9 Best Bike Suspension Seatposts – Reviews and Buying Guide

BEST BIKE SUSPENSION SEATPOSTS COMPARISON

BEST BICYCLE SUSPENSION SEATPOST REVIEWS

PNW Coast Suspension Dropper

Best for Versatility

PROS: – One of the few in 27.2 size – Dropper works flawlessly – No issue with extremely cold temperatures – Easy to install – Return quickly and smooth

CONS: – May be pricey for some

Redshift Shockstop

Best for Urban Biking and E-bikes

PROS: – Absorbs a lot of the bumps – Easy the adjust for rider weight – Spring adjustments allow for a wide range of rider weights – Doesn’t look like a suspension seat post – Easy to set up – Very smooth and low profile – Well made product – Works as advertised

CONS: – A little heavier than a regular seat post – May be pricey but worth every penny

Cane Creek Thudbuster LT

Best Mountain Bike Suspension Seatpost

PROS: – Very well built – Smooths out the ride – Great value for money – Easy to clean – No noises – Easy to change the rider weight

CONS: – Little pricey – Not ideal for short bikers

Kalloy Uno Suspension Seatpost

Best for the Price

PROS: – Very affordable – Moves so smoothly – Decent build quality – Not too difficult to install

CONS: – No shock absorption for smaller bumps – Settles just a little when you get on the bike – Does not seem to give much spring when off-roading in rough areas – Not for lightweight riders

TranzX Anti Shock QL Seatpost

No brainer for gravel riding or commuters

PROS: – Super easy installation – More comfortable than a carbon seatpost – Great middle ground suspension

CONS: – Not as comfortable as Redshift Shockstop – Doesn’t take the real big hits

Satori Harmony

Super Value for the Dollars Spent

PROS: – Stealthy look – Absorbs road/gravel chatter and big hits – Snappy and responsive – Simple to install – Great price

CONS: – Getting the spring tension right is not easy – Absorbs larger bumps but will launch you out pretty hard

SR Suntour NCX

Works Well for Small Bumps

PROS: – Affordable price – Smooth bounce and no sudden harsh bumps – Easy installation and setup

CONS: – Pretty heavy – Less ideal for lighter people – Comes with only one spring rate out of the box – but they are available for just $15

KINEKT 3.1 Carbon

Best overall

PROS: – Smoothed out a ride so much it feels like a full-suspension bike – Easily adjustable – Small bumps are ironed out and rides are like a luxury car – Good quality – Swapping out the seat post was easy – Looks good

CONS: – Expensive, but worth the $ – Needs care because its system is exposed and can get clogged up

Cane Creek Thudbuster G4 ST

Best for People on the Heavier Side

PROS: – Smooths out the ride without sapping any of your pedaling power – Doesn’t launch me out of the saddle like the LT – Very comfortable – Recommended for people on the heavier side

CONS: – Pricey but well worth it

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BICYCLE SUSPENSION SEATPOST?

DEFLECTION

Deflection means how much vertical travel your bike suspension seatpost will have after impact. Generally, it ranges from10mm to 50mm.

Deflection is what reduces your body fatigue and protects you from potholes or roadcorrugations and let’s keep pedaling even in bumpy terrain.

The needed deflection for a smooth ride like commuting is less compared to someone off-roading.

DAMPENING SYSTEMS

• COIL SPRING SUSPENSION

This type of seat post suspension system that uses a hinged linkage orstanchion tube set system is new to the market. Its dampening comes from the coiled metal spring.

What I don’t like about this type of dampening is that, in climbing, softer coils lowers the power down on the pedals.
Another downside is that it requires you to adjust the spring tension each time the terrain changes in order to get better performance.

For off-road biking, this system is exceptional because it’s super responsive to bumps.

• ELASTOMER SUSPENSION

Elastomer suspension bicycle seat post reduces rebound by using a solid rubber that cushions a hinged linkage system.

Its design is simple and less noticeable underneath you.

The downsides of elastomer suspension are that it wears over time because it’s exposed and gets less effective in cold conditions because it firms up. But you can solve its issues by carrying a spare with you and lubricate around the elastomer edges or cover the seatpost.

• AIR DROPPER SUSPENSION

With air dropper suspension bike seatposts, you can change your seat height without multitool or the need to stop. This system is relatively new.

The downside of this system is that often it offers less vertical travel (deflection) compared to elastomer or coil spring suspension systems.

DIMENSIONS

• DIAMETER

When you are looking for a bicycle suspension seat post, consider the diameter of your bike seat tube (the place where you insert the seat post in the bike frame).

27.2 mm is the most common seat tube diameter, but there are still bikes with seat tubes between21.15 and 35 mm in diameter.

• LENGTH

Similar to diameter, bike seat posts differs also in length, itranges from 75 mm to more than 400 mm.

Short seatposts: these reduce the weight but they are less adjustable.

Long seatposts: these offer higher adjustments, but adds weight.

• SETBACK

The setback means any bend or curvature in the top part of the seatpost that avoids being too far forward.

The setback position allows bikers to utilize quad and hamstring muscles more effectively.

COST

• Less than $100: Seatposts in this price range uses basic materlas and designs like single spring.
• $100-$200: Seatposts in this price range also have basic designs but with high quality materials.
• More than $200: Here where you start to see lightweight or dropper suspension seatphosts and advenced designs.

QUALITY

• Aluminum: suspension seatpost with aluminim are known to be more durable but heavier.
• Carbon fiber: these are lightweight but not durable as aluminum. Pay attention to the percentage of the carbon fiber because they are not all equal.

DESIGN

• Linkage-driven

Suspension seatposts with this design reduces the impact on your back and bum by moving in the same direction of the forces coming up from the rear wheel.

Another advantage of linkage-driven design is that you keep most of the saddle-to-pedal distance during impact.

• Telescopic

What makes this design very common is that it is cheaper, lighter, andstealthy.

Unfortunately, telescopic suspension seatposts are less reactive because the angle of the coming forces differs from their compression angle and theirsaddle-to-pedal distance gets shorter during impact.

RIDER WEIGHT

Two people with different body weights using the same bike suspension seatpost will end up with different experiences because some suspension seatposts are too soft and some are too stiff.

So makes sure you get one that fits your body weight to get the right level of resistance and rebound resistance and needed for you.

FAQ

HOW TO ADJUST ZOOM BICYCLE SUSPENSION SEATRPOST?

to adjust the stiffness of the suspension, remove the seatpost from the seat tube and turn the six-millimeter keel clockwise to make the suspension more firm.

Turn thesix-millimeter keel to the opposite direction in order to have a loose suspension and make sure you do not pass the length of the seatpost.

HOW TO ADJUST BIKE SUSPENSION SEATPOST?

You can adjust the bike suspension seat post by removing it from the bike frame and turning it upside down.

Then turn thesix-millimeter keel clockwise to make it stiffer and anti-clockwise to make it softer.

Remember how many turns you did in order to return it to the OEM state.

HOW TO FIX SUSPENSION SEATPOST SHAKES

Let me explain to you what causes this before showing you how to fix a suspension seatpost that shakes.

The seatpost starts to wiggle because what prevents the saddle from side turning starts to wear with use.

To fix asuspension seatpost shakes side to side, all you have to do is slowly tighten down the bolt that is responsible.

HOW TO SHORTEN A SUSPENSION SEATPOST?

If you are goingdownhill or you are just short and you want to shorten your suspension seatpost, all you have to do is to locate the bolt that is responsible for not letting the seatpost be short on the top section of the seat tube and untighten it.

Same thing for a spring suspension seatpost.

WHAT DO YOU CALL A SEATPOST WITH INTERNET SUSPENSION?

A seatpost with internal suspension is called a telescopic suspension seatpost.

WHO MAKE THE BEST SUSPENSION SEATPOST?

The brands that make the best suspension seatpost are PNW Components, Redshift Sports, Cirrus Cycles, and Cane Creek.

HOW TO CLEAN/LUBE A SUSPENSION SEATPOST?

Cleaning and lubing a suspension post is easy, all you have to do is to remove the seatpost from the seat tube and turn it upside down.

Open the bottomof the seat post with the help of the hex by turning it anti-clockwise.

Now that you removed everything inside, follow the instruction as explained in this video.

Updated on December 22, 2022 by Ben