Is the command post any good? Never see any reviews of them.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/specialized-command-post-ircc-review.html

Happy with my old Hilo still, but I still can’t see past gravity dropper for reliability and user maintenance benefits. Whats so terrible about 100-125mm drop then? Is it all about the 150-170mm drop in the comics these days?
Surely if you need a 7″ drop post you simply bought the wrong size frame to start with?

Command post user here. I only wish they did a 27.2mm one so I could have one on my HT as well as the FS. Easily user serviceable and if required full rebuild kits available at reasonable cost (though it still seems a lot for a few o-rings, seals and bushes).

cookeaa – Member

Surely if you need a 7″ drop post you simply bought the wrong size frame to start with?

What has one got to do with the other? (other than that you can’t fit a decent length post in all frames)

The job is to get the seat out of the way, some do it better than others… but I’ve never ridden some daft thing and thought “wish the seat was higher”

The 150-170mm is all about how far you can slam the seat when not in use not trying to make a tiny frame fit someone with long legs.

As an aggressive rider with only the one mountain bike I like to run a dropper so I can use it for trail riding or getting some air.

I have a 150mm KS Lev having previously owned a 125mm LEV which had to be raised out of the seat tower.

TBH I think I could do with a 160mm dropper but that’s getting silly

KS lev has actually proven pretty reliable although after a few years, the sprag bearing has started to mark the stanchion despite religious cleaning and shaft services.

Mmm. Shaft services… 8)

GD here, ugly as sin, 5 years old serviced twice (10 minute job) no faults at all used at least 3 times a week in all weathers

The better half has my old 27.2 on her bike. It once failed on an incredibly wet Afan ride, but a disassemble, wipe and reassemble saw it working well enough to get back to base. All in all took about five minutes, if that.

Ugly as sin, limited travel, but my word – easy to look after.

mine snapped, then fell apart into quite a lot of pieces – while it was just sitting on the workbench of disgrace.

(bolts fell out, adhesive failed, springs ejected other parts, etc.)

was actually quite impressive in a way: every now and then there’s tech story on the bbc website or somewhere, about how in the future, shape-memory alloys will mean that things like washing machines will be able to self-dissassemble at the end of their lives – making recycling much easier.

never mind ‘in the future’ my gravity dropper already did that years ago.

if you’re after a GravityDropper, just get a Tmars, surely? they really can’t be any worse.

ahwiles – Member

if you’re after a GravityDropper, just get a Tmars, surely? they really can’t be any worse.

My gravity dropper was in good shape when I sold it at 3 years old. My Tmars lasted 6 hours.

if you’re after a GravityDropper, just get a Tmars, surely? they really can’t be any worse.

They really, really are. The TMars I had felt like it was made of randomly assembled, rusty, old Trabant parts. Having owned both, I’d happily pay full rrp for a new GD over a TMars.

i’m actually impressed that someone has managed to make something even more shonky than a GD…

(which, at full extension, would detach it’s own gaitor)

Anybody with real world experience of the Giant Contact SL dropper? It gets decent enough reviews, mainly in relation to the low price point.

My Fox Transfer post has been faultless. Ok it could do with a reduction in rotational play but I can put up with that as long as it’s reliable. The lever has a nice feel and the return speed is easily controlled by the lever

Likewise – mine’s only had 8 (long) days of riding but it’s got some advantages over a reverb –
– good lever feel (though mine got bent in an off and needs replacing, though still functional)
– sideways movement no worse than a reverb in my case. definitely not an issue.
– cable a much better solution than hydro, especially for stealth. If something does go wrong it’s quicker and easier to fit and swap out.

My original Hilo continues to go on and on, despite me not having serviced it since I bought it 4 winters ago – this will be its 5th. Its on the HT, so gets the worst of it. I’ve changed the cable a couple of times, and it losses pressure, but it goes on and on.. My reverb on other bike has cost me over £200 on servicing and its a little newer.

I have had three Reverb’s, two HiLo’s and a Giant Contact Switch. The only one that has failed is the Giant

Year and a bit now on an RSP Plummet (not the new hydraulic one). I’ve not done any maintenance on either the post or the cable. Still works the same as when it came out of its box. Ugly – but does the job.

I think we got the first dropper post in the guiding team about 5 years ago. That was a reverb, which I’ve just sold along with my old hardtail. It was still working pretty well, a little sticky and a little sloppy, but still working. Zero maintenance in that time.

Since then, amongst the guides we’ve had:

Reverbs: At least 5. Had to bleed one or two and had to do hose replacements/bleeds because of crash damage a couple of times, but no serious issues.

KS Lev Integra: No issues, sold on after a year, still working.

NukeProof Oklo: Let’s not go there.

BrandX: Just fitted one of these to Iona’s hardtail. Been flawless so far for a few days shredding in Finale Ligure. Too early to say any more than that.

As far as observing clients’ bikes goes, we held off buying droppers ourselves because we saw a lot of problems with the early ones, but these days we see very few issues. Maybe one or two stuck-up / stuck-down posts in a season plus a few crash-damage incidents…

Three Reverbs here. All still working fine.
Only issue is a crash damaged lever, fixed for about 7 quid I think (new barb).

Maybe it’s the fact that we both weight less than 11 stone, but they’re ridden year round and in all conditions, bikes generally get a wash before being put away and I use Fork Juice on the posts every so often.

Si

One older 2011 command post – still working but has had one seal replaced
2015 black lite Comand post perfect and keeps working
And a newer 27.2 carbon command post for the xc bike only 6 months old but no issues so far

Another vote for the specialized command post here.

Have a Thomson which has done 18months so worrie.

Also have a KS Crux-i which has been pretty good but needs a service after 8 months.

Have about 10 hours on a new Brand-X one which I’m very impressed with. If it’s reliable (it does have a two year warranty) then it’ll be my default choice.

My Gravity Dropper posts just kept working – and when my older GD Classic occasionally got awkward it was very quick to service. It shows how well it lasted without attention because it corroded into place in my old steel hardtail and got broken trying to remove it!

I only replaced my Turbo LP because I wanted more drop, going to a 170mm Reverb. The remote on the Reverb isn’t as ergonomic as the GD’s but as I have rather long legs the extra drop is nice. If you want a very reliable 30.9mm post with 125mm drop my Turbo LP needs a new home – I even have spare bushes and boots for it as I was expecting to keep it for years and years and a spare remote from when my older GD was an over bar lever which I switched to an under bar (other side flipped).

They’re a serviceable item!
I’ve had a few reverbs and not had an issue with any (I did avoid the 1st gen though). But I give them a bleed every now and again, it takes 20 minutes tops. No reason not to really, same as brakes.
In operation, the only think I find slightly frustrating is they are slooooooooow when it’s cold. I’d like to give a transfer a go, but unless I can get one for a reasonable price, I’ll be sticking with what I have.

The Thomson isn’t a serviceable item. I’d love to be able to strip and lube that

WATT?
You can’t service it? how not? special tools or gas charged? Eff that.

Anybody with real world experience of the Giant Contact SL dropper? It gets decent enough reviews, mainly in relation to the low price point.

I’ve got the 150mm version the cartridge failed after 3 months of use (It had gone through 3 weeks of riding above 10000ft – which may have been a factor)

Took 2 weeks to get the cartridge replaced

But other than that it goes up and down nicely, the remote lever work well, and the seat clamp works well. I’m running it in stealth mode but it can be non stealth as well. Its not the lightest of dropper posts – but for the price its worth it. Its a pretty simple design – basically if anything goes wrong with cartridge that gets pulled out and you plug in another one

I bought it as i needed the extra 25mm of drop over my old gravity dropper post , which was still going strong after 6 years of use..

My 2yr and 2month old Thomson (2yr warranty) has lost 10mm of its extension, needs a new cartridge. Rather than pay the £100?!?! Service charge I’ve bought a brandx dropper for the same cost (British cycling 10% crc discount)…..
It also has a 2yr warranty, only weighs 35g more.
I’ll see how this 140rrp post compares to the 400rrp Thomson after the winter….

I have the new improved Reverb dropper. It broke at 13months.

Warranty replaced. Not a chance I’d buy a used Reverb dropper.

I’ve got a 9point8 Fall Line. I read all the reviews and user feedback and decided I’d spend the premium (£350) for something that sounded in principle to be a better and more reliable design. The mechanism is very unique, not involving hydraulics or high pressure air seals. Just a cable actuated brake and low pressure (20psi) air chamber.

It was a little faff to set up. Also, there’s a point about mid way through the travel that the post can slip when it gets cold outside, so I do have to position it at that point and then press the lever for 5 seconds to let it adjust if I go out on a cold day.

Not had a huge amount of use yet to properly test it (6 months), but so far I’m happy.

The Brand X was the bargain surprise in the mag group test.

I only replaced my Turbo LP because I wanted more drop, going to a 170mm Reverb. The remote on the Reverb isn’t as ergonomic as the GD’s but as I have rather long legs the extra drop is nice. If you want a very reliable 30.9mm post with 125mm drop my Turbo LP needs a new home – I even have spare bushes and boots for it as I was expecting to keep it for years and years and a spare remote from when my older GD was an over bar lever which I switched to an under bar (other side flipped).

What sort of price are you thinking @chiefgrooveguru?

Another vote for Gravity dropper.

If it has the drop you are after, you don’t mind the aesthetics, or the agricultural nature of the thing, I think it’s a winner.

I also like that it’s made by a small company in a shed somewhere in Montana.

Ugly but my Satora Pro, same as the Raleigh branded one, has proven really reliable.

Just bought a Band X for the other bike and it seems pretty good so far but a Winter of mud is the true test…. together with my weight at the moment!