Suspension seat post - Kinekt

[TMH]

I was hoping to get my first Kinect seat post today to try out. Unfortunately it shipped via USPS, and is apparently traveling an 'unusual' route to my home:

On Thursday morning it arrived at a USPS Distribution Center 2.5 hours from my home;
Later on Thursday it arrived at a USPS Distribution Center 1 hour 15 minutes from my home;
By Friday it had arrived at a USPS Distribution Center 8.5 hours from my home

Who knows, by tomorrow it might have made it all the way to the East coast (I'm in California).

Oh well...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Unfortunately it shipped via USPS

I had a long and unpleasant e-mail debate with Cirrus Cycles regarding their use of the USPS for the premium shipment price. The guy there tried to put the blame on the Polish Post while the USPS records clearly prove the Kinekt is still in SF.

Furthermore, I consider that all state-run postal services must be dissolved.
/Cato the Censor/

 

[Alaskan]

I was hoping to get my first Kinect seat post today to try out. Unfortunately it shipped via USPS, and is apparently traveling an 'unusual' route to my home:

On Thursday morning it arrived at a USPS Distribution Center 2.5 hours from my home;
Later on Thursday it arrived at a USPS Distribution Center 1 hour 15 minutes from my home;
By Friday it had arrived at a USPS Distribution Center 8.5 hours from my home

Who knows, by tomorrow it might have made it all the way to the East coast (I'm in California).

Oh well...

Cancel the order and buy it from Selle Anatomica in San Diego They have them on sale for 25% off. They make fabulous saddles too, also on sale. You will get it way quicker too.

Bicycle Suspension Seatposts | Specialized Seatposts

Improve comfort, control, and confidence of your ride by using a quality bicycle suspension seatpost. View all seatpost options at Selle Anatomica.

selleanatomica.com

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@TMH, an afterthought: Perhaps you could collect my Kinekt post from SF
TMH, if I were you, I would go on the same unpleasant discussion with Cirrus Cycles I had myself.

 

[TMH]

Cancel the order and buy it from Selle Anatomica in San Diego They have them on sale for 25% off. They make fabulous saddles too, also on sale. You will get it way quicker too.

Per one of your posts in another thread, this is who I purchased from.

Although I see that their Corporate is in Poway, the shipment initiated in BELLINGHAM, WA, maybe a drop-ship in my case?

Thanks for your suggestion, but I'm just going to let this one play out and be delivered when it is. Absolutely nothing against Selle Anatomica - they seemed to do their part quickly and efficiently.

Now the USPS, on the other hand...

 

[TMH]

@TMH, an afterthought: Perhaps you could collect my Kinekt post from SF
TMH, if I were you, I would go on the same unpleasant discussion with Cirrus Cycles I had myself.

Sorry Stefan,

No offense to anyone but I avoid SF like the plague (or the Covid?). That place is not 'my cup of tea'.

 

[Alaskan]

Per one of your posts in another thread, this is who I purchased from.

Although I see that their Corporate is in Poway, the shipment initiated in BELLINGHAM, WA, maybe a drop-ship in my case?

Thanks for your suggestion, but I'm just going to let this one play out and be delivered when it is. Absolutely nothing against Selle Anatomica - they seemed to do their part quickly and efficiently.

Now the USPS, on the other hand...

Kinekt, former cirrius is in my home town of Bellingham, WA AS a manufacturer who sell direct retail and also through bike shop and other manufacturers, they have to sell at full retail price only or risk losing retail distributors. At least they allow retailers to sell at significant discount instead of trying to enforce full retail prices from all outlets. I have had occasional delays and confusion from USPS shipment but way more from Ups and UPS shipping is slower and more expensive. The postal service is still my prefered shipper to or from.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Alaskan, I know they are from Bellingham WA I'd like to have an option to get the shipment via DHL. I paid around $80 to get the shipment fast. It is kind of cruel joke. Are you aware Amazon were charging just $11 for DHL shipment from Arizona to Poland?

 

[Sierratim]

I was hoping to get my first Kinect seat post today to try out. Unfortunately it shipped via USPS, and is apparently traveling an 'unusual' route to my home:

On Thursday morning it arrived at a USPS Distribution Center 2.5 hours from my home;
Later on Thursday it arrived at a USPS Distribution Center 1 hour 15 minutes from my home;
By Friday it had arrived at a USPS Distribution Center 8.5 hours from my home

Who knows, by tomorrow it might have made it all the way to the East coast (I'm in California).

Oh well...

Had a similar experience with the USPS recently, my part was getting farther away by the day. The USPS finally admitted they'd lost it. The supplier reshipped, this time via UPS arriving in a couple of days with no problems.

I agree with @Stefan Mikes re government-run postal services; they've outlived their usefulness.

 

[ElRojo]

Had a similar experience with the USPS recently, my part was getting farther away by the day. The USPS finally admitted they'd lost it. The supplier reshipped, this time via UPS arriving in a couple of days with no problems.

I agree with @Stefan Mikes re government-run postal services; they've outlived their usefulness.

I disagree, I use USPS for all of my shipments of magnetic knife holders for over 4 years (more than 10k shipments within the US and a few hundred international) with just a few problems (Less than 10). In my opinion, the USPS is great.

 

[TomD]

Just an update on my suspension seat post experiment. I ordered the cheap Satori post on Amazon ($59.99 + tax) and the Kinekt from SA ($187.50 thanks to the 25% off sale). I will be offering the Satori to my 300+ pound friend if he shows up without a suspension post when we finally have a chance to ride again.

What I didn't like about the Satori:

1) Not much suspension for me at ~185 pounds. Even at the loosest setting I could barely get it to compress by hand, raising up and pushing down on it with all my weight. I think it works better for heavier riders. Some suggest this isn't a fair test and actual riding conditions is a better test of travel, but I can easily compress my Kinekt manually using the same method and when riding it feels much better to me, closer to my full suspension ride.

2) The seat angle adjustment on the Satori is too discrete and I could never get the seat angle dialed in properly. At one click the seat angle would be too low. At the next click the seat angle would be too high. The Kinekt seems to offer more fine tuning of the angle. So much easier to adjust and I have no problem dialing it in. It exudes quality all around.

3) I could not find the Satori in a taller post than 350mm and I was a little past the max extension. With the Kinekt I don't have to stress over this as they offer a longer post, and I'm glad I went longer as with the Kinekt I have to raise it a tad higher due to the extra travel it provides.

 

[Nxkharra]

I only have good things to say about Kinekt.
Good for you @Stefan Mikes

 

[byunbee]

Just an update on my suspension seat post experiment. I ordered the cheap Satori post on Amazon ($59.99 + tax) and the Kinekt from SA ($187.50 thanks to the 25% off sale). I will be offering the Satori to my 300+ pound friend if he shows up without a suspension post when we finally have a chance to ride again.

What I didn't like about the Satori:

1) Not much suspension for me at ~185 pounds. Even at the loosest setting I could barely get it to compress by hand, raising up and pushing down on it with all my weight. I think it works better for heavier riders. Some suggest this isn't a fair test and actual riding conditions is a better test of travel, but I can easily compress my Kinekt manually using the same method and when riding it feels much better to me, closer to my full suspension ride.

2) The seat angle adjustment on the Satori is too discrete and I could never get the seat angle dialed in properly. At one click the seat angle would be too low. At the next click the seat angle would be too high. The Kinekt seems to offer more fine tuning of the angle. So much easier to adjust and I have no problem dialing it in. It exudes quality all around.

3) I could not find the Satori in a taller post than 350mm and I was a little past the max extension. With the Kinekt I don't have to stress over this as they offer a longer post, and I'm glad I went longer as with the Kinekt I have to raise it a tad higher due to the extra travel it provides.

Thanks for the review. You got a good deal on the Kinekt.

 

[Johnny]

Just an update on my suspension seat post experiment. I ordered the cheap Satori post on Amazon ($59.99 + tax) and the Kinekt from SA ($187.50 thanks to the 25% off sale). I will be offering the Satori to my 300+ pound friend if he shows up without a suspension post when we finally have a chance to ride again.

What I didn't like about the Satori:

1) Not much suspension for me at ~185 pounds. Even at the loosest setting I could barely get it to compress by hand, raising up and pushing down on it with all my weight. I think it works better for heavier riders. Some suggest this isn't a fair test and actual riding conditions is a better test of travel, but I can easily compress my Kinekt manually using the same method and when riding it feels much better to me, closer to my full suspension ride.

2) The seat angle adjustment on the Satori is too discrete and I could never get the seat angle dialed in properly. At one click the seat angle would be too low. At the next click the seat angle would be too high. The Kinekt seems to offer more fine tuning of the angle. So much easier to adjust and I have no problem dialing it in. It exudes quality all around.

3) I could not find the Satori in a taller post than 350mm and I was a little past the max extension. With the Kinekt I don't have to stress over this as they offer a longer post, and I'm glad I went longer as with the Kinekt I have to raise it a tad higher due to the extra travel it provides.

In my experience, I agree that Satori not offering different springs ,even though they are replaceable(1) (may be you are a little too light for the spring), and the seat clamp having coarser steps (2) being the two major downsides of it and I have mentioned them a couple times in my own posts back in the day.

That being said, did you try your new seat with both, how do you like your new seat btw? Have you measured the sag when you sit on it? Any difference in back pain when riding? Do you feel the need to slow down when riding with animaris on the same saddle compared to kinekt? Also what is your tire pressure?

On a side note, although kinekt has a better design when it comes to adjustment, the highly adjustable seating clamp is susceptible to wear and people experienced a significant play after a couple of thousand miles. Mine came with almost half a cm play out of the box which was defeating the benefit of a more precise angle adjustment.

 

[Alaskan]

Kinekt offer a complete rebuilt kit for $32 which includes as set of bushing for all the pivot points in the parallelogram. If it came with play in it, it shouldn't. I am sure they will make it right if you contact them. Probably they will send a fresh set of bushings and you will be nice and tight. You probably will not need to but tell them Richard recommended you

Full Rebuild Kit ( Please choose LR or XR kit)

Includes: Bushings (9) Pre-load Bolt Assembly (1) Upper spring guide assembly (1) Upper spring guide bushing (1) .375" bottom out elastomer (1) Please note that you need to choose for correct unit. If you need a rebuild kit for the older 2.1 or LR units, choose LR kit. If you have XL2 or XR...

cirruscycles.com

 

[TomD]

I haven't tried the same seat on both posts. I have the Selle Anatomica R2 on the Kinekt and it's a much firmer seat. Not sure I'm sold on the R2, but I will try it for a month and see if it feels better as my butt gets used it but I didn't get a wow factor immediately (probably should have gone with leather instead of vulcanized rubber). I just got my full suspension so have been riding it exclusively since then (new toy). I only tested the Kinekt on one ride but I could immediately feel the suspension working, like my FS bike, it has a floaty feel. Kinekt says it's a matter of user preference (and they suggest staring with it softer) but compared to the Satori I have more options. On the Satori I only noticed the suspension on bumps, otherwise wouldn't know it was there. I'm sure I could make it work on a budget getting another spring or removing the plastic bolt inside.

 

[Alaskan]

I haven't tried the same seat on both posts. I have the Selle Anatomica R2 on the Kinekt and it's a much firmer seat. Not sure I'm sold on the R2, but I will try it for a month and see if it feels better as my butt gets used it but I didn't get a wow factor immediately (probably should have gone with leather instead of vulcanized rubber). I just got my full suspension so have been riding it exclusively since then (new toy). I only tested the Kinekt on one ride but I could immediately feel the suspension working, like my FS bike, it has a floaty feel. Kinekt says it's a matter of user preference (and they suggest staring with it softer) but compared to the Satori I have more options. On the Satori I only noticed the suspension on bumps, otherwise wouldn't know it was there. I'm sure I could make it work on a budget getting another spring or removing the plastic bolt inside.

I was in on the crowd funding of the rubber seat and have one. it is thicker and less compliant than the leather one but it won't get ruined in the rain. I ride the rubber one in the winter and put the leather one back on as soon as I can as it is more comfortable. Having the right gel padding in your trousers helps too. I never ride leather without a good chamois unless it is a quick errand.

They have videos to help learn how to adjust the spring pre-load but basically that weird bounce you feel can be eliminated by sitting on the seat and having someone take up on the preload adjustment screw till the slack is out and it comes up tight. Stop right there and it will then compress only when needed. You can get an accessory control knob to replace the hex screw which enables you to reach back and take up the slack yourself while sitting in the saddle.

Taking up the preload does reduce the range of motion so if you want more you will have to learn how to smooth out your pedaling so it doesn't bounce you in the saddle quite so much, not an easy thing to commit to muscle memory but doable over time especially as you now have a feedback device. Any energy spent that bounces you up and down in the saddle isn't going in to the pedals. Sometimes just changing gears can reduce the bounce or even make it go away.

 

[TomD]

BTW, as far as back pain I can't comment. I am fortunate to not have any back pain from riding, even before getting a suspension post, and I got them more for general ride comfort. Still testing saddles to dial in that comfort, but as people have said, not likely a suspension post will help with saddle fit.

 

[Johnny]

Kinekt offer a complete rebuilt kit for $32 which includes as set of bushing for all the pivot points in the parallelogram. If it came with play in it, it shouldn't. I am sure they will make it right if you contact them. Probably they will send a fresh set of bushings and you will be nice and tight. You probably will not need to but tell them Richard recommended you

Full Rebuild Kit ( Please choose LR or XR kit)

Includes: Bushings (9) Pre-load Bolt Assembly (1) Upper spring guide assembly (1) Upper spring guide bushing (1) .375" bottom out elastomer (1) Please note that you need to choose for correct unit. If you need a rebuild kit for the older 2.1 or LR units, choose LR kit. If you have XL2 or XR...

cirruscycles.com

@Alaskan they have a very good customer support. Although they said a coupe of mm is ok, the first post I got was also very noisy, we tried to trouble shoot when it didn't work they sent me a new one. That being said the new one was still too soft for my taste (although it had the right spring )and travel was too short for slight offroad applications. Also I did ride the same 15 mile course with the same saddle 2 times with each to give them a fair assessment. In the end they were too close, kinekt was slightly softer on smoother sections(but bouncy) but that was not translating into a significantly better ride, on a rougher terrain animaris was better because of longer travel.

That being said I really wanted to keep kinekt because of their very responsive customer support. Believe me I tried, but in the end the lack of travel and the new one still having slight squeaks every now and then, I couldn't.

 

[Johnny]

I haven't tried the same seat on both posts. I have the Selle Anatomica R2 on the Kinekt and it's a much firmer seat. Not sure I'm sold on the R2, but I will try it for a month and see if it feels better as my butt gets used it but I didn't get a wow factor immediately (probably should have gone with leather instead of vulcanized rubber). I just got my full suspension so have been riding it exclusively since then (new toy). I only tested the Kinekt on one ride but I could immediately feel the suspension working, like my FS bike, it has a floaty feel. Kinekt says it's a matter of user preference (and they suggest staring with it softer) but compared to the Satori I have more options. On the Satori I only noticed the suspension on bumps, otherwise wouldn't know it was there. I'm sure I could make it work on a budget getting another spring or removing the plastic bolt inside.

Tom, first of all congrats on the full suspension, nothing is like it. What model is it?

If I were you I would probably return R2 and get their leather one. Nothing is like leather, it takes your body shape and in the long run they become very comfortable. So far my experience is any other material that does not deform to your shape will either be comfortable from the beginning or will never be comfortable. Brooks also has a similar saddle, cambium, and again it works for some and not work for others from the beginning.

Of course what matters is your preference. I think you are referring to the feel of riding on flat tires or feeling a bit like a massage chair. I consider it too soft and it was also bouncy which indicates that it is not efficient.

Btw. your tire pressure plays a big role. You can achieve that floaty feel by decreasing it to the indicated minimum pressure on your tires on smooth surfaces. It makes a big difference. Also the closest feel I got to the full suspension was animaris with Ergon core prime saddle. The foam in the core prime also acts like a sports shoe , gives you that floaty feel while animaris takes care of the big bumps.