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Submitted by
Billy
a Cross Country Rider
from South Kingstown RI
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Arcadia | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Similar Products Used: | Cane Creek Thudbuster LT | | Bike Setup: | 100 mm travel aluminum hardatail | | Bottom Line: | After 1900+ hours, the bottom arm bolt compressed on my Thudbsuter and I returned it for a factory rebuild. In the meantime, I installed a freshly factory rebuilt Tamer Pivot Plus XC. Less than 60 hours later the lower arm pivot pin broke in half and fell out and the unit began to torque. Thankfully, the TB arrived and I was able to replace it. The TB, as always, has zero torque, more travel, and its double clamps ensure a more secure and accurate setup. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Billy
a Cross Country Rider
from ATL, GA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | works great | | Weaknesses: | noisy if you don't keep it cleaned, lubed | | Similar Products Used: | post moderne? | | Bike Setup: | custom XC hardtail | | Bottom Line: | I've had this for about 7 years. It works great, I can't imagine going without it. It has a very natural feel. After about 6 years it broke and I crashed and was unhappy. I'm 230-240 lbs so I guess 6 years is pretty good. Still, it hurt. I contacted Tamer and they rebuilt it for a very reasonable price. Lately if I don't lube it every ride it starts squeaking like someone scratching a record. It's really annoying so I took it apart and hopefully it will stop. I would hate to go without it. It's probably why I'm still riding hardtail at 44. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Billy
a Cross Country Rider
from RI
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | I purchased two posts which were labelled 2001 models. One had solid pivot pins which I could tighten with allens wrenches to prevent torque. After two years use on two different bikes the area around the push rod pivot pin became enlarged so I returned it to Eko for replacement. I was charged $25 plus S&H. Everything was new but was installed on the original seatpost. | | Weaknesses: | This post had hollow pivot pins and after one week both seathead base pins popped out. I contacted Eko and they said they would send me out a new one. Two months later I recived it, the delay due to "material quality problems". This unit also had hollow pins and began torquing. I then installed the second 2001 unit which -unlike the other- had three hollow pins. One week later the hollow seatbase pivot pin popped out. | | Similar Products Used: | Rock Shox | | Bike Setup: | 80-100 mm front suspenion 7005 aluminum hardtails. | | Bottom Line: | With the hollow pivot pins this post has a short life due to the development of torque (assuming the pins don't pop out) and the "lifetime warranty" does not cover "normal wear and tear" -such as the bushings- even if there are only a few hours on the unit. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Phil Baumgaertner
a Weekend Warrior
from Port Townsend
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Scott Trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$107.00 | | Purchased At: | AEBike.com | | Strengths: | Reviews of the Tamer Pivot Plus XC sold me on it and it was exactly as described. I'm used to standing on the pedals to go over roots, rocks and bumps. The Tamer Pivot takes a lot of the bumps out, enabling the rider to continue to sit down and pedal, letting the seat suspension do its trick. Also i like not having front fork suspension, less weight for the bike and more efficient pedaling - let the arms be the suspension | | Weaknesses: | Getting a normal L-shaped metric allen wrench inside the pivots to tighten the socket head seat clamp bolt was a little tight. I cut a 1/4" length off the short leg of the allen wrench and it solved the access problem. Also, because i had a non-standard 26.0 seat post diameter, i had to use a Tamer circular shim (25.4/26.0) with a 25.4mm Tamer Pivot Plus. The two pieces wouldn't slide into the seat tube together or individually when i first received it. I had to wrap some wet/dry 220 grit emery cloth around the post, clamp the post down, and polish down the exterior of the sizer. Now i can put the sizer in first and then the Tamer - still a tight fit but it works. | | Similar Products Used: | Post Moderne Suspension Post had a much smaller amount of effective travel and was relatively static. The Tamer put it to shame. What a difference. | | Bike Setup: | Typical mountain bike with rigid front fork and just seat suspension. | | Bottom Line: | Only had it 5 days but could feel the difference right off the bat. Excellent well built design and easy to adjust Large seat clamp bolt that locks the seat angle securely without threatening to rip out the female threads like my last seat post. Took it down a familiar rocky trail much faster than normal with more comfort and control. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
eric
a Cross Country Rider
from Little Rock, AR
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$140.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike store in Anchorage | | Strengths: | simple set up, great ride and durability, easy service | | Weaknesses: | makes noise if not lubed | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | GT backwoods | | Bottom Line: | This seat post really takes out small to medium bumps well.
You can ride over washboards without worry. If you like your hard tail but want a smoother(soft tail)ride, this is for you. Its held up well to aggressive riding and allows me to ride all day without the pain that I had from my non-suspension post. The best part is the great ride without the cost or weight of a full suspension bike. This post made me want to keep my hard tail and I haven't regreted it once. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Martin
a
from Garland, TX 75044
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Works well on small and mid-sized bumps. | | Weaknesses: | As mentioned below it does make an obnoxious sqeaking sound if not cleaned and lubed often. May not fit all bikes. | | Similar Products Used: | None. | | Bike Setup: | Trek 6500, mostly stock | | Bottom Line: | The Tamer Tricky Dick is as described below (I was skeptical of this thread aftet finding out about the free socks with review). The seatpost is certainly on the pricey side, but it performs well, and when I purchased it directly from Tamer, they even swaped in the heavy duty spring for me (no extra charge) and made sure that the OD of the seatpost and the spacer (spacer was extra), would work with my bike. I've ridden my bike with the suspension seatpost a few hundred miles (some trail, some bike path), and it's been solid and made my bike a lot more comfortable and reduced butt fatigue It does make a pretty loud, annoying noise if it gets dirty or needs lubrication. Most importantly, it hasn't broken and ruined the family jewels (I'm 240+ lbs and that was something I was really worried about after reading all the Thud Buster reviews). Oh yeah I almost forgot, if you have a bike with a quite a bit of angle to the seatpost tube, with the way the Tamer is setup the seatpost clamp may not allow the seat to rotate far enough forward to get the tilt you want. Mine is at the very limits. This might be something you want to ask the people at Tamer about before you order, otherwise the seat will be too high in the front and may cause problems with your twig & 2 berries. The other thing I noticed is that the teeth in the top of the seat post and seat post clamp don't seem to mesh exactly, it looks like they were machined with slightly different radii. Maybe that's how they're supposed to be, but the parts on my Bontrager seatpost seam to fit together better in that respect.
4 marks for value (it could be a little cheaper)
4 marks for overall (the craftsmanship is good, but could definitly be better) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon
a Racer
from State College PA
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$99.00 | | Purchased At: | nashbar | | Strengths: | Clean, simple design
fairly light, considering it uses a steel coil spring
sensible amount of travel
easy to set up | | Weaknesses: | Came completely dry, though lubing only took a few minutes
clanks on rebound - needs a topout bumper
seat clamp bolt is hard to get to | | Similar Products Used: | Rock Shox telescoping post
Cane Creek parallelogram post | | Bike Setup: | cr-mo hardtail, Rond-Magura fork, XTR/SRAM drivetrain, Cane Creek wheelset. | | Bottom Line: | After testing a telescoping and a parallelogram post, I was pretty sure the linkage style was it. The Cane Creek post has a lot of rearward motion in it's travel path, due to the long linkages. Sure, it gives you 4" of travel, but the distance change to the bars made me nervous on descents.
The Tricky Dick has much shorter links, so the saddle only moves maybe an inch back - much more comfortable.
I was a little leery of the design, since it only uses a coil spring, but I haven't had any uncontrolled rebound yet. The setup is key here - you want a lot of sag, maybe 25%, so the saddle can "float" while you ride. It does top out fairly often, but not violently. If there was a pad to prevent the clank on top out, I probably wouldn't notice.
The saddle clamp is a little tricky to get to, as the only 6mm key I have is almost too long, but a minute with the Dremel has fixed that. It's one more tool to carry along, but at least it's small.
I wish there were a cover made for the linkage, a la the Lizard Skin unit for the Thudbuster, but maybe in time. It's small enough a section of innertube could do the trick, which I'll probably try when winter hits. Lubing the pivots is easy, thanks to the split pins, but that can let grit in as well, so we'll see how it stands up.
All in all, I'm happy with this purchase. It's not full suspension, but it takes out most of the bumps, and | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron Langhelm
a Cross Country Rider
from Gig Harbor, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | The Pacific Northwest | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Old Town | | Strengths: | The travel feels natural, drops to the rear rather than foreword. | | Weaknesses: | Had to elongate holes in the seat mounts to level the seat, pretty minor. | | Similar Products Used: | Rode a RockShox on a friends bike. | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn Homegrown Factory, SID XC, Hayes Discs, Sram 9.0sl/Shimano XT, & Fenders | | Bottom Line: | This is an excelent upgrade for any hardtail! My first ride was 15 miles of rough singletrack. Last time there my tail & back were sore. I still love my hardtail, the tamer post will keep me on it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shauna
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | It suspends just right, working with the rotation of the tires so there isn't stress on the back. | | Weaknesses: | There's quite a bit of bounce if you hit the rock just wrong, as I often do. My dad told me about a product that can take a lot of that away (sorry, but I forgot the name). | | Bottom Line: | Man do I love this thing! My dad and I go two or three times a week, and he would just sail through the technical stuff on his full-suspension. Now I can keep up with him without the pain: Well, in certain areas that is. I have been biking only one year, but have gone quite a bit and can feel a huge difference. I'm still novice, but like the post a lot. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
joe pickens
a Cross Country Rider
from Davis, California
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Changes the more I ride. | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | I purchased the Tricky Dick post to try an make my hardtail fun again, and it did just that. The suspension action is great! It smoothes out all the litle stuff and lets you stay seated through rough and bumpy climbs, improving rear wheel traction. It has also ended rear wheel kick when going over obstacles, you know that annoying feeling of the rear end trying to throw you over the front. The travel is very smooth and natural seeming. The machined parts look super. | | Weaknesses: | The only weaknesses so far are the adjustments at the bottom of the post, you have to pull it out to dial it in, and the popping noise it makes when your butt leaves it and it returns to the top position. My ears didn't like the sound, however my butt was in love after five minutes into the first ride. | | Similar Products Used: | I tested the Rockshox suspension post and Thud Buster, neither were even close to the Tricky Dick in feel or performance. Rockshox felt sticky and didn't travel naturally and the thud buster kicked me in the N*#!s on the rebound, not good. | | Bike Setup: | GT Zaskar 16" W/aluminum frame, very stiff bike. | | Bottom Line: | I love this post!! The Tricky Dick has got me back on the hardtail and off my full suspension bike. Both bikes have their strengths and weaknesses on different terrain, but now they are both just as comfotable to ride for 20+ miles on the trail. This is the best improvement to the hartail bike since suspension forks. If you want the climbing benefits and less weight of a hardtail bike, and you ride an aluminum hardtail this is the key to making it super comfortable. Never again will a long ride ruin your back and butt. So far this post rocks!! I will update next year for long term quality. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Agustin Goba
a Racer
from Snowmass Village, CO USA
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | yes | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$161.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria Bicycle Outfitters | | Strengths: | It works | | Weaknesses: | Haven't found any yet, other than having to remove seatpost to adjust preload. | | Similar Products Used: | linear suspension elastomer seatpost | | Bike Setup: | KHS Montaña Pro FZ, etc... | | Bottom Line: | Since I posted my previous review (see below) in which my only real complaint about this product was the price, I have been contacted by Tamer and they have sent me a check for $20 to offset the higher price I paid. I did not ask for this and did not expect it; all I can say is that this is great customer service! The people at Tamer certainly seem willing to go the extra mile to keep customers happy and I look forward to doing business with them again. And if you are looking for a suspension seatpost, the Tricky Dick is Number One! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Agustin Goba
a Racer
from Snowmass Village, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Just one? Idon'tthinkso. | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$161.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria Bicycle Outfitters | | Strengths: | Great design, well built, does exactly what you need, looks like it was built tough, and seems to be designed for rebuilding if necessary--it's not a throwaway product. | | Weaknesses: | Have to remove seatpost from bike to change pre-load.
Cost--especially after seeing that Bike Nashbar started carrying it for $50 bucks less, the week after I bought mine.
| | Similar Products Used: | linear suspension seatpost with elastomer | | Bike Setup: | KHS Montaña Pro FZ, all XTR except for RaceFace BB & crank, JUdy SL front shock | | Bottom Line: | Like the Cane Thudbuster, the Tricky Dick actually responds to force along the same axis of delivery, rather than responding at a slightly opposed angle, like all linear seatpost suspension devices. This makes for a smooth, full-travel response with none of the stiction problems of the linear suspensions. Unlike the Thudbuster, the Tricky Dick uses a spring (no elastomer to blow up), it's small (you don't need 8" of space under your rear seat), and it weighs less. A great engineering job! I can even keep a seatbag under my seat with no problem. Forget all other suspension seatposts; this is the one. Now if I can just get over the hesitation when I have to tell people I have a "Tricky Dick." | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
eric bruno
a Weekend Warrior
from new york, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$169.00 | | Purchased At: | tamerusa.com | | Strengths: | nothing's better for the baby-heads than a Tricky Dick. It makes me realize that my front suspension's in need of attention. | | Weaknesses: | the seat bolt isnt the easiest thing to crank down and tighten. It's worked its way loose on 2 rides now- pain in the ass. nothing a little super glue and bubble gum cant cure. | | Similar Products Used: | slick willy (borrowed from a friend) | | Bike Setup: | GT Avalanche | | Bottom Line: | Good for the back and even better for the 'taint'. It has changed the way I dive into soft hairpins. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Alfano
a Weekend Warrior
from Little Ferry, NJ
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Bottom Line: | I'd like to tell everyone about a product that got me back on the single track again. It's made by Tamer, it's the Tricky Dick seatpost. I recently started riding again after 6 years of inactivity. I've been blessed with back problems for years and unable to ride, until I came across this product. I could not afford a suspension bike so I was pretty much out of the picture till one day I found this product. Let me tell you it's wonderful. There is tons of travel and is very adjustable right out of the box. If you need more adjustment the company offers many options to fine tune this seat psot shock. I'm back on track again to better physical health and once again I'm enjoying life and it's all due to Tamer products. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alec
a Weekend Warrior
from Ashland, OR
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Siskiyou Cycle | | Strengths: | Minimal or no play. It's tight and solidly built. | | Weaknesses: | None as of yet | | Similar Products Used: | Less expensive generic models. | | Bike Setup: | Bridgestone MB3 | | Bottom Line: | Works as it should. Very satisfied so far with less impact to my lumbar region where I suffer from degenerative disk disease. Makes for a mellower ride. I like the fact it is an obviously higher quality product than most of the other models out there. Plus, it was the only one in that quality range I could find that fit my older bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Arthur
a
from LaVeta,CO,USA
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | innovative design,
cool looking,
functions well | | Weaknesses: | broke one, way back in the wilderness. It really burned my hide (almost literally). Tamer was good about replacing it. Never really knew why the first broke
Somewhat aggrevating to set up, but really worth the hassle
heavy, but I don't care | | Similar Products Used: | old USE telescoper | | Bike Setup: | cracknfail w/avid, weinmann, coda, etc. | | Bottom Line: | Had a hell of a time getting the right product, but now things have finally worked out. It works great!! I can stay seated over washboards that used to kill me. As an earlier poster stated, its not full suspension so don't expect to take huge drops. I really like it, makes riding more fun. Would give it five and five, but man, it broke once. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel Berg
a Cross Country Rider
from New Prague, MN, USA
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Murphy-Handerhan | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | bike.com | | Strengths: | Easy to set up. Good travel length. Keeps you peddling over bumps. | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Similar Products Used: | First suspension seat post. | | Bike Setup: | Santana tandem, stoker seat. | | Bottom Line: | Excellent ride for the stoker, highly recommended. My wife enjoys the bumps now. I don't have to say "bump" all the time. This is the first time we used this set up, works great. Took less than 20 minutes to set up. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Mission Viejo, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Bottom Line: | After reading some of the reviews posted here and researching the products, I decided to buy the Tricky Dick seatpost. I was looking for something that was reasonable in price, yet durable in quality. I have only been out riding twice since I received the product but so far I am very pleased with my purchase. It rides very smooth and comfortable and I haven't had any problems. So far I would recommend it highly. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jean Perreault
a Weekend Warrior
from 2877 Béliveau Longueuil Québec Canada J4M 2B7
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | cross country | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | ABC Cycle in Montreal | | Strengths: | Very good | | Weaknesses: | None after one month | | Similar Products Used: | It's my first suspension seatpost | | Bike Setup: | On Rocky Mountain 2001 Thin air Model. xtr equipment. | | Bottom Line: | Free socks offer
Size = Medium size please
I bought Tricky dick seatpost
It's amazing after only 7 rides how it's smooth now.
I will present the product to all my friends.
It's also very easy to do maintenance on it.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron Zentz
a Weekend Warrior
from York, PA USA
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$99.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria | | Strengths: | Easy to adjust spring tension.
Less space needed (above frame) versus Thudbuster
Several springs available for different size riders
Solid construction
| | Weaknesses: | Was not lubricated when purchased and directions did not say to lubricate it first. | | Similar Products Used: | Tamer suspension seatpost (linear travel)
Nashbar "hinge-type" suspension seatpost | | Bike Setup: | Trek Tandem (stoker position) | | Bottom Line: | The best post we have used so far. Once the proper "pre-load" is set it seems to be much better that others we have used on the tandem. We were going to try the Thudbuster but there is not enough room for it above the frame. The Tamer is more compact. Seems to be a good option for tandem stokers.
By the way, your system would not let me enter the product's actual name. It is no longer called the Pivot Plus but your system thinks the new name is not acceptable to post! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
X Ecker
a Cross Country Rider
from Henderson, NV
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$190.00 | | Purchased At: | ProCyclery | | Strengths: | Works as advertised. Simply the best "Stoker" suspension seatpost. | | Weaknesses: | Takes a little time to "dial in" the firmness setting. But this is a minor issue.
No Ti version yet in 29.8mm | | Similar Products Used: | Other Tamer models | | Bike Setup: | Santana Ti-700 Road Tandem, DuraAce, FSA carbon cranks, Velocity Deep V wheels | | Bottom Line: | My wife has stated "it's my favorite bicycle component".
The pivot action, rather than a straight down shock absorption, allows one to stay in a more ergonomic pedalling position when encounter bumps or rough road. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Carl
a Racer
from Madison, Oh
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Tamer direct | | Strengths: | Don't know yet | | Weaknesses: | Don't know yet, but in my book customer service has to dig itself out of a BIG hole | | Similar Products Used: | Old XC model (see 3/27/02 post), currently using rockshox | | Bike Setup: | Dean Colonel with XTR | | Bottom Line: | After my post of 3/27/02 tamer contacted me concerning the issues noted in the post. They sent me a new 'tricky dick' seatpost to try along with the ever popular tamer socks. I'll try the new model and submit a post on the performance later, either under this model or under 'tricky dick' if that model gets added to the site.... but they are still fighting an uphill battle, due to the time it took to resolve the previous issue (almost a year). So for right now they keep the 1 chili until they 'show me the money'. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron
a Cross Country Rider
from Novato
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$169.00 | | Purchased At: | Tamer | | Weaknesses: | Well,after postinga positive review recently, the post broke! I realize things like this do happen on occasion, even though I had less than a dozen rides on the post, but Tamer handled it extremely poorly. They could not keep track of the returned post, and after thinking it was lost in the mail, they asked me to give them an additional $100. to rush another post to me. They did say they would reimburse the money once UPS concluded their invsetigation, and later decided not to charge me after I complained. As it turned out they were referencing the wronf tracking number and the repaired post[?] finally rrived. Well just befor the creast of the first climb of a planned 30 mile plus epic, the post broke exactly as it had the first time!! Luckily we were able to score the inside of the post I was able to get back to the car. A few days later I got the second post they sent and so far it has performed well. I wish I had more faith in the product though!
Now to make up for this bad experience, Tamer offered to give me a free pair of Tamer socks! Oh boy, is this to also make up for the free pair of socks they had already promised me [and I never got] for my previous post on this site?
I'm not sure what the moral of this story is, or whether or not this product is worth a S???, but I felt I did need to update the review I had posted. | | Bottom Line: | These guys need to review their customer support practice!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Junction, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Horsethief Bench | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Looks really good, Leg length does not change with the shock, fairly easy to adjust the preload. | | Weaknesses: | not much dampening - if any.
| | Similar Products Used: | White Brothers AP-1 Air | | Bike Setup: | Bontrager Hardtail, Judy XC Hydracoil, LX & XT on the rest. | | Bottom Line: | I am A larger rider - 230 lbs, and I found the seatpost extremely comfortable on the uphills - I was able to put more energy into my pedal strokes instead of trying to contanstly lift my butt from the saddle at every bounce or rock that would normally cause a butt lift.
I had the seatpost preload adjusted to 10 turns, which is the recomended setting for someone of my weight, and going on the flats and downhills, I had to stop and adjust it another turn, because I kept on bottoming it out.
Also the apperent lack of dampening - left me very often with this post acting like a pogo stick, which I found to be unnerving and uncomfortable.
The post itself is very nicely made, but I can certainly see potential problems in a very dusty area with the paralellogram been exposed to the elements and the fine dust getting into the nitty of it.
Over all - I think that a Lighter person, would find this a very nice post. When I spoke with Tamer on the phone, they were extremely helpful, and very friendly - also knowledgable (which is good these days with all the different products out there)
It must be noted that I took both of the posts that I demoed out on the same trail, under the same conditions, to give them an equally fair shot.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Evan
a Cross Country Rider
from Eugene
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | Phil's Trail, Bend OR. | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$169.00 | | Purchased At: | Hutch's Bicycles, Eugene OR | | Strengths: | This is a clean unit. Machining and Pivots seem to be well made. The movement of the saddle to handlebar measurement is minimal compared to other pivoting posts. | | Weaknesses: | There is a lot of maintainence needed, though any suspension post should require this for optimal results | | Similar Products Used: | Various slider posts have been used, all with abysmal results | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Hardtail, Tubeless, Disc Brakes, Headshok fork, Tamer Post. | | Bottom Line: | Seems like a well made unit. Initial feelings are good. This should allow me to carry a larger assortment of camera gear on my rides..... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wayne Broadhag
a Weekend Warrior
from Mission Viejo
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | The Tamer is installed on our Santana Team Ti-700 Tandem. The wife "stoker" loves it. She likes the fact tht she dosen't have to be waiting for me to yell "BUMP" all the time. I like that also for when we are riding I know she is having good confertable ride. | | Weaknesses: | My Tamer is an older model that has 2 set screws to fix and clamp the Tamer to te seat rails. It is not easy to adjust and set the set screws to the correct torque. | | Bottom Line: | The Tamer is one of the best units on the market, for it gives a lot of comfort and travel without sacrificing efficifency. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
trevor
a Cross Country Rider
from Cliffwood, NJ
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$119.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Good price, quality machine work | | Weaknesses: | On the heavy side | | Similar Products Used: | USE | | Bike Setup: | Klein Attitude Comp HT with Manitou front suspension | | Bottom Line: | I have to agree with other reviews about the hype of full suspension. I believe also the magazines are driving this popularity. I am coming from a Klein Adept Race FS that when I ride with buddies on HT bikes, I hate life. I sold the bike and went to the HT with the USE seatpost for weight. After 2 months on the USE, I wanted more comfort in the saddle. So I decided after riding someone else's pivoting seatpost to try the Tamer Tricky Dick. Plush ride. I really like the ride of a pivot style seatpost and the durability of my buddy's has been awesome. The attention to detail on the Tricky Dick fits well with the Klein workmanship and I cannot ask for a better performing ride than the setup I now have. Pivots work much better than any telescoping seatpost on the market hands down.
With 80% of the USA better suited for HT's with suspension seatposts, this is the way to go. Less maintenance and much better components for the same money I had in the Adept Race.
I also had to deal with Tamer's customer service for a different spring for my post. As I would expect from any company, they told me what I needed, took the order over the phone and shipped the item to me along with a pair of Tamer socks.
Check it out before commiting to full suspension. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan Gettman
a Cross Country Rider
from Blackfoot, ID
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$129.00 | | Strengths: | Free sock give away, performance | | Weaknesses: | I have seen none since changes made to the tricky dick. | | Similar Products Used: | Rock Shox, USE | | Bike Setup: | Specialized with front sus. and a sus. seatpost, XT drive train. | | Bottom Line: | Why anyone would ride a HT without some type of SSP I cannot understand. Why deal with the discomfort? The comfort level brings much more enjoyment to the ride hands down.
I have been riding tele. seatpost for some time. I wanted to try the new pivoting style after hearing all the hype and I checked out Tamer and Thudbuster. After test riding the posts,I decided on the Tamer for the rebound control and mostly the appearance. Both seatposts worked better than any of my tele. seatpost ever worked.
I have enjoyed the post and have since purchased a second tricky dick for my wife.
Again, if you have a HT, run a sus. seatpost. If you want ultimate comfort, go with the pivoting type.
I am very happy with my Tamer Tricky Dick and they had a promotion going for a free pair of Tamer riding socks. I submitted my honest review and received the socks in the mail. Cool! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Bend, OR
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$109.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria | | Strengths: | Performance, Performance, Performance | | Weaknesses: | None in 2 years | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Tandem and MTB | | Bottom Line: | We purchased a Santana tandem that came stock with the Pivot Plus XC for the stoker and this post is awesome. It has saved my marriage (kinda). My wife is so happy with the ride that we spend more time together on the tandem now.
So I purchased the new Tricky Dick (new name) for my MTB and this post works. I have seen some mentions of pricey concerns of SSP's, but the Tamer pivoting style seatpost is worth every penny spent. I think full suspension is popular because of magazine articles but riding a ti bike with the Tamer saves weight and maintenance.
Give this post a shot, plus I received a free pair of Tamer riding socks with my purchase. Strike up the chilis this post has them covered. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Showen
a Weekend Warrior
from Lincoln Ne
Date Reviewed: April 12, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | came on bike | | Strengths: | Good construction, nice clamp for seat. | | Weaknesses: | el cheapo ruber boot, but who cares about that | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8000 LT, Hayes, Rock Shox race judy, shimano drive train. | | Bottom Line: | They make this seat post in the city i live in so I think I know where to take it when it craps out on me.. It has done great for me so far !! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron
a
from Novato, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | The actual post I bought is the Tricky Dick. I am very impressed. It eats up the bumps without making you feel like your riding on a pog-stick! | | Weaknesses: | The ONLY problem with this post is the fact that it makes noise when rebounding. | |
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$ 169.95
