should not skip these details.


Ride Impressions:

Now comes the important part. How do these ride?

They both do the job. However there are some differences.

The thing about seatpost suspensions is that you have to take them out and ride without them to remember/recognize how well they work. That is why I went back and forth between animaris, kinekt and finally rode without them to make my decision with a fresh memory.

I am using a Brooks B17 imperial with these suspensions.

I did my usual 15 loop 2 times with Animaris, 2 times with Kinekt.

1. Kinekt seemed to be slightly better at dealing with small imperfections on the surface you are riding on. I was expecting this but the difference is much smaller than I hoped.

2. For potholes, very bumpy terrain Animaris is better. And this is not a small margin it is significantly better. Unfortunately this is because Animaris have 2-3" of travel while Kinekt after sagging has less than 1".

3. At higher speeds both did a very good job of eliminating those jarring spikes when you hit a crack, imperfection on the road.

4. Kinekt is plush compared to Animaris. It is very hard to move Animaris with your hands when you are off the bike. I like Animaris' feel more since it feels much closer to a rigid seatpost when pedalling.

5. Both Kinekt and Animaris are quiet but Animaris is quieter.

Warranty :

Kinekt customer service is very good. I am not sure that one can get that kind of customer service for Animaris. But then again given the price difference I guess this should be expected.



Conclusion:

Although Kinekt has the upper hand in spare parts and serviceability when its price is around 4 times of Animaris' I don't know how much this matters. I also have enough reason to believe that without servicing Animaris will last longer (I don't want to go into detail here).

I can not easily recommend this suspension since it is just trading blows with Animaris.

If I was gravel riding or roadbiking I guess Kinekt would have been a good choice but for ebikes, especially if you have to ride on very uneven terrain Animaris would be my choice.

On a side note I recently purchased Ergon Core Saddle and I have to say this saddle with Animaris is giving me the closest experience to full suspension so far.

I hope this helps

Good comparison review of the Kinekt and Animaris Seatpost design and performance... I have both and agree that the Animaris is superior.

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

 

[smorgasbord]

4. Kinekt is plush compared to Animaris. It is very hard to move Animaris with your hands when you are off the bike. I like Animaris' feel more since it feels much closer to a rigid seatpost when pedalling and doesn't have the pogo stick feel.

Both of these are adjustable, so alluding to a "pogo stick feel" for the Kinekt tells me that you didn't adjust it properly. Here's a video: Kinekt Adjustments The Kinekt has the advantage of supplying different springs so you can customize it to your weight, and then you can adjust the preload with the screw. The Animaris is one spring, so you can only adjust preload. That means it's got a optimum weight range built-in and if you go under or over that you won't get good results. There's only so much you can do with preload, and compensating for being outside the weight range isn't one of them. What's your weight? Did you have the right springs installed in the Kinekt and did you adjust the preload?

Another nice thing about the Kinekt is that horizontal travel is minimal, especially compared to many other seatposts, such as the Thudbuster. I haven't tried the Animaris, but looking at the more vertical nature of the parallelogram I have to believe that for the same vertical travel the horizontal travel is much greater. Ideally, you don't want the seat to move horizontally.

As for the screw, two thoughts: First is that once you set this up you basically leave it alone. Second is that if you're riding an e-Bike and don't have a metric hex wrench set with you, you're just asking for trouble as many clamps and adjustments on your bike also use metric hex bolts. The Animaris looks to use a hex wrench for adjustments as well, so I'm not getting this concern. At least with the Kinekt you can spend $16 to get a knob so if you're picky and your terrain is changing from smooth pavement to rough off road you can make an adjustment. That doesn't appear to be an option for the Animaris.

 

[Johnny]

1. I did the preload adjustment right.

2. I used the right springs for my weight and I checked it many times. It is still way more springy compared to Animaris. That may be a good thing for some, not for others! Even somewhere on their website they mentioned this feeling. Also preload adjustment decreases the travel even further.

3. Animaris comes with one spring and a big elastomer. The spring is interchangeable but the company doesn't supply different springs(it is not a special spring though so it should not be hard to find one). However at least for me this one spring and a large elastomer setup is working very nicely.

4. Horizontal travel is minimal yes unfortunately vertical travel is also minimal!

5. Seriously, when you pay $250 for a seatpost suspension which is 2-4 times its competition, you should expect the manufacturer to add small accessories instead of charging $16 for a knob. Also you may only have imperial allen keys at hand instead of metric ones. Even $10 accesories come with an appropriate allen key.


Please stop making assumptions whether someone did the setup right or blaming them for not having necessary tools etc. Fyi I did have a metric allen key set and I still don't find it ok it not being included in the package.

Both of these are adjustable, so alluding to a "pogo stick feel" for the Kinekt tells me that you didn't adjust it properly. Here's a video: Kinekt Adjustments The Kinekt has the advantage of supplying different springs so you can customize it to your weight, and then you can adjust the preload with the screw. The Animaris is one spring, so you can only adjust preload. That means it's got a optimum weight range built-in and if you go under or over that you won't get good results. There's only so much you can do with preload, and compensating for being outside the weight range isn't one of them. What's your weight? Did you have the right springs installed in the Kinekt and did you adjust the preload?

Another nice thing about the Kinekt is that horizontal travel is minimal, especially compared to many other seatposts, such as the Thudbuster. I haven't tried the Animaris, but looking at the more vertical nature of the parallelogram I have to believe that for the same vertical travel the horizontal travel is much greater. Ideally, you don't want the seat to move horizontally.

As for the screw, two thoughts: First is that once you set this up you basically leave it alone. Second is that if you're riding an e-Bike and don't have a metric hex wrench set with you, you're just asking for trouble as many clamps and adjustments on your bike also use metric hex bolts. The Animaris looks to use a hex wrench for adjustments as well, so I'm not getting this concern. At least with the Kinekt you can spend $16 to get a knob so if you're picky and your terrain is changing from smooth pavement to rough off road you can make an adjustment. That doesn't appear to be an option for the Animaris.

 

[Fast n' Furious]

And not one follow up review? WOW !
I'm into my second year of KINEKT ownership and use, so this is a long term user report.
The initial review here is largely impressions, pre the epiphany: 'you mean I have to tune this thing?' sets in.
Perhaps it would work better for some if they sold the full kit: The complete spring sets, adjuster. The adjuster is essential to tuning on-the-go.
I know I I run 'purple' upper and 'purple' lower's (I ordered) and the suspension is now tuned superbly, muting the larger part of street irregularities with ease.
The company's table

showing both Road/Gravel and e-bike reflects riding style as well.
My unit came with 'black, black' springs. I'm 139lbs and tending to ride 'light', more like a mountain bike rider, so the the 'purple/ black' felt pretty dead on my e-bike - because it's for more butt-planted riders.
As soon as I feel irregularities I become lighter, not hunker down. The KINEKT tells me when to react and is never wrong. I never thought it was a Serta Mattress and that's a pretty valuable virtue in a friend.
If you change your saddle's height, you must also change it's position on the rails and will require a different bounce rate as well - because your weight is positioned differently.
Saddle up also means saddle 'back'. As reach increases, posture accommodates, our weight moves forward and is lifted from the the saddle. This coincides with the weight chart accommodating for different postures.
Thinking that through, seat up, you would result in a more 'road/gravel' style and thus if your weight is on the cusp, a different spring combination.
Many riders will be unable to experience the potential of this device without the proper combination of springs, the chart a guideline for the average typical 'style' user.
It certainly absorbs shock forces up the spine and noticeably reduces fatigue.
I run fairly stiff, suiting my lighter springs and style.
You got all the fit and finish details, no need to belabor.
Initially, everything felt tight, but I noticed some slight side-to-side play ..... anyone else?
Perplexed, I assumed it was normal - in fact I remember reading someone else mentioning it.
Here we are 15months later and I see it now turns several degrees.
It locks into one spot, but with one hand I can turn the saddle to point to 11:00.
The seat post juncture at the suspension assembly has failed and the device must be repaired.
Off warranty, purchased from a dealer, but I've contacted Cirrus Cycles and they replied for which I'm grateful.
Things break and I can be brutal, but I've treated this saddle and post with great care. I'm not voicing a gripe and sure something will work out.
In sum: It wasn't 'all that' until I took the time to learn it and translate that into correct springs, then 'feel', adjusting on the road to perfect
And if you change saddle attitude in any way, you must reset the tension - also vice versa.
Out of necessity I learned a lot about riding posture, my geometry/ musculature physiology and the whole synergy involved.
The KINEKT vids are great and I have another XR coming on a bike on order.

Anyone with info that can add to this, thanks in advance.

Fn'F

 

[Alaskan]

And not one follow up review? WOW !
I'm into my second year of KINEKT ownership and use, so this is a long term user report.
The initial review here is largely impressions, pre the epiphany: 'you mean I have to tune this thing?' sets in.
Perhaps it would work better for some if they sold the full kit: The complete spring sets, adjuster. The adjuster is essential to tuning on-the-go.
I know I I run 'purple' upper and 'purple' lower's (I ordered) and the suspension is now tuned superbly, muting the larger part of street irregularities with ease.
The company's table View attachment 129425 showing both Road/Gravel and e-bike reflects riding style as well.
My unit came with 'black, black' springs. I'm 139lbs and tending to ride 'light', more like a mountain bike rider, so the the 'purple/ black' felt pretty dead on my e-bike - because it's for more butt-planted riders.
As soon as I feel irregularities I become lighter, not hunker down. The KINEKT tells me when to react and is never wrong. I never thought it was a Serta Mattress and that's a pretty valuable virtue in a friend.
If you change your saddle's height, you must also change it's position on the rails and will require a different bounce rate as well - because your weight is positioned differently.
Saddle up also means saddle 'back'. As reach increases, posture accommodates, our weight moves forward and is lifted from the the saddle. This coincides with the weight chart accommodating for different postures.
Thinking that through, seat up, you would result in a more 'road/gravel' style and thus if your weight is on the cusp, a different spring combination.
Many riders will be unable to experience the potential of this device without the proper combination of springs, the chart a guideline for the average typical 'style' user.
It certainly absorbs shock forces up the spine and noticeably reduces fatigue.
I run fairly stiff, suiting my lighter springs and style.
You got all the fit and finish details, no need to belabor.
Initially, everything felt tight, but I noticed some slight side-to-side play ..... anyone else?
Perplexed, I assumed it was normal - in fact I remember reading someone else mentioning it.
Here we are 15months later and I see it now turns several degrees.
It locks into one spot, but with one hand I can turn the saddle to point to 11:00.
The seat post juncture at the suspension assembly has failed and the device must be repaired.
Off warranty, purchased from a dealer, but I've contacted Cirrus Cycles and they replied for which I'm grateful.
Things break and I can be brutal, but I've treated this saddle and post with great care. I'm not voicing a gripe and sure something will work out.
In sum: It wasn't 'all that' until I took the time to learn it and translate that into correct springs, then 'feel', adjusting on the road to perfect
And if you change saddle attitude in any way, you must reset the tension - also vice versa.
Out of necessity I learned a lot about riding posture, my geometry/ musculature physiology and the whole synergy involved.
The KINEKT vids are great and I have another XR coming on a bike on order.

Anyone with info that can add to this, thanks in advance.

Fn'F

Wow!! excellent report and even better observations. Thanks for sharing what you learned over the 1 year + of riding and carefully studying and learning how to get the most out of your Kinekt Seat Post. I have them on all my hard tail ebikes over the past four years and learned to adjust the spring combinations and preload to get it dialed in properly. You have summed up all the subtleties and variations in wonderful detail.
One principal I have learned is that heavier springs and less preload preserves the range of motion of the seatpost providing the greatest comfort. If you are bottoming out on moderate to heavy hits, try a heavier spring. If you are bobbing too much while pedaling crank down the preload spring..but do it 1/4 turn at a time and test it before cranking down any further. Don't worry about using two different color springs if you are right on the edge of the proper use of one color and the next. As you said, riding style makes a huge difference as does riding posture. Very upright puts more of your weight on the saddle and requires it to be adjusted accordingly.A

As you observed, time spent getting to know the subtleties and adjustments and getting your seatpost really dialed in results in significantly greater comfort and gets the most out of a well designed and built suspension seat post.

Thanks for a most informative post.