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As topic - I seem able to locate the LEV dropper post in larger sizes, but no one has the 27.2mm diameter, has anyone found anywhere or is it all marketing smoke & mirrors?! 🙂
Not available in the US yet either. Some places are taking preorders, though.
Saw a few at my LBS this weekend, however they did not have any 30.9's which is what i was after.
Zee Germans have it:
http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k1170/a69131/ev-fr-dh-seatpost-272-mm-x-400-mm.html
Which they won't ship out of Germany.
Have you tried other German stores? [url= https://www.bike-components.de/products/info/p31672%7B1%7D1426058_LEV-Sattelstuetze-mit-Remote-.html ]bike-components.de[/url] have them in stock and will ship to Sweden without problems at least.
Edit: works for me on bike-discount too (up to giving CC details), so I'd have to assume it's the UK distributor that has thrown a spanner in the works. Superstar!
Aren't there some euro rules about free trade?
Yep!
i got one from here last week..
theyre not in stock right now.. but i pre-ordered mine mid january and the post actually came before they said it would.. (looks like their next delivery of 27.2's will be next week)
it came into stock last friday.. and was delivered to me on tuesday this week 🙂
Thanks spacehopper, looks like zee germans are cheaper zan zee french...!
And a lot cheaper than zee english. Mine is now on its way from Hi Bike.
Do the 27.2's look the same as the 30.9 / 31.6.
I know they will be thinner but the last KS 27.2 model had that piggback resevoir.
Pictures imply they look basically the same
Correct, no piggyback on the lev.
Cool - thanks
May 'need' one 🙂
I got one when I was out in Hong Kong over the new year. There is a difference between it and the bigger sizes models. I could not find the air adjustment valve. On the bigger diameter ones it is directly under the saddle clamp. Could not find it on mine. Pressure adjustment is one of the main reason for me to buy a lev in the first place as my Hilo was fine. Let's hope it is just hidden somewhere.
Didn't know that. Wonder where they've put it then.
Some pictures for you to see. I got bored and took a few pictures before installing it but never got round to post them. This is a good opportunity!
From the box:
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Delivered compressed:
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27.2mm, need a strap wrench to undo the bottom cap which I will buy tomorrow:
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Clamping mechanism:
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No Air Valve there!
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Even the box says there should be an air valve there!
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Installed with Fibre Grip as instructed:
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Remote:
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Activation mechanism:
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Cable Routing, the length of the inner needs to be exact, took me a few go to get it right. So start long!
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Activation mechanism installed into cable:
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Remote installed on bar clamp:
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Cable routing:
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Adjustment mechanism installed onto post:
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That seatpost just look way too thin:
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Feedback so far is that return speed is ridiculously slow. Even slower than on my HiLo. I'm going to go mad if I can't find where to adjust the air pressure and probably go back to a HiLo.
Luckily, it was "only" £250 which is less than what I paid for my Reverb when it first came out.
Hope this helps anyone who wants a 27.2 Lev to make a decision.
I was stroking a 30.9 in my local shop here in Turin at the weekend. He offered to get a 27.2 in for 290euro which was very tempting but the missus was with me and would have noticed.
I also wasnt sure if 100mm was enough?
Not sure if they have limited it to fit in the reservoir or because of increased overlap for the small diameter.
Thanks for the pics Nicholas, as you suggest, it'll be a bit poor if it's not possible to alter the return speed. They must've pressurised the thing at the factory so there must be a valve somewhere eh? The KS website doesn't appear to offer up any answers though.
Bit concerned about this air valve business. Anyone else with a 27.2 care to comment/check?
Guess I'll know myself by the end of next week.
for the air valve have you tried using the tool with the dimples in to remove the bit in the top of the post?
See page 5 here:
That is how you rotate the saddle clamp by the looks of it and the valve might be under there.
edit: see page 14.
nicholas_yiu - as far as return speed, you control that with air pressure. I have 2 of the 31.6 mm Lev, and the schrader valve for the air is where you are looking under the seatclamp. Mine looks more like this, with a little slotted cap covering the schrader valve
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Also, if you overtighten the seatpost collar, it can slow or even prevent the post from returning to the up position. In fact, if its too tight and the post stops, hold down the remote lever while you loosen the seatpost collar and it will start moving as you loosen it up a bit.
I see that you used carbon paste, so that's good. One other thing that you can do is put the seatpost collar so that the gap in it is 180 degrees from the slot in the seat tube. Doing this can help the seat tube stay round when the collar is tightened.
I hope that you find the air valve!
Edit - Andyl - that's not a tool with the dimples, that is part of the seatclamp. The dimples index on those raised dots to keep the saddle clamp pointing in the direction that you want it to be.
ahh, I get it now. I wondered why there was so many dimples.
That's very odd. Looks like they have forgotten to amend the manual for the 27.2 then.
The saddle clamp is quite loose, that's why I had to use carbon paste.
Just got a strap wrench today so going to try removing the bottom cap later and see if there is an air valve there.
Thinking about it, wouldn't it be rather dangerous to service the post if you cannot relive the pressure somehow. There must be a way.
Double post
From the service videos, it doesn't look like that bottom section lets you into the air chamber so you should be fine.
Try dropping an email to ks in the states. They should be able to tell you where the valve is.
slightly off topic, but can you repressurise the ks i900, or is that a sealed unit?
I've emailed KS, let's see what comes back...
Any word back from KS yet, Chives?
I got a reply today, - not good news I'm afraid. And I quote;
You can't adjust the air pressure in the LEV 27.2 there is no valve.
Respectfully,
Ron Easton
KS USA
26741 Portola Pkwy 1E658
Foothill Ranch CA 92610
So there we are then. Not quite as user-friendly as it could've been.
That's a bit of a bugger.
Actually, I'm now curious to know how they get the air spring in there.
Just a thought, but maybe it's not air in there at all, but a coil spring?
I'm fine with that. How do you change the spring?
On a side note for all you ks post people, there is no uk importer/distributor or warranty at the moment...
If it goes wrong, I'll post it back to Germany. I've saved more than enough to cover postage. Doesn't ssc/pure racing/fruit import them anymore then?
I saw a press release somewhere (could've been on here?) where Pure Racing basically said KS were making it untenable for them to continue importing / supporting KS products. Which is a bit of a shit for them (Pure Racing) given they've tried to carry the KS flag in the UK for a while now. That's just from memory, so don't shoot the messenger eh?
Odd, as the Germans seem to be making it work.
Bump for Onzadog - did your post arrive & have you tried it in anger yet? I'm still wondering if it'd be worth the money..
Loco's selling the 'bighorn' (fnarr fnarr) - but not sure if DSP do a 27.2mm or not?
Well, I have been using my 27.2 KS Lev and the inner cable has snapped (This is a common problem with Lev I believe)
I tried replacing the inner cable but it does not seem to come apart the same way as the bigger diameter version. I ended up unthreading the "air rod" from the piston by mistake. It has now lost all pressure and still doesn't come apart for cable replacement.
I have contacted KS to get it repaired (probably at my own cost) and ordered a new Hilo (shouldn't have sold it in the first place!)
The KS will be up for sale when it comes back from repair. (probably for quite a low price) That inner cable is a design weak point for the post. It's not so much of a problem for the bigger diameter ones as it's easily replaceable. However, seeing that you probably have to send it back every time the inner cable snap on the 27.2, I think the simpler Hilo is a better option.
Thanks Nicholas - think I'll drop the LEV off my list then.
nicholas_yiu - Member
Well, I have been using my 27.2 KS Lev and the inner cable has snapped (This is a common problem with Lev I believe)I tried replacing the inner cable but it does not seem to come apart the same way as the bigger diameter version. I ended up unthreading the "air rod" from the piston by mistake. It has now lost all pressure and still doesn't come apart for cable replacement.
I have contacted KS to get it repaired (probably at my own cost) and ordered a new Hilo (shouldn't have sold it in the first place!)
The KS will be up for sale when it comes back from repair. (probably for quite a low price) That inner cable is a design weak point for the post. It's not so much of a problem for the bigger diameter ones as it's easily replaceable. However, seeing that you probably have to send it back every time the inner cable snap on the 27.2, I think the simpler Hilo is a better option.
You mean the cable cable??? You couldn't change the cable?
You mean the cable cable??? You couldn't change the cable?
I'd assume he means the thin cable that's internal to the post - it's how the manage the static cable routing.
Aah, sorry. That makes more sense.
Yup, it's the cable internal to the seatpost that's snapped. It's a unique Kevlar cable that needs to be ordered from KS if broken.
I think the main design problem there is because it is clamped by a grub screw. I don't think clamping a Kevlar cable is a great idea as it's probably sheared quite a bit just by clamping. I think it will be much stronger if it's threaded through a hole and simply tie a knot at the end.
There's a small cap between the grubscrew and the cable to protect it from any damage...
Finally got around to fitting mine last night. Return speed is very slow. The construction seems to be the same as my 31.6 just the air valve is missing. Bit disappointed really compared to the larger version.
Not ridden it in anger yet and before anyone suggests to seat clamp is too tight, I've also proved it with the seat clamp loose.
Right then. I've managed to get it returning a good bit quicker.
The Kevlar cord was slightly too long. By the time the hook had pulled to the bottom of the chamber under the red cap, the plunger under the cap on the bottom of the post still hadn't been fully depressed.
All I've done is shortened the effective length of the cord my about 3mm and it's much happier now. Not lightening fast, but now appears "normal" rather than slow.