Dropper Seatpost what sort and where to buy?
Dropper Seatpost what sort and where to buy?
Author
Discussion

Engineer1

Original Poster:

10,486 posts

238 months

Monday 13th January 2014
quotequote all
So what brand and where is best to buy a dropper seatpost?

On the last couple of rides I am finding that unless my saddle is high I am really struggling on climbs, but a good height for climbs is too high for the technical stuff. My bike has a 31.6 seatpost and a fatbd rider I'm not too fussed whether the seatpost has a remote or not but I want something that is robust enough to cope with the grinding paste that is the mud on Cannock Chase.

ditchvisitor

1,238 posts

250 months

Monday 13th January 2014
quotequote all
Rockshox Reverb, end of!

SpunkyGlory

2,388 posts

194 months

Monday 13th January 2014
quotequote all
ditchvisitor said:
Rockshox Reverb, end of!
+1, mine copes with Cannock no problem.

Smartboy

232 posts

237 months

Monday 13th January 2014
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I picked up my new bike this weekend (2014 Cube Fritzz Race) and that has a Rock Shox Reverb stealth dropper fitted.

Once I remembered that I had one (!) I found it really useful on my first fee outings.

I guess it should cope with mud just as well as their other products do, so a service every 100hours or so an it'll be fine.

Seems little point getting a dropper without a remote though, cuz surely it would be just as quick to stop and adjust the quick release as I have always done on my old bikes?

Engineer1

Original Poster:

10,486 posts

238 months

Monday 13th January 2014
quotequote all
I looked at those but also at Gravity Droppers on the ground they look more robust.

richardxjr

7,561 posts

239 months

Monday 13th January 2014
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Got my Reverb from bike-discount.de, cheapest price at the time for a post complete with bleed kit (some sellers don't include the bleed kit). Right hand remote mounted upside down on the left [so you don't scuff it when bike upside down]. Left hand for dropper, right hand for shifting, perfect smile

paulmon

2,209 posts

270 months

Monday 13th January 2014
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ditchvisitor said:
Rockshox Reverb, end of!
If you want something that is unreliable & prone to failure with too much side to side slop then this would be the correct answer. Alternatively the Thomson Elite Dropper is what you should be aiming for.

BOBTEE

1,034 posts

193 months

Monday 13th January 2014
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I have a Reverb, it's ace!

Avoid the Joplin/Crank Brothers thing, utter garbage!

Rob_T

1,916 posts

280 months

Monday 13th January 2014
quotequote all
sorry, but you are all wrong.

the seat post to go for is the KS Lev - the silent assassin of all other dropper posts.

The lev is cable operated as opposed to the nonsense hydraulic of the reverb. it is therefore much more simple and easy to maintain. it is effectively a brake cable inside the cable housing… the trigger, when mounted on the handlebars will not break off when you turn the bike upside down to change a flat, again unlike the badly designed reverb.

the cable does not loop when the post is dropped as the release mechanism sits at the base of the post. it is also therefore much neater.

the action is very smooth. there is no lateral movement on the saddle.

i have had the seat post about a year and even the reverb brigade that i know are quietly muttering that they know mine is the better post…

do not go default reverb...

ditchvisitor

1,238 posts

250 months

Monday 13th January 2014
quotequote all
paulmon said:
ditchvisitor said:
Rockshox Reverb, end of!
If you want something that is unreliable & prone to failure with too much side to side slop then this would be the correct answer. Alternatively the Thomson Elite Dropper is what you should be aiming for.
Yeah that's right the Thomson is completely without fault... Oh no that's right it's subject to multiple failures already!

Blakeatron

2,566 posts

202 months

Monday 13th January 2014
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Loved my reverb, sadly doesn't fit on my new bike - if you have a 31.5tube I might be able to help you out...!

Will definitely get another when funds allow. Used rarely but was very handy when used - I like a really high seat when grinding away so being able to drop it down to 'normal' for downhills was great

Hobzy

1,271 posts

240 months

Monday 13th January 2014
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Gravity dropper. Simple, easy to fix with a standard gear cable and bullet proof.

GraemeP

770 posts

258 months

Monday 13th January 2014
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I've run a Reverb for 2 years, not serviced it, no cables to stretch, infinite adjustment for height (very handy on decents with pedal sections where you want to be part dropped etc).

Ok there is a tiny amount of left to right movement (mm's), but it's great overall. I've fitted it "top side", and apart from it being a bit scuffed it's still faultless (and the bike is out all weathers so I excpect it to get wear and tear).

The Fox cable unit is supposed ti be quite good, but the lever looks like it was designed for the partially sighted - it's laughably huge, a real carbuncle.

Mr Gearchange

5,892 posts

235 months

Monday 13th January 2014
quotequote all
SpunkyGlory said:
ditchvisitor said:
Rockshox Reverb, end of!
+1, mine copes with Cannock no problem.
+1

missing the VR6

2,539 posts

218 months

Monday 13th January 2014
quotequote all
Engineer1 said:
So what brand and where is best to buy a dropper seatpost?

On the last couple of rides I am finding that unless my saddle is high I am really struggling on climbs, but a good height for climbs is too high for the technical stuff. My bike has a 31.6 seatpost and a fatbd rider I'm not too fussed whether the seatpost has a remote or not but I want something that is robust enough to cope with the grinding paste that is the mud on Cannock Chase.
I've had a Reverb for almost 2 years, never touched it with regards maintenance. I'm currently just over 18 stone and it copes with me in the alps, various Welsh trail centres including Antur Stiniog for an uplift day and also Cannock Chase in early November 2013. (I have never known such aggressive dirt as Cannock, actual bike abuse!)

With regards reliability, the shop I got mine from said the early ones with silver collars where the post goes into the frame were problematic but the ones with black collars have been fine. Mine has a black collar and has been great.

Having had a lever operated Joplin (actual turd!!) I'd say it's worth the extra to get a remote one regardless of which brand (probably not Joplin), it's just so much easier to adjust on the fly than fiddle about under the saddle.

Engineer1

Original Poster:

10,486 posts

238 months

Tuesday 14th January 2014
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Cannock Chase is awesome for keeping the local bike shops in work, I need to get my bike serviced again then see what's left in the pot this month with regard to the seatpost.

RGambo

883 posts

198 months

Tuesday 14th January 2014
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Fox Doss. works well. totally reliable. I've had so far, crank brothers, reverb and doss. the DOSS is the one that has been most reliable and the two position drop is really usefull.

paulmon

2,209 posts

270 months

Tuesday 14th January 2014
quotequote all
ditchvisitor said:
Yeah that's right the Thomson is completely without fault... Oh no that's right it's subject to multiple failures already!
Really! I've haven't seen any reports of failures so I'd be interested in knowing about them so I could try and avoid the same issue. Would you mind sharing the details.

Cheers
Paul

Ian_sUK

735 posts

209 months

Tuesday 14th January 2014
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It's all got a bit fanboyish in here laugh

My 2 pence. I had a Joplin that was a nightmare but crank bros replaced it with a Kronolog which has been very good. A normal cable attaches to the fixed part of the post and the height is infinatly adjustable. It's a mechanical system so nothing to leak.

I've had it for about a year and ride Cannock at least once a week.

village idiot

3,225 posts

296 months

Tuesday 14th January 2014
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i've had reverbs, ks supernaturals and xfusions... reverb is the most solid all-rounder.

the thomson looks like it could be worth further inspection, especially as i am a long term thomson fan, but for the time being, i have gone for a reverb again on my latest build.