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Can you have a dropper post and a suspension seat?

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Can you have a dropper post and a suspension seat?

Old 01-06-22, 11:41 AM
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BikePower
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Can you have a dropper post and a suspension seat?

Maybe dumb question but can you have both a dropper post and a suspension seat on a mountain bike? Thanks.

Last edited by BikePower; 01-06-22 at 11:50 AM.
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Old 01-06-22, 01:00 PM
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https://www.pnwcomponents.com/produc...-post-external
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Old 01-06-22, 01:16 PM
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Originally Posted by cubewheels
The Rinsten spring seat suspension can be installed on dropper post. But I don't think anyone has ever done that.

Also the stock unmodded Rinsten spring is dangerous and inefficient. I had to tie the ends together with steel cable to pre-load it and limit travel. Else it will bounce a lot and make the bike want to throw you off every time you brake.

Stock Rinsten spring:


My mod. The steel cable that holds the ends together preloads and limit spring travel is visible at the rear :
With the mods are you happy with it? Thanks for chiming in.
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Old 01-06-22, 04:43 PM
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Originally Posted by BikePower
With the mods are you happy with it? Thanks for chiming in.
Don't do it, those Rinsten springs are terrible and everyone I have seen on them doesn't like them and they just aren't really safe. Maybe if you are a kid or super light maybe less dangerous but honestly no don't do it. If you have to modify it with bungees and straps and such that don't come with it probably not a great product and certainly not one I would want to add to a dropper as it adds significant height leaving me to get a shorter travel dropper which you might not want.

This is the product you are looking for thanks to Canker for originally posting it! I saw the title and was like PNW, PNW GET THE PNW and then I saw Canker had posted it and I was like good good, someone did it!
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Old 01-06-22, 09:20 PM
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Originally Posted by veganbikes
Don't do it, those Rinsten springs are terrible and everyone I have seen on them doesn't like them and they just aren't really safe. Maybe if you are a kid or super light maybe less dangerous but honestly no don't do it. If you have to modify it with bungees and straps and such that don't come with it probably not a great product and certainly not one I would want to add to a dropper as it adds significant height leaving me to get a shorter travel dropper which you might not want.

This is the product you are looking for thanks to Canker for originally posting it! I saw the title and was like PNW, PNW GET THE PNW and then I saw Canker had posted it and I was like good good, someone did it!

Thank you Veg and Canker! That is really sweet!!! How do you trigger the drop is it on a cable?
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Old 01-07-22, 08:42 AM
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Any reason you want to do this?

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Old 01-07-22, 11:40 AM
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Originally Posted by prj71
Any reason you want to do this?

I've been running a RockShox post on my HT Stumpy for 14+ yrs. Just enough to take the edge off sharp, small hits which jolt you out of the saddle.
Lifting off the saddle, even just a touch, makes continued pedal pressure difficult, especially on a series of small hi ts like holes, large root sections on uphill sharp climb sections.
I have been considering that dropper/suspension post listed above - the PNW Coast.
If you're doing a long ride, which requires getting off the saddle often, doing so just gets 'old' really quickly...
The Rockshox has been perfect, but now having a dropper post seems essential for my rides. Having a dropper + suspension post seems a natural/essential thing for me...
Ride on
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Old 01-07-22, 11:42 AM
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Originally Posted by prj71
Any reason you want to do this?

The suspension post I want because I need a comfortable ride. Im not a serious mountain biker, I ride mostly urban terrain, curbs, rough roads, gravel, trails. And the dropper is nice for hills on the trails and for standing up or lowering my center of gravity. This is not for the Schwinn by the way its for my MB project.
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Old 01-07-22, 01:01 PM
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I cannot see why you cannot do both, provided that the seat has its own suspension.
You probably want a shorter seat post than you expect, as I expect seat post insertion depth is going to be your main problem - the link below is for Fox Transfer dropper dimensions, and take note of the collar that will prevent the seat post being lowered any further.
https://www.ridefox.com/dl/bike/tran...ifications.pdf

Are you looking at something like a Brooks Flyer saddle?
https://www.brooksengland.com/en_row/flyer.html
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Old 01-07-22, 04:50 PM
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That PNW post looks pretty good except it's pointed at gravel bikes. For 27.2 post diameter you can only get 100mm travel. You'll probably want more travel, and more only comes on bigger diameters. But maybe that's fine, at least you know you won't run out of room.

Cargo bikes sometimes come with droppers now so you can flat foot while loading. I've considered getting one for my wife on her comfort bike. It came with a cheap suspension post and a big sprung saddle too. She likes to flat foot but the low saddle chokes her up when pedaling. If I convert it to 1x I can use the cable routing meant for the FD. Really the only holdup is that I need to do the 1x conversion first and it only comes in black, not polish or satin to match the other components. In fact I sent them an email maybe a year ago asking if they had considered a polished version for just this sort of bike, which is often chrome-polish and not always racy-blackout. But they said no plans
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Old 01-07-22, 04:58 PM
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One thing to consider is how much space the suspension will take up between the frame and the saddle. There might not be enough seatpost left exposed to do much "dropping."
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Old 01-07-22, 05:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Rolla
One thing to consider is how much space the suspension will take up between the frame and the saddle. There might not be enough seatpost left exposed to do much "dropping."
good point
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Old 01-07-22, 06:02 PM
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Originally Posted by BikePower
good point
PNW site gives all the details and measurements you need to know if their droppers will fit in your frame at a given seatpost extension.
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Old 01-07-22, 08:41 PM
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Originally Posted by cubewheels
Yeah, Rinsten is probably not good on dropper unless the seat tube is quite short.

It's unsafe unless you compress the spring together and tie the ends with steel cable because every time you brake, it tilts the saddle forward and up and rear wheels lift off.

I have to admit that product @Canker posted is far better solution even if it costed a lot more.
It is unsafe, one should not need to add cables or anything like that on a saddle unless it is for security when parking a bike. Don't hurt yourself for a kickstarter it isn't worth it. We tried that thing and our owner who is usually all about gimmicks said absolutely not.

The PNW Coast is exactly what the OP wanted and is in general a neat idea for hardtails and gravel bikes.
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Old 01-07-22, 08:43 PM
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Originally Posted by BikePower
Thank you Veg and Canker! That is really sweet!!! How do you trigger the drop is it on a cable?
I think it is just a standard dropper post with a cable. I would recommend the Paul Components Dropper Trigger it is quite nice in the hand and works quite well.
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Old 01-10-22, 04:59 PM
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Thats pretty cool !
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Old 01-11-22, 06:08 PM
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With my own riding it is the tire width and tire pressure that has the most impact when riding. Going tubeless and running with as low a tire pressure as you can get away with would be my approach. There are softer seats but most of these are wide and not great for pedaling distances - more for a city bike.
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Old 01-11-22, 08:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Calsun
With my own riding it is the tire width and tire pressure that has the most impact when riding. Going tubeless and running with as low a tire pressure as you can get away with would be my approach. There are softer seats but most of these are wide and not great for pedaling distances - more for a city bike.
yes I like the low pressure feel but the extra rolling resistance really uses up the pedallling power.
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Old 01-15-22, 04:24 PM
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I have this on my hardtail and it works great. I have only put about 75 miles on it though.
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Old 01-15-22, 09:23 PM
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Originally Posted by BikePower
yes I like the low pressure feel but the extra rolling resistance really uses up the pedallling power.
No, it actually doesn't.
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Old 01-15-22, 09:27 PM
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Originally Posted by cxwrench
No, it actually doesn't.
why do racers you high pressure tires 120ps? Why does it feel harder to pedal when I have low air pressure? Why do I get much less mpg fuel economy on my truck when I dont keep the tires inflated to the correct pressure? Im very interested if you can bust this misconception that I have. Thanks.
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Old 01-15-22, 11:21 PM
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Originally Posted by BikePower
why do racers you high pressure tires 120ps? Why does it feel harder to pedal when I have low air pressure? Why do I get much less mpg fuel economy on my truck when I dont keep the tires inflated to the correct pressure? Im very interested if you can bust this misconception that I have. Thanks.
Racers don't use 120psi. Too low will be harder to pedal, the proper pressure is not too hard nor too soft. Your truck has suspension and doesn't need the somewhat lower pressures that a bicycle does. Apples and bacon comparison. Your misconception is busted by physics, not by me. A tire needs to be soft enough that it can conform to the texture of the terrain it is being used on. This increases traction and decreases rolling resistance. This was 'discovered' years ago and as tire sizes have increased pressures have decreased. I would go so far as to say that there is not a single pro road racer using 120psi these days.
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Old 01-16-22, 12:52 AM
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Originally Posted by cxwrench
. I would go so far as to say that there is not a single pro road racer using 120psi these days.
If they are, they are using it for a stage race where they want a certain pressure in their tubulars at a certain point like say on the Paris-Roubiax course when they hit the cobbles. With lightweight tubulars with latex tubes you are likely to lose pressure a bit faster so their mechanics typically have a pumping strategy to get them right on for the cobbles. However yeah it is pretty unlikely anyone is using that high of a pressure at least not outside maybe still at the track but that is a whole different ballgame. No mountain bikers would ever go that high and most mountain bike tires aren't rated for that high anyway. I do always get a chuckle when someone comes in the shop saying yeah I really love my 23s pumped up over 100psi.
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Old 01-16-22, 01:10 AM
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why does my bike slow down much faster when coasting if my tire pressure is low and when its normal or higher it coasts longer?


Just to be clear, I understand from your reply to my post that you are convinced that low tire pressure does not increase rolling resistance. Is that accurate?
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Old 01-16-22, 11:46 AM
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I don't know why you guys are arguing in a dropper post thread in the MTB sub about road bike tire pressure. A retread, if you will, of a familiar topic. Perhaps you are lost and need directions?
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