Redshift Sports ShockStop Seat Post: At The Finish

Redshift Sports ShockStop Seat Post: At The Finish – by Guitar Ted

With Spring in high gear now the time has come to wrap up our long term review of the Redshift Sports ShockStop seat post. We have been riding the post here at Riding Gravel since late last year, with MG giving his take on the post here, and myself having written the opener for the review here. We had hoped that our contributor on the West Coast, Grannygear, would be writing up his take by now but a set back in terms of injuries has limited his time on rougher terrain. He will be back at some point with a longer view on this post, hopefully later this Summer. With that, here is our final verdict on this post.

Over several months in all kinds of conditions and on all sorts of road surfaces, the Redshift ShockStop Seat Post has been very consistent. I started out using the post on my fat bike and rode it on some milder single track. Then I moved the post over to my Black Mountain Cycles MCD gravel set up and it has been very good there as well.

We at Riding Gravel are very well aware of several independent postings about the ShockStop Seat Post which praise its performance. One thing we noted here is that it is most often compared to the Body Float/Kinekt Seat Post. Since we at Riding Gravel are very well acquainted with that seat post also, we can give you our direct comparison to the ShockStop post.

First, let me say that both the Kinekt and the Redshift Sports offerings are very well done and both can do a really good job with smoothing out the road surfaces. Both are highly tune-able for riding style and rider weight. Both posts are pretty heavy in terms of weight. Both posts seem to be very durable as well. So, there are a lot of similarities, and you cannot really go wrong with either one. However; there are certain points about each, maybe nuances to some, that might swing you one way or the other.

The first thing I would say is probably a vanity thing, but the Redshift ShockStop post just looks better. Many people that look at my Black Mountain Cycles MCD rarely even notice the post is different than a standard one. The Kinekt post is, well……look at it. It’s not elegant, that’s for sure. But looks do not make a seat post work well. So, what else is there?

Well, initial set up is more difficult with the Kinekt. Unless you nail the spring rate when you order it, you’ll have to do a coil spring swap, and it isn’t terribly hard, but it is tougher to do than with the Redshift post, which for most folks will entail only the turning of a hex key adjuster. Simple and very effective. Plus, further adjustments to the Redshift post can be made in the field, which you can do with a Kinekt, to a smaller degree. Furthermore, the Kinekt post requires a different model for heavier riders, while you get everything in the box with a Redshift ShockStop post for any weight rider up to their 242lb recommended rider weight limitation.

The saddle movement during riding is probably where the biggest difference between these two posts will be noted. The Kinekt will change your saddle to bar distance in a different way than the Redshift ShockStop post does. This may not bother you, or it may be a big deal. I cannot say, since everyone is different in this regard, but the Redshift post seems more natural to me than the Kinekt one did when the post activates over bumps and dips in the road. Added to this is that the Kinekt post has slightly more static set back anyway, so it may be an issue if you like a very forward saddle position, like our contributor MG does.

Finally, the Redshift post has a much more progressive spring rate, meaning that when the post gets deeper into its 35mm of travel it stiffens up. The Kinekt doesn’t do this. Since the Redshift post has this trait, it tends not to bottom out, and when it does, it does it gently. The other post- not so much. This makes the Redshift post feel more natural to us that are riding it at Riding Gravel.

Durability in the pivots is the only unanswered question we have concerning the ShockStop Seat Post, but if it is anything like the ShockStop stem, then I have no worries. We have been riding the ShockStop stem across many bicycles here at Riding Gravel for quite some time now and we have no complaints regarding mechanical issues. We expect the same from the seat post as well.

At The Finish: The idea of a suspension seat post may sound intriguing, but let me say this: A suspension seat post is not for everyone. For one thing, it may not agree with your riding style, and it may be that you prefer road/trail feedback and being isolated from that would not work for you. Obviously, you may not be able to accept that sort of weight gain in a component. However; if you are not constrained by such thoughts, then the Redshift ShockStop seat post is an amazing way to add comfort and control to a gravel/back roads type bicycle.

Vibrations experienced for long duration are detrimental to performance. This has been shown in many studies. Gravel riding certainly can qualify as a source of vibrations.While not every race calls out for such a device, those who do the ultra-distance, marathon type gravel events would get a lot of benefit from a ShockStop post versus the little bit of weight gain involved in choosing the Redshift post over a standard post. Perhaps you are wondering if one of those more flexible, lighter weight posts designed for comfort would be close to the performance of the ShockStop seat post. Well, I have compared a few, and the answer for me is ‘not even close!‘

I have been riding the PRO Discover post, a Whiskey carbon post, and the Specialized C-GR post lately and they don’t even come close to the comfort of a Redshift ShockStop post. Are those posts better than a rigid, standard post? Yes. But you aren’t going to get close to a suspension seat post level of comfort.

MG called the ShockStop seat post a ‘game changer’, and I would agree. It hits all points: Good looking, effective, and easily set up. If you’ve been shying away from riding gravel due to the roughness and vibrations, get the Redshift ShockStop post and match it with a ShockStop stem. You’ll be amazed at what control and comfort that set up will give you. Game changer indeed.

Note: Redshift Sports sent out the Shock Stop seat posts to RidingGravel.com at no charge for test and review. We are not being bribed, nor paid for this review and we strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.