January 20, 2026, 06:02 PM
Elastomer suspension posts - meh. Honestly, after owning two different bikes with them, I think they’re way way over rated. At the end of the day it’s just a piece of rubber being squished. It might feel soft for the first couple of rides, but that "suspension" feeling fades fast once it starts packing down.
On my commuter ebike I actually thought something had broken after a few months because the bumps felt just as harsh as a rigid post. Turned out nothing was wrong, the elastomer was just doing what rubber does after repeated compression. On colder mornings it was stiff as a rock, and on hot days it felt mushy and unpredictable. Not exactly confidence inspiring when you hit potholes at 25 mph.
I swapped it out for a proper spring suspension post and the difference was night and day. Real travel, consistent feel, and no weird temperature issues. It actually absorbs bumps instead of pretending to. After that, the elastomer post just felt like a cheap shortcut marketed as real suspension.
I’m not saying elastomers are totally useless, but calling them suspension is generous. For casual cruising on smooth pavement maybe they’re fine, but for ebikes that are heavier and faster, I think they’re more gimmick than solution. Once you try a real suspension post, it’s hard to take a chunk of rubber seriously again.
On my commuter ebike I actually thought something had broken after a few months because the bumps felt just as harsh as a rigid post. Turned out nothing was wrong, the elastomer was just doing what rubber does after repeated compression. On colder mornings it was stiff as a rock, and on hot days it felt mushy and unpredictable. Not exactly confidence inspiring when you hit potholes at 25 mph.
I swapped it out for a proper spring suspension post and the difference was night and day. Real travel, consistent feel, and no weird temperature issues. It actually absorbs bumps instead of pretending to. After that, the elastomer post just felt like a cheap shortcut marketed as real suspension.
I’m not saying elastomers are totally useless, but calling them suspension is generous. For casual cruising on smooth pavement maybe they’re fine, but for ebikes that are heavier and faster, I think they’re more gimmick than solution. Once you try a real suspension post, it’s hard to take a chunk of rubber seriously again.