The Thudbuster advantage:
| TRAVEL: |
The Thudbuster LT provides nearly three inches of plush travel—more than any telescoping seatpost—and continually absorbs impacts big and small. |
BUMP RESPONSE:
|
The design enables the post to respond to all bumps. Unlike telescoping suspension seatposts, there is no initial stiction to overcome. |
| DURABILITY: |
The forged linkage rides on widely spaced bushings to increase lateral stiffness and deliver solid performance. |
| SERVICEABLITY: |
Split linkage arms enable ease of disassembly in the field, and simple bushing replacement. |
| TUNABILITY: |
Match the suspension to your weight and riding style by changing the elastomers. Simple. |
| ORIGINALITY: |
The Thudbuster suspension seatpost uses a patented parallel-linkage design. (U.S. patent 5489139) |
| EXPERIENCE: |
The Thudbuster was one of the first suspension seatposts and has proven itself for years as suspension that works.
|
Extruded 6061-T6 aluminum suspension links are precision CNC-machined to final form to remove all available excess material and leave the piece strong yet light. Links are vibratory finished and black anodized for a strong, durable, corrosion-resistant finish.
Compact mechanism offers maximum leg clearance with a width of only 31.8mm (1.25 inches) to keep from ripping your shorts and chafing your leg (as can happen with wider designs).
Compact mechanism offers maximum saddle adjustment to fit more bikes. The seatpost can go as low as 140mm or extend as far as 280mm (as measured from saddle rails to the point where the seatpost enters the bicycle frame).
Strong, light, custom-drawn 2014-T6 thin-wall aluminum tubing is bonded to the suspension mechanism using an industrial-duty, high-strength epoxy. The standard. length is 380mm with 110mm minimum insertion.
Single-bolt saddle clamp design is strong and light. The simple design makes saddle installation and adjustment a breeze: no need for three hands or two tools, no need to pry your saddle rails apart like some of the "fancier" designs. Saddle angle and fore/aft position can be adjusted independently for the best positioning.
New stainless steel Knurlock® pivot pins with bronze impregnated, Teflon coated (for self lubrication) steel bushings yield a strong, light, and corrosion resistant design for smooth, durable pivoting action.
How It Works
Dynamics of the bicycle in motion create a rocking motion, meaning each end arcs around the other end. More specifically, the rear wheel moves on an arc that has the front axle as its center, and the front wheel moves on an arc that has the rear axle as its center.
Compression
As the bump lifts the rear wheel, the rear wheel pushes the saddle up and forward into the rider. The Thudbuster compresses along the exact opposite path (downward, rearward) to absorb force. The Thudbuster moves down and back at the same rate as the bump comes up and forward, so the net movement of the saddle is zero.
Telescoping Posts
Telescoping suspension seatposts have a compression stroke in the vertical plane. As the bump force travels up and forward through the rear wheel, the seatpost suspension is more than 50 degrees out of line with the bump forces. Since 90 degrees out of line is complete mechanical lockout, telescoping seatposts are halfway to lockout by design. This is much less efficient than the fully active Thudbuster design.
Test Lab
A recent study in Germany measured the effect of different suspension set-ups on absorbing performance-robbing bumps. Interestingly, the lower back was found to be particularly susceptible to bumps, amplifying the importance of rear suspension. And even more notably, a suspension seatpost was found to be almost as effective as a rear-suspension frame in absorbing these bumps. Considering that the post used in the test was an inferior telescoping design, the Thudbuster's unique design can make a provably significant contribution to performance and comfort.
Tunability
The Thudbuster uses an exposed two-elastomer stack that offers multiple elastomer combinations and maximum tuning options. The elastomers can easily be swapped by removing the skewer and swinging the linkage forward. A full set of Double Barrel elastomers is included with every seatpost (2 soft, 2 medium and 2 firm elastomers — everything you'll ever need for tuning). The skewer assembly includes two nylon top-out pads to avoid a metal-on-metal top-out. Best of all, quick on-trail tuning NEVER requires removal of any of the pivot pins.
The proprietary urethane formulation offers quick compression and slow rebound. Manufactured using a 300 G-force centrifuge to ensure the best quality casting. The combination of special material formulation and centrifuge casting makes the elastomer the best choice for the seatpost suspension. It is lightweight, inexpensive, easy to tune, simple, and durable. No other means of suspending the mechanism (spring, air, oil, etc.) can compare — trust us, we've tried.
|
