Thudbuster

Hi Ryan,

My LT arrived yesterday. I installed it this morning and commuted to work on it. Amazing what a difference it makes! I love it!

Thanks,
Tony

This came in from a customer in Europe:

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! 

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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

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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!

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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.

Thanks for your advise!

Dan

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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.

Matt

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

discs, love it, love it, love it.

Kind regards,

Richard

submit: Send

Happy Father’s Day to all of you Dads out there.  I got a good ride in with my son yesterday… a little urban fun, looking for challenging obstacles, step ups, drops, balance beams… just simple fun on a bike, (he’s only 5 yrs old but getting really good!)

Anyway, we stopped in the office after our ride to get some snacks and check messages.  There was a message from a customer wanting to know whether a saddle pack could be used with a Thudbuster.  I usually use a hydration backpack personally so I don’t have alot of experience with saddle packs.  I know people do use them with the LT model… it has to be the velcro strap style bag (no plastic clips).  The upper straps loop through the saddle rails as normal, the lower straps loop around the rear arm of the suspension mechanism just below the elastomers.  I’d like to gather some information about saddle packs as used on both LT and ST model Thudbusters.  If you have either model and are using a saddle pack, please send me a photo of your bike and some info about your experience and I’ll post it here for other Thudbuster users to see.  Thanks for the help.

I got a few more inquiries about the weight of the Thudbuster vs. a rigid post again this week and it always surprises me.  Probably because I have experienced the benefit of the Thudbuster and realize the dramatic reduction in fatigue that it provides.  Saving 200 grams, only to get beat up by a rough trail and bonking before getting to the other end just doesn’t make sense.  Fatigue due to rough terrain is such a major factor in off-road riding that it really needs to be a primary consideration.  The perfect argument is the front suspension fork… my old rigid fork was lighter but the benefits of better control, better vision, less arm pump, less wrist/hand pain have proven themselves to be of more value than the weight penalty of my new 3″ travel fork.  Sometimes I think the weight question comes up simply because folks are not sure what else to ask about.  When I really think about the approximately 200 gram difference between 3″ of travel and a rigid post, I always figure… give me the travel and I’ll shave the grams someplace else.  I’m guessing the clod of dirt left over from my last ride that is still sitting on the bottom bracket would get me part way there… going through my pack and getting rid of a few needless things that have taken up residence there would probably take care of the rest.  Just making sure my tire pressure is spot on and my chain properly lubed before every ride would cut fatigue more than carrying 200 grams… but I still head out once in a while with just a quick squeeze on the tires and a ‘good enough’ comment to myself.  Heck, I think I dropped 200 grams on my last haircut!  Bottom line… if you’re interested in a Thudbuster and weight is one of your hesitations, trust me on this one… the benefits of the Thudbuster more than compensate for the weight hit.  At the end of a long, rough ride, you’ll feel better, finish stronger, and just plain have more fun on your bike.