Review: Redshift Shockstop Suspension Seatpost

Suspension seatposts never really went away after their 1990s’ heyday. But they dropped out of the mainstream, due to a performance that was often less than stellar.

Of the three most obvious means of allowing saddle displacement to absorb bump shocks, simple flexibility is the lightest but offers limited movement. A telescoping post, which potentially offers as much travel as anyone might need, tends to suffer from ‘stiction’ and constrains the saddle to move forwards as it drops.

This leaves the deformable parallelogram, which can be orientated to let the saddle move pretty much as desired and with plenty of travel. Parallelogram posts have generally employed an elastomer; Redshift’s Shockstop uses one or two coil springs, depending on rider weight.

While heavier than an elastomer, a coil spring has a couple of advantages: it provides a linear compression rate and more travel for the same size linkage. The Redshift post uses both to impressive effect.

Travel is a stated 35mm, through an arc moving backwards and downwards. This feels natural and, perhaps surprisingly, there’s no real sensation of loss of saddle height when pedalling.

The clear and concise instructions suggest positioning the saddle 5mm further forward and 6mm higher than with a rigid post to account for the initial sag when sitting. Along with the suggested spring force setting, made by turning a threaded plug in the bottom of the post to compress the internal spring, this proved accurate to the point where no further adjustment was needed.

The weight chart runs from 50-110kg, with riders over 90kg advised to use both springs, the smaller sitting inside the main spring when fitted. The system feels well-damped and there’s no noteworthy ‘bounce’ at any cadence. The saddle bottomed out a couple of times over bigger bumps; more spring compression might be useful off road.

Steel springs aren’t light, and the 350mm-long post weighs 360g with the main spring fitted. Diameter is 27.2mm; it can be used in larger seat tubes with a suitable shim.

The dual-bolt cradle is micro-adjustable and fairly easy to use. In a neat piece of detailing, the mechanism is shielded from spray by a magnet retained plate on the back of the upper linkage block.

Verdict

Exceptional and unobtrusive ride comfort with restrained styling and superb finishing. The Redshift post is a pleasing and effective, if weighty, addition to any cycle.

Other options

Cane Creek Thudbuster ST G4 from £127.49

Elastomer-suspended parallelogram-type post with 50mm travel, 150kg rider max weight, and three sizes (inc 27.2mm).

Kinekt 2.1 Aluminium Seatpost £239.99

Weighty at 525g, and the complex parallelogram design has exposed springs. Approx 35mm travel. Various diameters available.

First published in Cycle magazine, April/May 2021 issue. All information correct at time of publishing.