Suspension seat post from Montana State University Researchers helps mountain bikers combat muscle fatigue

The extra comfort that mountain bikers report when using a popular suspension seat post comes not from a reduction in vibration energy-not even when riding over obstacles-but from a reduction in peak seat accelerations, according to research from Montana State University in Bozeman.

Although full-suspension mountain bikes offer more comfort than so-called hardtail bikes with front suspension only, some bikers looking to save on expense and weight will augment a hardtail bike with a suspension seat post. To assess the effects of the Rock Shox suspension seat post, investigators analyzed five female recreational cyclists as they rode a hardtail bike, with and without the test seat post, on an 800-meter track with low obstacles spaced every six meters.

By: Jordana Bieze Foster

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