This has been done to death and I have used the search function, honest. However, I’m looking for a consensus of opinion about droppers? I’m looking for a 31.6mm internally routed dropper and while I own a Reverb, and haven’t had any issues, I know many who have.

Fox are supposed to be reliable but external only. The new Reverb is probably very good but serious money, Specialized post has some following, Thomson looks like my preferred choice but not cheap and unsure about reliability as I don’t think it’s very popular? Then there’s the 9point8 Fall Line, although that’s not cheap here and not exactly easy to get hold of either. The new Bontrager is out soon (but maybe not soon enough?!) and they appear to have good warranties and customer care?

AAAARGH! This is why I had a YT Jeffsy on order – it’s almost cheaper to buy a complete bike 😀

Fox have a new dropper on the way that will have internal routing options.

Magura and then who cares about routing…

Pick one, any one. It’ll be great till it breaks then have a moan about it on here. You’ll then get it fixed and it will be great again.

Tbh I don’t think there is much between any of the top level droppers. The choice you have is whether you want cable or hydraulic.

I went with Thomson for 2 good reasons – 1) it was cable, 2) I preferred the look of it. It still works properly after 2 years so those reasons remain good enough for me.

I’d still say Reverb.
There’s a group of 20 or so of us.
Every x-fusion has died
Every Crank Brothers has died
Every KS Lev has died
The odd cheapy has died
Specialised have fared quite well and self-serviceable, but it’s not an infinitely-adjustable post.

We haven’t tried Fox/Giant/Thomson or those new ones all based on the same design from Race Face, Easton, etc.

So after going around the houses, there are now about 15 reverbs in the group – all working fine.
2 have been returned/replaced under warranty.

This is in the Peak District, so pretty harsh on kit.

I’ve been saying it a lot but for me the 170mm drop of the new reverb, if it fits in your frame, makes it the obvious choice til the others catch up.

I’ve three, an X-Fusion HiLo, a Reverb and a Specialized Command Post.

The Command Post gets the win from me, newer models have a very wide range of settings too.

Like the idea of Command Post but it’s only in 30.9mm otherwise I’d be in. Maybe for when my Reverb dies on my 30.9 bike! Thanks, maybe I should just take the plunge and get the new Reverb.

The Magura looks like the secret but I don’t think I’ll have enough space, because of a kinked seat tube, to use it it’s 446mm long!

Thomson. So reliable, I don’t even think about it.

the idea of Command Post but it’s only in 30.9mm otherwise I’d be in. Maybe for when my Reverb dies on my 30.9 bike! Thanks, maybe I should just take the plunge and get the new Reverb.

USE will sell you a shim for about £7. You can’t even tell.

Shims are annoying if you change the seat height manually as well as with the dropper. Which not everyone does but I do quite ofte, sometimes it’s better to have REALLY LOW and ALMOST UP than it is to have LOW and UP. A ymmv I think but it drives me nuts.

rhayter – Member

Thomson. So reliable, I don’t even think about it.

Really? Everyone I know’s had to send theirs back at least once, to get the exact same faults fixed- and long waits for repairs/replacements too even though it’s all known issues. At least with KS and Rockshox you’ll usually get a fast fix.

Shims are annoying if you change the seat height manually as well as with the dropper.

Not sure why it would make any difference they are slotted and should loosen when you undo the QR – Have I missed something?

magura would be my choice for sheer convenience.

You have a Reverb that has been faultless, and you want to buy a Thompson because you don’t know if it is reliable, and it’s the same money as the new Reverb – which is too expensive?

Is confused.

AlexSimon – Member

Not sure why it would make any difference they are slotted and should loosen when you undo the QR – Have I missed something?

When you pull the seatpost up often the shim comes with it.

Understood

Yeah fair point northwind, I don’t so it doesn’t vex me but yeah, it would come up.

My XFusion went 2 years without issue, my new reverb has a nicer action but the release is stupid – uniquely hydraulic, great, but why ruin it by having this silly long travel button when a lever is just better, I’ll be honest and say that IMHO cable is the better solution to it and to hell with a bit of maintenance now and again.

Does anyone have any idea when the new Fox post is released?

I’m currently sat wit a reverb in a checkout basket, a fall line in another but don’t want to rush if this is going to be worth the wait.

Crank Brothers, end of.

Oh, wait. You want a dropper that *will* work for more than a few minutes.

Reverb or KS Lev, all the others in my experience aren’t as good or reliable. Although my experience is reverbs get the 10% sag ‘feature’ pretty quickly.

rickon – Member

Crank Brothers, end of. I wonder which is the best. Joplin, Kronolog or Highline. For their sake, I hope it’s the Highline 🙂

You know what, they should sell the Highline as a loss leader – make it a price that doesn’t make it feel like it’s cheap, but makes more people buy it – then prove CB can make a quality product. Take a loss on the sales, and then release another one, once they’ve got some brand loyalty and trust back.

brand loyalty and trust back

I used to love their pedals, but even they’ve turned to shit. It’s probably all great if you live in California.

All 3 of the replacement cartridges in my Thomson have failed in the same way as the original.
4 failures is not coincidence to me so I’d have to say don’t get one. Lovely when it works but so unreliable.
My wife’s Reverb has been faultless for 3 years. So has the second hand one I bought for £60 to use while my Thomson is off being fixed again and again.

rickon – Member

Although my experience is reverbs get the 10% sag ‘feature’ pretty quickly.

Almost always just a bad bleed, this.

Not in my case or experience, unfortunately.

my thomson needs a service after 3 years trouble free!

to be fair have also had a reverb for over a year without any problems from it.

i do prefer the lever and the action of the thomson, however.

I fall off quite a lot so was worried i might break the reverb lever/ get leaks etc, but it hasn’t happened thankfully.

really struggling to find anyone who services thomson posts.

anypne got any suggestion ?

i am based in yorkshire

rickon – Member
Although my experience is reverbs get the 10% sag ‘feature’ pretty quickly.

Almost always just a bad bleed, this.if that was the case I don’t think SRAM would have replaced nearly all of the Reverbs sent back to them with this exact problem .

I think they are just so cheap to make it’s not worth their time stripping them and fixing them as they have to deal with waste oil, non-recyclable parts (seals) etc. I wouldnt be surprised if it cost them in the ballpark of £40 to make. If someone spends an hour stripping and rebuilding them + the parts needed it soon makes it a lot cheaper to send a new one out.

Ramsey Neil – Member

if that was the case I don’t think SRAM would have replaced nearly all of the Reverbs sent back to them with this exact problem .

I’ve fixed half a dozen myself where people have had reverb erectile dysfunction. (one where a shop had bled it). Never had one that a decent bleed didn’t fix. I think it’s most commonly from cutting the hose without bleeding and just about getting away with it, but not quite. But people read on the internet and think it’s dead.

No doubt sometimes it’s a fault as well but don’t think about the posts that get sent back, think about all the ones that get sorted first.