Review of the SR Suntour SP12-NCX suspension seatpost

A seatpost with a shock absorber can bring a lot of benefit on a hardtail (a bicycle without a rear shock absorber), and in multi-day cycling trips it will become simply irreplaceable. A high-quality seatpost should only work on significant potholes and potholes, while not reducing the bicycle roll because of the loss of energy to “swing” the saddle. A conventional saddle with springs can also "eat up" energy.

A good seatpost cushioning pin is able to successfully cope with bumps and potholes. And if on your bike a high-quality chrome-molybdenum alloy frame is also installed, then the level of comfort will be comparable to a two-suspension aluminum bicycle. The market has a huge selection of suspension pins. There are two types of damped pins: telescopic and parallelogram damping pins.In the telescopic seatpost pins using a conventional spring, which absorbs rough shocks. Parallelogram damping pins, the most famous of which are the Crane Creek Thudbuster and SR Suntour SP12-NCX, are considered more advanced. The advantage of the parallelogram design is the minimal change in the distance between the saddle and pedals, which helps improve contact with the bike and maintain the position of the cyclist relative to the bike.

Which seat post is better to choose - Crane Creek Thudbuster or SR Suntour SP12-NCX? It seems to me that the latter will be a more profitable acquisition. On the Internet on the SR Suntour SP12-NCX reviews are pretty good. In addition, in 2012, the design of brass bushings was improved. And most importantly - the price of the SR Suntour SP12-NCX is lower than on Thudbuster.Also, due to the combination of elastomers used, Crane Creek Thudbuster has a tendency to slightly fluctuate in the vertical direction. Although it is necessary to recognize that this is one of the best amortization pins and deserves to pay attention to it.

Suntour's pin, designed for a rider's weight of 60 - 100 kg, is 5 cm. Full technical information on SR Suntour SP12-NCX is available on the Suntour official website.

It was not possible to buy the SR Suntour SP12-NCX seatpost in an ordinary bike shop, because they simply aren’t delivered to us. It was necessary, as usual, to turn to foreign online stores, in which the choice of bicycles and accessories for them is much greater. Online order through the Internet passed without problems. The pin in the native packaging came very quickly.I also purchased a separate neoprene dust cover, which is needed to protect moving components.

Before ordering, I had little doubts whether this pin would fit my saddle. The photo above shows the Brooks saddle upside down and the seatpost mounting. The Brooks B17 Select saddle can be shifted horizontally by only 6 mm. Perhaps this problem will be fixed in the next version of the Suntour pin. Nevertheless, I managed to install the saddle without any problems. And most importantly, even with the restrictions on adjusting the Brooks saddle, I managed to achieve a comfortable fit on a bicycle.

I specifically tried to ride curbs and potholes to check when the seatpost starts to work. As expected,The initial setting was almost equal to my weight (71 kg). A little tightening the hex bolt on the pin, managed to achieve the perfect setting. Traveling is not one day with this seatpost, I really like that he responds only to significant blows. I did not notice any rebounds at all - it gently absorbs the pothole and immediately returns to its original position without a rebound. I am very pleased that I chose the SR Suntour SP12-NCX seatpost.

The SR Suntour SP12-NCX performed well during a trip abroad - it worked very well on smooth Norwegian roads, on bumpy forest routes with an abundance tree roots in Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, on cycling routes with sand dunes, on broken asphalt and gravel roads, which we have in abundance.Indeed, the pin confidently works out large potholes and pits, thereby preventing the load and even spinal injuries. Immediately returning the seatpost to its initial position after absorbing the impact helps to control the Thorn Raven Tour bike well on bumpy terrain, which already has good stability.

The pin doesn’t require any maintenance - set and forget. Unless you need to once establish the correct tension of the spring, corresponding to your weight and style of driving.

During the trip I constantly checked the seatpost and found that it was slightly worn from the top due to the fact that every time I absorbed blow he contacted the saddle rails. Wear is clearly visible at the corners of the pin. The saddle rails received almost no damage and no rust,except that a little black paint was erased. Judging by the photos, the degree of wear looks worse than it actually is. At the same time, the hub is completely unaffected.

View from the right ...

and from the left side of the bike.

After 14 weeks of daily use and more than 6,200 km behind, I’m completely Satisfied with the work of the seatpost. Initially, the set spring tension was absolutely correct. There are no signs of further wear of the saddle rail and the seatpost itself. As you can see from the photo, the neoprene case has slightly torn.

The neoprene case performs its function well. During and after the hike, as a result of close inspection of the mechanism, only slight wear and a small amount of penetrated dust were detected.The sleeve and the points of contact with the saddle did not receive any damage.

The advantages of the SR Suntour SP12-NCX seatpost:

a good and reliable design; < / li>
an adjustable spring that allows you to achieve the right “rebound”;
a high-quality spring that retains its tension with time;
high-quality brass bushings;
affordable price;
stylish black color.

Disadvantages of the SR Suntour SP12-NCX seatpost:

poor compatibility with Brooks saddles ;
initial minor clicking sound (passes over time);
a neoprene cover is not included.

To summarize, I can firmly recommend the Suntour seatpost for mounting on a touring or Mountain bike. He does an excellent job with his work! Maybe in the future I will be able to compare it with Thudbuster.