Sprung or not?

[Yellow7]

Evening all.
Chatting with a colleauge today in general about suspension & saddles so thought I'd see who uses a sprung saddle, be-it a Brooks or otherwise?
Boooinggggg went Zebedee (showing my age with that ending!)

 

[Muddyfox]

Noooo ... when i bought my Dawes Karakum it had a suspension seat post thingy on it and it was awful, although you could lock the suspension out it made the saddle move to the left & right so i before i sold my Panorama i switched the seat and post from that onto the Karakum

 

[stewie griffin]

A few months ago I gave in trying to look cool (some chance) & went for the "old bloke's bike" look, I bought a sprung B67 & its the most comfortable saddle I've ever used even straight out of the box, last 1300kms it's slowly got even better

It developed a really annoying squeak in the first 100kms, I couldn't work out why, no end of trying to lubricate springs, adjuster, etc till I eventually found it was the not so obvious sound of the leather rubbing the frame under the rivets where one would imagine nothing is moving, saddle upside-down melted Proofide dribbled in, perfect ever since.

Did I mention it's really comfortable

 

[snorri]

I had one of these suspension seat-post thingies on a new bike, it was ok for a few thousand miles then came loose and the seat started to waggle a bit. Managed to tighten it up but the fault recurred and could not be tightened further.
Waste of time and money , I thought.

 

[samid]

You should've made it a poll... I'm using unsprung Brooks Pro(s). Seems good/comfortable enough but maybe I should try a sprung saddle, never actually used one.

 

[rich p]

I never fancied them myself for various reasons only one of which is because they look bleedin' awful. That's only my personal opinion and others may apply.
My wife tours using a suspension seatpost which whilst it deliberately moves up and down, it also has a bit of unintended rotational movement. She doesn't think this is a problem and loves it though.
So, it's one-all in our house!

 

[Yellow7]

I also use the Brooks B67 spring saddle, on both my Raleigh town bike & Yellow7 (my tourer), makes for a lot smoother ride & dampens out loading-stress between the rider & bike when on rough terrain. No need for padded shorts!

 

[tyred]

I love sprung saddles. I would consider them almost essential for anyone who has an upright riding position.

 

[stewie griffin]

As for suspension seat-posts (though I don't think that's what this thread is supposed to be about ), I've got a Cane Creek Thudbuster on my old style rigid MTB, expensive but works really well & serviceable, in my opinion one of only a few suspension seat-posts that actually work.

The straight seat-post with a spring or shock absorber that work like a pogo stick can only ever be a compromise because the direction of shock is in a different direction to the movement of the post, having to overcome quite a lot of friction before it starts to move.

In my opinion a sprung saddle (very little friction or resistance to movement) works better than a poorly designed/made suspension seat-post.

 

[stewie griffin]

No need for padded shorts!

Thought I'd give it a try, been out this evening only 26km but very hilly, normal shorts & briefs couldn't really tell much difference to padded shorts

 

[Yellow7]

Thought I'd give it a try, been out this evening only 26km but very hilly, normal shorts & briefs couldn't really tell much difference to padded shorts

Hi Stewie. On a short tour they're fine but on a long one, over several months or more , they're unhygienic & in humid conditions / countries can cause rashes etc. I used padded shorts on my first few two-week tours but found once you’re sitting on them for 5-6 hours & the foam is compressed they have little affect.

With some of the roads (!?) I travelled down on the Cape Town tour the Brooks was a more than a luxury but essential, a simple design with little to go wrong. I’ve never used a suspension seat-post though.

 

[willem]

My back no longer is quite so good, so I need comfort. Wider tyres were the first measure, of course. For the last ten years I also used a sprung Brooks Conquest, and it was obviously a bit more comfortable than my earlier Team Professional. Three years ago my back got worse, and I bought a Thudbuster ST to be used with the old Team Professional. The combination was obviously more comfortable than the Conquest, about the same weight, and very good quality. Other suspension seatposts do not function as well, and do not last. I think the Thudbuster looks awful on my pretty classic bike, and esthetically it cannot stand in the shadow of my old Nitto seatpost, but comfort matters for me.

 

[Crankarm]

I have nothing but praise for the Post Moderne Cushy SL seat post. It has worked faultlessly in the last 4 years. I bought a few more when Evans were offering them for £14.99 can't pay quick enough clearance.

 

[stewie griffin]

I have nothing but praise for the Post Moderne Cushy SL seat post.

Which has got to be worth buying for the name alone, brilliant.