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As far as suspension seatposts go, there is nothing better than the Thudbuster. It operates on a parallelogram design which does not reduce the distance between seat and pedal while you ride. On a touring tandem that sees rough roads, this part is almost mandatory because the rear rider cannot pre-empt bumps like the front rider can.
The why:
– The only suspension seatpost we would recommend for bicycle touring
– Takes the edge off bumpy roads
– Parallel design doesn’t change your seat-pedal distance
– Comes with three different elastomers to suit different rider weights
– Completely silent in operation
– Comes in two different amounts of travel
The why not:
– You will need to adjust your riding style so that it doesn’t bob up and down when you’re pedalling along
– It’s not a light seatpost!
Price:
$169 USD
Similar products:
– Cane Creek Thudbuster LT
I was looking for a good seatput, it’s on my amazon wishlist now… thanks!
I went with the Thudbuster LT for my surly ogre build with a selle atomica seat. Despite what most say out in the internet about it being expensive, I am very pleased with this purchase. Smooths out the bumps, makes the larger ones tolerable. Need to get one more elaster, a black one, as they only ship with one, but even with my 230 lbs, the black/blue works well. Great stuff!!
Alee, even tho this reviewette is 2.5 yrs old I’ll chime in. I guess you made it short because anything longer would read like hyperbole. I just did my first ride w/the Thudbuster ST after 2 yrs with a basic tube-spring Tamer Weekender. Holy sh*t!! It’s impossible to describe what isn’t there, what’s absent. The several YouTube vids showing the ST in action depict, with every revolution what our spines, musculature, and organs used to absorb. This one improvement will be the one that most enhances my riding. Now I’m almost like a ghost hovering over the landscape I pedal through. Combined with 29×2 (ok, 28×2) Marathon Modials running at 45/50psi and a front shock, my 29er is one smooth machine.
Hi Bart. Updating this review is on my to-do list – I originally wrote it at about 4000m in Krygyzstan, so it looks like I kept it pretty brief. I do only have praise for the Thudbuster though… and thanks for your input too. Alee
BTW readers, be sure to lube the pivots and 4 corners of the elastomer (as per Cane Creek’s instructions). If it’s at all stiff the latter will immediately loosen things to the point that you can flex it with hand pressure. Also, consider paying the $$$16.00US for the neoprene ‘glove’, which will keep dirt and UV (which will degrade the rubber elastomer) from doing their crummy thing, reducing maintenance chores enormously.
There are serious style problems with this post on a regular road bike. I ride with a lot of different people, and take part in several large events each year. Have never ever seen another TBST on a regular non-tandem bike. I took years trying everything else to finish century rides without saddle sores. So many saddles, shorts, bike adjustments, and creams. Finally made peace with the style, after which I have ridden the entire Blue Ridge Parkway and many mountain century rides with no saddle problems. The TBST really works! Just do it.
in 2015 it so happened that i was on a salsa-fargo, with a thudbuster st under a wtb saddle. tour was from anchorage to mexico city. after 2 days i stopped using butt cream. the rest of 96 riding days was done with pleasure on fine and rough roads, without any cream. this was my best single improvement in my long cycling “career”, i.e. over 70 years.
Wow – that’s awesome!
Sometimes I think It seems to be not doing much but then I put my hand under the seat and feel soooooo much action that to swap for a solid post would indeed be a very rude reawakening. The only thing…should I have gone for the SL and got even more absorption? Ps I’m on the softest elastomer. PS has anyone drilled holes in their elastomers to make them even more compliant? Where would be the best place to drill for softer compression but with stiffer rebound?
And did you go for front forks? Or perhaps absorption headstem or bars?
I am sure the Thudbuster is a fine product but the most likely explanation for your improvement is that your ass got tougher with touring. Everybody’s does.
A large part of the problem here is that the seat in the picture is unsprung, probably a Brooks B17 or something similar. Take a look at the seat on the next beat-up, dirty, fully-loaded touring bike you see. Most likely you will be looking at a Brooks B67, a sprung seat. (“Sprung” here means, “having springs”.)
Getting a Thudbuster instead of a sprung seat like the B67 violates Occam’s Razor which tells us that entities should not be multiplied without necessity. In modern Newspeak, less is more.