Suspension Seat Posts

[Readytoride]

Thanks for all the good wishes everyone.

What I don't get is that I had one of the very brightest flashing red lights Cygolite Hotshot Pro 200 on the back of my helmet at the time. It's impossible to miss seeing, plus I had the bike's red tail light also. How can someone drive up from behind and not see that? Anyway, she cut right in front of me to get into a gas station and claimed she didn't see me. And that she's been driving for 30 years and had never had an accident. SIGH

The gash on my leg is pretty bad... skin split open right to the shin bone, but the cracked rib made it almost impossible to sleep. No matter how I moved I had a lot of pain.

And I really wanted to try my new seat post!

I know this is a bit off subject, but....was talking to a neighbor (in her 70s) the other day that said she'd waved hello out her car window when she saw me riding my ebike down the road, and did I see her. (I wave to everyone, anyway, long before they reach me and as they pass me and always get a friendly wave back. Rural roads, nice folks.) So I said I did (didn't really but wanted to be polite) and, out of curiosity, I asked how well she'd seen me, intentionally wanting to gloat over my brand new super bright pink flashers on my bike.

"Your shirt", she said.

My shirt? Well, yeah I tend to wear bright sherbert colors of brilliant orange and Barbie doll pink and clear sky blue and mint greens, very easy to spot. But still...what about my plethora of neat blinkies? Two pinks and one red - all festooning the rear of my bike, PLUS a solid red built in BIG tail light fed by the bike battery. Did she even notice them?

"No," she said, "I only saw your shirt." "So...didn't you see the lights at all?" "No, I didn't see the lights."

Now, I'm a small lightweight person so there's not a lot of real estate that shirt has to cover, meaning it's not a broad billboard of neon warning to motorists that there's a "cyclist ahead" as I'm heading down the road. Just a small spot of color different than the surrounding landscape.

I then asked a few others that see me on the road pretty much everyday. Same answer. They see the shirt before anything else. Only one person mentioned the blinkies, and those were the pink ones they saw.

I'll probably go back to Wal-Mart and get a few more of those cheap neon polyester stretchy t-shirts if those are what make me the most visible.

 

[Alaskan]

I know this is a bit off subject, but....was talking to a neighbor (in her 70s) the other day that said she'd waved hello out her car window when she saw me riding my ebike down the road. Out of curiosity I asked how well she'd seen me, intentionally wanting to gloat over my brand new super bright pink flashers on my bike.

"Your shirt", she said.

My shirt? Well, yeah I tend to wear bright sherbert colors of brilliant orange and Barbie doll pink and clear sky blue and mint greens, very easy to spot. But still...what about my plethora of neat blinkies? Two pinks and one red - all festooning the rear of my bike, PLUS a solid red built in BIG tail light fed by the bike battery. Did she even notice them?

"No," she said, "I only saw your shirt." "So...didn't you see the lights at all?" "No, I didn't see the lights."

Now, I'm a small lightweight person so there's not a lot of real estate that shirt has to cover, meaning it's not a broad billboard of neon warning to motorists that there's a "cyclist ahead" as I'm heading down the road.

I then asked a few others that see me on the road pretty much everyday. Same answer. They see the shirt before anything else. Only one person mentioned the blinkies, and those were the pink ones they saw.

I'll probably go back to Wal-Mart and get a few more of those neon polyester stretchy t-shirts if those are what make me the most visible.

People poke fun at roadies with their "clown suits" I ride three time a week with groups of roadies and have realized that there is a method to their madness besides the great convenience of the three pockets on the back.

I've been collecting garish, fun and very visible vintage bike jerseys on ebay for just the reason your experience illustrates. I want all the elements possible to make sure I am seen by motorists...lights, lazers, reflective stripes & sidewalls and yes...clown suits.

 

[MikeDD]

I have a dropper seat post on my full suspension mtb. I ride all terrain from paved paths to single track. My seat post has three positions. I use all three depending on the situation. I have trained my self to lower the seat to the bottom setting when stopping so my feet can touch the ground so I don't fall over. The dropper is actuated by a lever on the left side. You can brake and operate the lever at the same time.

I drop the seat when going down hills whether paved or dirt. I raise the seat all the way up when pedaling all out on flat terrain. Just like any tool you have to practice. The dropper seat post came with my bike when I purchased it.

 

[kathik]

Well, I bit the bullet and bought the Kinect for my newest bike. Just like the Thudbuster short travel I added to another bike, I had to cut 2 inches off the bottom of the post to make it workable for a shorty.
I am used to riding a full suspension bike and this no suspension was killing me!

 

[Alaskan]

View attachment 39514
Well, I bit the bullet and bought the Kinect for my newest bike. Just like the Thudbuster short travel I added to another bike, I had to cut 2 inches off the bottom of the post to make it workable for a shorty.
I am used to riding a full suspension bike and this no suspension was killing me!

Looks good! Let us know how it works for you once you've put a few miles on it.

 

[CSH]

Of All the Suspension Seat Posts discussed here,
Do any of them give you a really "Suspended" feeling ?

As an example of what I mean, my workplace has Aeron Chairs, which are fantastic for seating comfort at a desk all day.
When you sit down, the chair sinks a bit, and then comes back up, compensating for your weight.

Do any of the Bike Suspension Seat Posts do something similar ?

I remember searching for my first ebike, and while test riding a Riese Muller, I remember feeling like I was just floating.
But I was so focused on what bike to get, I didn't pay any attention to what Suspension Seat Post was on that bike at that particular bike shop.

Any thoughts/suggestions ?

Craig

 

[Alaskan]

Tuning a Kinekt involves tightening or loosening the pre-load adjustment screw on the lower spring to the point where there is minimal sag when you sit on the saddle. Having a friend watch the seat post when you get on is very helpful. If they can adjust the screw so you just stand on the pedals and then sit back down until it gets dialed in, that is even better.

This reduces the range of motion of the parallelogram but keeps you from bobbing excessively while riding, especially when pedaling hard. Further tuning is then a matter of small adjustment for comfort or firmness according you what feels best while riding. Obviously you need to make sure you have the correct color springs in it for your weight.

 

[tomjasz]

I have several seat post fail photos and have been looking for them all week... Here's one, one other is identical.

 

[Mtl_Biker]

I have several seat post fail photos and have been looking for them all week... Here's one, one other is identical.View attachment 39569

Ever have a Kinekt post fail?

 

[Handlebars]

I've found that the Suntour behaves differently depending on the seat tilt and how far back you sit. The further back, the more it does the float back and forth. A shift on seat tilt makes quite a difference. Switching out seats makes the action more obvious.
I changed out the Velo Plush for a Selle I have that has more gel padding, but changed back because
1.the Velo allows/encourages me to sit further back and the seatpost works better that way and sitting further back was something I wanted.
2. the Selle adds an extra bit of height so that it's not as easy to put my feet flat on the ground - I value the ability to put feet flat on ground. And the bike handles wonderfully like that, with cruiser bars up high and seat low.

 

[tomjasz]

Ever have a Kinekt post fail?

No returns nor have I found any posted failures.

 

[ElevenAD]

It is far less money but clearly not "high quality" As John Raskin said, "There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that person's lawful prey. It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot – it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better."

i purchased this because of the cheap price and i heard it had a 300lb weight limit, it was a lil creaky sounding but worked great! i have around 800miles on it and i weight 240 and i often have an additional 20/25lbs in my back pack, i liked it so much i purchased another for my second bike and it did not have the creaky sound and also works great and im very tough on a seatpost.

 

[Alaskan]

i purchased this because of the cheap price and i heard it had a 300lb weight limit, it was a lil creaky sounding but worked great! i have around 800miles on it and i weight 240 and i often have an additional 20/25lbs in my back pack, i liked it so much i purchased another for my second bike and it did not have the creaky sound and also works great and im very tough on a seatpost.

Good to know it worked out for you.

 

[Mtl_Biker]

My rib is much better but still hurting so I have to be careful, but I did commute in to work this morning (30km). It was my first ride with the Kinekt suspension seat post, and...

I LOVED IT!!

I don't know why, as a long long time cyclist, I was so against even trying one. What a difference! (Maybe I've been too long a purist... you know, no suspension, seat hard as a rock, etc.)

 

[CSH]

My rib is much better but still hurting so I have to be careful, but I did commute in to work this morning (30km). It was my first ride with the Kinekt suspension seat post, and...

I LOVED IT!!

I don't know why, as a long long time cyclist, I was so against even trying one. What a difference! (Maybe I've been too long a purist... you know, no suspension, seat hard as a rock, etc.)

MTL,
Can you describe the "Feeling"...........................
I have a Thudbuster ST , and I'm not convinced it feels the way I was hoping for.
See my reply #96 on Friday for more detail about what I'm wishing for...................... maybe I'm kidding myself ???

Craig

 

[Mtl_Biker]

MTL,
Can you describe the "Feeling"...........................
I have a Thudbuster ST , and I'm not convinced it feels the way I was hoping for.
See my reply #96 on Friday for more detail about what I'm wishing for...................... maybe I'm kidding myself ???

Craig

The "feeling" is like my butt isn't getting pounded into raw meat!! I used to have to take the weight off my seat a bit in certain parts of my commute but this morning I didn't. I was very pleased.

I've got one of those chairs you describe (mine's a Herman Miller) and it is a little like the same feeling. But it also depends on how much tension you set in the seat and which springs you use. I think the best thing for you to do would be to try one if you can. The local dealer where I bought mine was perfectly willing to let me try before buying, but I declined (had just broken my rib that morning). If you can find a dealer with one, maybe they would let you do a comparison.

On my commute home tonight I'll pay attention to the "feeling" and maybe I'll be able to describe it better.

 

[CSH]

The "feeling" is like my butt isn't getting pounded into raw meat!! I used to have to take the weight off my seat a bit in certain parts of my commute but this morning I didn't. I was very pleased.

I've got one of those chairs you describe (mine's a Herman Miller) and it is a little like the same feeling. But it also depends on how much tension you set in the seat and which springs you use. I think the best thing for you to do would be to try one if you can. The local dealer where I bought mine was perfectly willing to let me try before buying, but I declined (had just broken my rib that morning). If you can find a dealer with one, maybe they would let you do a comparison.

On my commute home tonight I'll pay attention to the "feeling" and maybe I'll be able to describe it better.

Cool................ Which model did you get, and what price, if I may ask ?

 

[Mtl_Biker]

Cool................ Which model did you get, and what price, if I may ask ?

It's the Kinekt Aluminum 2.1. And the price? Irrelevant, because I'm in Canada, paying in Canadian dollars. And since our riding season ends soon (snow and ice, cold temperatures) the dealer had an end of season sale and I got a good discount off list.

 

[CSH]

It's the Kinekt Aluminum 2.1. And the price? Irrelevant, because I'm in Canada, paying in Canadian dollars. And since our riding season ends soon (snow and ice, cold temperatures) the dealer had an end of season sale and I got a good discount off list.

Got it.

 

[Alaskan]

Here is an interesting alternative. PNW has a air suspension dropper post than can be tuned to the rider's weight. It has 40mm of travel and can have either internal or external actuator cable routing. It is priced at $179 USD.

I really like the Kinekt (formerly Body Float) on my Homage but my Delight Mountain came with a dropper post which I have really grown to appreciate. I am now in the habit of always dropping the seat whenever I come to a stop. If I am getting off the bike it is way easier with the seat 100mm lower. If I am at a stop light, I can sit on the seat with both feet flat on the ground. I just stand on the pedals momentarily when I get going again and pop the seat up to meet my tush.

I learned the hard way that one should not use the saddle as a handle for lifting the bike when you have a dropper as that strains and weakens the seals on the dropper air cartridge. I have one of these on order and will post my impressions when it has been installed and I have a chance to ride on it for while.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)