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If you want to improve the rear-end comfort of your bike, you have a lot of options. Notable seatpost models I’ve tested include the Ergon Allroad Pro carbon seatpost and Kinekt Active suspension seatpost.
I found the Kinekt Active to have had a few drawbacks stopping me from using it on an everyday basis (springiness and bottoming out).
My current everyday post is the Ergon. It offers up to 20mm of vertical deflection and it looks cool too. But I am still hungry to find an even better, more comfortable seatpost.
One seatpost I was always intrigued by was the elastomer-damped Cane Creek eeSilk. In theory, this post shouldn’t have the same springiness or bottom-out problems of the Kinekt, and might finally beat out my Ergon.
So I bought an eeSilk and fitted it to my bike.
The Cane Creek eeSilk
Like the Ergon, the eeSilk offers 20mm of vertical compliance. It achieves this not through a carbon leaf movement but by compressing an elastomer spring, which hides inside a clever linkage. This allows the elastomer to be freely squeezed when you hit any bumps, and the saddle can remain level throughout the travel.
The Cane Creek eeSilk even uses titanium bolts to keep everything lightweight and reliable in the long term – the construction looks rock solid.
Some of the reviewers reported small side movements but I have not felt anything like that. Everything works well and very silently. Just as you would expect from a component costing about €300.
Cane Creek eeSilk vs Ergon Allroad Pro
When I compare my Ergon and Cane Creek seatposts, one difference I notice is the way the suspension travel feels.
I recently had the opportunity to test a GT Grade Carbon gravel bike, and when I compared it to my steel benchmark bike, I felt that the carbon frame offered a ‘muted’ ride feel. In comparison, my steel bike has a ‘springy’ ride feel to it.
The same comparison can be applied here: the Cane Creek eeSilk feels like a carbon frame in that it has a ‘muted’ feel. The Ergon Allroad Pro, on the other hand, feels more ‘springy’ to me, just like my steel frame.
This is by no means a bad thing. You might even prefer a soft, muted ride feel over a springier one. But you should be aware of these characteristics and choose the seatpost feel that suits your preferences.
Another difference is how these seatposts react under large impacts.
You can clearly feel the eeSilk reach its limit. There is the sensation of bottoming out, but it is nowhere near being the ‘real’ bottom-out that you will experience on the Kinekt Active. There is no noise when the eeSilk binds, but compared to my Ergon Allroad Pro seatpost, the end portion of the suspension travel feels subjectively harsher.
This is not a big difference but was noticeable on the bumpy forest trails.
The Major Advantage of the Cane Creek eeSilk
Unlike the Ergon Allroad Pro, the Cane Creek eeSilk isn’t bound by body weight or seatpost leverage. You can simply swap the elastomers to suit your body weight.
In comparison, the Ergon Allroad Pro will either work for you or not. Its ability to perform well is highly dependent on your body weight and how much exposed seatpost you have sticking out of the frame. If you only have a short stub, the Ergon simply cannot do its job because there is not enough leverage to deflect it.
The Cane Creek eeSilk is a touch heavier than the Ergon (295 grams vs 220 grams), which is far less than any other suspension seatpost. It’s also Di2 battery compatible.
It also provides a modest 8mm setback while the Ergon relies on a 25mm setback to make the most of the design. This can sometimes make saddle setup challenging. It’s worth noting you can buy the Ergon seatpost in a 10mm setback variant but Ergon itself says that it will be less effective at damping vibrations.
And finally, the eeSilk caters for riders between 100 and 113kg (220-250lb). In comparison, the Ergon is only rated up to 100kg/220lb.
Setting Up The Cane Creek eeSilk
The Cane Creek eeSilk ships with a selection of three elastomers. The first is for riders between 45-73 kg (elastomer 3), the second is for 68-95 kg (elastomer 5), and the third is for 90-113 kg (elastomer 7).
The elastomer installed when I received the eeSilk was the correct one, so I was ready to go and test the seatpost right away.
I fitted it to my Jamis Renegade benchmark bike with Soma Cazadero 700 x 42mm tires (30 psi), a Lauf Grit SL fork, and a Redshift ShockStop stem.
Vibration Test Results
You can see my vibration measurement procedure & outdoor test courses HERE.
The vibration readings that I got on my benchmark bike were very similar to my Ergon Allroad Pro seatpost.
On the fast gravel route, the Cane Creek eeSilk was exactly as comfortable using the correct elastomer for my body weight. And on the bumpy forest trail, it was slightly less comfortable (3,8% less to be exact).
Based on my experience with the Redshift ShockStop suspension stem (which also uses elastomers) I wanted to know how the eeSilk would behave using a lighter spring rate elastomer (45-73 kg). So I changed the elastomer and re-ran the test.
This time I got the same level of comfort on a bumpy forest route, and over 5% improvement on a fast gravel route compared to my Ergon Allroad Pro. But to be honest, the riding characteristic also changed – I felt the elastomer was sagging too far into its travel.
And this a thing that Cane Creek could definitely improve. I believe that elastomers are a very good solution for suspension but there should be more fine-tuning to the spring rates (for me it would be something between the #3 and #5).
Is The Cane Creek eeSilk Worth It?
The Cane Creek eeSilk seatpost is the best possible choice if:
– You only have a small amount of exposed seatpost
– You prefer an 8mm seatpost setback
– You weigh between 100 and 113kg (220-250lb)
– You prefer a ‘muted’ suspension feel
– You don’t want to feel your seatpost bounce.
In the vibration tests, it was more or less on par with the performance of my Ergon Allroad Pro.
I do believe there should be a greater selection of elastomers though. For now, you only have three spring rates, which might be enough for you but I would’ve loved an elastomer in between #3 and #5.
As a result, the eeSilk will not find a home on my benchmark bike.
You can support the CyclingAbout Comfort Lab by purchasing a Cane Creek eeSilk seatpost on Amazon. Simply click HERE to make your purchase, and a small commission will come our way.
