Suspension Seat Posts

[kmccune]

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."

Worked fairly good for NASA, now if they would give the 'skyrockets" up and get serious and there is one other gripe about "programs" when they are failing, they see them out to the "bitter end"( except for the mighty "Saturn Five"( sorry- so what is the best"BFB" suspension seatpost? I am fairly heavy around 14.5 stone)

 

[FezUSA]

Kinekt 2.1 can handle 14.5 stone (203 lb) with the correct spring installation. Check your weight though, is that dressed and ready to ride or dressed the way you were born?!

 

[Kriis]

I haven't read whole thread but a big plus for the Suntour NCX. The price was a factor and here in the UK it has almost doubled in less than 3 years but it's a well-made unit and i have covered several thousand miles on mine without any problems. I've used it in all weathers and no signs of corrosion or visible wear, although I have noticed a minute amount of axial play in the seat now via the mechanism but it isn't detectable while riding.

 

[penserv]

I've got a Suntour NCX seatpost and all I can say about it is it's very finicky to set up. Takes a lot of fiddling around with seat placement and spring tension before you feel it is actually doing something. I've only got 100 km on mine and still haven't gotten it right.

 

[Handlebars]

I've got a Suntour NCX seatpost and all I can say about it is it's very finicky to set up. Takes a lot of fiddling around with seat placement and spring tension before you feel it is actually doing something. I've only got 100 km on mine and still haven't gotten it right.

True.
Seat forward or back on the rails, seat tilted up or down, probably your riding posture and pedaling motion as well. I think that maybe a good way to tell if it's doing the best, is by how much you can feel the seat slide back when you ride over a small pothole or something. With my heavy bike I could tell that the crashing bumps on every ride were gone, but it took a while to tune in to a position where it does the most work.

 

[Comfortably Numb]

I will be picking up a Kinekt 2.1 Aluminum seat post tomorrow. I found a local dealer who has the size and spring tension that I need, and for a reasonable price too. I first searched on Amazon.ca and was SHOCKED to find that the price was $860 Canadian!!!!!! Sold by Cirrus Cycles but they were offering FREE SHIPPING! (For that price, they should hand deliver it!)

CRAZY!!!

The US$ price of $249 converts to $330 Canadian!!!! And they're asking $860????? Geez!

Anyway, I was lucky to find a dealer with it who was also having an end of season sale... I'm getting it for $280 Canadian!

$280 CDN is a good price for the Kinekt up here. The $860 price is clearly being hung out there to catch idiots. Last I looked the Cirrus price was around $300 CDN. That's about right.
You have to know what a decent price is to catch the odd bargain you run across. CN

 

[penserv]

Actually, finding exhorbitantly high prices at Amazon.ca is quite a common occurrence. I have no idea why. I've seen $300 items on Amazon.com that are $3500 on Amazon.ca. It's like someone missed a decimal point, but it happens a lot, so you have to be very careful ordering from the Canadian arm of Amazon. Can't beat their delivery, though. I always check Amazon.com and maybe a couple of other sites before I order from the Canadian outlet, because with their fast delivery, you don't mind paying a "bit" more, just not a "lot" more..

 

[RandallS]

I've got a Suntour NCX seatpost and all I can say about it is it's very finicky to set up. Takes a lot of fiddling around with seat placement and spring tension before you feel it is actually doing something. I've only got 100 km on mine and still haven't gotten it right.

I think there's some luck involved. I installed mine without a lot of measuring and it works fine as-is. And it's not that I'm a lightweight @96Kg.

 

[Deacon Blues]

I just watched a very informative Youtube video on how different suspension seatpost work and which ones work best.
The video is by Alee Denham, a world travelling cyclist.
This guy knows his stuff.

Edit: fixed the link and Alee's last name.

 

[Comfortably Numb]

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.

View attachment 39436View attachment 39437View attachment 39439View attachment 39440

I have zero issue with the shirts you are posting up here. Visibility is good.
The issue I have is with the clowns wearing jerseys from cycling teams, ala, Tour de France with all the advertising of component manufacturers on them. It strikes me as 'hey, look at me, I'm the real deal'
Multiple guys wearing the same jerseys, out for a training ride wearing all the team gear like we ought to be inpressed. There are tons of cycling jerseys out there that meet the needs, without all the hey, look for me at the next Olympics, crap on them. Same goes for lycra shorts. Leave all the advertising crap to those being paid to wear it, in races, instead of being a bloody wannabe.
I appreciate that cycling gear works well for riding, but don't run around pretending you're Chris Froome. You just look like a moron. Vancouver is full of them. CN

 

[Comfortably Numb]

I just received my Redshift Shockstop post yesterday. It took a total of 10 days from Pennsylvania, 5 of that held in Customs in Montreal. (go figure) All in it cost me $306 CDN.
I have yet to install it. I looked at the Kinekt at an LBS. The price was ridiculous, only the springs for ONE weight and if I took it out of the store it could not be returned. Even if I didn't install it! So much for Kinekt's 30 day satisfaction guarantee.
It was too tall anyway. It measures 4" from seat mount to top of frame. The Redshift is only 3"-ish.
I think the Redshift might be underrated. There are less of them out there, so less reviews, they don't stick out like a sore thumb and the reviews that are out there are pretty good. The suspension post that came with my CUBE is way too stiff at the softest setting and has minimal travel. I'll report back with my findings. CN

 

[BlackHand]

I just received my Redshift Shockstop post yesterday. It took a total of 10 days from Pennsylvania, 5 of that held in Customs in Montreal. (go figure) All in it cost me $306 CDN.
I have yet to install it. I looked at the Kinekt at an LBS. The price was ridiculous, only the springs for ONE weight and if I took it out of the store it could not be returned. Even if I didn't install it! So much for Kinekt's 30 day satisfaction guarantee.
It was too tall anyway. It measures 4" from seat mount to top of frame. The Redshift is only 3"-ish.
I think the Redshift might be underrated. There are less of them out there, so less reviews, they don't stick out like a sore thumb and the reviews that are out there are pretty good. The suspension post that came with my CUBE is way too stiff at the softest setting and has minimal travel. I'll report back with my findings. CN

I hope the Redshift works out for you!

Sounds like your issues with the Kinekt have more to do with the LBS than with Cirrus. Cirrus clearly states their guarantee is for whoever buys from them. If your LBS won't take returns for whatever reason that's on the LBS not on Cirrus Cycles. FYI, it does come with 2 extra springs so you can go softer or stiffer from where you start.

 

[Deacon Blues]

I'm interested in the Cane Creek eeSilk suspension seat post for my carbon framed road bike. To keep the weight increase as low as possible I'm considering the carbon model, but $300 US means this seat post is going to be very expensive when it arrives on my doorstep in Canada.
On top of that, the eeSilk has been on backorder for a long time.

edit: I just checked out the weight difference between the aluminum and carbon models.....50 grams or 0.1 pounds. 50 grams savings is not worth $100 US extra.

 

[penserv]

I just received my Satori Animaris seatpost from AliExpress, although I see now that Amazon.com has them back in stock. Both ship direct from China. AliExpress was about $100 Cdn, less than Amazon.com by about $20 or $30, depending on the exchange rate. The Satori has replaced my Suntour NCX seatpost, simply because it gives a better ride and is far easier to adjust. You have access to the adjusting bolt while the seatpost is on the bike. With the Suntour, you have to take the seaport out of the tube because the adjustment is at the bottom of the post. I'll be selling the Suntour on Ebay or Kijiji. The Satori and the Ergon E-mountain core saddle make a nice combo and provide a very nice ride. AliExpress only stocked the Satori in 2 sizes, so I got the 27.2 diameter model with a 30.9 mm sleeve adapter. The seatpost length was 350 mm but that was plenty for me. Nice feature with the Satori are the height adjustment marks on the backside of the post, from 0 to 10 in 0.5 increments. I've got mine set at 2. I think the units are cm, but 2 is the same length as the Suntour, so I didn't pay too much attention to the units.

The only thing strange about AliExpress in the shipping is that the website says it is coming via China Post Registered Air Mail, but it takes 28 days to arrive in Canada Customs, which is about the same length of time a container ship takes to cross the Pacific Ocean. Then the package is picked up by Last Mile Carrier, which is actually just a generic name for whoever takes the package to Customs (USPS, Canada Post, etc.). The tracking page never has any information from the "Last Mile Carrier" and Canada Post cannot find the China Post Registered Air Mail number. Then, all of a sudden one day you get a notice in the mail that your parcel has arrived, but you have to go to the Post Office to get it, because they need a signature. No duty or taxes, though.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Lucky for you there isn't any duty or taxes. The last thing I bought from AliExpress was a bike tool kit. It was a bit cheaper than Amazon.ca, but what I didn't realize is instead of coming from China directly to Canada it first went to a distributing warehouse in the States. Guess who got dinged for duty charges and taxes?
On the other hand I recently ordered a set of Chinese carbon wheels from Yoeleo and they came directly from China to Canada, with no taxes or duties.

 

[Alaskan]

Kinekt in comparative reviews is the clear gold standard. They are the most effective in tests under a viariety of circumstances, easiest to change out springs based on rider weight, have the easiest adjustment method for the spring preload, don't change their performance based on temperature change effect on the hardness of an elastomer and are made in Bellingham, WA USA, my home town by a small team of really great people.

Check out the in depth comparison in the review posted by @Deacon Blues in post #181. The real life performance, general benefits and shortcomings of each one are discussed. The clear takeaway is that you get what you pay for.

 

[Comfortably Numb]

I hope the Redshift works out for you!

Sounds like your issues with the Kinekt have more to do with the LBS than with Cirrus. Cirrus clearly states their guarantee is for whoever buys from them. If your LBS won't take returns for whatever reason that's on the LBS not on Cirrus Cycles. FYI, it does come with 2 extra springs so you can go softer or stiffer from where you start.

Thanks. You're right about the issue being the LBS. I would have bought direct from Cirrus once I saw what the LBS wanted, but the Kinekt wasn't going to fit so I went with the Redshift.
CN

 

[fooferdoggie]

Kinekt in comparative reviews is the clear gold standard. They are the most effective in tests under a viariety of circumstances, easiest to change out springs based on rider weight, have the easiest adjustment method for the spring preload, don't change their performance based on temperature change effect on the hardness of an elastomer and are made in Bellingham, WA USA, my home town by a small team of really great people.

Check out the in depth comparison in the review posted by @Deacon Blues in post #181. The real life performance, general benefits and shortcomings of each one are discussed. The clear takeaway is that you get what you pay for.

I had the elastomer one in the middle of winter it sucked. but I need a tool to adjust my kinekt it is the older model.

 

[Comfortably Numb]

I just watched a very informative Youtube video on how different suspension seatpost work and which ones work best.
The video is by Alee Denham, a world travelling cyclist.
This guy knows his stuff.

Edit: fixed the link and Alee's last name.

Good video. CN

 

[penserv]

I went with the Satori seatpost, mainly on the advice from this thread. It may not be as good as a Kinect, but it's a helluva lot cheaper. I've only ridden it about 100 km, but I have no complaints about it and it beats the Suntour hands down. Other folks in this thread seem to agree with me. Anything you can do to make a hardtail more comfy is worth it in my books.