Giant Contact SL Switch………..

…….. is there a better dropper for the money? Kinda like the lay back too.

Needs regular cleaning and cable replacement, a good dropper but be prepared to give it some TLC

It does demand a bit of TLC but it takes about 10 mins to strip, clean and regrease once you’ve got the hang
Of it. If you’re using the cable entry at the base of the post, use some electrical tape/silicon to seal the entry points under the saddle to stop water ingress.

Brand X for £140 gets well reviewed . Have heard nothing but bad things about the Giant post but the mags seem to like it .

My Giant has been fine and the others I have sold.
I work in a Giant store!
Max

Bought a Giant dropper after having 2 Reverb failures of exactly the same fault,lost it’s compression.
Being a fan of Giant products, i opted for the contact switch dropper instead and love it.
However i have had to strip it down once already as the cable seized after not using it for 2 weeks.
Also now when i use the switch to raise the seat back up i have to give it a second or so when the post reaches full stroke or it will drop if i sit on it straight away.
This i would imagine again is a cable lubrication issue.
Over Xmas it will need another strip down possibly.

Biggest pile of doggy doo doo those Switchs.

First one black anodising came off, side to side and front to back movement. Cable get getting stuck too easily underneath and required constant fettling.

Returned for another.. started to do exactly the same thing in 2 months, exchanged for a reverb. Way better.

The older ones had corrosion issues, mine failed completely after 2 years after constant fettling of cable etc. they did honour the warranty even though a couple of months too old which was good, but the replacement cartridge failed after only three or four rides, so it is now in my spares bin. If the newer ones are in stealth mode they are much more reliable I understand

Mine weren’t the ‘older’ ones, they were both from this year (March and replacement in August).

Both were in stealth cable setting, came as standard on the Trance.

In answer to the OP’s question, I think the answer is no there isn’t a better dropper for what you’d pay for a Contact Switch SL.

After 3 Reverbs have without warning catastrophically failed on me mid-ride in the last 3 years I got fed up of Rock Shox’s offerings and thought I’d give the Giant a go. At £130 they’re less than most 2nd hand droppers.

Now granted I only got the post at the weekend so I’ve only done two rides on it but it’s been faultless so far. It drops with less weight/force on the saddle than a Reverb and you only need to give the lever a gentle push to get it moving.

After reading other reviews it does appear to be really sensitive to the cable routing so if you’re not sh1t hot at fitting gear cables get somebody else to do it for you. Oh and I’ve put a bit of grip-tape on the lever as it’s a bit slippy in the wet.

I have an original one on my Anthem SX, which was new April 15. Hasn’t been used much in the wet, but I taped up the holes at top (it’s a stealth one) at the outset and it is fine so far. Same amount of play as reverb on HT, which sees all weathers.

Got one of the recent, internally routed ones – first ride out smooth, quick lower & return – perfect thinks I! Second ride out – failed… Took it back to dealers, to be told internal cartridge had failed (!!) – got my money back and got a Reverb – reminds me of the old adage about buying cheap leading to buying twice!

The ‘new’ Contact dropper is pretty pants (twin bolt saddle clamp, zero layback version). Don’t know how they’ve made it so, but it’s unreliable now.

Had 2 original (100mm with single bolt layback saddle mount) contact droppers which have worked through British winters with only 1 issue: excessive sideways play on the oldest post now to the point I can feel it twisting as I pedal.

Bought a new 125mm Contact dropper in Jan this year – kept it clean, but noticed that it was ‘graunchy’ on dropping – took it apart to find no grease internally. Filled it full of grease via the collar – made it better for a few weeks.

Anodising started to wear off (not a problem on the old version), and the problem came back. Would then stick, making it harder to keep down in place. Eventually the cartridge failed at the button, so it wouldn’t stay down at all. Refunded for a Crank Bros Highline (and more sorry stories for another thread)…

As I have 2 mates with the same dropper (one has 2 of them as one came with a new bike) with similar issues, (to the point the warranty isn’t being honoured anymore for one post replaced about 4 times), I can’t recommend them.

The old post – brilliant. Newer post – rubbish, get a Brand-X or something (but not a reverb!)

And now mine has failed. My old version lasted nearly 2 years and a trip to the Alps before ‘upgrading’ to the new version. It lasted 4 rides and now the cartridge has failed; it returns intermittently, sometimes under its own accord and when fully extended it sags about 2 inches. Back it goes…

Old version: good.
New version: utter pish.