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Dropper posts

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
I've had a Joplin 4 that's given me 4(?) years of surprisingly trouble-free(ish) service, but it appears to have sharted the bed. What to replace it with? I want something reliable with 5" of drop. A two bolt clamp is vastly preferred.

Options, as I see it:

-Thomson: Pros: Says Thomson on it, light. Cons: 'spensive.
-KS LEV: Pros: cable not moving is sort of cool I guess? Never bothered me on the Joplin. Cons: Doesn't say Thomson on it, collar cable mounting looks like it might mean that the minimum extended height is a little higher? With a 5" drop post I'm going to need it pretty close to slammed.
-Reverb: Pros: none moar blacke color scheme. Cons: hydraulic actuation seems overly complicated, but I guess there's no real reason it shouldn't be solid. Also doesn't say Thomson on it.

I know the Kronolog is a thing, but I'm pretty down on CB in general so I'm not too inclined to give them more money unless there's really compelling reason to do so.

Did I miss anything? Thoughts?
 
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wiscodh

Monkey
Jun 21, 2007
833
121
303
I've had a Joplin 4 that's given me 4(?) years of surprisingly trouble-free(ish) service, but it appears to have sharted the bed. What to replace it with? I want something reliable with 5" of drop. A two bolt clamp is vastly preferred.

Options, as I see it:

-Thomson: Pros: Says Thomson on it, light. Cons: 'spensive.
-KS LEV: Pros: cable not moving is sort of cool I guess? Never bothered me on the Joplin. Cons: Doesn't say Thomson on it, collar cable mounting looks like it might mean that the minimum extended height is a little higher? With a 5" drop post I'm going to need it pretty close to slammed.
-Reverb: Pros: none moar blacke color scheme. Cons: hydraulic actuation seems overly complicated, but I guess there's no real reason it shouldn't be solid. Also doesn't say Thomson on it.

I know the Kronolog is a thing, but I'm pretty down on CB in general so I'm not too inclined to give them more money unless there's really compelling reason to do so.

Did I miss anything? Thoughts?
if the hydro line on the reverb was hidden in my frame or was attached to the collar like the lev. I would be one friggen happy camper. Coming from the joplin to the reverb was a great decision. Going on 2 years with no bleed and still is dandy. I dig that i can control how fast the post comes up to meet my jiggly bits.

if i had to get a new post, i would probably drop in on the lev. The cable dosent move up and down!!!
 

eric strt6

Resident Curmudgeon
Sep 8, 2001
23,189
13,448
directly above the center of the earth
I have the Kind Shock model prior to the LEV. After a year of use I would say its been trouble free with a few quirks. You have to cycle it to lube up the innards before a ride or it gets sticky when you don't want it to. The seat clamp is ok, not great then again it could be that after re-postioning the seat I did not tighten it sufficiently. It has slipped on a ride where i was real hammering through the rough stuff but then again I weigh close to 240 pounds and exert a bit of force. I do get the full travel of the exposed section of the seat tube. Based on the past year I would not be reluctant to upgrade to a LEV
 
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StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,504
In hell. Welcome!
Reverb fails a lot and you have to deal with a LBS to get it sorted out, SRAM does not deal with customers directly unlike i.e. KS. Also, the hydraulic remote is a massive PITA when you crash and shear the feeble barb connecting the hose to the remote. Oil gets spilled everywhere, usually contaminating the front rotor. It happened to me and pretty much everyone I know who owns one. If I were to buy a new dropper, I would get a LEV. For the long months when my Reverb was out of commission, I got a cheap KS eTen. Works like charm but is heavy.
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
X-Fusion? Think it meets your requirements and is pretty dang easy to service on your own, and they'll sell seal kits. They have a walk-thru video on the website if I remember right.
 

boostindoubles

Nacho Libre
Mar 16, 2004
7,839
6,145
Yakistan
My dropper post experience is with a stealth Reverb. Paid the LBS full pop. After 6 months and 3 warrantied posts I mtbr'd a NIB warranty for almost half what I paid. SRAM got the posts flipped and back to me fast but whats the point when they kept sending me a pile. I have multiple friends who all had identical experiences withe the stealth reverb. Mine kept dumping the oil into my seat tube. Nothing like draining a seat tube of oil!
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
Based on your clearly defined criteria. You should go with the Thompson. Spot on I tell ya....
That, and they were popping up on chainlove recently.
Try competitive cyclist. They were on par with deals on LEVs.

I have had a LEV for a few months and it had worked pretty well for me.
It was stuck up last week after riding it in the cold.

I added some tension to the cable and it fixed it. Another cool thing about it is the combo of the clamp with the ODI lock on clamp. Or replacement of the inner clamp. Tis teh coolz.
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
X-Fusion? Think it meets your requirements and is pretty dang easy to service on your own, and they'll sell seal kits. They have a walk-thru video on the website if I remember right.
Good call. Forgot about that one.
 

Damo

Short One Marshmallow
Sep 7, 2006
4,603
27
French Alps
Based on your clearly defined criteria. You should go with the Thompson.
Sounds like you've already made your mind up! :D

The LEV is nice. I can't compare it to others, but the ODI lever is a nice touch and so is the non-moving cable.

I'm guessing apart from those features, every UppyDowny seatpost is essentially the same.
 

scottishmark

Turbo Monkey
May 20, 2002
2,121
22
Somewhere dark, cold & wet....
Fox Doss is missing from the list.

Pros: Goes up and down, 3 set positions
Cons: Big silly lever, 3 set positions, doesn't say Thomson on it, 'spensive, anodising will probably fall off it you ride in cr@p conditions
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
Fox Doss is missing from the list.

Pros: Goes up and down, 3 set positions
Cons: Big silly lever, 3 set positions, doesn't say Thomson on it, 'spensive, anodising will probably fall off it you ride in cr@p conditions

Three positions is why it's not on the list.
 

amishmatt

Turbo Monkey
Sep 21, 2005
1,263
396
Lancaster, PA
I've been on a Thomson since June. First one developed play, and they said there were assembly issues in an early batch, so I sent it back. They replaced it with a new one and had it back to me inside a week.

Second one developed a little play also, but not as bad - basically what every dropper post feels like, and not noticeable when riding. I can live with that, but I was hoping it would have stayed solid like it was when new. Out of the box and for the first few rides, it feels as solid as a non-dropper.

I called Thomson and spoke with David a few times, and he's assured me that the play is normal, and there's nothing wrong. Suggested I not bother sending it in, but was clear that they'll back it up with warranty service if I want to send it in. He's been super helpful and always easy to reach. I like that I can call and talk to a person and the fast turn around time, instead of just leaving a message or blindly sending it in for service and hoping for the best.

I like the Thomson seat clamp, and the little remote lever is cool and low profile, unlike most others. I routed mine pretty cleanly with a flexible cable noodle, so I could tuck it in around the bar and under my brake lever - there's a picture in the thread in the DH forum. Set up was a cinch, don't have to mess with anything to get proper cable tension, and it's been trouble free since new (aside from developing a little play, which I wouldn't consider "trouble"). No issues of getting stuck up or down, being slow to return, or anything like that. I haven't had it in sub freezing temps, but down to low 30s, and I've crashed a few times that certainly involved the post taking a hit. I'd buy it again.
 

JustMtnB44

Monkey
Sep 13, 2006
840
113
Pittsburgh, PA
I've had a Gravity Dropper classic for 5 years and it is still working just fine without ever really servicing it. The 3 positions don't bother me; I was actually torn as to whether infinite adjustment is better. But I recently bought the KS Lev for my other bike but haven't installed it yet. I don't like any of the posts where the cable is attached to the moving head, and the Lev is one of the few. It was also on sale at Jenson so the price was more reasonable.
 

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
23,928
14,450
where the trails are
I've owned the XFusion: Loved it, but hated the clamp mechanism. I had the 'wedge clamp' style older model and my saddle moved often. I know have a Reverb and short of needing to snug the air valve core after I air pressure would slowly leak, it's been awesome.
 

mattmatt86

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2005
5,347
10
Bleedmore, Murderland
I've been on a KS Supernatural for almost a year and haven't had a single issue. I thought the cable moving would be an issue but once you get the cable set up correctly so the extra cable pushes through to the front of the bike then you'll never even notice the cable moving. I had plans when the LEV came out to upgrade, since I figured out how to correctly run the cable I have no reason.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
I like the action of the reverb best. Some people don't like the ergonomics of the lever, and the non-stealth version is susceptible to barb breakage in a crash. Both can be solved by running the stealth version with the remote lever mounted under the left side of your bar (easiest with 1X set-up).
 

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
3,884
448
That, and they were popping up on chainlove recently.
Try competitive cyclist. They were on par with deals on LEVs.

I have had a LEV for a few months and it had worked pretty well for me.
It was stuck up last week after riding it in the cold.

I added some tension to the cable and it fixed it. Another cool thing about it is the combo of the clamp with the ODI lock on clamp. Or replacement of the inner clamp. Tis teh coolz.
Where did you find deals on the lev? I'm leaning towards this over a reverb because of the extra travel and nice lever. Is the lever easy to use on yours? My command post was always a pain to push the button far enough to work, even with full cable tension. I just destroyed my command post by "working on it". Whoops
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
Where did you find deals on the lev? I'm leaning towards this over a reverb because of the extra travel and nice lever. Is the lever easy to use on yours? My command post was always a pain to push the button far enough to work, even with full cable tension. I just destroyed my command post by "working on it". Whoops
I got mine on a combined order from Pricepoint. The threshold let me tack on another 20% discount and it wound up costing me just under $300. I'm sure you'd be able to find a deal around that with all the cyber monday business going on...
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,573
24,192
media blackout
it's tempting, but personally i'd wait until gen 2 from thompson. basically until they can have the cable not attached to the head of the post, but at the mid point or something so the cable doesn't move when actuated
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
it's tempting, but personally i'd wait until gen 2 from thompson. basically until they can have the cable not attached to the head of the post, but at the mid point or something so the cable doesn't move when actuated
Thomson has said explicitly that they're not going to do that because it requires that they pierce the inner tube of the post, which they don't like from an engineering standpoint. They have hinted at a stealth style version to come, with the cable routed out the bottom of the post, but then I'd have to drill a hole in my frame, and having the moving cable never bothered me on the Joplin.
 

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
3,884
448
I don't think so. Unless I misunderstand, there are two versions: an internal router version (integra) and the other one where the cable mounts more like a gravity dropper.
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
FedEx just dropped of the Thomson. Sure is purdy. I'll install tonight, ride impressions this weekend.
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
The Thomson out on our ride (er, I mean sick day) yesterday performed the best in the cold of the bunch. The reverbs all slowed down to the point of barely being useful, and my Lev slowed down a bit.

The Lev would just need a little more air to speed it up again, but it worked perfectly other than that.

The Thomson was the newest too...

Enjoy...
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,006
Seattle
I did a cold ass ride last night too. The rundown:

-Command Post: Utter fail.
-Reverb (x2): Slowed down badly, but still kindasorta worked.
-Lev (x2): Worked fine.

Nobody had a Thomson, so no comment there.
 
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Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,855
9,560
AK
Bikeyoke came through today.

Probably won't get any time riding it until March or April, when I have a race towards the end of the month, but great to see they came through with their promise. I like the concept though (can be bled anywhere at any time due to inverted design).

Post only is 457g

Post+supplied cable and housing 518g

Post+all hardware/cable/housing/lever 564g

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