[Closed] Dropper post - cable operated one that works ?

Specialized Command Post.

Reverb hose is same diameter as dropper cable Shirley?

Well the diameter may well be the same, but the hole in the frame is actually designed so only the inner cable runs through the frame. The outer stays outside.

Id have to drill out the hole a bit - which I'm reluctant to do at the movement. I'm hoping there are cable alternatives that work well.

With the command post, is the drop infinitely variable like the Reverb ? Does it drop the same amount as the Reverb ?

Lev Integra and a Southpaw lever? Mine wasn't perfect out of the box but after a quick rebuild it has been faultless for the last few years.

That or just enlarge the holes slightly and stick with the Reverb.

We have Command posts on all our bikes which work effortlessly, both internal and external routing. The older style has an up or down 125mm drop and a position at 25mm down. Never needed any thing else. The newer ones which are internal routing have 10 positions on them.

Reverb cables are about 0.1 mm thicker than a standard gear cable which makes all the difference on some frames.

Had the same issue on my stumpjumper replacing the command post with a reverb

Command post much more reliable than reverb but needs caution if you still want to have children at some point

I've done with kids, at least the giving birth part.

Command post much more reliable than reverb but needs caution if you still want to have children at some point

Yep. The new CP is a massive improvement, but rebound is still a bit severe! Reverb is betterer, however.

Do people really hover low enough legs akimbo over the seat and let the Command Post fly? Masochists / kinky - delete as applicable.

Command post, had two now and been faultless. Current has not had a cable change since purchase sept 2014.

New one is multi-position as well

[i]Well the diameter may well be the same, but the hole in the frame is actually designed so only the inner cable runs through the frame. The outer stays outside.[/i]

My carbon Cube was like this, so I just drilled out the 'stops' and fitted a Stealth Reverb.

Thomson.

Mmmm, Im temped to drill out the stops, especially as Reverb are available for £160, and all the others (Thompson / Spec) are about £200-250

I'm a big fan of the KS LEV that I have, nice smooth action and it's been pretty reliable without any looking after apart from a hose down every now and then.

The new Spec command post is getting very good reviews in the mags.

Command post much more reliable than reverb but needs caution if you still want to have children at some point

My second bike has the cheap RSP plummet which has no rebound damping at all so pops up pretty fast with a loud top out. I don't think it's an issue, my man parts have never been bruised at all by the post. Even in the heat of the moment. Its very easy to coordinate the button press with standing up to allow the post sufficient room to pop up.

Actually, if I do drill out the stops, just how do you thread the hose all the way from the seat tube, round the BB, up the frame and out of the correct hole near the head tube.

Wont it be like threading a needle in your locked bathroom via the front door letter box with boxing glove on ?

command post here, works a treat.

What frame

Scott Spark.

Its all shiny new carbon at the moment, but I cant live without a dropper and don't want an external routed one. Especially as all the other cables are internal.

I wouldn't drill it out, it may void any warranty you have on it.

That's why I ended up asking about cable droppers 🙂

But the warranty does not cover you for crashing it into a tree, only if it fails. So basically its a pointless warranty in reality. It not going to break due to bad manufacturing.

Its going to break because I crash it (badly)

So, sod the warranty and drill it, or pay £100 more and get a cable dropper..............Mmmm.

We had two crash replacement carbon frames from Specialized last year after a couple of off piste moments in the Alps. Still expensive but not as bad as full price.
Have a look on ebay, new Command posts come up at reasonable prices, usually taken off new purchases without trying.

It not going to break due to bad manufacturing.

*I don't mean specifically Scott, rather frames in general

Trimix - Member
Mmmm, Im temped to drill out the stops, especially as Reverb are available for £160, and all the others (Thompson / Spec) are about £200-250

Where have you seen them for that?

On the internet of all places 🙂

https://www.merlincycles.com/rockshox-reverb-seatpost-54780.html?utm_campaign=googlebase-GB&utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=shopping&utm_term=Seatposts&ucpo=23794&gclid=CJn7vY2cyskCFWaJ2wodn4sACg

Command post,bought second hand and been faultless for last 2 years

Well the diameter may well be the same, but the hole in the frame is actually designed so only the inner cable runs through the frame. The outer stays outside.

Is everyone missing the point here that you are thinking that on a cable dropper there is no outer once the cable enters the frame. From a stealth Lev I had the full cable and outer ran inside the frame, not just the inner, so no sure your going to get away with that anyway on a cable dropper. I'd be worried about a bare cable routed round bends in the frame slowly sawing away at the insides of your lovely carbon tubes.

If I have misunderstood carry on as you were.

EDIT [url= http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=20005&t=12971359 ]this may help (a little)[/url] [url= http://forums.mtbr.com/components/under-seat-release-dropper-posts-971186.html ]or here[/url]

Have been using the giant Contact dropper for nearly 3 years,new cable and strip down and it's good to go plus it now comes in stealth mode

Command IRCC (10 adjustment one) here on a Specialized Enduro. Always had reverbs before, command isnt as smooth as the reverb and did take a little bit of getting used to as the drop is quicker than the reverb but after a few drops I forgot it was any different.
Yes the return speed looks eye wateringly fast but it doesn't pack any punch. Think I've got around 10psi in mine. I've caught it on the inside of my leg once when I was looking down and if I hadn't been looking down wouldn't have really registered it.
Can't comment on longevity as I've only used it on 3 outings so far but initial impressions are positive and the ease of servicing it myself is a big bonus as well.

Thanks for those links Razorrazoo, interesting reading.

I will pop up to the local Scott dealer and have a look at the Genius, since that does run an internal Reverb. Either I copy that set up, or just drill out the cable stop in the frame and run it where the front mech would have gone.

Thomson all day long. My mates Command is decent but nowhere near as slick as my Thomson or a Reverb for that matter.

Well, whichever post I buy - I still need to route it internally. As has been pointed out, hose or outer will need to go through the frame.

Its a question of drill the existing hole out at the headstock or not, or drill out the plastic hose thingy at the BB area.

My KS Lev Integra has been faultless and routed easily through my Trance carbon frame. The action is smooth, the lever integrates with ODI grips (a nice touch) and there is infinite adjustment.

Another vote for the KS Lev here. I have two (one for about 18 months and the other for one month) and haven't had any problems at all. The occasional hose down and dry after very muddy rides is the only maintenance which I've carried out!! They really seem to just do the job without any fuss.

Razorrazoo hit the nail on the head, WHATEVER dropper you fit, be it cable or hydraulic, you'll need to drill out the stop.

I've found the answer. A dropper that has no cable / hose. Its wireless and comes out in Jan.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/magura-vyron-wireless-electronic-dropper-seatpost-eurobike-2015.html

That would mean it could fit all your bikes and wouldn't mean you have to dismantle it for servicing / fixing / sending back.

For the past twelve months I've used a Reverb and a Command Post on both my FS bikes. The Reverb has the advantage of not having only three presents (although Specialized have resolved this now) and it doesn't punch you in the spuds with a vengeance if caught unawares.

However, two hose bleeds later I'm not completely satisfied with the Reverb experience.

The Command Post will smack you in the taint, but it's easy to adjust and generally maintenance free...be warned though that they aren't user serviceable, even though some folk say that they are. I still cannot get the head off mine, so it's off to Spesh at some point for TLC. They do like a bit of oil dribbled into the air valve on occasion too.

My new bike has an X-Fusion HiLo. The salesman dropped in the line "of course [i]when[/i] it goes, you can fit a Reverb Stealth".

my Giant one is pretty good - doesn't seem inferior when swopping to other bike with a reverb on it. It has a few mm rotational play, which if it gets worse, will be a warranty claim, but it seems that all droppers rotate a bit..

be warned though that they aren't user serviceable, even though some folk say that they are. I still cannot get the head off mine

Personally I prefer the 3 positions too. They are just right for climbing, general riding and tech/downhill for me and it always snaps into place. I appreciate that might not be right for everyone though.

the DOSS has proved to be a super reliable post. The 3 positions actually work well especially for a trail bike with the 1" drop as a good drop height for pedalling through tech.
Anyway, the new fox dropper is about to well...drop.
With regard to the genius, its not full internal routing. The dropper cable is intended to run down the downtube to just forward of the BB then enters the frame through a slot.
Threading the cable/hose within the BB is easy as you simply remove the BB cable guide to give you sight access to where the hose has to go.
Drilling out the front mech stop in the BB guide would be an option certainly. Ths plastic part is also available as a replacement if you ever want to go back to 2x
As far as drilling out the head tube stop.. I did 2 frames and found that having the drill bit moving at good speed before starting to drill into the frame was a much cleaner way to get through the carbon.

Have you compared reverb hose diameter to a 4mm shifter cable outer end ferrule yet? If they match, its time to get going with your surgery 😉

I've considered drilling out the cable stop, and also routing it like the Genius by drilling the plastic front mech stop in the BB guide, as you suggest.

But you still have the faff of a cable / hose to thread through the frame, (which knowing droppers will need removing for a service / fix in a years time) and/or the faff of drilling etc.

I could just wait till January and order the wireless Magura.
That seems like a much better solution.

Routing the reverb hose internally on my Zesty (hose goes in at bottom of seat tube) is literally a 2 minute job using a spare bit of hose and the supplied connector (which is designed for this purpose). I wouldn't let this put you off internal routing. Not sure I want to be the guinea pig for mk1 wireless dropper from a company that has no history of making droppers.

Razorrazoo hit the nail on the head, WHATEVER dropper you fit, be it cable or hydraulic, you'll need to drill out the stop.

I'm glad someone finally said this as you could have ended up very disappointed

Also as Razorrazoo says, fitting a dropper is a few minute job. The only tricky bit is the trial and error of hose length.

In terms of drilling out a front mech port- I did this on my carbon 29er HT and it was pretty painless. If you can enlarge the hole in 0.5mm steps and keep the drill bit tip lubed then it makes a lot of difference to how easy the job is. I also found longer drill bits (used Screwfix) help give clearance of the drill chuck on other parts of the frame

[I]Actually, if I do drill out the stops, just how do you thread the hose all the way from the seat tube, round the BB, up the frame and out of the correct hole near the head tube.[/I]

You just follow the instructions for a Reverb stealth.

For me it was thread old outer into the head-tube. It came out at the bottom of the down-tube. I then rethreaded it up into the seat-tube and out. Then screw the Reverb hose onto the old outer and pull through. Took a couple of goes but fine.

For me it was thread old outer into the head-tube. It came out at the bottom of the down-tube. I then rethreaded it up into the seat-tube and out. Then screw the Reverb hose onto the old outer and pull through. Took a couple of goes but fine.

Removing the fork is an extra few minutes but can help if you need a bit more access in the headtube or want to feed some zip ties on the hose to stop rattles (it's a good idea to remove the forks anyway to drill the stop so it makes sense to do it all together). If you have a fancy frame with a BB port then getting the hose around the BB area is super quick, otherwise removing the cranks and BB can be helpful but not necessary to bring the hose up the seattube. My "stealth" fit was on a non-dropper, normal frame and proved pretty painless