And a couple weeks ago, I chatted up this 70 year old dude at Fremont Older. He was riding a carbon Blur and wanted to know if he should buy a 29er or not. I chatted with him a lot and learned about his crashes, his fear of descending. Also, he had four bikes and his favorite was his Blur.
fc
Did you mention converting the Blur to 650b? Between the dropper post and a little more roll over from the bigger wheels, he'd be a contender!
Ive had my command post for about 9 months, I chose it because I thought its mechanical design would be more reliable. After 9 months it appears it needs some kind of rebuild as it doesnt work at all. I'm sure a re-lube and cable cleaning should fix it--seems they all need regular attention.
Have been riding with a Gravity Dropper since 2005. Won't go back as it has been the single best upgrade on my bike, except for front suspension--yeah, I've been riding a long time. Definitely a game changer.
GD is probably the ugliest of the droppers. Bar Trigger mechanism is not sleek at all. They could certainly improve here. As others have said, customer service is just fantastic.
Product has been relatively reliable for me provided I service it twice a year. I have only one bike and it gets used quite a bit, including rain. Less maintenance would be better of course, but it is certainly a worthwhile trade-off for functionality.
If GD improved ergonomics and looks, it would be hard for me to switch to another brand as they do engender loyality with their customer service. However, the KS Lev does look enticing right now.
Been riding a Joplin 4r for the past couple of years. No problems w/ it -- I've judiciously cleaned and Buzzy's Slick Honey lubed it. I ride a ton and it's just starting to feel like it's coming to the end of its life. Not bad for a pretty cheap dropper (paid $200 for it). As everybody else has said, total game changer.
I'm holding off for several reasons, but the biggest ones are cost and reliability. Everyone I know has had issues within a year. For a $300-plus item? Pshaw. Closing in on a decade on my Thomson Elite without a single issue.
Also, I have a pretty short inseam so the difference between my climbing seat height and full-on descending position (Braille, etc..) is only about 1.5 inches, tops. Also, I'm a shitty climber and need an excuse to rest at the top of the hill.
And what's with this "I'll never ride without one" malarkey? Take away my suspension, disc brakes, wide handlebar.. and I'll still ride. Glad y'all love em, but seems like a luxury, not a necessity.
I have demo'd them and also found the infinite adjustability of the ones like the Reverb a bit annoying. Yeah, easy to get the max extension height correct, but getting the exact "low" position where descending was facilitated as well as decent seated pedaling was frustrating. (Again, I only need about 1.5 inches so maybe Im an anomaly...)
So a heavy, wiggly, expensive bit of kit thats prone to failure within months? Pass!
I've been riding with dropper posts for about 5 or 6 years. It's one of the most important compnents on my bike.
GravityDropper - The inner post is only 19mm, I've broken 2 of them. Both times the service from Wayne has been awesome. He replaced them both although they were out of warranty and upgraded me to a turbo the second time around. Best customer service of any bike company I've had to deal with. Still riding the turbo on my hardtail.
KS - horrible experience. Bought one, it was broken on delivery, slipping about an inch at the top. Returned it for another one. Also broken. Shipped it back to KS in an effort to try to keep it. They fixed it and it broke again 3 miles into my first ride. Ended up returning it, out a total of $30 in shipping and a lot of wasted time. I did learn in those 3 mile though that remote lever is the way to go, didn't like the under the seat lever.
Reverb. My favorite. Love the infinite adjustability and the push button lever and the extra inch of travel that it has over my turbo. It's not perfect though. I've had problems when it's really hot or if it's left in the sun. 3 or 4 times this summer when it was 90+ my post refused to stay up. Once it cooled down it started working again.
I have a regular seatpost on my singlespeed. It really limits what I can do on that bike and I end up riding it less.
Like everyone, I love the drop for the downs & techy bits, but what surprised me when I got a dropper, was that it allows you to put the saddle in the optimum pedaling position when up - rather than the compromised safe-for-descending-and-pedaling saddle level with a standard post.
I have 2 Gravity Droppers, one for the AM bike, one for the SS. 3 years on one GD, 5 years on the other. With both GD's, over their lives I have lubed 3 times, & replaced one cable. Stupid reliable.
Have the Joplin and Specialized Command Post Blacklight on two different bikes. I like the fixed 1 1/2" drop position of the Blacklight because when I drop it I know exactly where it will be. Dropping the seatpost is a life saver for us less skilled riders.
Welp, sonny, back in the day I used to use a Hite-Rite. It were plum easy to put on and work except you had to get off the bike to change it. It were light n' all n'worked every time but I never really used it much. Still wouldn't. So it got took off and tossed into the parts bin just like climbing bars later.
Send it my way, I still use em'. Lighter, simpler, cheaper.
A couple more things to add about the GravityDropper.
1) Occasionally the collar loosens and it no longer stays in the upper most position. That requires stopping, pulling the boot up, tightening the collar a little and pulling the boot back over the collar. Seems like it always takes me a couple tries to get it adjusted right.
2) Other minor issue is getting it to set into the middle position on the 3 position seatpost. Seems like it won't always click in right away leading to a bit of hunting up and down to get it to click in. That can be really distracting on tight singletrack with big drops on the edge of the trail.
Don't need to deal with either of those issues with the Reverb.
Got a new bike coming. Sold my command post with the old bike. Question:
I've only ridden dropper posts with set heights and have really gotten to like knowing what the 1" down setting is going to feel like. With the infinite adjustment ones (thinking of a Reverb because my new Tracer has a hidden cable option for the Reverb) do you end up fussing around with the height to get in that 1" down spot that is so nice for pedaling on rolly trail?
Is there any issues with the post being hung from something like a mount in the garage or if I take the car instead of the Jeep and have to use the trunk mount where the bike is hung from the seat post.
I've spent a lot of time on dropper posts. I've had a Joplin 4, KS i950R, Reverb and a GD Turbo.
I hated my Joplin, it just had issue after issues. On my first one a seat clamp broke, on my second one it was DOA out of the box, and on the third one worked for about 4 months before it stopped lifting the seat. I'll probably never buy a Joplin again.
My Reverb was a love / hate relationship. I loved how easy it was to set up, it mounted and flat out worked. I had it for about 6 months and enjoyed it, until air got into the system. The only negative about the Reverb is bleeding it. It absolutely sucks to bleed, just because it's pretty finicky and getting all the air out of the system is a challenge. When the Reverb works, it's a nice post, if you can live with some play in the saddle and at least on mine I couldn't lift the bike by the saddle.
The GD Turbo I've had for a year and a half. It's been awesome. It's worked flawless, has had no issues to speak of as far as reliability. Ergonomically I do not like the lever, or the cable routing as it buzz's my rear tire when the post is dropped. Unfortunately with my setup there is no way around this. As far as function, the post has been great.
My KS i950R I couldn't be happier. Servicing it is easy, replacing a cable is easy, setup is easy, there is no saddle play. The travel of the post is quick and firm, the lever works great and overall it's a good looking post. For my money I will pretty much always buy the KS posts, I have yet to find one nearly as good in my experience.
I've been waiting to play with a DOSS and the Thomson offering when it's available. I think the Thomson is going to be pretty awesome.
Got a new bike coming. Sold my command post with the old bike. Question:
I've only ridden dropper posts with set heights and have really gotten to like knowing what the 1" down setting is going to feel like. With the infinite adjustment ones (thinking of a Reverb because my new Tracer has a hidden cable option for the Reverb) do you end up fussing around with the height to get in that 1" down spot that is so nice for pedaling on rolly trail?
I rode a Joplin once. I didn't see any advantage to infinite positions. The 3 I got (all the way up, 1" down, 4" down) are all I would ever need. If anything, it's easier to get to that 1" drop on a set dropper post than on a Reverb or other hydraulic post.
Faster is not always better, but it's always more fun
Ok, people who are not riding. You need to help me with an article.
Have you used a dropper post? Do you use them on all bikes, some bikes, no bikes? Are you thinking about them? What's holding you back?
For those who have experience tell me what's good and what's not.
Factors:
- dropping action and lever action
- installation ease and cable routing
- appearance and weight
- seat clamp mechanism
- maintenance and reliability
Be honest but be accurate.
I made this video and am about to make more. I just got the 2 missing KS posts and so I should have most of them now.
I love my gravity dropper. I just don't like the extra weight. It's is really heavey.
You feel a lot more secure descending in the dropped position. The other thing I don't like is that you need to bump it sometimes to get it to lock or go down. You can't just hit the switch and push on it and expect it to go down.
i have been using ks dropzone for a year and llove it. Done usual maintenance in past but got jammed the otherday so took it completely apart. Now having trouble getting it to work again
Can you guide me to a hydraulic rebuild guide or video. I know I need 5 wt oil but how much
and I am doing something wrong - help
IMO the biggest distinguishing factor of these seat posts is how does it lock the seat into place. Mechanically or hydraulically. I personally won't touch a post that uses hydraulic locking. I feel they are very much more subject to failure and for me the most important factor in a seat post is reliability. If my seat post is failing on a ride and screwing up my ride, I'm pissed.
Currently I am running three Blacklight posts all on different bikes and no failures. Sure they need periodical service but they never have actually failed.
Deciding factors of this post
1. Mechanical locking mechanism: the Blacklight uses a Collete system that locks surely into place every time. Some will say that due to the fact that you will not get "infinite adjustability" this is a down side. Personally I don't actually like using an infinitely adjustable post because it can be difficult to set the "cruiser" setting on bumpy terrain. I find that sometimes it takes me three-four attempts to find that perfect small drop that I am looking for. The command post 40mm cruiser setting is easy to find and seems perfect for technical climbs or rolling, undulating terrain.
2. Price: I really feel like the price of these things should be coming down and it seems to be going the opposite way. The price of $275 (retail) is within the realm of reality for this item. Yes these posts are a game changer but they are basically glorified office chair technology, well some are anyway.
I really like the look of the DOSS but the initial price of $450 was certainly unrealistic. Fox recently sent an email announcing they are dropping the price by a 100 dollars to make the product more competitive. A step in the right direction. Things I like about the DOSS over the Blacklight are a zero offset seatpost head and the seat post head is a better design overall. The actuation of the lever and the post itself is way smoother than the Blacklight, although I haven't had a chance to put any miles on a DOSS...
Are the Lev and 950 infinitely adjustable within their range? They're not like the GD droppers where there are pre-set stops are they? Thanks for the help!!
Buzzcut - nice bike but you need to lose the zip ties for your cable guides. I have a Yeti 575 and I used these Jagwire cable guides. The bases are made of metal and will form to your frame. I have had them on for about a year and have not had one pop off.
Are the Lev and 950 infinitely adjustable within their range? They're not like the GD droppers where there are pre-set stops are they? Thanks for the help!!
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Originally Posted by KentM
