Redshift Sports ShockStop Pro Seat Post: Checkpoint

Redshift Sports ShockStop Pro Seat Post: Checkpoint – by Guitar Ted

The new Redshift Sports ShockStop Pro Seat Post has been tested over all sorts of roads since we introduced the post to you a month and a half ago. I shared all the technical data and first impressions on the seat post then, so hit that hyperlink and go back to read the introductory post if you missed it for those technical details. Now let’s get into how I found the ShockStop Pro post to be for my riding so far.

Ride Performance: So, right up front I have to address the weather. Yes- the weather. We Mid-Westerners always seem to start out conversations with chatter about the recent weather, but in this case, it really has some bearing on how the ShockStop Pro Seat Post worked for me. You might recall that in my first impressions how I stated that the post seemed to be rather transparent, and that it was difficult to feel if it was working or not. Well, that was a weather affected first impression.

Elastomeric materials do have a tendency to stiffen up in colder temperatures. Old elastomer based mountain bike forks in the 1990’s were famous for nearly locking out when temperatures approached freezing. Redshift Sports uses a newer, less temperature sensitive elastomer now, but that is not to say that their elastomer spring is impervious to colder temperatures.

I found this out when recent weather conditions here warmed to the 50 degree mark and higher. Suddenly I was feeling the post working more than I remembered at first. Now- I still am not feeling the same thing I felt with the coil sprung post. That Redshift ShockStop seat post still feels far different than the Pro version. The elastomeric compound used in the Pro version is still not as “floaty’ feeling, nor as quick to activate as the coil sprung ShockStop post.

I still have that seated climbing support that the coil sprung version lacks. I was pleased with that aspect of the Pro version. The damping capabilities of the Pro version seem to work well also. I’d say this is on par with the best of the carbon fiber posts I’ve tried in that regard. You still get some road feel, but the vibrations are a bit more muted and less noticeable than they would otherwise be. Hitting washboard and potholes revealed that the Pro version is less apt to rebound as violently as the coil sprung post and that caused a lot less forceful ‘kickback’, keeping my butt in the saddle where it belongs. I can’t say I’ve felt a bottoming out either. That’s nice.

One thing keeps coming around in my thoughts on this post, “If I am at the upper limit for weight on this post, (in terms of rider weight limits), how would a lighter rider get on with this seat post?” It seems that without any mechanism for the rider to tune the spring rate, that lighter riders would probably feel as though the post wasn’t doing all that much, as I did on my first impressions ride when it was cold. Of course, I’m not able to verify this myself, but my guess is that this would be true: Lighter riders than I will find this post to be less responsive.

So Far… Warmer weather has revealed a more responsive ShockStop Pro Seat Post than I had when I was riding at around freezing temperatures. So, we know now that this post is temperature sensitive to a slight degree. Now that the weather has warmed, the ShockStop Pro seems to still lend a supportive, in-the-saddle ride while taking the edge off the bigger hits and pretty much erasing a lot of the chatter like washboard and smaller obstacles in the road. Rebound is less severe than with the coil sprung version, so getting bounced up off the saddle has been pretty much eliminated now. Of course, your riding style and terrain may lead to different results there.

I have a concern for smaller, less heavy riders in that the single, nonadjustable elastomeric spring may not give similar results as I have with the ShockStop Pro Seat Post, so be aware of that. Redshift Sports claims the installed elastomer should work for the majority of riders and should last the lifetime of the post.

I’ll be putting in some longer rides on this post soon, so stay tuned for that in about a month and I’ll render my final verdict on this seat post then.

For more details on the Redshift Sports ShockStop Pro Seat Post see their webpage here: https://redshiftsports.com/products/shockstop-pro-suspension-seatpost-rt

Note: Redshift Sports sent over the ShockStop Pro Seat Post for test and review at no charge to Riding Gravel. We were not paid, nor bribed, for this review and we will always strive to give our honest thoughts and views throughout.