New 5 spot is on its way (yeeeeeeeeeee-ha!) and want to put a gravity dropper seat post on it.

What are peoples experiences? What should I look out for if buying second hand, what should I avoid etc etc.

The new 5 spot post dia is 30.9 if that helps at all.

Cheers!

Despite the hype they also get slop / sideways play.
Dont store it in the down position mine really did not like this.
Nothing really to break on it

mine has a slight side play in it but its not noticable in use at all very good bit of kit i use it more than i thought i ever would

My gravity dropper lasted 4 years then snapped in half. If they were the still the only model on the market I'd get another, but I'll be getting a Pure Racing i900R when I get around to it (may or may not prove more robust of course).

in fact here is mine stuck in a five spot (tho an old one lol) yesterday at gisburn

I'll be getting a Pure Racing i900R when I get around to it (may or may not prove more robust of course).

i'd do some research on that purchase if i were you…

second that del 😉

Have a Joplin on my DW Spot (30.9mm is correct which rules out a gravity dropper). Is very useful down south when climbs and descents are short and sweet. Yes it has some side to side slop but I don't notice it when I ride.

i'd do some research on that purchase if i were you…

I have. That's why I'm waiting a while.

heihei – you can shim up the GD to fit so no need to rule it out

I got one of those cheapo 850i posts from leisure lakes and took it to the Alps. Was quite useful, seemed to work well once you get used to the position you need to drop it. There's no slop, but I did find the 'suspension' action a bit weird at times, kept checking to see if I had a flat.
I don't think I'd spend any more on one, they would be great for big enduro races or something when you don't want to stop but in reality it's pretty easy to just use a QR.

i've got a gravity dropper in a 30.9 seat-tube. you can do marvellous things with shims these days…

it IS a bit rattly, and less bling than other go-go-gadget seatposts, but when it stops working, i can strip it, clean it, and have it working againg in about 10 mins.

I have just fitted a Maverick Speedball R seatpost to my ML7/5 and absolutely love it. The small amount of play isn't at all noticeable when you ride and the handlebar remote is a nice touch.

I actually bought a new i900 (with the new seals) before I got this so I'll be putting that up for sale if anyone is interested?!

30.9, 400mm long and 5" of drop. All black version.

Price?

Drop me an email chris at prestigeaudio dot co dot uk

I think that this must be one of the best deals going at the moment

£160 including a remote

HUGH Look after the speedball no spares for them now.

Graham, the Joplin is only a 3" drop, whilst still managing to be as crap as all the others.

By all accounts the ones that seem to get the higher plaudits and less disaster stories are the Gravity Dropper now they sem less prone to snapping (bless it's looks only it's creator could love) and the rather expensive Spesh Command post, now they've sorted some initial problems – it's only available in 30.9 too.

spares are available for joplin

http://www.dirtlabsstore.com/category.sc;jsessionid=1DC0DA7D3887D73378FCAE459633F283.qscstrfrnt03?categoryId=2

but not cheap.

I've got on very well with my gravity dropper… it has a fair amount of play/slop in the dropped position but barely any when raised, I need to feel for it to be aware of it really. Sure, it's fugly and it's a bit heavy but on the other hand, it actually works, which makes it batter than a lot of the competition. I stupidly got a Descender though, Turbo is the way to go 🙁

I like this pic, sums up its reliability well for me… I wouldn't want to hang a bike off a fort william gondola by an i900!

LOL – that's a brilliant shot and shows real commitment to the product.

Anyone else?

I had the Joplin R which was very sloppy after a few months riding and then it developed the annoying habit of sinking down when I was sitting on it and rising alarmingly when I was descending something very steep. I sent it back twice to Chain Reaction who sent it to Crank Bros who serviced it and told me there was nothing wrong with it. I sold it and now have a non remote non sloppy easy to maintain KS Pure i900 with 5" of drop – its fantastic. I do use an inner tube as a gator to keep out the majority of crud and have only had to service it once which took all of 5 minutes. I am aware there are batch problems so I must be one of the lucky ones but based on my experience of riding it twice a week in one of the wettest places in the country in mud and grit I'd recommend it.

I'm very happy with my GD which has had more than two years of hard use. In that time it's only required one strip down and a replacement cable outer. It's on my 30.9 frame with a shim and so far that hasn't caused any issues.

Yep I have a gravity dropper with remote and I love it. Only downsides are its ugly and it weighs more than the Thompson post it replaced.

Bazzer

Anyone got a Spesh Command Post yet??

I like the idea if them, but think prices are just daft when you look at the basic technology and reliability problems of all brands- people who have zero problems seem to be in the minority

I have both the GD and the i900 (Both remote)

I don't have a picture but I did hang my bike off the FW gondola using the i900. I would happily get either again though in all honesty would opt for the i900 first. It has a small amount of 'slop' but you don't notice it at all and the 5 inches of drop is absolutely perfect for riding up hill through to full on DH tracks. That said all accounts would suggest the GD is the more reliable product. I may have been lucky with my i900.

BTW – it is fine shimming with a GD.

Should have added

I only got mine for the mega avalanche. Was not convinced I 'needed' one in the UK.

I can honestly say it has transformed my riding. You drop the saddle so much more than you would have if it required a stop. I also have my saddle slightly higher for climbing. As a result I climb and descend better.

Agree the prices are just stupid. I also seem to have been lucky on the reliability front 😀