Awesomeguy

I own a trek fx3, which i love. However, when riding over bumps, i do feel it , and usually lift up from the saddle.
With smaller bumps and imperfections on the road, will upgrading the seat post have any impact, if so, what seat post do you recommend?

thanks.

RH Clark

A lot depends on how much seat post you have exposed. The more post the more room for it to flex. Carbon can be effective but also has the drawbacks of being expensive and easy to damage. There are several designs of shock absorbing posts that you can research. Maximizing tire size and suppleness could help more than a seat post.

2old

Doubt the post material will do much since my Erikson Ti with a lot of "exposure" doesn't seem to smooth the ride. However the Thudbuster seems very effective. There are many different opinions about suspension posts, but having tried several, this is the one I employ.

Jrasero

Sure, especially if the seat post flexes or have some mechanism but frankly the better play for overall comfort is going for wider tires since that's going to absorb the bump greater and prevent you from flying off your saddle as much. I would try and max our the tire size

79pmooney

I went from an aluminum post to a custom ti post on my best bike and noticed a little difference riding over rough stuff. Noticeable if I pay attention, otherwise its just a seatpost. (I went ti because it's on a ti bike and most of the expense was for machining and fabricating the head and clamp. For $40 bucks extra I could have the ti tube for the post, get the bling and save a few grams. Reason for the custom post was to get a lot of setback. Bikes that handle well for me have very short chainstays. If I stick to a conventional straight seattube I have to either have it steep or have very little tire clearance.)

Now, the place where ti makes a very real difference in comfort is seat rails. I have ti railed Terry Flys on all my good bikes. I've had a couple of steel railed Flys. I'm light. Those steel rails beat me up on the rough stuff. I knew this 45 years ago. Raced a Selle Italia seat with auminum rails. Loved it but left it on the bike when I sold it so it wouldn't break on me.

Litespud

Years ago I swapped an Al American Classic road post for an identical Ti version (same saddle clamp bonded to a Ti shaft). Same frame (low-end Litespeed Ti), same saddle (Selle Italia Max Flite). First couple of rides, I stopped a couple of times to check my rear tire because I was convinced it was getting soft. Not a "blinded" test, certainly, but I'm convinced that the Ti seat post made a discernible difference in suppressing road buzz. I don't think it would help over bumps - for that you'd need some active measures, from a long exposed post, significant setback, slack seat tube angle or some actual suspension mechanism.

Atlas Shrugged

There are numerous carbon posts which are layed up to flex rather than be rigid. Specialized, Canyon and Ritchey all make one. They work really well and the effect is very noticeable.

tyrion

Something like a Thudbuster seatpost would make a noticeable difference.

https://canecreek.com/seatposts-category/

datlas 

First, drop the PSi in your rear tire some. What width tire and PSI are you running? Weight?

Riveting

Specialized makes the COBL GOBL R (aka Cobble Gobbler) seat post which came on my 2017 Roubaix. Still works for me after 18,000 miles on it.

cyclezen

if you wanna give one a try
RockShox suspension seatpost. - older, no longer in production design - I don't have any experience with their 'newer' designs, which are pricey and very MTB oriented...
active 'adjustable' suspension, not hugely heavier than plain alu seatposts (unlike most any other suspension designs).
I had one on a steel frame Marin which I rode for almost 15 yrs... it worked very well, noticeable suspension pluses, without being overly 'soft', firm enough to give solid road/riding feel - for me (150 lbs now but can range up to 165 lbs in prior days...) How this might work with much more weight is an unknown to me.
considerations:
1. zero offset - a real issue if you need a significant offset for saddle positioning, like me. I used on extreme end and only with steel rail saddle. I went to a lighter saddle recently and changed back to a 'normal' seatpost with 25 mm setback. If a zero setback will work, this will also. I sortta miss the seatpost/feel, but am adjusting ok...
2. in 'short' post road length it comes only in 27.2 - in longer post length it comes either 26.8 or 27.2 (like the link). On some steel or Alu frames you can use a seatpost sleeve diameter adjuster - but NOT carbon...
3. the 2 bolt saddle lock down works great for angle adjustment, but the bolts do corrode/rust, and may need replacement - similar Hex bolts can usually be found at a good hardware/supply store.
If you want to take the edge off rough roads, without constantly having to ease off saddle, these work great. work especially well on tight washboard - you still feel it, but much easier to keep power on the cranks while traversing...
- now harder to find...
My CF bikes have CF posts, and these are fine - again, if you have a very stiff jarring ride in steel or Alu, these might help/work.
Ride On
Yuri

Wildwood 

If one wants a soft ride - never feeling the road - a suspended mtb bike with smooth, fat tires works best. And make the suspension and tires soft and cushy.

Really, why would one want to feel the road?!? Progress thru softness, .
Carbon & gel = the future of ‘comfortable’ cycling?

Ironfish653

Ringle' Moby.
Accept no Substitutes

mstateglfr 

My gravel bike had an aluminum seatpost for years and a few weeks ago I switched to a Whisky carbon seatpost. It flexes more- that was a very niticable change.
I can't say it's more comfortable now though. It might be, but its too incremental for me to care at a certain number of miles.

sw20

I swapped my aluminum seat post for a carbon one and noticed zero difference in comfort! Dropping tyre pressure was far more effective and a hell of a lot more cheaper!

Wildwood 

My above post sounded….callous.

What ya need is being clearanced on backcountry.com
Cane Creek eeSilk Carbon Seatpost
carbon, black, 31.6mm - 4 available
2cm movement, lightweight in CF
only $299.99!!!

more compliance over road irregularities than a mushy 40mm tire.

Ironfish653

Get rid of the seat post altogether. Problem solved.

pgjackson

I doubt a seat post will make any difference. CF, AL, Steel....they are all very stiff and rigid. There isn't much play at all in a seat post regardless of material. Saddle rails might make a difference, but not the post. Get a better seat.

Flatforkcrown

c_m_shooter

Lift your butt off the seat before the big bumps. Suspension seatposts are available. They make noise, sometimes stick, and mess with your saddle height adjustment. Wider tires and lower pressures help.

veganbikes

I would max out your tires first and then look at some different posts, if you want a rigid post titanium is generally the go to though their are plenty of carbon posts that also have some flex built in (just make sure to use the proper compound to "grease" the seatpost before insertion). However mechanical stuff will work even better, if you are looking for lightweight the Cane Creek eeSilk post is excellent I have one on my aluminum fixed gear and it is great but if I don't mind some weight and really want something nice, Kinekt is the only way to go. Cane Creek Thudbusters are OK along with a host of other stuff but Kinekt really makes the best, it has two springs and is tunable for weight and works really well to isolate from the bumps.

Pratt

I once read a RAAM rider's technique for rough stretches of pavement. He advocated shifting to a higher gear so that you exerted more pressure on the pedals, and unweighted your rear end.

AJW2W11E

Sometimes I think frame geometry plays a role also. I have a Bianchi Pista with essentially the same seat as my Giant Toughride. My butt hurts after 20 miles on the Toughride but feels great after 30 miles on the Pista. On the Pista , I lean forward more and on the Toughroad I I lean less, it's kind of like sitting in a desk chair.

greysquirrel

I bought a lay back Ti seatpost. I weight about 180lbs and I would actually actually bob up and down when I pedaled because it was so flexible but it was comfortable. I actually sold it shortly later.

sovende

Unless “better” means a seat post with a suspension mechanism, I’d say a “better” saddle is the answer to discomfort while riding on rough surfaces.