Idle musings on what makes a bike ride 'smooth'

[dmitrik4]

Originally Posted by vespasianus

I would go with this. Thompson posts are notorious for being stiff. And carbon does a great job of reducing road buzz and harsh feel.

Cosign; seatposts are huge. My Roubaix came with the weird-looking CG-R post and the rear is incredibly plush on 32s; small stuff is completely erased and even big bumps have the edges rounded off. My Gunnar on 30s was stiff on a basic no name aluminum post but transformed with a Canyon VCLS carbon post.

[jamesdak]

Best seatpost for smoothness by far!



If you can spin a smooth cadence then you will be hard pressed to find a smoother riding bike.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by benb

I am curious what saddle you're riding.

I've been using Avocet O2 Air 40 Ti saddles. These went out of prodRuction 15 or 20 years ago, but when they were in production the design changed little for many years. Although they are a more traditional shape, with sides that that extend down far enough to cover the rails, they are still a lightweight saddle (about 225 grams). They were well made, with good quality leather covers, and last a long time. I had bought a few new many years ago, but I also picked up a few used. It's possible that the ones I have vary a little from one to the next due to their age, but even the oldest ones still work well.

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

I've been using Avocet O2 Air 40 Ti saddles.

I dig the R version of these too and have several. As in the pic above of the softride, LOL!

[lorenbike]

Any suggestions for a more compliant seat post other than carbon or something like redshift? I’d to worth the price over aluminum for comfort?

[whatshubdoc]

Originally Posted by lorenbike

Any suggestions for a more compliant seat post other than carbon or something like redshift? I’d to worth the price over aluminum for comfort?

Canyon VCLS does what it says on the tin. This is the S13 non-split version with 10-35mm setback. I love the adjustable setback because your saddle will be clamped in the center of the rail no matter what. And, the post sucks up road buzz, which can be felt immediately.

I want to try the S15 split post but apparently it’s not so bueno bc the flex alters your saddle height and tilt while in motion.

Specialized Terra post is supposed to be flexy as well.

[mhespenheide]

Originally Posted by lorenbike

Any suggestions for a more compliant seat post other than carbon or something like redshift? I’d to worth the price over aluminum for comfort?

I said it up-thread, but I was very pleasantly surprised when I switched from the 25.4mm aluminum stock seatpost to the Cannondale SAVE seatpost in 25.4mm carbon. They have a 27.2mm version as well. Pricey, but not like some of the exotics. There's also the Syntace HyFlex, but I haven't tried that one. I haven't tried the Canyon/Ergon models. The Moots Ti seatposts used to have a reputation for being smoother than regular aluminum posts, but I'm sure the carbon seatposts designed for some dampening effect are smoother.

If you're willing to go for a true suspension seatpost, both the Redshift and the eeSilk are good. I particularly think the eeSilk is a great option if your road frame maxes out at 25 or 28mm tires and you want a little more plush without having to sell it and buy a new frame that fits bigger tires.

[marciero]

Originally Posted by mhespenheide

If you're willing to go for a true suspension seatpost, both the Redshift and the eeSilk are good. I particularly think the eeSilk is a great option if your road frame maxes out at 25 or 28mm tires and you want a little more plush without having to sell it and buy a new frame that fits bigger tires.

The eeSilk looks like an update on the Thudbuster, which is what we have for stoker seatposts on our tandems.

My backside is usually fine no matter the bike or terrain. For me comfort seems to be mostly about what is happening at the front of the bike and what my hands are feeling. My attitude has always been that more volume and lower pressure is the way to address this type of thing but I am actualy tempted to try Cane Creek's stem counterpart to the eesilk.

[tellyho]

Given sufficient length, a ti seatpost is also a great added ride softener. I have this setup on a hardtail, definitely plenty of absorption.

[benb]

I have one of the Specialized CG-R seatposts, that's also a pretty good option for smoothing things.

Not crazy about:
- How it looks
- It has enough setback to not work on one of my bike depending on the saddle
- It's got the sideways clamp design with a single high-torque bolt.. overall one I'm not crazy about, very fiddly to move the saddle because as soon as you loosen the bolt the saddle just flops and you lose the angle and/or it slides way out of place.

[thwart]

Originally Posted by lorenbike

Any suggestions for a more compliant seat post other than carbon or something like redshift? I’d to worth the price over aluminum for comfort?

One of the bike mags did a comparison review of about 5 or 6 ‘improved compliance’ road bike seatposts several yrs ago. I think this article preceded the introduction of the Cane Creek eeSilk and Redshift options.

They really liked the essentially identical Canyon VCLS S15/Ergon CF; they were less enthusiastic about the Specialized CG-R.

For both light weight + improved compliance you can’t beat this split carbon post, IME. Much better than any standard carbon or titanium post.

But of course relatively pricey, and you can’t run a battery in it.

[jh_on_the_cape]

which do you prefer riding?

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by benb

I have one of the Specialized CG-R seatposts, that's also a pretty good option for smoothing things.

Not crazy about:
- How it looks
- It has enough setback to not work on one of my bike depending on the saddle
- It's got the sideways clamp design with a single high-torque bolt.. overall one I'm not crazy about, very fiddly to move the saddle because as soon as you loosen the bolt the saddle just flops and you lose the angle and/or it slides way out of place.

I had it and now a terra. It comes in zero, which I use, and some setback. The terra works slightly better than the cg-r without the funky shape. It’s a lot lighter too. I’ve been using one on two bikes now for 3 years or so now.

[19wisconsin64]

Hi, this is a great topic, and one that resonates with me as I ride on not-perfect roads with my road bicycle. Here's what I've learned / adapted to recently:

-Switching to a high compliant 3D printed saddle.
-Utilizing rims that have an internal width as wide as possible-I'm using a 25 mm internal rim width now, and will go to 32 in the near future.
-Fitting as wide a tire as possible, up to 32 or 35 mm for a road tire.
-Additional padding below the touch points on handlebars, and padded bar tape.
-Comfortable cycling shoes / socks / padded gloves.

I'm sure (the original poster of this thread) is aware of all or most of these things. It's a lot of adjustments to the "touch points" that I've found make my modern bicycle easier to ride on my body than my 1980's steel bicycles with their limitations. Cheers

[benb]

Originally Posted by 19wisconsin64

-Comfortable cycling shoes / socks / padded gloves.

Heh.. having rode in the last 3 rides 1 ride on:

- Sneakers on flats
- Nylon soled MTB shoes with SPDs
- Carbon soled road shoes with SPD-SLs

I think we are often overlooking that stiffer shoes probably do make everything feel more harsh.