I have been riding for 6 months and I am working on my drops. Have been able to drop off 10" curbs, but I notice that there is a great deal of spinal compression that occurs on the lower back. Would anyone suggest getting a suspension seat post? I am 40 and my back is marginal.
I was wondering when the suspension seat posts absorb the energy from drops, do you lose your balance on landing or you just get used to it like anything else you learn on a uni?
Does anyone recommend a specific model of suspension seat post? What about matching tube sizes, will shims work?
I have a 24" semcycle XLW that is supposed to take 12" drops, I probably won’t be dropping more than that for a year. At which point I might have to upgrade.
teachndad wrote: > > I have been riding for 6 months and I am working on my drops. Have been > able to drop off 10" curbs, but I notice that there is a great deal of > spinal compression that occurs on the lower back. Would anyone suggest > getting a suspension seat post? I am 40 and my back is marginal.
When dropping off a curb, you shouldn’t land on the seat at all-- your
legs should take all the impulse. Easier said than done, however, and you
still hit the seat sometimes, especially if your seat is set fairly high.
So an airseat (or better yet an airseat AND suspension post) make it a lot
more bearable on your back when you do hit the seat. With an airseat and
Thudbuster post I couldn’t even tell when I made contact with the seat-- I
just knew that I wasn’t sitting on it when I was in the air, but was
sitting on it as I rode away.
> > I was wondering when the suspension seat posts absorb the energy from > drops, do you lose your balance on landing or you just get used to it > like anything else you learn on a uni?
I didn’t notice it being any harder to ride.
> > Does anyone recommend a specific model of suspension seat post? What > about matching tube sizes, will shims work?
The smallest size of suspension posts is 25.4mm. So you’d need a frame
that can fit a post that big.
I dont think that a suspension seat post is going to help on your drops.
You sdhould be standing up on the pedals when you lan d, not sitting on
the seat. Im sure someone else can state this better and give better
advice. look on my site under “Tips” for more on dropping.
— teachndad <forum.member@unicyclist.com> wrote: > I have been riding for 6 months and I am working on my drops. Have been > able to drop off 10" curbs, but I notice that there is a great deal of > spinal compression that occurs on the lower back. Would anyone suggest > getting a suspension seat post? I am 40 and my back is marginal. > > I was wondering when the suspension seat posts absorb the energy from > drops, do you lose your balance on landing or you just get used to it > like anything else you learn on a uni? > > Does anyone recommend a specific model of suspension seat post? What > about matching tube sizes, will shims work? > > I have a 24" semcycle XLW that is supposed to take 12" drops, I probably > won’t be dropping more than that for a year. At which point I might have > to upgrade. > > Thanks > > > > > – > teachndad Posted via the Unicyclist Community - http://unicyclist.com/forums
Suspension seatpost might be beneficial for people who experience back
pain when riding over easy but bumpy terrain, such as a gravel road.
Definately they increase comfort in any situation where you are riding
bumpy terrain while sitting down.
In general seatpost shocks will not provide any benefit for larger drops
or really difficult terrain because the dynamics of shock absorption are
to fold forwards at the waist while rolling out with the feet. There
shouldn’t be any force on the seat. This can put a fair amount of force on
the lower back muscles. General MUni riding over rough terrain, without
doing large drops, is a really good conditioner for developing lower back
muscles to support your back and prevent injury.
-Kris.
— Nick Dangerously <pyrotechnick13@yahoo.com> wrote: > I dont think that a suspension seat post is going to help on your drops. > You sdhould be standing up on the pedals when you lan d, not sitting on > the seat. Im sure someone else can state this better and give better > advice. look on my site under “Tips” for more on dropping. > > http://www.extreme.unicyclist.com > > Later, > > Nick Cegelka > > Pyrotechnick13@yahoo.com > > NickLikesFire AIM > > http://www.extreme.unicyclist.com > > > — teachndad <forum.member@unicyclist.com> wrote: > > I have been riding for 6 months and I am working on my drops. Have > > been able to drop off 10" curbs, but I notice that there is a great > > deal of spinal compression that occurs on the lower back. Would anyone > > suggest getting a suspension seat post? I am 40 and my back is > > marginal. > > > > I was wondering when the suspension seat posts absorb the energy from > > drops, do you lose your balance on landing or you just get used to it > > like anything else you learn on a uni? > > > > Does anyone recommend a specific model of suspension seat post? What > > about matching tube sizes, will shims work? > > > > I have a 24" semcycle XLW that is supposed to take 12" drops, I > > probably won’t be dropping more than that for a year. At which point I > > might have to upgrade. > > > > Thanks > > > > > > > > > > – > > teachndad Posted via the Unicyclist Community - > http://unicyclist.com/forums >
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> I have been riding for 6 months and I am working on my drops. Have been > able to drop off 10" curbs, but I notice that there is a great deal of > spinal compression that occurs on the lower back. Would anyone suggest > getting a suspension seat post? I am 40 and my back is marginal.
As Kris Holm and others have mentioned, the force of landing is absorbed
both by the legs and by the back. For small drops, mostly legs. But as the
drops get bigger, you bend at the waist to absorb the inertia of your
upper body when the wheel stops going down.
I highly recommend you get one of the unicycling videos to see how it’s
done. Universe is certainly the most entertaining one. Though not an
instructional video, it shows both the do’s and plenty of don’t’s of
off-roading and big drops.
That said, a suspension post is still nice for two reasons. It smooths the
bumps for seated riding, and it makes a cool conversation piece for people
checking out your unicycle!
I had pretty intense lower back pain too when I started. I probably
overdid it at first. But now after 6 months of frequent riding, it’s gone.
My lower back probably got stronger, and I did all of the things people
have mentioned on this subject. At first I was worried I had wrecked my
lower back. So I laid off the drops for about four weeks until my back
started to feel better. I think there’s a strong temptation to do trials
type stuff for which your body might not be ready.
I don’t use a seat post, and because I’m 5’7", don’t even have room for
one. At NUC I noticed how low Nathan Hoover keeps the seat on his Muni. I
lowered my seat 2" and it made a big difference. This naturally gets your
butt away from the seat and gives you room to use your legs for shock
absorption. Just the opposite of freestyle where the seat is kept high.
Joe
In a message dated Fri, 7 Sep 2001 1:41:31 PM Eastern Daylight Time, John
Foss <john_foss@asinet.com> writes: > > I have been riding for 6 months and I am working on my drops. Have > > been able to drop off 10" curbs, but I notice that there is a great > > deal of spinal compression that occurs on the lower back. Would anyone > > suggest getting a suspension seat post? I am 40 and my back is > > marginal.
I think the tire would make the biggest difference. On my 20" sem, I’ve
got a 20x1.8" tire. Compare that to a muni setup with a 24x3". When I land
on my 20x1.8, there’s almost 1.5" of tire (filled with air at 60- 80psi)
to compress before the rim hits the ground. On my 24x3, there’s about 2.5"
of tire (running more like 25psi).
I consider the tire my shock absorber. The tire with more room to compress
makes the landings feel much softer.
Jeff Lutkus
> I have been riding for 6 months and I am working on my drops. Have been > able to drop off 10" curbs, but I notice that there is a great deal of > spinal compression that occurs on the lower back. Would anyone suggest > getting a suspension seat post? I am 40 and my back is marginal. > > I was wondering when the suspension seat posts absorb the energy from > drops, do you lose your balance on landing or you just get used to it > like anything else you learn on a uni? > > Does anyone recommend a specific model of suspension seat post? What > about matching tube sizes, will shims work? > > I have a 24" semcycle XLW that is supposed to take 12" drops, I probably > won’t be dropping more than that for a year. At which point I might have > to upgrade. > > Thanks > > > > > – > teachndad Posted via the Unicyclist Community - > http://unicyclist.com/forums