Minimum faff dropper seatpost?

.blitz
.blitz Posts: 6,197
edited March 2012 in MTB buying advice
Afternoon all. Would like a dropper seat post but am put off by the (apparent) amount of attention some of them require. I don't mind routine maintenance but am not a fan of components that fail because they're badly made or poorly designed.

Which one do you think is the most reliable?

Comments

  • 123oldman
    123oldman Posts: 268
    Reverb

    Great sealing, minimum fuss - just works
  • lawman
    lawman Posts: 6,868
    +1 for reverb, mine is faultless :D
  • lostboysaint
    lostboysaint Posts: 4,250
    And another vote for the Reverb. Mine was a cinch to set up and has been faultless. I just wish they'd pull their finger out and launch a 27.2 version so I could stick one in the hardtail!
    Trail fun - Transition Bandit
    Road - Wilier Izoard Centaur/Cube Agree C62 Disc
    Allround - Cotic Solaris
  • 1mancity2
    1mancity2 Posts: 2,355
    Same here Reverb all the way.
    Finished, Check out my custom Giant Reign 2010
    Dirt Jumper Dmr Sidekick2
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    Reverb.
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • lostboysaint
    lostboysaint Posts: 4,250
    D'ya reckon the OP has got the message yet?
    Trail fun - Transition Bandit
    Road - Wilier Izoard Centaur/Cube Agree C62 Disc
    Allround - Cotic Solaris
  • .blitz
    .blitz Posts: 6,197
    Are Reverbs any good?








    :)
  • campbellrae1
    campbellrae1 Posts: 182
    We have sold a few in the last 6 months to a year, and the reverb is by far the most reliable. CrankBrothers Joplin is piss poor in the reliability stakes. As with everybody else, go reverb! They are also pretty easy to deal with if the do go wrong as most shops will be able to get the parts very quickly.

    I'm not sure if I would wait around for Fox's new post either to be honest, saw it at a trade show and wasn't too impressed, more expensive than a reverb and has set movement rather than the infinite adjustment you get on a reverb.
    Custom spec Scott Scale
    Custom spec Salsa Fargo
    Custom spec Scott CR1
    Scott Speedster S1
  • Chris5.5
    Chris5.5 Posts: 154
    I am going to go for the Giant Switch Contact seatpost, only had 2 rides on it but it has been faultless, and the remote lever is not as exposed on the bars as a reverb. Nice simple cable design with the lever shielded from the mud as it is in the seat clamp.

    It is significantly cheaper, they can be found in uk retailers for £140 ish so significantly cheaper.

    Chris
  • x3man
    x3man Posts: 85
    I'm looking at dropper posts as well. Reverb seems to be the best offering in terms of reliability but is so expensive compared to the Giant Contact Switch like Chris5.5 said. Has anyone used the Giant post, and what do you think of it?

    Sorry to hijack .blitz. I'm guessing you won't mind that question...
  • flappy8
    flappy8 Posts: 172
    remote lever is not as exposed on the bars as a reverb

    By far the best way with a reverb is to mount the switch below the bar on the left hand side. Thus its tucked away if you fall off or have to turn the bike upside down to repair a trailside disappointment.
    MTB or Road - They are both good!
  • sniper68
    sniper68 Posts: 2,910
    edited February 2012
    flappy8 wrote:
    By far the best way with a reverb is to mount the switch below the bar on the left hand side. Thus its tucked away if you fall off or have to turn the bike upside down to repair a trailside disappointment.
    good advice as it's £23 for replacement parts if you bend/break it :cry:

    2nd the Giant.For the money it's unbeatable
    I've also had 2 Joplin3Ls and apart from a bit of lateral play they've been fine,current Joplin is 3 years old and on my HT.
    Lynskey R480

  • benpinnick
    benpinnick Posts: 4,148
    +1 for Reverb. Got mine pretty much on launch, other than the collar loosening every no and again (which is not a problem to deal with) its been flawless.
    A Flock of Birds
    + some other bikes.
  • cjcooke
    cjcooke Posts: 14
    Just to add another one to the mix,

    I have just bought a KSI 900R (from pure racing) for my 2011 Stuntjumper, easy to fit and works great. It is cable operated so easy to maintain, my LBS did me a great deal,a bargin at £160.00.
    2011 Stuntjumper FSR Elite
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    Gravity Dropper's easily the most reliable, and also the easiest to fix if it does go wrong- very simple design, you can service it with a multitool and a kitchen roll whereas most of the competition are back-to-manufacturer when they break. Also I think the Turbo is still the lightest, if you care about that. Ugly as sin obviously which is why people buy unreliable pretty products instead.

    Reverbs have had their issues too but at least the aftersales service is good. My KS has been decent since it got fixed but it arrived not working right and took Superstar 2 attempts to fix (including one attempt at blaming me). So quite faffy then.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • x3man
    x3man Posts: 85
    Well I bought the Giant Contact Switch from here http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDeta ... ctID=53837

    Not been out for a proper ride yet but it looks like a decent bit of kit. Well made, easy to fit, and drops the seat post when I press the switch! I did resize the cable as it was far too long and while doing so I lightly greased the cable and sealed the cable entry point in the clamp with some grease - as suggested by a few other owners on these/other forums.

    I'll post an update after several proper rides...
  • x3man
    x3man Posts: 85
    Also forgot to say: When adjusting the lever cable on the Giant post use an M4 bolt to push the lever down and hold into place while you thread and tighten the cable. There is a threaded hole near the front of the clamp where you can do this. Makes the process much much easier. As I discovered after I'd already faffed with the lever by hand!
  • chiefinspector
    chiefinspector Posts: 153
    + 1 for the reverb. Got mine about a month ago and it has been fantastic. It did cost a bit of money from the LBS but it has been well worth it.

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