Thudbuster vs Kinekt seat posts

[Fast n' Furious]

Don't want to be knowingly rude. I'll post the answer on Gumbo's site.

 

[m@Robertson]

Body Float/Knekt over TB for sure. I have had both. I am a larger rider and the float has better performance and you don't have the squeaky noise you get from the TB's elastomer insert.

None of my Thuds have ever squeaked. Since I posted in here last I put that Thud on the second bike, where the first one has the Kinekt on it. Easy now to make truly direct comparisons given identical frames etc and only different seatposts.

• The Kinekt XL2 provides smoother ride and better isolation.
• The Thud LT with the max firm elastomer rounds off the sharp edges on impacts. It does not advertise to be an isolation post like the Kinekt does and the two are genuinely different in what they do. the Thud essentially does the job of easing the impact on your spine for a lot less money; although it is still pricey as it is.
• The Kinekt XL2 has a pogo effect at high cadence rpms. It cannot be gotten rid of by adjusting preload. I can reduce the effect but taking it to the point where the effect is gone makes the unit bottom out with increasing frequency. I weight 250 lbs and the Kinekt XL2's weight range is if I remember right 250-340 lbs. I looked it up in the previous posts so whatever I said then is correct for sure.
• The Thud has zero pogo no matter what.
• Spine and bum are just as comfortable on either after equally long rides.

I was on the phone with Kinekt today. I am buying a 90mm suspension stem for my new bike. Those stems just play too big a role in wrist and hand fatigue elimination to do without. I confirmed with them I can use the orange-striped upper seat spring as an extra-extra-firm spring over and above the three they include in the stem, and ordered one. Also ordered the extra firm dampener kit. I have those on my other three Kinekt stems so I know its what I need to make the stem work for me as advertised.

 

[AHicks]

I had a "squeaker" Thudbuster as well, and yes it was set up for my weight.

 

[6zfshdb]

Body Float/Knekt over TB for sure. I have had both. I am a larger rider and the float has better performance and you don't have the squeaky noise you get from the TB's elastomer insert.

What Thudbuster post are you referring to? There is a big difference between the LT and ST versions. I have both and the LT does not squeak. The ST can begin making noise after prolonged use but it's easily cured by applying a drop of mineral oil to the bushings.

 

[Marcela]

I have a couple of the Thudbusters long travel, never a squeak. Their instructions do say to lube the mating surface of the rubbers. Just a thin coat of grease will do you.

 

[m@Robertson]

Which one do you prefer? Why did you buy the TB after first owning a float, or if I got the order wrong why did you switch up? I have never experienced the pogo effect with Body Float I weigh 225.

Thudbuster LT. I have also owned the ST and there's no point in limiting it to the lesser performance unless you have, perhaps, aesthetic issues to consider. Recently this changed though because now the current ST model has a 330 lb weight limit, over and above the hard 250 lb limit of the LT.

If you look to the previous posts in this thread, you'll see I have owned a half-dozen thuds and a Satori Animaris over a period of several years. I have over two years now on a Kinekt XL2 (the big one, no longer sold but same product just scaled up physically a bit) that is a daily driver on a bike that is pedaled hard, daily on flat pavement. So that means road bike style pedaling. High cadence rate.

As you can see in the previous posts, it pogo'd at high cadence. Alaskan took a close look at how I had mine set up and suggested I increase the preload over what I had, and this works, but only to a point. There is not enough travel when you do that and it makes the spring bottom out in use when the inevitable big bumps happen. So given this - on a Kinekt post that has a weight limit waaaaay over and above mine - I instead put a Thud LT on a second, otherwise identical bike. The Thud does not provide isolation, it does what a traditional suspension post does. And it never pogo's. But at 250 lbs I am at the upper end of its weight range which is always something to keep an eye on (across several bikes and more than a few years there has never been an issue).

If the goal is to soften the impact on your spine and bum, the Thud is every bit as good as its reputation. If on the other hand you are looking to spend an additional $100 to hopefully have a full-suspension-smooth ride, then the Kinekt will do that, assuming your riding style and physique cooperates.

The Kinekt is a great product but it has limitations that can get in the way if the stars are misaligned.

 

[Fast n' Furious]

I have an unused XR, in the box for $200 + whatever shipping buyer picks. No BS.
Ton's of springs, so just say you want a certain (correct) set included for your weight. I'm cleaning house.
I'll also kick in an unbroken-in Selle Anatomica - USA Made - or new Brooks B17 Imperial saddle for 60% retail.
PM me.
My Hardtail's LR is great. Springs dialed in, tension correct, I have so much torque at my pedals, no 'bobbing' anomaly.
If you're 250+lbs, and/ or fancy yourself as the 'Mike Tyson grade wrecking-crew' type, the KINEKT might not be up to you.
At 140lbs it's easy to stay near the sweet-point with the springs and DAMN is it Sweet.
My research showed the Thud's for initial impact, not overall ride. My experience is the KINEKT works through the entire range absorbing multi-impacts (real world turf), not just one - and recovering so well it becomes unnoticeable.
The big, hard sluggers like m@Robertson, at the end limits succinctly nail the distinctions.

Ever, Fn'F