Redshift is the latest brand to unveil a suspension seatpost aimed mainly at gravel and road use, the new ShockStop offering 35mm of travel with user-selectable spring stiffness and adjustable pre-load.
If you were into mountain biking in the 1990s you’ll know all about suspension seatposts, big names in the market including USE and Cane Creek. They might not be so popular in mountain biking these days but they’re still around and newer models such as Canyon’s S14 and S15 VCLS seatposts – split-shaft designs that rely on leaf spring technology – are aimed at the road. The developing gravel and adventure bike market is giving this sector a boost.
Check out the Canyon VCLS design here.
Redshift has already reinvented the shock-absorbing stem – another product-type that made its name in 1990s mountain biking – and is now offering the ShockStop seatpost via Kickstarter (usual Kickstarter rules apply, of course) for the first time.
Find out about 6 of the best comfort-boosting seatposts to soften road shock and cosset your bottom!
“The goal was simple: improve rider comfort, while enhancing rider efficiency and enjoyment,” says Redshift. “Riders spend more time putting power to the pedals and less time bracing for impacts, equalling increased comfort and performance. The seatpost offers riders of all types 35mm of tuneable travel, perfectly matched to road, gravel, e-bikes, and mountain bikes.
“The ShockStop has an internal spring which applies force on the seatpost's four-bar linkage, which in turn suspends the saddle and rider. As you ride, the seatpost allows the bike to move under you as it encounters uneven terrain, which reduces the accumulated effects of bumps and vibrations by up to 60%. The four-bar linkage ensures that your saddle angle remains constant through the full travel of the suspension.”
You can choose from three coil springs of different stiffnesses and adjust the pre-load to fine-tune the responsiveness.
The RRP is expected to be US$199 – around £140 – although the early bird price on Kickstarter is US$129 – around £91. As ever with Kickstarter, the project has to achieve its funding target for any money to be taken. The estimated delivery is November 2018.
Here are all the tech deets:
Diameter 27.2mm (shims available for larger seat tube diameters)
Suspension travel 35mm
Length 350mm
Weight 497g
Rearward offset at 25% sag 10mm
Rearward offset range 0 to 22mm
Maximum rider weight 110kg (17st 5lb)
Material 6061 T6 aluminum
Production process 3D forging and 5-axis CNC machining
Finish Black anodised
Check out the Redshift ShockStop suspension seatpost Kickstarter project here.
Mat has worked for loads of bike magazines over 20+ years, and been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. He's been road.cc technical editor for eight years, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a past winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer.