Make your bike more comfortable and it becomes more fun to ride. More fun to ride means you are more apt to ride more often. This results in a fun way to keep in shape and lose some weight. Here’s a comment just sent in from a customer that is using his bike to help him drop weight, get fit, and have a great time doing it.
“Just wanted to let you know I have been riding a LT for about nine months now on an old (much upgraded) Trek 8700 carbon fiber frame bike. Awesome combo. When I first received the LT, I was around 230lbs and using the double black elastomers. Worked very well. Now I’m down to about 194lbs and went to the double blue elastomers. The ride is much smoother and I don’t get thrown out of the saddle like when I had the (recommended) blue/black combination. I make sure I’m out of the saddle if it’s going to be a pretty hard hit. While I’m still not quite as fast on the technical downhills as my full bounce buddy’s, I’m much faster than I used to be. Thanks for a product that gives me most of the benefits of a full suspension system and all of the advantages of a hardtail.” -Maurice from Tempe, Arizona
A customer recently inquired about which model to get for his particular situation… I thought this might be helpful to other riders out there. I’m alway willing to offer advice when needed, just drop me an email using the link to the left!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ryan,
I am looking to get a thud buster. I wanted to get your opinion on which one you feel would suit me the best. Here is some information about me and my ride:
6’5” 180 lbs
I ride a felt 29er aluminum frame
I ride on tubeless tires
I do endurance races (12 and 24 hr races)
My lower back typically gets real tight after a couple of hours of racing.
Thanks for any input.
Dan
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hi Dan,
I’d get the LT. More tuning options, more durability in the larger pivot pins for off-road use. It is slightly heavier but that is due mainly to the fact it is longer so if you don’t need all the length, you can cut some of it off and the weight will be about the same.
Ryan
PS… sounds like a nice bike!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ryan,
I wanted to let you know that I ended up ordering a LT Thudbuster from your website as my local shop was not able to find one in the correct seat post size. Anyway, I love the thing!! I can not wait to race my upcoming 12 hour race on it to see how I do to previous years. I have been riding my buddies Gary Fisher HIFI 29er from time to time and I prefer my hardtail to his full suspension. I can climb over the loose rocks without getting tossed side to side and I don’t get robbed of any power. My biggest problem is that I waited 2 years to get one!! I have it set up softer than the chart shows for me, I weigh just over the blue/blue combination and I love it, if I was doing shorter races I would go with the heavier set-up but not for 12 hours.
I have many people inquire whether the Thudbuster will help alleviate some back or neck pain. I might be a good product designer, but I’m no doctor so I simply relay comments from customers such as the one just sent below, (see italics). It would only stand to make sense though, reduce the jarring to your neck and back and you’ll experience less pain. Hope you find the comments helpful:
Ryan
Wanted to give you some feedback. A great product! Pricey, but it works as advertised. Has held up great for several thousand miles on my mountain bike over the past 18 months or so. Shortly after taking up biking my back began giving me MAJOR problems. A couple of times after long rides I was down for the count for days. Was worried I’d have to give up riding. Started riding with the ThudBuster and my back problems went away completely. It has made all the difference. Without it, I could not ride–period. A great invention. …Luke
Boy, I’ve been bad about posting to the Thudblog… It has been a very busy summer. Keeping it simple as I get back into the swing of things, I’ll start with simply sharing a comment that came in from the website this morning:
message: Hey Ryan,Just wanted to let you know that I rode the trails for the first time today with the Thudbuster and I just love it.I usually only ride the 10 mile loop but felt compelled to get on the more technical 6 mile loop as well and my bike really handled very well.I’ve got a Klein Attitude Comp from the mid 90’s and now with the thudbuster, I don’t need to raise or steer around those protruding roots.I just simply ride over them and don’t even feel them in the rear.Now I notice how my front shock bounces whereas before it was my rear I was feeling the most loss of control.I just wish I would’ve known about your product sooner.Thanks,Rick
This comment came in to the website and I thought I’d share this person’s take on the LT vs. ST issue. Hope it helps some people who are trying to decide with model to choose.
Ryan, I’m sure you could say more about this than me, but here’s an unsolicited testimony/description that might help customers choose between the LT and the ST.
Although the LT and ST operate on the same mechanism, they have an entirely different feel to them.I’ve ridden with a Thud LT on my hardtail for many happy years.I recently added a Thud ST to my new race bike, so I’ve had a chance to compare the two posts directly.
The LT is a real suspension system- it doesn’t just soften the hits, it actually soaks them up.It’s an active system that you can feel working under you.It’s a great way to civilize the ride of your hardtail.It’ll help you get up rough tecchy sections because you can comfortably keep your butt on the saddle as you pedal.My LT has been a reliable, hassle free component for years.
The ST doesn’t so much soak up the bumps as it does soften them- to use the well-worn phrase, it “takes the edge off”.You don’t feel the ST working underneath you like you do with the LT.The bumps are still there, but by the time the make impact with your butt, they have a muted, distant feel to them.
The LT will bob if you don’t have a smooth pedal stroke.Also, after a big hit, the elastomer rebound will pitch you forward.Using your legs as rebound dampers becomes second-nature after a while, but if you get caught off-guard by the rebound, it’ll definitely get your attention!Neither of these issues is perceptible to any significant degree on the ST.
My conclusion is consistent with what is stated in the product descriptions- if you want maximum bump adbsorption, get the LT.If you just need to effectively soften up those jolts and hits, go with the ST.I’m going to stick with the ST on my race bike.
This was an email sent to me recently… I get many of these… riders who’ve had to give up riding their bike due to an injury in their back or neck. The Thudbuster suspension seatpost has allowed them to get back into sport they love without experiencing the pain that was keeping them from it. Anyway, here’s the text…
“Dear Mr. McFarland
About 4 years ago I fell off a ladder and broke my back at the youthful age of 54 and though it was serious, it did not handicap me other than pain. Anyway to make a long story short, I bought one of your Thudbusters for my Trek 8000 (circa 1989). I tried other products to help me sit on the saddle while riding, but nothing worked. Then I found your Thudbuster and ordered it and it is by far the only thing that that keeps the pain away on all my riding.
I guess I just want to thank you for inventing it. It has been a blessing to me
Below is a comment sent in from a rider in England that has returned to riding a hardtail from full-suspension. Seems he was spending so much time repairing full suspension bikes from the wear and tear of muddy conditions that he has opted to return to the simplicity and dependability of a hardtail… but with a little of the FS cush offered by the Thudbuster!
He writes…
message: Ref Thudbuster, I know you must hear this all the time , but
anyway, WOW what a product, I live in England and do not like full suss
(because I wear them out in all the mud!)I snapped an FSA seatpost and
was looking for a replacement and came across your Thudbuster. It is
FANTASTIC, the best thing I have done with my bike since upgrading to
Some comments from product reviews that appeared on bikeradar.com from the U.K. Below are the links to the full articles…
Thudbuster ST… “well-engineered comfort aid for longer or bumpier rides”
Thudbuster LT… “performs beautifully… This post works so well that we found ourselves forgetting that we weren’t on a full suspension bike. It soaks up small-to-medium hits without complaint, and it’s only when you stand up and are suddenly plonked back on your hardtail again without any arse-saving squish that you appreciate exactly how well this post works on the trail.”
This inquiry came in from a customer with an older Thudbuster. He was experiencing some squeaking from the seatpost and we worked together to get things resolved. I thought the info might be helpful to others… and his inquiry was rather funny so I decided to pass the conversation along verbatum…
Subject: squeekin n squawkin
Hey Ryan,
I have been using my thdbster post for about 6 years, lots of riding and racing, but now it sounds like there’s goose in my pants. People are starting to talk. I read somewhere that you don’t spray silicone on it, (the little blue things), so I wondered what to do. I do lube the four flex points with lube, but I am not sure if I should spray the offending little blue things. Please get right back to me as I am tired of riding solo.
Subject: Re: squeekin n squawkin
Riding solo is a bummer!
You can lube the pivot bushings and the points of contact between the arms and the receptor/clamp cradle… where aluminum meets aluminum (newer models have thin brass washer here). You should also lube with a paste lubricant the elastomer ends and the skewer. If this doesn’t do the trick, try cleaning and lubing the saddle rails where they clamp into the seatpost and also pull the seatpost out of the frame and clean the seatpost tubing and the inside of the frame tubing… and add some fresh grease there as well. One of these should solve the loneliness issue for you!
Ryan
Subject: Re: squeekin n squawkin
thanks Ryan, my ride today was so quiet I had to run over a cat to make sure I hadn’t gotten deaf all of a sudden : )
Actually the post has a lot more motion or it seems softer and more active, maybe my imagination,
I wanted to elaborate on elastomer selection a bit. The instruction sheet that comes with the Thudbuster shows recommended ranges for elastomers. This can also be found on our FAQ page. This is a recommendation to follow but there are other considerations beyond rider weight. One very important consideration is riding position. Your full body weight is actually carried at three spots on the bike… handlebars, pedals, and saddle. The percentage that is carried at the saddle varies with riding position. For instance, if a person is on a comfort bike with high handlebars and a short reach, a much higher percentage of body weight is carried in the saddle… and stiffer elastomers may be required. Alternately, an aggressive racing position with a low, long stem (handlebar height actually lower than the saddle) will put a greater amount of the rider’s weight into the handlebars/less on the saddle… meaning softer elastomers may be in order. Elastomers are relatively easy to change so experiment a little with what works best for you and your bike setup. The important thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to bottom-out the suspension mechanism so err on the stiffer side and approach softer set-ups with this in mind. Happy experimenting.
