Richard! Anto!
I'll answer your posts in turn...
Hope my review did not put you off the SR Suntour!
I found your review very helpful in deciding which 'post to try, Richard. I was really leaning toward the SR SunTour until I read your report and viewed it in light of my needs. Among the things I really liked were the adjustable preload on the spring and the way it was constructed as well as the ready availability of a rebuild kit and neoprene cover. In my experience and in this application, I've found springs are more stable over (a long) time than elastomers, which can sometimes harden and change in their response, needing periodic replacement.
I was less enthusiastic about the way the clamp itself had been redesigned compared to the previous version, as I thought it might interfere with my fore-aft saddle placement. I wished the shaft had been hollow for storage, and I was a bit concerned over the apparent lack of rebound control in my use. The limited travel overall and travel before interference with the Brooks' rails were a concern
in my use, seeing I seem to be using the Nomad more and more as an MTB so a long-travel sus-post rose in my rankings. Except for my 26in-wheeled tandem and experience with 20in-wheeled Folders, all my on- and off-road riding has been on 700C road bikes. The Nomad is proving so versatile, I am regularly taking it into rugged terrain where I encounter really poor riding conditions and need "more" in terms of suspension. This is why I started with the LT Thudbuster and think the ST may not fit the bill -- again, for me. If the lack of clearance prevented the LT, then I would certainly still consider the ST based on my LT experience so far, but I will test both so I can fairly choose and make an informed recommendation. I got both 'posts so I could directly compare each for fit, travel, and suitability for purpose for my needs.
Can you let me know the width of the Thudbusters' top where it fits between the B17 rails?
Sure can! This was also a factor in my decision, Richard. On the ST, the clamp's rail slots measure 35mm between the inside edges, and the suspension links are only 25mm, so there is a 10mm difference in width; 5mm per side making for lots of clearance. On the LT, the clamp is the same at 35mm inside measurement between rails, but the links are wider at ~30mm, so there is 5mm difference overall, 2.5mm clearance each side.
Now, here's the potential fly in the ointment: My Brooks B17 has the same potential clearance problem as yours -- when viewed from below, the rails narrow in a "\ /" shape as they approach the nose...and this part overhangs the seatpost's upper pivot link. When the saddle is unloaded, it appears there is roughly 1cm vertical distance between the bottom of the saddle rails and the top of the link, and I thought there would be interference. However, even draping my entire body weight on the saddle, I can't get it to happen with the double-blue Medium elastomers installed. I am also not getting the claimed 3in/76mm of travel on the LT, and it will be interesting to see how much I get with the ST. Thudbuster used equal-length links on both posts, so there should be equal travel rearward and downward, meaning 1cm back would also mean 1cm down. I nearly read the electrons off the page at the Thudbuster* and Cane Creek websites (the first is by the inventor; he licensed his design for manufacture/sale by Cane Creek), and I still don't fully understand where their travel figures come from; it may be a diagonal measurement. Given the rising-rate of the elastomer "springs", it may be a theoretical measurement for my mass, from no compression to full-squish, a figure I seem unlikely to achieve. Based on yesterday's riding, so far the LT seems to provide "enough" travel for seated use on some *really* rough fully off-road terrain (I even rode crosswise through a farmer's dried disc-harrowing after the Fall harvest -- like riding across endless speed bumps at the very edge of his field).
Sorry to hear about the Ortlieb bag problem. But good to know for other readers.
Thanks, Richard. I'll make a separate post (sorry!) asking if anyone knows of a wider mount, but Ortlieb don't seem to offer one, nor does KLICKfix. I really don't want to mill a replacement out of aluminum billet, but will if I need to. I love that underseat bag, and don't want to switch to something else. Fitting an underseat bag seems to be a universal problem with the Thudbusters, though there are some solutions:
http://forums.mtbr.com/general-discussion/thudbuster-seatpost-bag-738027.htmlhttp://www.revelatedesigns.com/blog/index.cfm/2013/10/24/Thudbuster-seatposts-and-Packshttp://www.porcelainrocket.com/2011/10/18/new-booster-rocket-2/By the way, a nice review of the ST and discussion about using it with a bag can be found here:
http://www.texascyclist.com/review-thudbuster-st-short-travel-seatpost/*Oh! Just remembered...The Thudbuster site (
http://www.thudbuster.com/products.html ) is currently offering both posts at a reduced price.
I would be interested to hear how you solve the spoke storage problem.
This is pushing me toward the LT as well, 'cos it has a much longer shaft than the ST. I will need to measure my spokes and see if there is enough unobstructed length to accommodate them. I think the expanding rubber plug I made can be pretty readily modified to fit.
Due to the [SR SunTour's] solid post containing the spring, it is not possible to store spokes in the seat tube.
<nods> I think you might well get by with a capped capsule container for the spokes, Richard, and simply drop it down the seat tube. To extract it, you'd need to remove the post and invert the bike, but that wouldn't be too hard for the infrequent times it is needed. What I have in mind is the clear plastic tube welding rod sometimes comes in. The ends are capped with vinyl caps, much like the ones used as bolt thread protectors. This is the route I might go if I can't get the spokes to fit inside the post as they did with my Thorn/Zoom rigid 'post. the lot should ride pretty quietly with the soft ends and so long as the seat tube itself was not obstructed and still allowed to "breathe" so any entering water didn't collect on a shelf to cause rust, all should be fine.
Looking forward to future reports on how it goes in the long term!
I'll keep you updated!
thats one weird looking seatpost there Dan...
Agreed, Anto! It does look very strange...along with the rest of the bike, according to other riders I meet on the road. A fellow caught up to me last evening and proceeded to ask if that was a "Rooleft" hub in the rear wheel and then proceeded to lecture me on how it was so much slower than a cassette/derailleur setup. He told me he didn't have to ride one to know that -- it was "obvious" to anyone who rode any distance! The bike already attracts a lot of attention around here for looking so "different", partly 'cos people can't classify it in their minds. The frame says "MTB", but the drop handlebars say "road bike" and the rest just confuses them. I figure I've gone so far beyond cool, I've come around the other side of cool again.
What was it Panasonic used as a tagline in the mid-'80s? "Just slightly ahead of our time
©":
http://teamreedblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/frugal-schmoogal.html ...a lot of it showing as well, its as well you have a sloping top tube.
<nods> In this case, it is fortunate the top tube does slope so much and allows for a long seatpost; that LT requires a *lot* of room to fit: At least 144mm (LT)/98mm (ST) from the saddle rails to the top of the seat clamp. There's
just enough room for me to re-mount my motion-detecting alarm and pump peg with the LT. Plenty of room for them and more on the ST.
oh seriously think i would only use that for when your going adventure touring but for tarmac touring i would be using the normal seatpost.
The Nomad is all about function, jags. I have other bikes "for pretty", but the Nomad is a tool-for-purpose and that makes it among the most beautiful in my eyes in terms of usability for the kinds of places I ride on my tours. The bike is so versatile, I find my tarmac rides turn into MTB journeys as I pass the odd deserted fire road or deer trail and find myself wondering "What's up there?". With the sus-post in place, I can follow whimsy and see...without being "shaken, not stirred" -- and without a headache/neckache!
sorry Dan i just don't like it but if it does what it says on the tin then who am i to disagree with an expert.
Well, that's honest, and I can honestly say I am astounded at just how well the 'post works at this point. It is a revelation that has positively transformed the Nomad in a way I hadn't thought possible. It made a superb bike that bit
better for me. I think it will take awhile for the novelty to wear off; first impressions are surprisingly good! And...when I'm sitting on it, I don't see it.
the rest of the bike is stunning.
Thanks!
Further testing will tell the tale on all of this sus-post experimentation, but early indications have been so very encouraging, I thought I'd make the initial posts now with further reports to follow.
All the best,
Dan.
