Suspension seat or stem posts

[macgyver99]

Does anyone have a suspension seat or stem posts? If so, what are your thoughts?
I've been toying with the idea of having one or the other at times and not sure how much difference it would make for mostly on road touring?
Thanks,
Scott

[davidbonn]

My opinion:  if you are riding on pavement they aren't likely to be worth the cost, weight, and complexity.  If a significant portion of your trip is on rough roads or trails they might be worthwhile.

[John Nettles]

Scott, welcome to the ACA Forums!

I have a RedShift suspension stem along with the Thudbuster  ST (current generation) on my main touring bike.  For reference, I typically tour on up to 25% non-pavement (dirt, crushed gravel, gravel) and 75+% pavement depending on the specific tour. 

I enjoy and recommend the RedShift Stem. The stem takes the "buzz" out of chip seal, larger pavement cracks, and pea-size gravel so I like it.  Not super helpful in full gravel but that can be expected as it is not really designed to take on 1+" gravel but I would think that it would does some.
While I enjoy the Thudbuster ST when it is not slipping, I can not recommend the updated Thudbuster as the new seat bracket "barrel" slips fairly frequently (multiple times a day), especially on gravel roads when you want it most. Thudbuster replaced the original plastic barrel with an "updated" alloy one but it still slips, probably because the barrel is smooth and does not have the little "teeth" to prevent slipping. The LT version appears to have the same barrel bracket while the eeSilk seems to have the traditional seat bracket.  If the Silk does NOT use the barrel bracket, then it is probably pretty nice but only has 35mm of travel which is not that much but would work if you ride on a lot of chip seal roads.

The old Thudbuster was nice and secure but don't know if you can get elastomers for it and if so for how long. Also, the old one may have been heavier, just not sure.

Tailwinds, John

[macgyver99]

Appreciate your response DavidBonn, I'm not sure either.
Thanks John Nettles about your experience with the Redshift suspension stem and the Thudbuster.

[davidbonn]

I have one of the Cirrus Kinekt suspension seatposts on my e-bike.  It is very nice but also very expensive and very heavy.

On a related note, I upgraded my bike last spring with wider (drop) handlebars and the Redshift Cruise Control grips.  Both of which made a huge difference in comfort for me.  Not quite as much as a suspension stem might but still noticable.

[UncaBuddha]

I have the Redshift seatpost on my hard tail mountain bike and set up to take big jolts. I like it and it has saved my sore old lower back a little misery.

[macgyver99]

Thanks for your replies.
Appreciate the help.
Scott

[sdakin]

Hey Scott!

I have the RedShift Shockstop Endurance seat post and put it on one of my bikes about a year and a half ago. I've logged over a thousand miles on that particular bike (including RAGBRAI L in 2023) and I now want it on my long haul tourer. It's a little squishy/bouncy if you pedal hard, but I love the smoothing effect it has on everything from a sunken manhole cover to bigger potholes (I ride mostly road). I have some lower back issues and this thing definitely reduces the wear and tear on my lower vertebrae. I now consider it required equipment on bikes I ride for more than a few hours at a time.

I recently purchased the Shockstop stem (non-pro model for both - I've outgrown my weight weenie days, thankfully) and while I have only taken it for a spin a few times I can say that I like it and would also recommend it. It's not as thud-busting as the seat post, but it also does not have any of the squishiness either. The dampening effects are more subtle but still appreciated. I'm sure my hands will be complaining less on all day rides.

Are these things together worth the $300-400? For me, the answer is yes, but everyone's definition of value is different. I plan to purchase more to equip at least 1 more of my bikes.