[Closed] Best Dropper seat post??

So why are they ALL so damn expensive?

Is it because most of them will have to be sent back periodically to be fixed?

If the Gravity Dropper technology is 9 years old and it works so well how come the prices haven't fallen to put everyone out of the running? They must be pretty cheap to make as they're so simple.

The technology in a Reverb is similar to a fork so I can see that it would be expensive to produce. But over £200 for a Gravity Droppy???

jambon - Member

So why are they ALL so damn expensive?

So why are they ALL so damn expensive?

They aren't, they are just more expensive than regular seat posts.

BTW the Gravity Droppers are far from reliable. Give them two years of use and the pins break or just stop working altogether. They also need a lot of TLC the older they get.

I damn well won't, and I'd deary love a 5-6" droppy post that was reliable.

The point being that:

1. They're really over-priced.

2. They're really unreliable.

And I bought a Maverick speedball 3" dropper when they came out.

1. They're really over-priced.

2. They're really unreliable.

How much do you think is reasonable for the benefit they get you?

The point of them being over priced is moot; if you don't want to drop your seat post ever then it wouldn't matter how cheap they are you're not going to buy one.

Having been forced on occasions to go back to a regular post, I just can't stand it. It's horrible. I only ever have the saddle at full height when actually going uphill. Even on a relatively flat section I'll drop the post just a little, maybe an inch or less.

If all you were doing is riding up 12 miles and then descending 6 miles, and that's all it ever was, then I'd not be so worried but even then the dropper post has advantages.

Anyone else find themselves using their dropper post as a convenient sit down rest whenever they stop?

Anyone else find themselves using their dropper post as a convenient sit down rest whenever they stop?

yep.

Anyone else find themselves using their dropper post as a convenient sit down rest whenever they stop?

Indeed.

Where I ride - Catalunya Spain - it's really steep up, followed by really steep down with rocks so YES I'd love a reliable 6" dropper - Spaniards always travel in big groups so stopping and adjusting doesn't happen.

Problem is, as this forum will testify, for every user who has good words to say about any of the products there is always someone who has nothing but woe with the very same product.

I can't let myself splash over £200 on something that's going to be a bit flaky. And I don't understand anyone else who does to be honest.

Only £175 for the DSP with remote 😉 and Legend and I are in agreement that they're ace.

Is it 6" drop (I suppose I could google it).

I [i]do[/i] deserve a present!

Problem is, as this forum will testify, for every user who has good words to say about any of the products there is always someone who has nothing [s]but woe with the very same product[/s] good to say about anything and wouldn't be happy if Jesus himself came down and blessed their bike and guaranteed it would never fail.

FIFY

No its 125mm or 4.5" drop I'm afraid, It has been plenty of drop for me so far though, whats another 20mm between friends? 😉

http://dsp-racing.com/products-02.html

passtherizla - do you have any pics of the dsp bighorn in the flesh please? im considering getting a 27.2 version too!

You reckon?

There does appear to be some consensus on a fair few things.

Everyone like a Cotic Soul.

I do find the way Avid brakes are described as cheap and crap quite often a tad irksome when mine have been fine and dandy I suppose.

The dropper seatpost thing [i]does[/i] appear to be a big divider from what I've read. Not just on this forum.

I'd like to know form the ravers exactly how long they've had them too. If a Reverb is great for a year and then breaks, well that's rubbish isn't it?

Here's some Bighorn photos....

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I'd like to know form the ravers exactly how long they've had them too.

Had mine since November 2010. It went back for a service under warranty in August last year after a particularly hard week in Verbier.

If a Reverb is great for a year and then breaks, well that's rubbish isn't it?

It's not great I agree, but then it's a lot better than not having one at all, at least from my point of view.

The reason they are still not foolproof is that up to 2010, you only had products being made by small companies who aren't going to have the manufacturing know how or the R&D to get it 100% right.

It's only since SRAM launched the Reverb that we've had a major manufacturer invest time and effort into making them. The Reverb is a lot better that the others, both in how it works and in its reliability, i.e. consistent performance over time, warranty issues not withstanding.

Notice how Fox have still to release theirs?

Ten years from now you'll look back at this time and realise that we were all beta testing these products.

mine looks just like that...

ok. i thought yours was a 27.2mm for some reason, was just wondering if the shaft was the same diameter as the 30.9's etc etc no worries though ill email si

So the Big Horn - I thought it only had 4" of drop? Is this a new bigger drop version? Looks surprisingly like my old Speedball, but hey, what do looks count for?

Nice looking remote button thingy. Very KS.

According to the website link above the 27.2mm DSP dropper only has 3 inches of travel! Whats the point for the best part of £200!

Rik - if you're short like me a 75mm drop is plenty.

I splurged on the 75mm Command Post as i wanted a short drop post (only have around 165mm distance tween seat collar and saddle rails) and the 3 position system.

It seems like a really solid post so far, no noticable lateral play yet but time will tell i suppose.

Havent heard many people say many bad things about the giant post, just wondering if this is because they are reliable or are not very popular? 😕

I think I might have had one of the first GD units in the UK, I bought in America years before there was a GD UK agent and its still working ok. I also have a second GD Turbo, again its fine, neither are bomb proof, both need some TLC from time to time. A mate bought a new Reverb last year, it lasted 5 months, seals failed and could not be repaired under warranty (seems odd but hey ho) and he was given a full refund and he is going to get the latest version later this month.

75mm drop is only useful if you are short and you don't ride gnarly trails IMHO.

With a 33" inside leg and over 6' tall even 5" drop isn't that much.

I have a 75mm drop post but don't use it for that very reason.

In terms of reliability they're not a fit and forget unit (any make/model)
I think they should be viewed as you view your suspension units in that they need to be clean properly with preventative maintainance throughout the year (like air can rear shock and lower leg services on forks) and have a Full service each year to keep them running as they should.

Edit: Jambon at 6'3" I found the 4.5" of the DSP post fine for all kinds of riding, will be finding out how a the 27.2" X 3" post works fro me on my Dialled Albert I'm building at the moment, I think it depends what you're used to riding, I've ridden everything apart from really steep tech dh with saddle up for years so any drop is great 😀

jambon - Member

If the Gravity Dropper technology is 9 years old and it works so well how come the prices haven't fallen to put everyone out of the running? They must be pretty cheap to make as they're so simple.

Still a low volume item. Also, price and performance aren't all that goes into it- people were happy to buy inferior products like the Joplin 3 just because they're less ugly.

I think this is probably what's at the centre of it all... People might moan about reliability on the internet but when they go shopping they buy looks rather than reliability.

Northwind, so what your saying is someone needs to make a Gold plated post that sells for £600 ish and wears out really quickly...

Jambon - i'm 5'2" with an inside lege of 27" (i think) and the 75mm Command Post allows me to sit on the back wheel very easily, so i don't agree that it is only of use if i don't ride techy trails 😉

In fact, it now seems that the 100mm drop CP would have fitted my bike but even though i paid more for a US-import 75mm version i prefer the idea of the one i have now. The reason? The 100mm drop has a 2nd position of 35mm from top height and the 75mm version has a 2nd position of 25mm from top.
This is a much better position for me personally as 35mm would be just that little too much for me with my short legs.

EDIT: Oh yeah, when i went to the Sierra Nevadas last October i was dropping my saddle all the time, to pretty much exactly where my CP now drops it and i think you know how gnarly those trails can be 🙂 In fact it was that trip that convinced me of the need for such a post.

I don't care if it's ugly (hey I ride a c456) but it is expensive for what it is and it's not as if it gets a unanimous vote of confidence from its users.

I'd really like there to be one winner in this race but it seems as though all designs have good and bad points.

Maybe we'll all have to wait a while...

Things are always being developed, tweaked e.t.c 😉

Don't have any first hand experience with [url= http://www.rasebike.com/cart/ ]these[/url] but it looks like a great mechanical post and comes with a neoprene protective sleeve. 9 inch drop too!!!
Its been on my wish list for a long time.

Has anybody got experience of the Rase post, I'm usually a little suspisious of stuff that's been on the market for a while but hasn't got a UK distributor/warranty agent. If they're that good someone in the Industry would have picked them up.

I just wish i was tall enough to be able to indulge myself with a 9" dropper post! 😳

I bought a Rase 9" Black Mamba. Never saw it as Spanish customs buggered the whole import thing up and I eventually got my money back.

Looks agricultural but a good idea. Really simple.

Got to make sure there's enough un-fouled seat tube for it to work okay.

Far from cheap.

I'm usually a little suspisious of stuff that's been on the market for a while but hasn't got a UK distributor/warranty agent.

Ah but the guys from Loco Racing (formerly Loco BM Racing) have been running on 29ers for several years 😉

Just to balance it up a bit for you. Ive had a Reverb for 11 months. Trouble free.

My mates Gravity Dropper got stuck down when he was showing me how fool proof it was.

I bet suspension forks and hydraulic brakes were viewed the same way when they first came out.