Been pondering a dropper post for a while, people seem to rate the gravity dropper as the most reliable and lightweight (perhaps not the slickest design), however it seems very expensive (to me) for what it is.
Then I spotted the Forca Vario - a gravity dropper clone:
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http://www.forca-sports.de/?p=63
85mm drop, comes in 27.2 with shims included, dirt boot protection for a fiver extra.
Here is a translation of the German MAg article provided by Schweiz off here. Apparently they did 1991KM on it to test it!
[i]There are not many dropper posts available with 27.2mm diameter which is common on hardtails
Forca SPS350
99€, 551g
Cheap and surprisingly light. Simple mechanics with steel spring and cable actuated positioning bolt. In use it's not a smooth as the expensive hydraulic posts but even in Winter it's astonishingly reliable. If something does go wrong then you can disassemble and maintain it in minutes thanks to the simple design.
Changing the cable is simple and you can also "pimp" the system with Nokon cable outers which have tighter clearances which are advantageous. The cable connection is at the base of the stanchion and so is less disturbing in the dropped position compared to other posts.
On the downside, there's only 85mm of travel but considering the limited other options, 85mm is better than nothing!
Postives : Simple, reliable mechanism, 27.2mm diameter, cheap and light.
Negatives : Extension is not very smooth, only 85mm travel
Missing from the review but also important - It only has 2 positions, up and down. You also get the shims for the other tube diameters delivered with it.[/i]
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/any-german-speakers-able-to-traslate-this-short-mag-review?replies=6#post-3227226
Theres a few users on MTB News de that seem happy with them: http://www.mtb-news.de/forum/showthread.php?t=501708
I decided it was worth a punt for £65 from here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400228107736 they do ship to the UK €18. The "shock boot" is €6 extra.
I will update when it arrives.
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I'd like to know how you get on too - I'm stuck with 27.2 size post.
That looks more like it!
Looks good, will be interested to hear how well you get on with it
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Interesting, that could be just what I've been waiting for.
watches with interest
Do you reckon you could increase the travel with a drill, and a disregard for personal safety?
Some people on that Mtb-news forum link have added an extra stop halfway, which what I plan to do.
Not sure I would do what you say sweepy as the overlap maybe reduced too much!
Looks like I might have to add dropper cable guides on my frame, before I spray it... £65 seems quite a bargain
Cheers for the heads up- that's gone straight on my xmas list- and my sister in law in austria can buy it and bring it with her to save on postage too!
the rase post is available for those with more money who want a bit more travel (9" I think) http://www.rasebike.com/
WANT WANT WANT
I've been eyeing the RASE for a year or more for the big bike. Still not had the guts to splash the cash on one yet. 😕
I wish I had known about the Forca 18 months ago (for the sake of argument, if it was available) as it looks perfect for my current needs. About to move though, so no debits for me 🙁
85mm? Like, eight and a half centimetres? My saddle is dropping waaaay more than that when it gets slammed.
I'm oot (which is a shame cos I do want a cheap one of these!)
Bought one, got two recently built up 27.2 bikes at the moment so too good to resist - was not going to spend any money on bike kit this month - fail.
the clamp/remote is very like the joplin one
85mm? Like, eight and a half centimetres? My saddle is dropping waaaay more than that when it gets slammed.
Only 4cm less than a ks i950 and a bit less (15mm?)than a Joplin.
I think it is pretty irresponsible to post this thread only a couple of days after I have bought the original and surely much better, because it is so much more expensive, Gravity Dropper.
Still look on the bright side. If I get on with the Gravity Dropper then the next one for my other bike will be cheaper.
Not heavy, not complicated, not expensive. Hardly seems fair.
£65 to put your saddle down 3 and a bit inches, special.
Looks great and an advantage over the reverb is that the cable is on the bottom collar so it doesnt move when the saddle goes up or down.
Its about time these things were realistically priced. I mean the reverb is essentially one air fork leg, but with an even simpler oil mechanism inside than any damping method you'd find in a fork. Should be 100 quid or less..
Only 4cm less than a ks i950 and a bit less (15mm?)than a Joplin.
Really? I won't bother with those either then!
Would there be any interest in these for around £90 to your door shipped from UK?
Similar price to the German ebay seller but including the boot and faster service.
Possibly yes... I do quite fancy a dropper, and sub £100 makes it very tempting
Does anyone know if you can lop anything off the bottom of it to make it a bit shorter? I need one to fit a frame with an interrupted seat tube.
WAS - if you could source and people who had one experiance no issues in the next month id have one !
Thanks for posting this up, I'll pass it onto my mate with an Orange 5
was - Member
Would there be any interest in these for around £90 to your door shipped from UK?Similar price to the German ebay seller but including the boot and faster service.
Do they inc a shim to 30.9??
Ohhh tempted, had a could of crashes last night that might have saved me from, I'm way too lazy to drop my post manualy on other bikes after fitting a reverb tot he Pitch.
£65 to put your saddle down 3 and a bit inches, special.
Thompson do a 0mm verison for £63
My saddle is dropping waaaay more than that when it gets slammed.
I thought that when buying a reverb, but after fitting it there's only 1" of post left poking out (plus the seal bit, so 2" total). Using the OEM 350mm post you couldn't lower it past the seatube kink, so the reverb is only ~20mm short of being 'slammed' (unless your short). So unless your using a long seatpost (i.e. not the default 350mm) you couldn't get more than an inch lower anyway.
Would there be any interest in these for around £90 to your door shipped from UK?
No, but if you can source them from wherever they get them and sell them for £65 I'd be interested.
Just received my order from Germany:
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Quality has exceeded my expectations. One of the seatpost shims isn't very long so I will use a wiggle "post moderne" £3.99 one to shim upto 30.9 for my old bike. 27.2 will fit my new frame directly.
I will install and give it a ride this weekend, expect my feedback!
I am negotiating to buy a large quantity of these to sell through my retail outlets, so watch this space for a special STW price to beat the German delivered price (this cost £89 delivered in total).
I'm watching.
Do you reckon they could be modded to give more drop, or more than 2 positions?
about time prices on dropper posts have been silly high for too long!
not to mention the limiting size issues
i do love my gravity dropper but if i was buying a second one i doubt i could justify spending twice the price+ of one of these
Watching with interest.
I've found the 100mm drop on my GD to be enough for 95% of the time - it was only on stupidly steep stuff in the Alps that I felt the need to lower the post further in the old-fashioned way (with the seat clamp).
Another watcher here, got to be worth a punt if they work even reasonably, especially at 27.2 for my old Turner. Have you weighed it? Also what's the overall length and where is the min insert at? Cheers.
£65 to put your saddle down 3 and a bit inches, special.
Paupers look on with envy! 😀
(Sorry, couldn't resist!)
If it's not a silly question, isn't the cable coming out of the wrong side of the post? I'd have thought that it would be better exiting from the front to run it along the top tube, so you don't have a loop of cable behind the post... ❓
(The RASE post, and the Gravity Dropper both have the cables on the front.)
Modable to put the stops in the other side of the 'stanchion'?
If it's not a silly question, isn't the cable coming out of the wrong side of the post? I'd have thought that it would be better exiting from the front to run it along the top tube, so you don't have a loop of cable behind the post...(The RASE post, and the Gravity Dropper both have the cables on the front.)
Modable to put the stops in the other side of the 'stanchion'?
Not a silly question and yes I think it would be better like that, as well as a lower profile vertical cable exit.
Drilling holes in the other side would weaken the post too much I suspect.
I am seeing what I can do with my order to have some modifications.
Hadn't spotted that, why have they put the cable right in the path of the rear wheel/mud etc and made cable routing a PITA?
Thompson do a 0mm verison for £63
Aye, and it won't break.
Paupers look on with envy!
Nice one 😆
Aye, and it won't break.
I'll send you a pic of my (not quite broken, but I'm always wondering when it'll finaly snap and rip off my nads) one if you like?
Glad it wasn't just me being thick!
I can't think of any reason to do it the way they have... 😕 Surely it would have been the same process to have it out the other side.
it may well make cable routing better as the 'loop' of cable when it's dropped will just naturally fall behind the post?
But the cable doesn't move as the post drops - it's on the static part?it may well make cable routing better as the 'loop' of cable when it's dropped will just naturally fall behind the post?
I'll send you a pic of my (not quite broken, but I'm always wondering when it'll finaly snap and rip off my nads) one if you like?
How long have you had that for?
Looks good. Can't you just turn the post around? Or will it not angle down enough if you do that?
About 3 days, the previous owner used one of those ohh so quaint retro "qick (when not siezed up with mud and salt) release" seatclamps and it's taken a fair chunk of aluminium out of the back of the post.
My other one just looked a mess after a year of use in the Peaks but should be structuraly OK.
[i]But the cable doesn't move as the post drops - it's on the static part?[/i]
*squints*
ah, yes, so it is.
About 3 days, the previous owner used one of those ohh so quaint retro "qick (when not siezed up with mud and salt) release" seatclamps and it's taken a fair chunk of aluminium out of the back of the post.My other one just looked a mess after a year of use in the Peaks but should be structuraly OK.
A second hand one doesn't count!
See how many times this post breaks in a year, then it will be a fair comparison. I bet the Thompson wins!
how long is the bottom half of the post?
I can only drop my current post / have so much insertion on my frame
Whats the complete length of the post when its full extended? It looks shorter than 400mm, is it?
Perhaps also useful, the amount of post above the min line. BUt total also useful too (min might not be long enough for some frames, they might want more insert).
Measure to the saddle rails (apologies if I'm teaching you how to suck eggs).
The details on the ebay link list it as 350mm length.
_tom_ - MemberLooks good. Can't you just turn the post around? Or will it not angle down enough if you do that?
My thoughts exactly
I'd have thought, just from looking at the pics, that the saddle will slope too far back to be usable. Perhaps @was could try and let us know...?
Was
I would be interested in one of these if you manage to get some. My email add is in my profile. 🙂
Thomson breaks just like everything else 😕
As for this one... Anyone know about parts availability?
The details on the ebay link list it as 350mm length.
Hmmm maybe not then. Need to check how long a post I need.
"Only 4cm less than a ks i950"
Theres a 150mm KS i950 30.9/31.6mm 'supernormal' now? 430mm though
[i]Also 30.9/31.6mm i950/i900 125mm, ~400mm IIRC
And 27.2mm i7 100mm[/i]
350mm post length is a bit of a deal breaker for me. Only 2 of my bikes (a rigid commuter and an alu. XC bike) need a little longer than 350mm posts, neither of which I would consider for dropper posts ..
Is there a non-remote version?
ie. no cable but just a little handle that sits under the seat like some I have seen?
Looks great for the money tbh.
Any updates?
Strongly considering one for my wife's yeti hardtail for Christmas.
Hi everyone,
I have had the post for a few days, here are my notes. Bear in mind I've never owned or ridden any dropper seatpost before, so cannot compare with anything else. I'm now not sure I can ever ride again without a dropper post - what a revelation!!!!
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[b]Components:[/b]
First thing to do when you get a new toy is to take it apart:
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As you can see its very simple construction, very similar to the gravity dropper turbo - see [url] http://gravitydropper.com/products/turbo-parts/ [/url]
The upper post is cro-mo steel, the lower alloy and the bushing some kind of plastic.
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The cable is a "base" quality gear cable and feels rough - the unit would benefit from a nice shimano SIS cable, so budget for this. I greased up the upper and lower bushings, keyway and the locating pin (attached to the end of the cable) and pin spring before use.
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The cable has some adjustment, insert allen key into lever and turn. I made the mistake of setting it up too "tight" so the pin wasn't fully extended (again crap cable doesn't help here with adding resistance). When lowered the post would occasionally therefore shoot up unexpectedly! However slackening off the cable a little so the lever was 'just' loose did the trick and it never did this again.
[b]On the Bike:[/b]
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With the seat in the extended position - you can feel rotational slight movement in the seat when off the bike, - its not noticeable when riding. With the seat dropped and when stood up, the unit does rattle a little.
I ran WITHOUT any kind of boot or protection over the post (my boot hasn't arrived yet) and on a very wet day in very gritty muddy conditions. I did run with my Race Guard and protected the rear cable entry with some tape as pictured. The Race Guard gives pretty good protection for it.
Towards the end of my ride (after maybe 20 or so uses of the post) the post would be slow to return - I had to stand clear of the seat and release the post (so the spring had more force), rather than sitting, release and letting it rise with my body. If I let it rise with my bum then it wouldn't make it all the way up. If you wind in the silver alloy spring base in the bottom of the post you can increase the spring tension to counter this.
Clearly crap had got in and slowed the post so once home I disassembled the upper post (very easy to do on the bike - unscrew collar, push lever and draw whole upper post out). It was clear the seal on the post is not great and crap had got between the bushing and the inner post creating resistance and scratching the upper post.
I would imagine if I had just carried on riding without protection the upper post would be scratched to hell and eventually the bushing would wear down and the whole thing would move more freely - just like the German magazine picture. However I intend to keep it greased up and protected in future.
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Rather than use the shock boot designed for it (because it hasn't arrived yet), I used a length of old inner tube, which fitted nicely with a couple of zip ties. This should keep the crap out, hide the scratched upper post and enable more grease to be used on the upper bushing area.
[b]Summary:[/b]
After one ride I don't see myself riding without a dropper post again. I've ridden mountain bikes for over 15 years mainly XC / trail riding, latterly in the Lakes and trail centres. Always I've had sections where I've held back as a high seatpost has caused some instability. I'm one of those people who can't stand pedaling on the flat or uphill with my seat set even an inch below optimum, and I really hate stopping to adjust as it ruins the flow of the trail, and I can never seem to get it set just so again quickly.
With a boot I think this post will stand up well over time, but without a dirt protection boot I bet it would wear and get loose fairly quickly. That said, the plastic bushing and keyway won't be expensive to replace, and the German mag review had ridden it for 2000km without a boot....
I have a bunch of these posts coming in (with different branding and better, vertical cable entry). If anyone wants one then send me a message through here and I will sort out a STW special price when they arrive. I will also attempt to get spare bushings thrown in. Not going to be before Christmas though I'm afraid.
From the disassembly pic it looks like it would be possible to shorten the post a bit. How short do you think it would go? Ideally I need one 290mm from rail to bottom. Happy to sacrafice a bit of height adjustment. Pencil me in for one (and 30.9 shim), email in profile.
Quite interested in this but the sealing sounds a real issue. Thanks for the testing though! Do you think the seal could be replaced with something standard but better quality/tighter? Clearly a conventional 32mm fork seal wouldn't do it but is the right diameter available and would it fit into the lower body? In my (albeit long ago) exp fork boots are a double edged sword - something will get in sooner or later and then it can't get out...
I had one of those a year or so ago. Seemed to suffer from bushings expanding/not liking water.
Would be great if you could pencil me in for one too please. I think I'll give it a go as another guinea pig although judging by the consistently filthy state of my bike I might be destroying some seals and bushings....
Any seal is going to be pretty much useless on this I'm afraid.
There is a big hole in the upper post (where the pin locates) that will fill up with dirt without a boot.
When you drop the post, this hole (full of said dirt) passes through the seal, through the bushing to the point where the pin drops in.
The pin nicely moves the dirt around so you will always end up with dirt in the bushing and seal.
The only solution as far as I can see is to cover the whole lot up and give it a quick clean out frequently.
I have no idea how gravity droppers fare in this regard- I think they will be the same- however their holes are on the front so perhaps less likely to fill with dirt. Plus GD always seem to be wearing boots.
And with that my boot has arrived (seems to be decent quality):
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Oh well. It's a pity. Does the angle of the seat clamp prevent you from just installing it the other way round - ie cable and holes facing forwards?
Das Boot.
Thanks for the excellent mini review - I like the unexpected 'ejector seat' rise option...
I'm a dead cert for one of these. The only thing I need to know is what is the length of the post when it's fully extended. My wife's yeti only has 180mm of post showing between seatclamp and saddle rails when it's at riding height. Would you mind telling me what the minimum amount of post is extending out of the frame when it's in its 'up' position? Does that make sense?
Thanks
Rich
I'd be a possible depending on price and finance at the time, keep us appraised
People who are put off by the fact that the cable routing is to the rear of the post...
Look at the above exploded view.. all you would need to do is unscrew the collar , pull the lever to unseat the pin and the 'seatpost ' part of the seatpost will then come out. If Was could confirm if the locking pin hole is on both sides , then what is stopping you spinning the 'seat post ' part around 180 degrees and then re assembling? Note does depend on locking pin hole being present on both sides.
The gravity dropper gets round this by simply having the saddle craddle bar going thru the seatpost perpendicularly,so all you have to do is alter the saddle angle if you choose to have the cable fed in from the front or rear of the post.
Where as the Forca has the saddle cradle bar offset.( appearing horizontal to the ground as in Was's on the bike pic..)
Must admit am also interested for a cheapy one for the inbred. have the GD on my Trek EX8 and is one of the best things ever..
Hi, please keep me posted on news when you get these in. Email in profile.
Cheers
Matt
. If Was could confirm if the locking pin hole is on both sides , then what is stopping you spinning the 'seat post ' part around 180 degrees and then re assembling? Note does depend on locking pin hole being present on both sides
the hole is on one side only
I just measured mine as c170mm from the base of the cable collar (effectively as far in as the seat post will go in) to the saddle railThe only thing I need to know is what is the length of the post when it's fully extended.
Thanks kilo. That's magic. Should fit a treat.
Hi Was
I am also intersted when you have posts and sort price let me know.
Email is in profile.
Dave
If Was could confirm if the locking pin hole is on both sides , then what is stopping you spinning the 'seat post ' part around 180 degrees and then re assembling? Note does depend on locking pin hole being present on both sides.
I haven't seen this up close but is there any reason you couldn't drill a hole through the other side (using the existing hole as a guide) and then turn the top part around?
Was - out of interest, where are you sourcing your from? I could be interested. I'm assuming Forca is not an indigenous German brand.
Drilling new holes will significantly weaken the post so isn't recommended.
Here is a nice video showing the operation of the post:
Very interested myself,have been looking around at 27.2mm droppers when I stubbled across this post (hence why I have just joined and this is my 1st post, been lurking in the shadows for a while though).
I have also thought it could be possible to make it multi postion by the addition of another hole being drilled, like th GD multi dropper.
Only the one hole though, want it to still be a post and not a cylindrical sieve.
My two Forca posts arrived the other day. The quality seems very good and with the combined postage they were a little over £70 each. Looking forward to putting them to the test.
how do.
interested....please can you let me know more? morgsDOTbdaviesATgmailDOTcom
Thanks