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At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

The Cane Creek eeSilk+ Aluminium Seat Post takes the excellent build quality and performance of the standard eeSilk, and gives you an extra 15mm of travel. If you want a subtle bump-taming solution whatever the terrain, this needs to be on your shortlist – especially considering the price drop.

Back at the end of last year Cane Creek announced an upgraded eeSilk range, and as Dave liked the original version so much, I was hoping the new models were going to perform as well.

The biggest change, though, is to the price. The original aluminium eeSilk was £319, while the new one is £224.99.

This eeSilk+ offers an increased travel of 35mm, versus the standard (nonplussed?) version with 20mm. Like the shorter version it retails for £224.99, while the carbon fibre version is £329.

This new price makes the eeSilk+ much more competitive against other suspension seastposts, such as the Redshift ShockStop (which also has 35mm of travel), which is currently £214.99. That's quite heavy though, despite being 27.2mm only: the 350mm version I tested weighed 545g, whereas this eeSilk+ is just 338g in a 31.6mm diameter.

The Cirrus Cycles Kinekt 2.1 doesn't look to be available direct in the UK at the moment, but is available on Amazon for around £245-£270, depending on size.

So, the eeSilk+ is well priced against the competitors and it's lighter too – that Kinect was 614g!

The performance is also great, in my opinion. I don't want to be able to feel that I've got a suspension seatpost on my bike. This might sound a little strange, but I like quite a firm ride and I especially do not want to be feeling the saddle bob around underneath me while I'm pedalling. The eeSilk+ achieves this.

It is so subtle in its action it is barely noticeable, and it just gently absorbs the little ripples and bumps without telegraphing its presence. It's only on the big bumps that you feel it use the available travel. It's also very smooth.

Most importantly for me, it doesn't react to pedalling efforts at all, even when turning them over hard. On the road it just feels to me like a standard seatpost; yes, it moves slightly in reaction to the roughness of the road, but it's pretty much undetectable.

The spring rate of the seatpost is controlled its elastomer, and that can be swapped for a softer or harder version than the default one to tune it for your weight. I found the standard one spot on, and after my usual three-hour gravel route I found I was noticeably more comfortable, and less fatigued too – I hadn't had to spend as much time out of the saddle when flying along the rough sections.

> 31 of the best cycling saddles for 2021 – get more comfortable on your road bike

The pivot design uses stainless steel axles (previous eeSilks used hollow aluminium) and IGUS bushes. As I've said, the whole operation runs very smoothly (even after plenty of wet weather abuse), and it's quiet too. There is a tiny bit of lateral play if you wiggle the cradle from the top, but it's not noticeable when riding at all.

This post is very well engineered and, as Dave mentioned in his review of the earlier eeSilk, he's been running the mountain bike equivalent (the Cane Creek Thudbuster) for the best part of twenty years with no issues. That bodes very well for reliability.

The aluminium eeSilk+ comes in 27.2 and 31.6mm diameters, and has an overall length of 387mm, with the bottom of the mechanism to the bottom of the saddle's rail measuring around 70mm. The rider weight limit is 113kg.

Saddle fitment is easy with a socket cap hex bolt at the rear and a regular bolt for adjustment at the front. I takes a spanner for adjustment, something I prefer to a thumbwheel design. The post is also Di2 battery compatible.

Dave was very impressed with the original eeSilk, and this eeSilk+ is just as brilliant to use – and better still, it comes at a much lower price too.

Smooth and subtle solution to taming bumps in the roads or trails, now at a competitive price

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Make and model: Cane Creek eeSilk+ Seat Post Aluminium

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Cane Creek says, "Cane Creek introduces more travel to the eeSilk lineup with the eeSilk+. With 35mm of travel, the eeSilk+ is a suspension seatpost designed to noticeably soften any gravel or mixed-surface road. Like our 20mm travel suspension seatpost, eeSilk, the eeSilk+ comes in both alloy and carbon, 27.2 and 31.6 mm options.

"The new eeSilk+ and eeSilk+ Carbon are performance suspension seatposts designed to add comfort and compliance to any bike without adding unnecessary weight. These posts make great enhancements to long gravel rides by reducing chatter transmitted from the surface to the rider and can be tuned to rider weight through a simple external elastomer change.

"The new eeSilk+ features stainless steel hardware and weighs less than 381g for the alloy post and less than 335g for the carbon post. eeSilk+ comes with an increased seatpost length of 387mm and eeSilk+ Carbon comes with a length of 362mm. The eeSilk+ Carbon comes with the same titanium hardware and custom titanium thumbwheel as the eeSilk Carbon.

"Like its shorter travel sister, eeSilk+ comes with 300-series stainless steel axles and IGUS bushings that sit within the Seatpost head and cradle to make for a more serviceable and quiet pivot design."

It's a great seatpost giving even more travel than the standard option for gravel or rough road riding.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Forged and machined aluminium arms

Stainless steel pivots and axles with improved IGUS bushings

Interchangable elastomer for rider tuned spring rate

Sizes: 27.2 and 31.6 (shims available for other sizes)

Length: Carbon - 362mm, Alloy - 387mm

Weight: Carbon 323g (27.2) 333g (31.6), Alloy 373g (27.2) 378g (31.6)

Max rider weight - 113kg (250lbs)

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It's a suspension post that doesn't feel like a suspension post – in the best possible way.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It comes in cheaper (and a lot lighter) than the Redshift and Kinekt models mentioned in the review.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

This is a very well engineered product that performs impressively. Its ability to soak up bumps without feeling as if it is moving makes it a winner in my eyes, and the lower price (over the previous eeSilk) makes it competitive.

Age: 42  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

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With 20 years of road cycling and over 150,000 miles in his legs it's safe to say Stu is happiest when on the bike whatever the weather. Since writing his first review for road.cc back in 2009 he has also had a career in engineering including 3D-CAD design and product development, so has a real passion for all of the latest technology coming through in the industry but is also a sucker for a classic steel frame, skinny tyres, rim brakes and a damn good paintjob. His fascination with gravel bikes is getting out of control too!

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