Karate Monkey
Well-Known Member
Okay, I held off posting this for a while to give me some time to settle in and see what was "yay, I bought something new" and what was "this actually works!"
Several months ago, I bought the above (unused) post from a forum member here. Those that know me, know that I had back surgery ~1 year ago, and the recovery has been...anything but smooth. Willing to try much of anything to get riding again (I did, and am now even riding in the woods 1-2 times a week!), I decided to try a suspension seatpost for my randonneur--itself already sporting large tires/multiple nods towards comfort.
Without further ado, let's get the most obvious thing out of the way first: this (or any other suspension post) isn't going to turn your hardtail/gravel bike into a suspension bicycle. It does not help the rear tire track the ground...all it does is help isolate you (the rider) from the stuff you're riding on.
Answer: a parallelogram linkage that keeps your saddle-to-pedal distance constant. This is actually a feature that is shared by several different posts, notably Suntour, and Cane Creek, among others. The execution of the "spring" in the system is even shared by other manufacturers: an elastomer (or spring, or combination) is used to provide support for the parallelogram. This particular post, by Redshift, is fairly UNadjustable, but do not let that dissuade you--read on for more information.
Yes. It works quite well, actually. I have used theses parallelogram style posts in the past out of curiosity, and the feeling of running over a bump, but not feeling the bump...is strange. That said, this doesn't excel in absorbing bumps--quite the opposite--but in cutting the chatter that slowly wears down your body over the course of a ride. I found it especially useful for my case, where I have perfectly serviceable legs, arms, and fitness...but damaged muscles that make core engagement over longer periods of time hard.
Several things come up: obviously, this is heavier than a rigid carbon seatpost...but not by an absurd amount. It is only available in 27.2mm diameter, so a shim must be used for other size frames. It has quite short travel--only 20mm, and it is an elastomer, so there is no damping control--fun fact, I hit an unexpected pothole, and the seat L A U N C H E D me into the stem; I was riding no-handed at the time, and was lucky to not crash.
There is a "fender" that is stuck on to the post with a magnet. It is intended to keep crap out of the internal mechanisms, but I suspect it is of dubious use in practice. It can't hurt, certainly.
Springs/elastomers are replaceable, but no other parts are made available. If the post is like Cane Creek's models with the sintered metal bushings, service life should easily reach into the 1000's of hours.
The seatpost itself is easy to install, and the saddle clamping mechanism should be familiar to those who have operated seatposts from the last 1/4 century. Unlike standard seatposts, you must set the post slightly higher to account for "sag" sitting on the saddle.
While riding, you are undoubtedly going to notice hitting a bump. Flatter things, like road seams, largely melt into the background. Minor irregularities disappear over the course of the ride, helping to preserve the "fresh" feeling. This does not replace true suspension, as it does nothing for the wheel tracking on the ground. Due to the nature of the design, it can definitely bounce you if you decide not to post over large bumps/holes. Basically, it allows you to sit as you normally would, stand where you normally would, but cut back on the chatter running back up through your body. In that sense, it is a slam dunk. I have steadily been working through my core deficiencies, and the post has allowed me "wiggle room" that I otherwise would not have.
Its direct competitor is the eeSilk from Cane Creek, a wash in price, though the eeSilk has a weight advantage (but not length). The mechanisms are reasonably close enough to operation to be identical from a use perspective; choose the one with sufficient setback for your purposes.
Several months ago, I bought the above (unused) post from a forum member here. Those that know me, know that I had back surgery ~1 year ago, and the recovery has been...anything but smooth. Willing to try much of anything to get riding again (I did, and am now even riding in the woods 1-2 times a week!), I decided to try a suspension seatpost for my randonneur--itself already sporting large tires/multiple nods towards comfort.
Without further ado, let's get the most obvious thing out of the way first: this (or any other suspension post) isn't going to turn your hardtail/gravel bike into a suspension bicycle. It does not help the rear tire track the ground...all it does is help isolate you (the rider) from the stuff you're riding on.
How does it do that?
Answer: a parallelogram linkage that keeps your saddle-to-pedal distance constant. This is actually a feature that is shared by several different posts, notably Suntour, and Cane Creek, among others. The execution of the "spring" in the system is even shared by other manufacturers: an elastomer (or spring, or combination) is used to provide support for the parallelogram. This particular post, by Redshift, is fairly UNadjustable, but do not let that dissuade you--read on for more information.
Does it work?
Yes. It works quite well, actually. I have used theses parallelogram style posts in the past out of curiosity, and the feeling of running over a bump, but not feeling the bump...is strange. That said, this doesn't excel in absorbing bumps--quite the opposite--but in cutting the chatter that slowly wears down your body over the course of a ride. I found it especially useful for my case, where I have perfectly serviceable legs, arms, and fitness...but damaged muscles that make core engagement over longer periods of time hard.
What's the catch?
Several things come up: obviously, this is heavier than a rigid carbon seatpost...but not by an absurd amount. It is only available in 27.2mm diameter, so a shim must be used for other size frames. It has quite short travel--only 20mm, and it is an elastomer, so there is no damping control--fun fact, I hit an unexpected pothole, and the seat L A U N C H E D me into the stem; I was riding no-handed at the time, and was lucky to not crash.
What else should I know?
The seatpost is "Di2 compatbile" like every other seatpost that isn't a giant billet of material. The Ritchey-style push in mounts work fine. If you have a saddle bag that mounts solely to the seat rails, it should fit with no issues. It could cost the manufacturer practically nothing to make this compatible with the snap rings provided by Shimano for fixing their batteries, but this is a minor quibble.
There is a "fender" that is stuck on to the post with a magnet. It is intended to keep crap out of the internal mechanisms, but I suspect it is of dubious use in practice. It can't hurt, certainly.
Springs/elastomers are replaceable, but no other parts are made available. If the post is like Cane Creek's models with the sintered metal bushings, service life should easily reach into the 1000's of hours.
The actual review
redshiftsports.com
(note the review is for the V1 post, identical in almost every respect save the spring/elastomer)
ShockStop PRO Suspension Seatpost V2
More comfort at the saddle means you’ll be able to ride longer, go faster, and maintain control even on the roughest terrain. The minimal, lightweight design of the ShockStop PRO V2 Suspension Seatpost blends seamlessly with the aesthetic of modern gravel and road bikes. Benefits: Race-tuned -...
redshiftsports.com
The seatpost itself is easy to install, and the saddle clamping mechanism should be familiar to those who have operated seatposts from the last 1/4 century. Unlike standard seatposts, you must set the post slightly higher to account for "sag" sitting on the saddle.
While riding, you are undoubtedly going to notice hitting a bump. Flatter things, like road seams, largely melt into the background. Minor irregularities disappear over the course of the ride, helping to preserve the "fresh" feeling. This does not replace true suspension, as it does nothing for the wheel tracking on the ground. Due to the nature of the design, it can definitely bounce you if you decide not to post over large bumps/holes. Basically, it allows you to sit as you normally would, stand where you normally would, but cut back on the chatter running back up through your body. In that sense, it is a slam dunk. I have steadily been working through my core deficiencies, and the post has allowed me "wiggle room" that I otherwise would not have.
Its direct competitor is the eeSilk from Cane Creek, a wash in price, though the eeSilk has a weight advantage (but not length). The mechanisms are reasonably close enough to operation to be identical from a use perspective; choose the one with sufficient setback for your purposes.
Conclusion
A worthy purchase if you are looking to reduce back fatigue induced by chatter. If you are looking for a magic carpet, keep looking for something else, you won't find it here.
