The Redshift Sports ShockStop PRO Endurance post is the third offering in the ShockStop seat post range from Redshift Sports. I posted the introduction to this review earlier, so if you missed that, please click THIS LINK to see the specs and details on the new post in the range.
I have had the privilege to have reviewed the other Redshift ShockStop seat posts as well, so I thought this might be a good comparison chance. Take all three posts for rides, compare and contrast. So, this is what I did and my impressions follow here:
The Original - Endurance Post:
The original ShockStop post is the Endurance, a coil sprung post (with elastomers for bottom-out) which has the distinction of having the highest weight limit of the range and the post which weighs the most.
This post is very smooth. It eliminates just about every vibration, and gives me the sensation that I am floating. That all sounds great, but there are some downsides to the all-coil sprung suspension.
First off, there is no real damping, so on some sudden impacts you might find that the spring's rebound will loft you up off the saddle momentarily. That's something you might be able to dial out to some degree with the adjuster located at the base of the seat post's shaft. However; you will sacrifice small vibration compliance by doing so. A balance between "too bouncy" and "not enough vibration elimination" is the decision the rider will have to make with the Endurance post.
The Endurance post is also a heavy post. No getting around that. It isn't going to be for everyone, but those who are looking for ultimate vibration isolation will find that here. It's just the tuning part that may be something of a challenge for some folks. For instance, I found that when I was really putting pressure down on the pedals the saddle would sag, and sometimes it would bob up and down with each pedal stroke. You could tune that out if you have the 'headroom' to do that, but again, you are making the post stiffer by doing so.
The Lightweight - PRO Race:
The PRO Race was the second ShockStop post offered and is essentially a stripped back version of the design. It looks the same, but internally it is quite different.
This is a post designed for those who only want the post to activate when there are harder vibrations. Think washboard, or crossing rail road tracks. The rest of the time, while it may be doing some work, it should be mostly not noticeable. That's my take on it, at any rate.
And the PRO Race does this job quite nicely. I have found it to also be supportive under hard efforts. So, it is not going to get in the way of your efforts going uphill, or on accelerations. But the downside is that you are going to be subjected to a lot more vibrations with this post than you would have been on the Endurance model. That said, since the PRO Race relies on a stripped down assembly of an elastomeric insert and coil spring for its spring, there is a modicum of damping. This post doesn't ever feel bouncy.
Obviously, being the lightest post of the three, this attribute of the PRO Race may make it your choice all alone without considering the ride quality.
The Goldilocks - PRO Endurance:
Now Redshift Sports has combined the two types of springs they used in the other posts into another combination for a post they call PRO Endurance. Coil springs and elastomers. You'd think it would be the 'best of both worlds' and it might be for you. A lot of what this post does falls in the middle of the two previous posts in Redshift's line. I found it sagged a bit more than either other model though, and initially, that kind of isolated 'float' was neat.
The elastomer lent a bit of a damped feel to the rebound, keeping that bounce in check. The vibration absorption was pretty good too. However; whether it was hotter weather, which could affect an elastomer, or whether the elastomer, or the rest of the post, broke in more, I could not say at the time, but things got 'not so good' later into the test.
The post would not support me, allowing the travel to sag almost to the bottom of travel. This was not ideal. So, I stopped using the post. I consulted with my contact at Redshift Sports and learned that there is a stiffer elastomer spring available. (Note: The post shipped with two different durometers of elastomer springs, one which was installed in the post when shipped to me. I did swap to the stiffer elastomer after I received the post.)
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| Cutaway samples of all three Redshift ShockStop posts. |
My contact at Redshift did tell me that the elastomers may "break in" a bit soon after the post begins to be used, but that is why the pre-load adjuster at the base of the post is there. So that can be accounted for after it happens. With the elastomer I had, I ran out of adjustment before I could get a satisfactory ride experience after the elastomer broke in. So, it wasn't the weather, it was the elastomer breaking in and becoming a bit more compliant.
When I get this new, stiffer elastomer, I fully expect that I will then have a tunable post which will support me and act as it did at first. I'll get that sorted and do some more riding. Then I'll be back for a final word. Stay tuned....
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