Submitted by
Mike D
a Cross Country Rider
from Springdale, AR
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2007
Strengths: Strong, durable, smooth on moderate trails
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
Didn't want to invest in full suspension bike, so I bought the seatpost and put it on my hardtail. The 'spring' inside is a semi-hard polymer plastic. The spring is very durable and so far hasn't needed replacement. My rear end isn't sore after a 13 mile ride on an intermediate trail. One of the best investments on my bike.
Strengths: It save your ass, very comfortable, I have it for long time, it is very comfortable, I have tried to put it on HT as well as full suspension bike, it rocks, and feel like the rear sup. has more longer travel.grab one if you can, and made in USA too.
Submitted by
Jeff
a Racer
from Melbourne Australia
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2007
Strengths: Keeps on keeping on .. I've just moved this post off my Hardtail mountain bike to my new road bike. The roadi' is a compact frame and was hard as all hell,,, until I decided I could handle the extra 200grams it adds. What a great move, I love this thing. 5 years and 1000+ k's and still as good as the day I fitted it new. I came with spare shim key parts to swap over when it started to get loose, I haven't even looked like needing them yet them yet. great product
Similar Products Used: there's stacks of cheap ones out there
Bike Setup: Cannondale CAAD road race
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Submitted by
chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Brooklyn, New York, USA
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2006
Strengths: Totally takes out the little bumps and significantly softens the big ones
Weaknesses: None Yet
Bottom Line:
Borrowed my dads bike to make sure I was serious about riding before I sunk my hard earned cash into my own bike. That bike broke my ass!!!! I bought a gel seat cover....(yeah I know - what a waste) and it didnt exactly do the job. After about 3 weeks of back braking riding, I decided that a better bike had to be the answer. SO I went out and purchased an inexpensive bike (just in case I decided later on that I really didnt like it) and promised myself that I would buy a suspension seatpost. I checked out MTBR and found this Rockshox....but couldnt find it for sale ANYWHERE!!! I finally found one listed on Ebay and jumped all over it. I weight 235 lbs and was a little apprehensive, but I put it on and - aaaaahhhhhhh - what a difference! The seatpost has yet to bottom out and there is no play whatsoever...just smoooooth riding. Im not the smartest biker, but even I was able to adjust it and take it apart to lube it up all by my self (my mom says I'm such a big boy) and it was really easy because Rockshox still provides the manual on their website. I live in Brooklyn and I ride locally, mostly on a paved trail alongside the Belt Parkway (Brooklyn Stand Up!), but eventhough the trail is paved there are still potholes along the way, and the pavement is cracked and so on and so forth...all the things you would expect from any New York streets. This seatpost made it feel as if though I were riding on a hardwood floor (almost).. BOTTOM LINE---I RECOMMEND THIS SEATPOST TO ANYBODY THAT RIDES A BIKE AND HAS AN ASS. Good luck finding one....
Bike Setup: Raleigh Mojave with some aftermarket stuff....(hey give me a brake, it's my first bike)
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Submitted by
Jon
a Cross Country Rider
from Knoxville, TN
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2006
Strengths: Takes all the big bumps out and cheaper than full suspension.
Weaknesses: Side to side play. Rock Shox doesn't support anymore.
Bottom Line:
I used this post for a long time on my hard tail, but got rid of it when I switched to a full suspension bike. I just bought a used one to put on my girlfriends hardtail and it has a couple of inches in side to side play in it. Does anyone know how to fix this problem? I called Rock Shox and they do not support this post anymore because they quit making it in 2002. If anyone knows how to fix this please email me.
Bike Setup: Rode it for a couple years on a Schwinn Homegrown Pro (back when they made good bikes).
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Submitted by
shmoke
a Weekend Warrior
from colorado springs, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2006
Strengths: This seatpost feels great. It's relatively light and very strong. I bought mine used and it's still tight-tight.
Weaknesses: Rebuild kit is expensive. Crude action from elastomer bumper whacks balls on large bumps.
Bottom Line:
I bought this Rockshox MTB seatpost on eBay to save my rear and was immediately impressed by the comfort that it provides on my neighborhood runs and light trail riding. After getting used to the bouncing and bobbing, I can now enjoy the ride and stay seated over the rough stuff with full comfort.
I've disassembled, cleaned and lubed it twice now just for good measure and I'm encouraged by it's simple design and stout construction. The bumper is a little hokey though, a simple red rod about six inches long. The slider shaft, seals, bushings and keys are pretty simple too. I lubed it up with some Judy Butter and was on my way.
There was some stiction in the sliding action - even with the new lube. That prompted me to pull it apart again within a few days to correct what I suspected was a grease problem. I cleaned all the Judy Butter off and replaced it with an automotive bushing grease from Energy Suspension. This stuff is so thick and sticky it makes Judy Butter look like hokum. It works much better too. As soon as I put it in, all the stiction was gone - I mean competely. I even had to add some preload to account for the smoother action and the greater sag that has resulted. If you're having troubles with stiction or if you're due for a rebuild anyway try this grease, you'll love it. I'm going to try some in my fork too when the time comes.
I'm thinking about cutting the elastomer and substituting it for a coil spring like a few others that I've read about in the forums. This is a nice piece and with some care I'll wager that it'll last for years and years.
Submitted by
Thad
a Weekend Warrior
from Princeton, NJ
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2005
Strengths: It works. Helps reduce the bumps. Still strong after a year.
Weaknesses: Color starts to wear off after a year.
Bottom Line:
I tried a cheap $20 suspension seatpost to see if it made a difference. It did. I find they make the ride more comfortable. I can ride longer and enjoy it more. After a month or 5 long rides the cheap one started to wiggle side to side (very annoying).
I spent the extra money for the Rock Shox and have been very happy. I was lucky to find the price and it has been worth it. If you ride a lot buy this one, don't waste your money on a cheap one.
Submitted by
Krayzie
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2005
Strengths: The MTB seatpost is very well made, lighter than most other telescopic seatposts, smooth travel and stiction free, double-bolt clamp is a plus, no lateral play at all.
Weaknesses: The Rockshox graphics aren't etched to the center of each side of the post (maybe just mine), I can only find this post locally in blue color, only the cheaper GPS post comes in black.
Bottom Line:
At first I bought the Rockshox GPS seatpost (coil-spring with 45mm travel, single bolt setback clamp) and found that the dust boot doesn't stay in place, so much stiction even when riding on pavement and it's heavy as hell. Then I went back to the store to swap for the MTB seatpost and so far it has been stiction free, way lighter and with very very smooth travel (red elastomer with a plastic spacer and 50mm travel). I took both post part before and the MTB model is just way better in construction detail. I don't know what is it about those plastic keys ppl have mentioned as mine works on 2 metal pieces travelling vertically on railings. I think this is why my post has no lateral play so far. No pogo-ing or pedal bob either. I don't really notice it working until I swap the rigid post back onto the bike. That Bontrager post is now in the trash!
BTW with some Googling I've found out that Spinner - www.spinner-usa.com / http://www.biketaiwan.com/TBC/TBC_en.asp?cs_no=C04525 is the Taiwanese company that makes the Rockshox seatposts and some of their forks (famous for rigid forks I think for a long time).
Bike Setup: 2002 Gary Fisher Tassajara Disc, full Shimano Deore group, upgraded to Shimano M520 SPD clipless and Selle Italia Max Flite Trans Am.
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Submitted by
Stuart
a Cross Country Rider
from Montreal,Que
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2004
Strengths: Easy setup / low maintenance
Weaknesses: Seat rail clamps
Bottom Line:
Greatest single most inexpensive purchase short of jumping to a full suspension ($1500+).Soaks up the biting hits of rocky single track without the mushy feeling of a full suspension.Noticable comfort for climbing with improvement in traction and less wheel spin. Allowed me to reduced some leg and back fatigue.Bottom line- obviously not a full suspension but the next best thing to it
Weaknesses: weight, needs shim if your frame has larger seat tube
Bottom Line:
This is probably the best upgrade you can make to a hardtail, it takes out any jars you experience while in the seated position; namely uphill and just cruising through rollercoaster type trails. It is WELL worth the money and an upgrade I've recomended to many friends and would buy time and time again. You won't be dissapointed. The small amount of added weight is something you won't even notice.
Submitted by
Steve M
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, TX
Date Reviewed: March 12, 2004
Strengths: Simple design Low maintanence Low weight for a suspension post Price (Now you can get them for $40 so I bought 2 more)
Weaknesses: Be careful not to tighten it too tight as the aluminum screws can snap
Bottom Line:
Have had this post for 4 years now and it's BETTER than the day I bought it. It's simply an awesome performer and very low maintanence. Simply "Judy Butter" it up once a season and it's fine. I have experienced very little side to side play, as a matter of fact it's almost non-existent, which is rare with a telescopic post. Really takes the "sting" out of most hits. Affords a very good ride WITHOUT sacraficing hardtail performance. It is the absolute BEST ADDITION one can make for any hardtail. When you consider the value/performance ratio, it's a no brainer.
Bike Setup: Y2K Trek 7000, Hell Bent 1" Low Riser bars, MARS Fork, Full XT components, Max Flight Trans Am Saddle with the "Parts Saver" channel, and Rock Shox suspension seatpost.
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Submitted by
Raymo853
a Cross Country Rider
from State College, PA, USA
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2004
Bottom Line:
The post works well taking the edge off of impacts. It does add weight to the bike over my older carbon post and I am worried the up and down motion was hurting my knees. The post also developed a little bit of play. It makes it a little tough to install some seat bags.
I have taken it off my bike in the desire of lighter weight and concern for my knees. My bike is already pretty able to sock up bumbs being steel and the carbon post also helps. I do not even notice the small amount of play.
Submitted by
blue
a Cross Country Rider
from Tokyo
Date Reviewed: February 15, 2004
Strengths: Brand name
Weaknesses: 27.2 diameter only, requires shim for other diameters. Color is difficult to match. I made the adjustments according to the manual but didn't like the feeling of it. SR Suntour's NCX feels much better and costs less.
Bottom Line:
I would recommend the the SR Suntour NCX if you are looking for a comfortable ride.
Similar Products Used: SR Suntour NCX, Crane Creek Thudbuster
Bike Setup: Klein Attitude '04 frame, Chris King hubs and headset, Mavic 717 disc rims, Shimano XT shifters and disk brake, Shimano XTR drive train, Magura rotors, Brooks titanium rail saddle, Wellgo Magnesium/Titanium pedal, Easton Monkey XC Lite carbon riser bar, Easton MG60 stem, FOX Float 100 RLC fork.
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Submitted by
SGT. ROCK
a Racer
from Grande Cache, AB
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2004
Strengths: Price
Weaknesses: Side to side play Elastomer bumper
Bottom Line:
I was looking for a suspension post for a commuter hardtail I was building, and at $44, the RShox was half the cost of any other post. Bonus was the gunmetal blue of the RS matched the dark blue metallic of the frame quite nicely.
The RS is a decent post, well made, but it definitely isn't in the same league as the Cane Creek or USE. All telescoping posts have some play, but the brand new RS has more slack than my three year old USE, and it's heavier. The travel of the 'scoping posts is definitely inferior to the Thudbuster, and the spring/elastomer combo of the USE is superior to the RS elastomer stack.
If you're on a budget, the RS is a solid choice. Stay away if you're looking for the best available travel quality.
I just picked up a used Rock Shox Suspension seatpost to put on my girlfriends hardtail bike. The only problem is it has some side to side play. I've been told I can find a rebui Read More »
