Thud buster seat post

[casspir]

Anybody using a Thud buster?  Or have experienced using it? 

 

Is it worthwhile?  Does it make an off road ride more enjoyable? 

 

Feedback will be appreciated. 

 

Regards,

 

casspir

[Cois]

Think oom Hendrik Big H got one for his misses.

I think if you have a HD bike it will work for you

[Thug]

I'm sure Slowpoke also has one or has used one in the past.

[Brakkies Sport Fotos]

Casspi, I'm investigating the same option.

 

 

 

Did you read this article of previous (this week?)

 

 

 

The ones like the Thudbuster that use a parallelogram design to give suspension travel, and those that telescope to give travel. Each have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

 

 

Parallelogram Designs: The Thudbuster is the most popular of these designs. They actually make two different models. One had just under 2" of travel, the other has about 3". When you hit a bump, the seat swings back in a rearward arc as the seatpost compresses. That is how it is able to get a lot of travel. Some people really like this motion. It works really well on the back of our tandem. Others don't like how it effectively changes the seat tube angle when you hit a bump. It is the kind of thing that you should try if you can before you buy one. Some folks don't like that there is very limited damping control to these posts.

 

 

 

The good part about it is that since the seatpost is moving back instead of down, it doesn't change the effective seat height as much as a telescoping post does.

 

 

 

Damping is what controls the speed at which the seatpost compresses and rebounds. A seatpost with no damping would basically work like a catapult (as Trek found out with their first suspension bike design about 13 years ago).

 

 

 

One note of caution. There are a lot of deals available on Thudbusters. Cane Creek (makers of the Thudbuster) came out with a revamped model of the 3" travel post and the new 2" travel post about 8 months ago. These both have stronger and more rigid pivots. In the long run, you may be better off making sure that the deal that you get is on the new, upgraded Thudbuster.

 

 

 

Telescoping Designs: I think you see more of these. They're often made by companies that sell suspension forks. Rock Shox, USE and White Brothers are three examples. The useful travel on these posts is somewhat Some use elastomers (slightly high tech rubber bumpers) to provide both spring and damping. Others use a coil spring and some kind of fluid damper. These tend to offer a bit better damping and smoother operation than the elastomer type.

 

 

 

One of the main problems with the telescoping type is that it makes seat height adjustment problematic. Your seat height changes every time you hit a bump. If you have very precise measurements for your seat height, it is difficult to measure your true seat height since it must be done with you sitting on the saddle in a riding position in order to compress the post.

 

 

 

Investing in a good quality post is suggested rather than going on the cheap as the bearings or bushings (the usually plastic surfaces upon which the seatpost slides) are of higher quality. Some last very well as is identified by the previous poster who talked about his 4 or 5 year old USE. That says a lot for the quality of the USE post. It is also one of the lightest.

 

 

 

One last word of caution. Whatever post you get, make sure that you supplement the seals that come with the post. Dirt, mud and water are the enemy of the suspension seatpost. You can make your own seal with an old bicycle tube and a pair of zip ties. For our thudbuster, I purchased a motorcycle tube and stretched it over the post.

 

 

[Guest Big H]

M uses the Thudbuster (3'Travel) on the tandem She swears by it after using a cheapy suspension post and later a more expensive one. Buy Thudbuster right from the beginning and save yourself the learning curve. They do send a whole assortment of suspension rubbers to make up the recoil for your mass. Bounce can also be set. M prefers the firmer setting. Be sure to buy the crud catcher  for your thudbuster. It is a neat little bag the wraps your baby and protects form unneccesary mud and dust. I will be ordering mine soon. They also make a comprehesive set of ferrules to suit the diameter of your frame. You MUST use the correct dimensions and CANNOT crimp the tube to fit!!!!!!!

[casspir]

Guys,

Thanks!  All the feedback helps!  Might go to see if WE has one in stock for a visual inspection/feel. 

Regards,

casspir

 

 

[bikemonster]

M uses the Thudbuster (3'Travel) on the tandem...

 

3' of travel????

 

M must have VERY long legs!

 

Lucky, lucky Oom!

[slowpoke]

sorry i'm only responding now... yep, i got myself the thudbuster LT for the crater cruise... i'd done the route a couple of weeks earlier with the future forward trip and my butt was not impressed with the thought of such a soon return to pure corrugation hell... needless to say the thudbuster sorted that out... didn't notice any corrugations! it's a purchase i will not regret

[casspir]

Really thanks for all the feedback.  I have ordered one via internet. 

Hope it lives up to its promises. 

Regards,

casspir

 

[GoLefty!!]

casspir,

 

I used a Thudbuster on mY hardtail from 2001 to 2004. It is the best suspension seat post money can buy. The weight is not great but the comfort from the post more than makes up for it.

 

Trail performance is great too. I'd say that for a racer type person, this is an excellent olution to riding a hardtail on marathon events.Last time i used it was for the Lighthouse to Lighthouse ride in 2005.

 

2Nd the recommendation for the Crudcatcher

 

I have one in 410mm length and 27.2dia. Comes with 6 elastomers to allow appropriate set up.

 

[casspir]

Golefty,

 

The more feedback the better I feel. 

 

I need a 30.9 LT thudbuster. 

 

Regards

 

 

[GoLefty!!]

order online from www.thudbuster.com

 

30.9 LT in black is a std SKU

[techguy]

all the people I know that have had one have gone back to their standard seatpost, I think its a gimmick, just like the flex stems back in the early 90s

[Guest Big H]

Gimmick or not it works!!!!! well that is for my wife on the back of our Hardtail tandem. The lenght of the tandem is a long fulcrum tahat gives a very uncomfortable ride. The design being a paralleogram does not affect your ride height like the 90's pogo sticks. It is also stiction free ie left to right movement and very well made with a lot of options to customise for your mass.

[GoLefty!!]

all the people I know that have had one have gone back to their standard seatpost' date=' I think its a gimmick, just like the flex stems back in the early 90s[/quote']

 

 

Flex stems were absolute crap. Everytime you hit a bump it felt like you were about to Endo.

I think you should try a Thudbuster before calling it a gimmick. It's not as good as FS but it's pretty close

 

 

 

[casspir]

On Saturday I tested the ThudBuster seat post off-road for the first time.  And what a surprise!  <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The added comfort allowed me to stay seated much much longer and I am of the opinion that it does enhance the speed at which you travel. 

I did the same track some time ago and wasn?t very impressed with the ride quality on my HT.  But now I am really hooked. 

Granted, it will never be the same as a FS, but that doesn?t matter to me.  I had a VT1 and exchanged it for a XTC due to the hassles in tweaking the rear shock. 

 

Doing LSD with the mtb and ThudBuster on road was a worrying experience.  It felt kinda mushy.  But off-road it seems to be as stable as a rigid seat post.  In fact I never realised that the seat post did compensate for little bumps and corrugations!

 

I am happy and for the first time I really enjoyed the ride. 

 

GoLefty, your advice was spot on again!  Thanks.

My single track skills are up to ****, and need much more exercising. 

Regards,

 

casspir