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After having 2 droppers need very expensive servicing I've been musing what a good replacement would be.
What do people recommend?
Gravity Droppers are old-school primitive with loads of spares easily available.
BikeYoke Revive is user-serviceable to a certain degree - ie you can strip and clean it.
Keep your bits clear when it's rising but otherwise the simplest post and easiest to service.
KS Dropzone. I've had one for 4 years and apart from tightening the cable once it's been completely maintenance free in that time. Bought another for my other bike as a result. Under £130 if you shop around.
GD. It can be stripped and fully rebuilt in 5mins with only a couple of different sized allen-keys. Pretty much every part is available relatively cheaply as a spare, but there are only really 4 cheap, plastic bushes that actually wear out.
Specialized command post. Easy to open up and re-grease. Works very well, too.
GD. I cleaned one when it jammed on the trailside at an insanely wet Afan. It worked for the remainder of the ride.
Servicing is nearly as easy as falling off a log.
How do the Gravity Droppers compare to the Rockshox Reverbs?
Reverb is home serviceable but it is involved and some parts can be expensive. I move from Thomson to Revive because of this very question.
Another vote for the command post.
I'd been dropper curious for ages and got my hands on a CP. Its really simple, the only downside is it only has 3 positions, fully dropped, dropped by 3" and up. Doesnt bother me and I rarely use it fully dropped. Easy to service too.
The 3 position thing is an advantage imo, not a downside. Makes it very easy to use and get it into repeatable positions
Had 2 KS eten's for around 3 years - internal and external routed.
No issues what so ever with them other than having to change cables.
How do the Gravity Droppers compare to the Rockshox Reverbs?
It's going to feel agricultural, but still solid. The fixed positions I like; it's always going to be exactly where you expect it to be. The remote action is lighter too. I have a GD, a reverb and a Brand X (and have had a couple of cheap ones including an ebay GD-copy, which are nothing like the real thing). I like the feel of the GD best, but unfortunately the longer stroke of the Brand X makes it the one for the main bike.
e13 have one that seems to be like a cross between a GD and a Command Post. Early reviews were mediocre, but they seem to have sorted some issues now.
How long do the Gravity Droppers last? Reverbs feel like they'll keep going as long as you keep on top of servicing?
They last ages because they are simple, effective and easy to strip and service.
Bit of a not-so-stealth ad but I will have my Gravity Dropper for sale shortly. It's a 30.9 125 drop Turbo model (with the 3 height positions). Includes both LH and RH levers so you can run any position you like on the bars. £50 posted. Email in my profile if you need details/photos.
I’ve been surprisingly impressed with my Giant Contact Switch
https://www.cyclestore.co.uk/giant_contact_switch_seatpost_2018-ID_73871
theres been a wee bit of wear on the shaft anodising under the collar but it doesn’t cause any issues.
The internals aren’t serviceable, but they are completely replaceable for about £30. It’s a basic telescopic damper internally and so far after about a year there’s been no issues.
only slight gripe would be the remote lever isn’t great. Not a huge amount of leverage so if the cable gets sticky (as it’s cable rather than hydraulic which is also a plus) then it can be hard to press the remote. Solved that problem with a wolftooth remote lever for about £40. Even with that it’s still a dirt cheap option and has been very reliable throughout classic Scottish conditions
Gravity Droppers are very reliable but I've managed to kill two.
On one the thread at the top of the main tube stripped.
And on another the holes for the position pin to locate in rounded off.
The remote lever is hard to position compared to more modern dropper.
Have GD still got a UK distributer or do you have to go direct to them for spares?
Gravity dropper lives on my winter hardtail, it's about 10 years old, had 1 rebuild.
Reverbs, KS I've been through a few.
Transx/brandx has been excellent so far though
Brand X Ascend, can be had for £90 new with 2 years warranty, if it dies after 2 years chuck it in the bin and buy another one
Ive replaced 2 Command posts and a Reverb with the Brand X post, the command posts were faulty and returned and refund issued, the Reverb needed a service which would cost £90 so i sold it for £50 and bought the Brand X to replace it
The remote lever is a bit shite but you can just use your old posts one (if its cable actuated)
Another vote for a specialized command post, had it years, only maintenance I have had to do is replace the collet, which was easy and cheap £25.
Have had to replace the seal had but that was stupidity on my part not a fault of the post.
Dead easy to strip and clean the seal and brings it back to like new.
Gravity dropper. My oldest one is now 13 years old. I've lubed it a couple of times and changed the cable once. That's it.
I only got one because of the review in MBR. They said it worked well but they couldn't see the point in a dropper post so gave it 6/10 🙂