Really really trying to justify £200+ for one of these, are they as good as they make out, or will it end up for sale in 6 months???

Paul.

I bagged an exdemo ks900 £130 from wiggle yesterday

My GD lasted a week in the Alps and a few outings back home. Brilliant when it worked. It sat in the garage for months after fiddling with it until I sold it on. I am, however, a numpty when it comes to fettling. I won’t be buying another until they are as reliable as forks or office chairs.

I wouldn’t bother for mincing but if you like gnar they are addictive, I’ve got Reverb’s on both my gnar friendly bikes now.

Love mine 🙂 They do generally need a bit of fettling though!

everyone i’ve spoken to who has one rates them – very useful for big days in the hills where there are short downhill sections with climbs in between. Where they earn their money is the bits where it would be nice to lower the saddle but its too fiddly to bother for a short section.

No regrets with my reverb.

love it when it works, but when it failed unexpectedly on a ride i was very pissed off (KS i900)

Went back to the dealer for repair and so far so good. It’ll get a second chance but if it fails again then i may start to lose faith.

Had one. Took it off. I would class it as a gadget, useful in some cases but I prefer having my seat a bit lower and standing up and pedalling more than having something that is heavy, could break, and going up and down. I would have thought my local trails were prime locations for it as well. Short/medium steep tricky ups and downs but I really do not mind getting out of the saddle so I did not feel I needed it. Quick release is 90% of the functionality with 10% draw backs. Maybe better if you are used to sitting down doing to do your cycling.

Love mine. At the Trans Provence alomost every rider had one…

At the Trans Provence alomost every rider had one…

I think only Ian and the ducth were still using standard seatpost

Maybe better if you are used to sitting

Doesn’t make sense to me. They’re great for getting that saddle out the way quickly on steep descents and drops, I never sit down when fully down, fully extended and seated increases efficiency uphill no end. They’re no more a gadget then disc brakes and suspension, more and more bikes will be shipping with these posts as standard.

I just run the saddle a bit lower and probably don’t go as fast/as efficiently when you are sitting down. I like to float on the trails though, (Sounds more skilful than I really am) so I don’t really like the seatpost sticking up my arse. I am not saying they are rubbish for everbody just not the same as disks or front suspension. I need one as much as I need 10 speed gears.

1 of the best purchases to actually make a difference to my riding and rides. (reverb)

The couple I’ve seen don’t allow the saddle to drop as much as it would if the dropper wasn’t there. So if an extra couple of inches is important on those drops/roll-ins then I’d avoid, especially if it means spending £200. I really cannot see how that can be justified.

1 of the best purchases to actually make a difference to my riding and rides.

For my XC HT bike no but for my Orange Five yes 🙂

I just run the saddle a bit lower and probably don’t go as fast/as efficiently when you are sitting down. I like to float on the trails though, (Sounds more skilful than I really am) so I don’t really like the seatpost sticking up my arse. I am not saying they are rubbish for everbody just not the same as disks or front suspension. I need one as much as I need 10 speed gears.

^^ this

My local loop is all up/down/brake/accelerate and I run the saddle quite a bit lower than optimum. It tends to make me use a higher gear so I can balance my weight against the pedals and as said above, ‘float’

Reverb:

No regrets – wished Id had one ages ago. Fall off much less now, more flow to my riding. Much more fun pretty much everywhere.

Took it apart the other day to see if it was dirty – clean as a whistle.

My GD gets a bit sticky fairly quickly, but it so easy to service it really isn’t an issue. I think it’s worth every penny.

I don’t like riding mountain bikes without them any more.

Got a joplin and despite a few issues (solved with addition of a neoprene fork boot) was sufficiently impressed to buy munqe chick one, which she loves, and to get a GD when I sold my frame for one that the joplin wouldn’t fit. On recent trip to Spain (which you may have seen a thread on…) Most of our group of 9 had one of some flavour (couple of joplins, few KS and my GD). No one that I know who has one has regretted it and swapped back.

had a maverick speedball…..over a year ago as i was a serial post dropper…….nice no issues but went on a skills day with ED O and realised i could get away with out one bt adapting technique.

my only regret was not buying one sooner

I bought a gravity stopper for the megavalanche and it was excellent for the whole time I was out there

I was also surprised how much I use it on regular days out back here, its now a permanent fixture on my xc bike

Where do people use them where they are so necessary though?

I ride the Pennines, Dales, Lakes, CyB, Gisburn, Kirroughtree, Dalbeattie etc and never thought that I had needed one. Ok maybe the wall etc at Dalbeattie, but a quick release seat post cost peanuts and weighs peanuts.

Fair enough I guess if you ride a lot of downhill stuff and ride in between it…

I feel the need for one riding in a group (as I don’t want to stop to put my seat down.

love mine got 2 on 2 differant frames,if 1 broke i would go buy new one straight away

if you move or want to move your seat post alot on rides its a no brainer

Where do people use them where they are so necessary though?

They’re not ‘necessary’ anywhere – just like disc brakes, front suspension, rear suspension yada yada yada. I ride mostly in the Lakes and use it all the time, it just makes riding a lot more fun.

Love mine (GD and a KS i900). I would like to see them all getting a little more reliable (GD seized after rain, i900 isn’t always extending properly) – maybe a Reverb is the way forward?

I would really like to know how reliable the recent version of the Reverb is. Judging by STW, the first batch had quite a few complaints. I wonder about the second? Worthy of a poll?

funky, I knew I wanted one as having converted to flats I was more conscious of seat height in order to keep my legs slightly bent and heels down. On the GD its fully up for fireroad and climbs, 1″ down for rolling/technical/singletrack (so anywhere from chilterns to wales to alps), fully down for proper steep stuff.

One of those things that once you’ve got it find you use it all the time and wonder how/why you went without it. Yes stopping and using a Q/R will do, but it breaks the flow of the trail, and only works if you know the trail or can see whats coming.

Of course if youre the sort of rider who never drops their saddle then its not for you. Munqe chick’s brother was the only rider in spain on a HT and the only rider with a fixed seatpost (not even a QR). He crashed more than the rest of us put together due to the high saddle not due to no rear suspension.

saxabar – Member

I won’t be buying another until they are as reliable as forks or office chairs.

My GD’s been more reliable than most of my suspension forks, and my office chair for that matter 🙂 My KS has come close lately though it was a pain in the bum initially.

No regrets at all here- they’re game changers IMO. I’ve got one bike that has rigid forks but I still run the dropper in it, living without suspension is fun but living with a standard seatpost is just irritating once you’ve tried something better.

Got GD on mine and love it. Made more difference to my riding than any other purchase in the last few years. Once you’ve got one, it makes you realise just how much better/fun it is with the saddle out of the way

And in terms of reliability, the shims wear over time but are cheap as chips and a doddle to change. A bit of light grease once in a while and good to go. The bonding gave way which holds the pin for lowering while coming down Cut Gate – couple of zip ties held on place for about a year before i sent back to GD for foc repair and service. Picked mine up for £100 second hand 3 years ago – no regrets at all.

http://www.great-rock.co.uk/2011/10/gravity-dropper/

Wow, what a response, wasn’t expecting that amount in so little time, many thanks to all those that have posted.

I ride a cove HT (handjob) frame, its a fantastic bike, lowering the seat out of the way makes steep drops so much easyer, but stop/starting to raise and lower the seat does upset the flow….

I’m pretty sure that I’ll go with a GD, I really like the look of the KS but, as I need a 27.2mm post I don’t have a lot of choice. KS have renamed there 27.2 post twice already and are just about to change it again!! I know there’s a X Fusion post, had a look at one in Evans fitted on a Ghost bike, looks oh so thin that inner tube….

One thing I’m not sure about on the GD is the bar lever, it look really snapable…lol…

Anyway thanks again guys…

Paul.

GD bar lever is crap…

If your going to go with a dropper post, get one you wont regret, get a Reverb.

simonm – Member

GD bar lever is crap…

Why? Only criticism I have is it’s the wrong way up- if you buy a left-hand lever and mount it on the right, under the bars, it’s better protected and (to me) easier to use. Though hard to fit with some brakes/shifters I imagine. But it’s a far better lever than the clever, pretty, irritating KS one.

More people are regretting the Reverb than the GD from what I’ve seen.

simonm – Member
GD bar lever is crap…

If your going to go with a dropper post, get one you wont regret, get a Reverb.

yeah but he needs a 27.2post……………..

Reverb seems to be bombproof, I´ve killed mechs, chainrings and even pedals here in the basque mountains but my seatpost has been through it all unscathed.
I wouldn´t consider building up a frame without one now.

Makes hacking around my local forest soooooo much more fun.

If you get a GD, use it the other wayround than the linky above,