Best way to reduce road shock

I'm thinking of how to reduce road vibrations. What do you think of the relative merits of

1. Carbon fibre seat post (or some other shock absorbing mechanism via the seat post.)

2. Upgraded the fork. Currently using standard/stock steel fork.

3. Something related to the stem or handlebars.

Currently riding a 10-yr old Lemond Tourmalet, steel frame that fits me like a glove and Easton Circuit wheels.

TIA,

Bob

 

Carbon seatpost won't do anything for road vibration. Think about a better saddle, possibly one made from CF.

Fork? Maybe, though I found that a good set of CF handlebars were better.

Might think about larger tires, or if you don't mind the puncture hassle, tubular tires. Are the Easton wheels stiff? You might think about a milder wheelset - I had a set of Rolf Vector Pro's that were hammering my hands to a pulp. Way too stiff.

Last steel frame LeMond bike I was on rode very smooth.

 

4. Reduce the air pressure in your tires.

 

Agree 1000%. Most riders over inflate their tires. I have an aluminum framed bike and I am 59 years old. So I am sensitive to road jar. Just reducing my inflation from 110 to 107lbs makes a world of difference.

 

You don't think so? I put a CF seatpost on my ti bike (had an alu one on temporarily until I could get the carbon one) and I thought the butt buzz was signifcantly reduced.

 

Maybe I just can't feel it, but I didn't have this experience. I went from the stock Cannondale alu. seat post on my R2000 to a bontrager XXX carbon (fairly top end), and other than the nice look, I can't say as I notice a difference. I ride smooth roads, old rough roads and various types of chip seal. For fun I might try the other seat post some day and report back, but for now, I kind of regret the money I spent on the seat post.

 

+1 on changing 23 tyres to 25s or 28s

Asked the same thing about carbon seat posts a few days ago and the general response was "don't bother"

 

Don't you think it's weird that there isn't much in the way of a "shock absorbing" seat post? Or, is it that all the various mechanisms, such as spring loaded (a la MTB front forks) would add too much weight?

I'm going to lower the pressure in the tires and see if that matters as the first try.

Thanks,

Bob

 

You could try Gel padding under the bar tape, eg. Fizik Bar Gel or Specialized Bar Phat. or you could double wrap the tape.

 

1. Lower tire pressure.

2. Ride wider clinchers (as another poster said, if you ride 23s, go to 25s or 28s if your frame allows it).

3. Consider something like Fizik gel handlebar inserts.

4. Find a comfier saddle. And I doubt that it will be a CF weightweenie one.

5. Get a CF seatpost. They do not (IMHO) do much for the comfort, but look really, really cool.

 

I have seen spring loaded seat posts for MTBs. Wouldn't this work for the OP? I don't know a whole lot about them so I really don't know.

 

I have a "utility" bike that has one of those - I couldn't tell you what sort of comfort difference it makes - too much other stuff about that bike is different - big wide, low pressure tires, etc. but I couldn't say I'd recommend one on a road bike. You'd be introducing a lot of inefficiency, putting a lot of your energy into compressing the seatpost rather than into your pedals.

 

No road/race bike has a suspension to absorb bumps, pavement breaks and potholes. If you're talking about "buzz" from rough-textured roads, agree wider tires at the right pressure should help a lot. At 180 lbs, I normally run 100 psi in the front and 105-110 rear on 23 mm GP4000s.

I've got the Easton Circuit wheelset as well. They use straight-pull spokes of course, with the front radially-laced. Have read several places that this combination makes for a harsh ride; some people say a "conventional" 32 spoke wheel with a low-profile box rim will give a smoother ride. If you can, suggest you borrow a 32 spoke front wheel and ride it back to back with your Circuit wheel on your "favorite" course road as a test (remember to set tire pressure first).

Lastly, IMO a good CF fork will absorb some road buzz compared to steel since they inherently have more damping. Again, this may or may not be anything you'll notice depending on the texture of the roads you ride.

 

Eden, that is not entirely correct. If you have shocks when you pedal you do waste energy on compressing them. This is because when you pedal you press downwards on the the pedal which puts a downward force on the frame and when the tires resist moving down because of the ground, the force compresses your shock.

This does not occur on a seat because your pedaling force acts on the frame. The seat is merely sitting on the frame and you are sitting on it. You propel by pedaling, not by pushing down with your butt.

When you pedal, your will actually be removing weight (downward force) from the seat. While this does not affect anything it does show that pedaling would not compress any give in the seat/seat post/seat post shocks.


As far as my suggestion on making your ride a lot more comfortable? Pick up one of those over the seat gel seat covers from fleet farm. For your hands I would pick up a nice set of corked tape off ebay (~$10 shipped) and wrap your bars. If you want you can double wrap them (in many there is an extra set of strips that is used to cover the brake or something like that - I put this where my hands sit before wrapping so it add extra padding there).

 

IMO, traditionally laced wheels (32x3 ... 32x4 will be slightly more comfortable) will provide you with a more comfortable ride than your Easton wheels -- e.g., a pair of MAVIC Open Pro (the "norm") laced to the hubs of your choice (Ultegra hubs are the preferred "standard" for hand-laced Shimano-compatible wheelsets; but, Hugi/DT hubs are worth the extra money if your budget allows).

 

While this might be true on a road bike maaaaaybe - I'd have to test it out. I can tell you from my own experience and from watching others go bouncy, bouncy, bouncy as they pedal that on the more upright bikes that these seatposts are usually installed on that they definitely can compress as you pedal. I would also guess other problems, like perhaps having the saddle too low, exaggerating the bounce too. I would also guess the quality and adjustment of the shocks also make a difference. Haven't you ever seen someone on one of those wally world mt bikes go boinging down the street.

 

This is not true. While pedaling will create some sinusoidal cycle of unweighting the saddle, there will also be a cycle of weighting the saddle. After all, if you unweight, eventually you're going to come back to rest on that saddle. As a result, any sort of suspension can start to oscillate as a result of that forces from that cycle acting on the suspension pieces. This is easily seen in some riders on SoftRide beam frames. Such frames readily oscillate, noticeably so with cadences that aren't smooth. To keep the resulting forces from pedaling from coupling with seat suspension movement, you'd have to completely isolate the rider from the seat, and that ain't happenin'.

 

Alfeng, I almost said what you did, but the only time I tested my Mavic MA-40/Ultegra vs the Circuit front wheels, I really couldn't tell any difference. I didn't go looking for potholes, but on normal to course road textures the ride qualities just didn't seem different to me. The Circuit had a GP 3000, while the 32 spoke had ProRace, both inflated to 100 psi. Perhaps on really course chip and seal roads or over potholes/tar strips a difference in harshness would be noticeable.