It won’t make for a suitable replacement to proper shock absorbers if you ride along rugged trails. If you use a bicycle strictly for commuting around the city, however, the Rinsten Spring should be functional enough to provide a much smoother ride even when your local roads are riddled with potholes and speed bumps of all manners and sizes.
A shock absorber, it adds a layer of buffer between the seat post and the saddle, essentially taking the brunt of any road vibrations and sparing your delicate areas from the impact. That’s right, no more butt discomfort even after long hours of riding, all without having to replace your saddle, seat post, or any other bike component.
The Rinsten Spring is, basically, a spring that installs on the seat post using an included mount. Once that’s set up, you then attach the saddle to the spring, adjusting the amount of tension by changing the saddle’s placement along the spring’s length. Do note, this means you’ll need to install the seat post a little lower than you used to in order to compensate for the added height of the shock absorber. On the positive side, everything can be installed using standard tools, with everything easily set up in just a few minutes.
Do note, cyclists who enjoy a rigid and stiff ride probably won’t find this appealing, since the spring is bound to move with every single pedal movement. Those who’d rather trade the stiffness for a lot less pain the derriere, however, should find it a welcome change.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Rinsten Spring. You can reserve a unit for pledges starting at $31.