Suspension seat post vs suspension fork

+1 for fork suspension and suspension seat post. Another consideration is your lower back. Anything to absorb some jarring. I have had lower back surgery, (sounds like a number on this board have.) I don't want a disc fusion, so I want to protect my back. I got a hard tail because I wanted a rear rack. I use a Thudbuster, it works quick well both on jarring impacts as well as unexpected woops, it smooths out the compression factor on the back.

I also pump up the tires as I agree that makes a noticeable difference for effort and coasting speed.
 
Did Crazy Lenny ever deliver on his 2014 promise to test and write up the 3 leading suspension seat posts, side by side?
 
One of those gel seats with springs makes a big difference. Sunlite cloud 9 cruiser suspension gel sofa. Very wide as well
 
Vertical movement on a bicycle is not something you want unless you are doing some serious mountain or downhill biking. This is because any vertical movement robs forward power momentum. That is why road race bikes never have suspension. Now, if you want suspension for comfort, there is a ranking priority:

a. larger tires provide cushioning and can be ridden at lower psi settings. They absorb road imperfections better than smaller diameter and higher pressure tires.
b. front suspension forks add compliance (most e-bikes that ship with suspension forks are basic entry level quality) and relieve harsh jolts to the arms which relieves shoulder and neck pounding.
c. rear suspension is accomplished two ways: a. with a full suspension rear as found on a true mountain bike, or b. a suspension seat post

Unless you are strictly a mountain biker it is probably best to avoid a rear suspension frame unless you buy a VERY good rear suspension that provides for a very stiff setting. You want to avoid any bouncing. Today, there are a few seatpost options that work quite well. They move very little and only under significant stress and are designed not to eliminate bumps but to take the edge off the sharpness. I ride with a very stiff Thudbuster and I cannot feel it move at all yet it calms the harshness from bumps and hence limits spine compression.

Never ever use a gel seat or a big thick padded seat as they are very uncomfortable and for any aggressive riding usually provide a lot of chafing. Visit a local bike shop and have them take a sit bone measurement and recommend a seat that is both shaped to fit your tush and fairly firm (not hard). As an example, there are many riders over many decades from around the world that swear by a brooks saddle. It is hard as a rock and you would assume it is not comfortable just by feeling it, yet over time and with some care, the seat forms to your bottom and provides wonderful support.

There is a myth that soft seats are better for you than hard ones. This is simply the opinion of the uninformed. Soft seats provide hot spots as they compress most where the largest amount of weight is. What you want is a relatively firm seat that disperses pressure evenly. In addition to a properly fitted seat, a property adjusted seat is absolutely critical to enjoyment. Have a competent bike fitter adjust the seat for fore/aft position and seat angle. A small adjust to seat position and angle makes all the difference in the world.

Lastly, for superior comfort a slightly forward riding position is optimum where your weight is centered over your knees. Lean too far and your back and arms will ache. Sit straight up and you will find your back aching at the end of a ride. Again, buying a bike with the appropriate geometry and frame size is important. One you have the correct geometry and size for your riding type, the above recommendations only add to comfort.

You might also consider handgrips with wings as they allow you to change lean angle occasionally and help to relieve some wrist or arm numbness.

Hope I have not confused you.
 
JoePah said:
Don't bother with a suspension seat post ... Buy a nice gel seat, or suspension seat if you must.. Then see how it feels.

The suntour fork on the Stromer is a pos. However, if you're strictly on road or bike paths it should hold up.

I've owned my stromer elite for 2 years 3o00 miles... suggestions:

Use asymmetric tire pressures: say 40 psig in the front 50 in the back.. you may have to adust as needed. There's a Google App to help you.
Use a gel seat or equivalent.
Don't know how the carbon fork works. I have the suntour and have to play with the cylinder pressure and watch it...

And if you're not in a rush, wait until October or so and by a leftover model.. Negotiate hard with the dealer, their markups are huge.
Click to expand...
How do you know markups are huge? What constitutes huge? Who makes the determination that markups are huge? This kind of recommendation is simply bad for the bike business. I encourage everyone to shop for a fair price but for you to advise the users on this forum that markups are huge implies that dealers are making too much profit..........and I can assure you that is not the case as the dealer base has been shrinking for the past decade or so and bike sales have shown no growth for the past 12 years.
 
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PowerMe said:
Comfort aside, and all other things being equal, does running an ebike's tires at the low end of the psi specified for the tire use more battery to keep the bike at the same speed as when running the tires at higher psi?
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In a VERY general sense, by lowering psi you are creating a larger contact patch which creates slightly higher rolling resistance. How this translates to battery use is probably de minimis.
 
Talking as though the carbon fiber fork is a normal steel or aluminum rigid fork is just silly....
CF dampens way more than metal. The ride with a good cf fork isn't much off a cheap suspension. In other words, as solid forks go, it's very cushy indeed.
https://www.electricbike.com/stromer-st1-2013/

If you want suspension, get a decent RockShox for what you'll pay Stromer for a Suntour. Nothing wrong with Suntour for street use, but if you're going to pay big $$, might as well get a better fork for the same money.

I did just get Haibike xduro fs rx and it is VERY nice, if not necessary where I ride. Find myself looking for small potholes and such. :)
Mostly offroad with it. Lots of fun there!
 
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tinasdude said:
One of those gel seats with springs makes a big difference. Sunlite cloud 9 cruiser suspension gel sofa. Very wide as well
Click to expand...

I was (and everyone else that rode it) very disappointed with my very highly rated Cloud 9. The seat is gorgeous and looks like you ought to be able to sit on it for a week. Yet, not one person thought it any more comfortable than the stocker after 10 miles or so. The stocker is actually a decent seat once your butt adjusts. I'd get a few more miles before the butt started whining, but not much. By 10-20 miles it's achy and I'm ready to stand up periodically.
And the fatness made it harder to peddle.
I probably would have left it on, but bought a Haibike that a fatty seat would look stupid on, so I have to adjust to a "real" bike seat again. The Stromer seat (and Hai) are both very nice seats if you take the time to adjust to them so I put the Stromer stocker back on and between the two bikes I'm pretty comfortable to about 15-20 miles to this point.
I"ve been riding recumbents alone for more than 10 years. No time on a wedgie, so I'm Very happy with how I'm adjusting.
When it comes to tenderbutt, suspension is REALLY nice. I can go further on the Hai than on the Stro.
When it does hurt, my recumbent tadpole trike is always ready to baby my butt. :)
 
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MLB said:
I"ve been riding recumbents alone for more than 10 years. No time on a wedgie, so I'm Very happy with how I'm adjusting.
When it comes to tenderbutt, suspension is REALLY nice.
:)
Click to expand...

I happily replaced my Pedego Interceptor III spring seatpost and fat seat with a comfortable Thudbuster and pre-aged Brooks.
 
I've got the debtor sun tour ncx post linked above and like it a lot I my radrover. It wasn't great on my normal fat bike but at the higher electric speed it both firmed up when pedaling and absorbs the bumps better.
 
If you are not using an aggressive riding style a fat suspension seat may be an alternative. Wide disperses weight across a greater area. The suspended seat helps a little. Ride further with less discomfort on my cheap fat bike than my hardtail. Fatbike is set up as a cruiser. Fat ass suspension seat with low tire pressures very decent ride, but you will definitely work harder than a regular bike.
 
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