Suspension seat post or better saddle?

[wingdiver]

Hi
For road use there is no real problem but slight off road (concrete byways onwards) the bike is pretty harsh so I wondered if a suspension seat post would be a reasonable idea.
I think the current one is 27.2 so it should be easy enough to find one.
Alternatively, can anyone recomend a comfortable saddle?

 

[HLaB]

I'd go for a better saddle first unless you want to spend, a cheap suspension seat post can lead to variation in saddle height on the ride, which can result in injury. I got rid of the posts on my bikes after getting some minor calf/ knee problems.

 

[RedBike]

I would avoid the suspension seatpost. It stands to reason that anything thats soft enough to absorb 'bumps' would also bounce as you pedalled.
Also, having the distance between your saddle and pedals changing sounds like a bad idea.

A better saddle would improve the comfort of the bike but it's probably not the best way to smooth out the bumps. Irronically you're best off avoiding the softer 'gel' type saddles. These saddles tend to exhert pressure where they shouldn't and soon become very uncomfortable on longer rides. What you want is a saddle that has lots of flex in the rails and a small amount of flex /cushioning in the body.

The best way to smooth out bumps and vibration is to fit larger volume tyres and reduce the pressure of the tyres. (Unfortunately, this will increase the bikes rolling resistance)

A highly effective way of removing vibration (but not bumps) is to fit a carbon seatpost.

 

[numbnuts]

On my MTB I have this saddle, yes I know it’s £60, but well worth the money
http://www.hastingscycles.co.uk/acatalog/Selle_Italia_Activa_Saddle_for_Her.html

 

[jethro10]

I have the same problem as you, And on my MTB, I have this one
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebw...6&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c003154c003138c003275

A bit like the posters above, a gel insert right at the contact point, but not too big. Still feels like a normal saddle, just a bit more forgiving!

When I did the C2C, I fitted a big all Gel saddle and it was great, like peddling my armchair!

Jeff

 

[gbb]

I had a Post Moderne suspension seatpost on a roadbike i built, i used it because it fitted and it was the right length (existing was too short)...it was meant to be a quick fix.
Possibly not the right solution, but i cant say i had any problems with it other than it looked a little odd.
Movement ?..i adjusted so there was little movement. IIRC you can adjust the amount of suspension movement...it did absorb bumps etc, but not too bouncy to cause me any problems.

Just my take on it. I did replace it with a proper seatpost in the end, only because it looked better IMO.