Thudbuster Suspension Seat Post

[JRod0802]

Thanks Ravi. According to the Easy Motion Website, the specs listed for the Neo Jumper 650B appear to say "Seat Post: Alloy 31.6 mm x 590mm with adjustable head". Maybe 0.7mm just isn't very noticeable.

Edit: Also, I found an updated pdf for the Currie bikes. Column "K" has been added recently, and indicates seat post sizes for many of their bikes.

Looks like the Dash is also 31.6.

Here's the link:
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Thanks Ravi. According to the Easy Motion Website, the specs listed for the Neo Jumper 650B appear to say "Seat Post: Alloy 31.6 mm x 590mm with adjustable head". Maybe 0.7mm just isn't very noticeable.

I apologize for the mistake. Jumper does come with 31.6mm dia. Dint remember the exact dimensions off the top of my head.
Most people use a shim to compensate the difference. You can convert 27.2 or 30.9 seatpost to 31.6 using shims like this. I was looking into this because I wanted to use a Thudbuster on a Neo Volt.

 

[Admin]

Hi JRod, I remember two elastomers coming with my Thudbuster (a black one and a blue one that was installed). I assumed they offered different levels of compression but never experimented with them or swapped one for the other to find out

 

[opimax]

When you receive the Thudbuster it has a variety of different colored elastomers. There is a chart to match weight of the individual and color combination. They do wear out and actually start breaking apart if not changed. There is also a rebuild kit you are to purchase which includes replacements and other wear parts. The elastomers are available separately also I believe .

Mark

 

[Vern]

Will adding a Thudbuster reduce stress on the bicycle? It seems like it would absorb some of the stress placed upon the wheel and frame, however, it is not taking any weight of the bike so I'm not sure. Also the shock absorption is higher up as opposed to a full suspension bike. I don't want to start another physics lesson/debate.

 

[JRod0802]

Hi JRod, I remember two elastomers coming with my Thudbuster (a black one and a blue one that was installed). I assumed they offered different levels of compression but never experimented with them or swapped one for the other to find out

To follow up on this, I found an amazon page to order more LT elastomers. The elastomer chart is here, and as Mark said, they're color coordinated.

• White - #1 Super Soft
• Gray - #3 Soft
• Blue - #5 Medium
• ??? - #7 Firm
• Purple - #9 Extra Firm

When you buy a LT Thudbuster you get one #3 Soft, two #5 Mediums and one #7 Firm, which (put on correctly) should cover people between 140-215 lbs.

As someone between 120 and 140 lbs, I would need two of the Gray (#3 Soft) elastomers. So I'd have to buy one more from Amazon.

 

[opimax]

I might have one gray one , I can look , swap you the black one for us "big" boys!

 

[Admin]

Great find JRod, thanks for the details on what each elastomer offers... that's great

 

[Trinity]

Most people use a shim to compensate the difference. You can convert 27.2 or 30.9 seatpost to 31.6 using shims like this. I was looking into this because I wanted to use a Thudbuster on a Neo Volt.

I've ordered the Thudbuster LT 27.2 XL (450mm) with a shim to 31.6 for my Neo Volt. I'm short in stature, so hopefully this will work. If not, I may have to McGuyver something to prevent the bike from folding. Will report back once I get my order from Thudbuster.com.

I'm trying to figure out how to add security for the Thudbuster now.

 

[opimax]

They do come in 31.6. I have 2

Mark

 

[Trinity]

They do come in 31.6. I have 2

Mark

Yes, Mark... they do. But the 31.6 is only 400mm in length. For the Neo Volt to "lock" (riding position, NOT folded), the 400mm would mean the seat is too low for me. The 450mm is just enough for my short stature (5'5"). Anyone taller would not be able to use a Thudbuster on a Neo Volt or Neo Volt Sport. Thanks for mentioning this ... I should have been more clear.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I've ordered the Thudbuster LT 27.2 XL (450mm) with a shim to 31.6 for my Neo Volt. I'm short in stature, so hopefully this will work. If not, I may have to McGuyver something to prevent the bike from folding. Will report back once I get my order from Thudbuster.com.

I'm trying to figure out how to add security for the Thudbuster now.

There are couple of ways to enhance the security. One is to use a seatpost clamp like this ($6) that requires a hex wrench to loosen the seatpost and thereby making it little difficult for the thieves. Another is to run the bicycle lock cable ($10) through the saddle rails and locking it to the frame. These are the only two cost effectiev ways i know of to secure expensive saddle/Thudbuster.

 

[Trinity]

There are couple of ways to enhance the security.... // ...These are the only two cost effectiev ways i know of to secure expensive saddle/Thudbuster.

Thanks, Ravi. Those were my initial ideas, but decided to get Pinheads for the seatpost and the front wheel. This way I only need to lock the frame and rear wheel. (I'm primarily using the Neo Volt for recreation and errands... so only leaving it unattended for short periods of time). I thought the Pinheads were "reasonable" in cost even though I would have loved to get Pitlocks. The latter are just too expensive my level of risk, though.

 

[Herb]

I was annoyed when I realised that Thudbuster didn't make seat posts in a diameter and length to suit my Emotion Neo Volt Sport. Then I realised that I already had a 27.2mm diameter Thudbuster on an old bike I no longer use. Perhaps the stem on this old Thudbuster would slide inside the 31.6mm seat post on my Neo Volt Sport? The answer is not quite. But Gary at Alloy Racing Fabrications in Perth machined both pieces to make them fit and I glued them together with epoxy. The result was very secure but a little messy, because I forgot to drill an air release hole and trapped air pumped out some of the glue during assembly. I drilled the hole and cleaned up what I could. Better late than never.

 

[NYC Rider]

And here we have it, one Thudbuster LT.

Other than just sitting on the bike I haven't tried it out yet. The roads and weather conditions are too treacherous here at the moment for me to want to risk going out on the bike. I'll write a short review over the next coming month, once I've being able to try it properly.

But in the mean time I have to say that it is superb quality, very easy to fit and just sitting on the bike without going anywhere, I can already see that it's going to work. As I had suspected, it didn't come with the cover that it comes with when ordering direct.

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I have ridden 2000 miles on my thudbuster, and it has saved my ass on many a long ride. I have the same bike as you dude!

 

[stevenast]

I was annoyed when I realised that Thudbuster didn't make seat posts in a diameter and length to suit my Emotion Neo Volt Sport. Then I realised that I already had a 27.2mm diameter Thudbuster on an old bike I no longer use. Perhaps the stem on this old Thudbuster would slide inside the 31.6mm seat post on my Neo Volt Sport? The answer is not quite. But Gary at Alloy Racing Fabrications in Perth machined both pieces to make them fit and I glued them together with epoxy. The result was very secure but a little messy, because I forgot to drill an air release hole and trapped air pumped out some of the glue during assembly. I drilled the hole and cleaned up what I could. Better late than never.

Nice bike! When I test-rode a similar model it attracted lots of positive attention!

Is that a Lotus super 7 in the garage behind it?

 

[John Dombrowski]

Hey guys! I've only ever used the LT (long through or long travel) Thudbuster but I really liked it. The obvious difference is travel range and it seems like the LT is setup for mountain biking and other abrasive riding conditions while the ST is more for road biking. Both versions include rubber inserts that change the stiffness and both versions come in multiple tube diameters to fit different frame sizes.

I've attached screenshots from the official Thudbuster website below for reference on the two. Sorry to hear about the higher prices in Europe EddieJ, I know that shipping also kind of spoils ordering from overseas. The irony is that most of these components are made from metals mined or scrapped in North America which are then shipped to China where they are machined and then shipped back to America before finally being shipped to Europe for you.

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I noticed that Thudbusters are also now available in much longer sizes for folding bikes! This is awesome because most folders don't have suspension. This is part of the reason I liked the E-Joe Epik SE so much... in any case, be sure to get something like the Liplok from Salsa that helps to secure the seat post more tightly so it doesn't slide down as you bump up and down. That happened all the time with my City Commuter (like daily) no matter how hard I tried to tighten the quick release lever. The Lip lock fixed that

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Just shot a video using the Thudbuster and am adding it below. I tried to get an angle that shows the suspension moving up and down as I rode over uneven terrain. Note that I'm using the Thudbuster ST.

Hey Court,
regarding the liplock clamp. How/where does this thing go? Do you clamp it on the seatpost right above the seat tube clamp or does it replace the seat tube clamp?

Thanks....JD

 

[John Dombrowski]

I've read that you can drill a hole in the thudbuster ST for the seat light wire on the Specialized Turbo. Can you do the same thing for the LT post?