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Cane Creek Thudbuster LT | $208.83
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Cane Creek Thudbuster LT

BikeRadar verdict

4 out of 5 stars

"Pricey but an almost instant full-suspension conversion for your hardtail"

By Guy Kesteven, What Mountain Bike

Cane Creek’s Thudbuster seatpost uses a unique design that gives it the smoothest, smartest suspension performance by far. You will pay extra pounds for it in both wallet and weight senses though.

By using two parallelogram linkages rather than a telescopic shaft, the Thudbuster moves down and backwards. This mimics your natural body movement if you were stood up absorbing a bump.

As well as making the motion feel natural, this also dramatically reduces the change in pelvis-to-pedal distance compared to a telescopic post, so pedalling rhythm is less affected. It also lets the bike rise up and forwards underneath you over bumps, and there’s no shearing stiction either. 

The feel of the suspension action was initially pretty weird – akin to having a super-soft rear tyre – and it requires you to accommodate a constantly shifting bar/saddle distance, but we quickly adapted to it, particularly once the super-plush three inches of travel started soaking up the trail.

Two changeable density elastomers (more extreme aftermarket tunes are available) squeezed between the link as the spring medium mean easy spring-rate tuning.

Inevitably there are downsides. The most obvious is its hefty weight, which isn’t far off the difference between most hardtails and similar full-suspension bikes. The backwards/downwards motion feels weird at first too. 

The seatclamp is a bit of a fiddle. A 3mm hex bolt and a grooved thumbwheel deal with micro-adjusting the saddle angle, but we baulked at putting the usual amount of torque onto a bolt so small and soft.

Keep it regularly cleaned and serviced though (and maybe add the protective neoprene Crudbuster boot for £13) and it’ll stay smoother longer than any telescopic post. Once you’ve got used to the feel of the action and the smoothness it adds to your ride you won’t complain about the relatively high price tag or weight.

Manufacturers description

By adding the Thudbuster rear suspension you'll ride faster, longer, and stronger with better traction, more control, and less fatigue. The performance, relative low weight, and simplicity make it the best suspension upgrade you can make to your hardtail./ Based on a patented parallel-linkage design, the Thudbuster LT provides up to 3 inches of active stiction-free travel. Unlike telescoping suspension posts, there is no initial stiction to overcome—the suspension mechanism works in the direct path of the natural travel of the rear wheel./ The elastomers provide the compression and rebound damping, and can be easily exchanged to tune the suspension.

User Reviews

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  • User review of Cane Creek Thudbuster LT

    I had the original Moxey post (which broke, was replaced), and now have this version now Cane Creek own the design.

    Being a simple sould I love my steel hardtails, and these have really helped my aging back get through day rides.

    ;-) At best, once set up for your weight and sag, they soak up the ground chatter at places like Afan and enable you to sit more when tired = go faster for same effort.

    Plus they keep the flickability I like in hard-tails when out of the saddle.

    ;-( At worst, when going at 110% they can resemble a pogo stick as there's little damping.

    I also found the lower clamp where the tube enters to be the design weak spot, the moxey broke and was replaced, and I have the same problem with the Cane Creek, although that's after 5 years or more (and I'm 95kg).

    I'd get another one in a jiffy.

    0.3
  • User review of Cane Creek Thudbuster LT

    Just thought I'd add, I also have a USE suspension seatpost, and although a tad lighter, I thought the action wasn't as long or supple as the cane creek. (I also managed to break the USE clamp bolts too).

    0.3
  • User review of Cane Creek Thudbuster LT

    What do you think about climbing with this seatpost? Does the suspension affects the effectiveness of the movement?

    0.3
  • User review of Cane Creek Thudbuster LT

    This is a fantastic bit of kit. Very good quality components, not too heavy (nowhere near FS heavy as it says above) and supplied with enough of the rubber elastomers to tailor it very closely to your weight with adjustable pre-load. It takes the edge off rough surfaces and allows you to stay in the saddle much much longer, after one ride you don't notice it working which is testimony to the natural motion of the parallelogram shape.

    I don't notice the movement when climbing or any performance loss.

    If you want to ride a hardtail and have any sort of spinal or muscular back problems this is the way to go.

    I have fitted the neoprene cover which is a must to prevent mud and water getting into the moving parts.

    Not cheap but worth every penny.

    0.3

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Specification

Name:
Thudbuster LT
Built by:
Cane Creek
Price:
$208.83

Description:
Also available in 450mm length
Weight (g):
594 g
Colour:
Black
Available Sizes:
25.4mm, 26.8mm, 27.2mm, 30.9mm, 31.6mm cm
Length (mm):
400 mm
Material:
Alloy, Aluminium, Magnesium
Laser Etched Graphics:
Yes
Shock Absorption:
Travel, Vibration Dampening
Pivots:
Teflon Coated Bushing
Seatpost/Seat Pin Finishes:
Satin
Seat Tilting:
Yes
Twin-Bolt Head:
Yes
Travel:
76 mm
Lengths Available:
400mm

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