scooter916 said:
1)
Spec- it has two keyways to eliminate side to side play, and they have replaceable brass keys that are designed to wear rather than the grooves machined inside the post
CB-only one keyway that I am aware of, most posts develop play quickly
2)
Spec-is a an air assist with a cable actuated collet so it will stay in any of the three positions if it develops a malfunction of any sort. meaning you will be able to ride out with any position if it fails on the trail
CB- hydraulic so once it leaks a little bit it wont hold a position and will continually drop until it is fully compressed, meaning you will have to ride out on a low post
3)
Spec- User serviceable, very simple well thought out internals.
CB- User serviceable, but requires a bleed kit and many tools
4)
Spec-adjustable return speed
CB- factory set return speed (please correct me if I am wrong on this one)
5)
Spec-air is lighter than oil
CB-Oil slug adds unnecessary weight
However I do like CB's under the saddle lever, I ride SS and hate cable clutter on bars, (remote lock-outs, wired computers, etc)
Hm. So don't get me wrong, I rode a specialized command post, it was the first adjustable on the fly post I've ever riden, and it absolutely blew my mind, but there were several things about it I didn't like. Here is a list:
In the wet, the return speed is nill. I actually had to get off the bike several times and yank up on the saddle to get it to the top position.
It lost pressure somehow and slid down to the middle position (or the medium? I donno, the 70% height position) on extended climbs. It always did it slowly, and I'm not sure how it works, so it may simply have been broken, but most of the time it held pressure ok.
There was always a slight amount of up down play in it. I didn't notice it in the slammed position, because I don't sit down while I'm descending and have it in the slammed position, and once I sat down it wouldn't move, but shifting in the saddle and initially sitting down it would always shift a little bit.
The cable is not a standard cable. You can't use a regular shifter cable, or brake cable. If you break/snap the cable or need a new one for some reason, you need an entire new assembly (or at least this is what several specialized reps were saying on a group ride) which costs like 50 or 60 dollars; basically you're screwed. Word is that's going to be fixed and a regular cable will be used in future iterations, but that alone is enough to steer me clear for now
Things I really liked:
In the dry, it was pretty snappy, but never catapulted.
It was very intuitive and easy to set in the different positions
It wasn't very fussy (until the end of the ride when it was wet and muddy), and easy to set in whatever position you want.
it didn't flex at all (not that I would expect it to, but it was a worry I had with adjustable seatposts)
The lever on the bars. I actually loved that aspect about it, its way faster, and it means you can do a pretty intense loopy section that moves from a really gnar G out to an intense climb really easily and fast, without taking your hands off the bars. I liked the on bar lever way more then the idea of reaching under the seat, and normally messy bikes really bother me, but this was not a problem at all, it was great.
Since I haven't ridden the joplin, I wont compare the two. The command post definitely has room for improvement, but overall I really really liked it!