This is probably one of the more controversial topics out there. 26 vs. 27.5 vs. 29, flats vs. clipless, SRAM vs. Shimano. I'm not including discs vs. v-brakes because that one is dead.
So, what are you guys using for a dropper seatpost? I realize that some people don't want to use them because they add most of a pound. They've spend thousands on a high end bike and don't want to ADD weight to it. I get it. I'm the same way.
But, I'm also open to new ideas. Just like a 29er added some weight (very little), it drastically improved my performance. I'm anticipating the same with a dropper.
So, I just purchased new-in-box Specialized Command Post IRCC for $220. 100mm variety. Compatible with my Antares 00. Should increase the weight of my ASRc from 22 to 23lbs or so, but I'm guessing I won't mind at all.
Your Dropper Seatpost Setup
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I use a cheap Micheal Jackson dropper (you grab your crotch (it looks like) to lower it), that way I can use my rigid carbon post when I don't need the dropper and (using a QR for ease rather than a bolted clamp) the dropper post for days when it makes more sense, yes it adds about a pound to the weight (635 v 185g post to post - from memory as the numbers are on my laptop), I also have a spare saddle and butt fender style mudguard on it to make the swap as painless as possible. Adding a remote would add a lot of hassle and they are more expensive as well (possibly heavier?)
Impoverished weight weenie wanna-be!
Budget 26" HT build viewtopic.php?f=10&t=110956
Budget 26" HT build viewtopic.php?f=10&t=110956
It's all personal opinion really, I really like mine but you have to buy a reliable one. The command one is okay but not great, from 5 years as a mechanic the most reliable ones are in no particular order, the Thomson one, rockshox, and giant.
wingguy wrote:LeDuke wrote:I'm anticipating the same with a dropper.
You're anticipating a performance gain and you're guessing you'll like it? I don't understand - I thought you'd already owned three?
I have.
Those were also on a hard tail which was set up to be super light more than it was to be fast (both uphill and down). It was fine for mellower trails, but not for where I live and where I like to ride now.
They also died, for various reasons. The FOX developed a LOT of play at the saddle; I'd estimate 10 degrees in each direction. I didn't find that acceptable, and sent it back for warranty.
Boiled down, I like the concept of droppers. My previous bike wasn't really optimized for them, and I had bad luck with them.
i have a rockshocks reverb dropper on my cannondale scalpel, its pretty heavy as far as droppers go so I'm sure you could find much lighter but its a decent post thats never played me up, I like the remote so when I'm halfway down the hill and realise I've forgotten to drop it i can do it without letting go of the bars
I have a YEP Components Uptimizer ST, and so far I'm really happy with it. Weighs 579 grams with the remote and all, in 31,6 mm diameter and 125 mm drop (short version). I have used it since August, which isn't long enough to evaluate durability, but so far it's been running perfectly.
I was going to start a similar thread.
I have just started out with a KS Lev Ci which came in at 463g (460 cut).
Full list of parts with weights for those interested:
Lower clamp 18g
Upper clamp 22g
Ti nuts 3g
Ti bolts 10g
Seatpost (31.6) 363g
Remote 17g
Cable adjuster 5g
Inner cable 3g
Outer cable 22g
Weight tuning thoughts
If you have a standard KS Lev then you can get a good comparison with the weight that could be dropped. I think you can get within 60g of the Lev Ci but obviously gain some travel if that is important to you.
If you could use something like POP yokes then there's 12g to be saved. I don't think the angle of the bolts suits this though as the yokes would be pulled apart.
If you had a carbon lower cradle then that's around 9g saved. The KS is s strange radius though and the fit with the top of the seatpost is crucial for function so none of the cradles I had spare fitted well. MCFK make lower cradles in a wide range of radii so I may revisit this again.
The remote is the lightest I could find and I actually like this vs the trigger style. The Southpaw adds 27g (44g) and the lightest lever remote I could find it a CB Joplin at 28g. Availability is sketchy though so if you prefer a trigger style lever and can get hold of one then snap it up!
I played with removing the cable tension adjuster or using other approaches rather than the 100 degree (?) stock item. Function-wise the stock adjuster really is worth the few g's.
I don't think you'll ever beat the inner cable at 3g and the outer was 8g lighter than the KCNC I normally use for gear cables. Same weight as Quaxar outer/ Tune plastic stuff- basically as light as you'll get.
Tuning of other droppers
I worked it through and reckon you can tune a Thomson to ~500g if you borrow some of the key ingredients from the Lev Ci (remote, inner cable, outer cable, cable tensioner) and also do the normal Masterpiece tuning (Ti bolts, POP yokes and SMUD lower cradle). I actually have all the Thomson tuning bits and if I were to buy again then I'd take the 40g hit vs a Lev Ci and go for a tuned Thomson. The only reason I didn't was a flip of a coin really and the colour of the Thomson nagging at the back of my brain. Next time Thomson for sure (see below). The Fox will be fair bit heavier and a normal Lev tuned with Ci bits just 20g more than the Thomson.
KS Lev Ci thoughts so far...
Installation was a bit of a bitch. The outer is barely long enough so it was a real fiddle. Cable length is also trial and error so time consuming- the instructions are quite misleading. I also snapped an inner cable on installation. Lightweight fibre cables and grub screws squashing the cable are not a great combination. The front bolt is also on the limit of only just being long enough with a Speedneedle. All of these crop up as common complaints of the Lev
Remote feel is nice and I see no reason to change the lever. Activating the dropper is quickly second nature.
The post came with some small play which I realise is normal for a dropper. However after just two rides the side to side play has increased and there's now a large clunk as there's vertical play too. I will see how things go but I reckon it could already be due some warranty attention. Reliability of dropper is always going to be a PITA but this is one of the main reasons I'd go Tuned Thomson in the future as these seem to have the fewest problems and most satisifed riders. Can't they just make one in black though?!
In terms of function, 65mm is more than enough for XC IMO. If anything I feel it is too much as the saddle only needs to go down a touch to give a bit more clearance for getting behind the saddle on the steep stuff. At 65mm drop the bike almost feels like a DJ/ 4X bike with the amount of extra body language you can get away with vs a rigid high post. I read before that 90% of the usefulness is in the first 20-30mm and I'm inclined to agree with this. A dropper isn't a game changer for me and I don't envisage (and haven't recorded) being faster. What it does do is give you a little bit more room to work in for those "Oh Sh1t" moments for a late save in steep terrain or super slippery sections. Little jumps and drops you encounter on an XC ride are no different and if anything I prefer the saddle higher here for a little extra stability in the air. Of course if I were hitting Endurbro-mega-gaps then a dropper would be a different kettle of fish. One aspect I wanted to test was using a dropper to improve climbing. Sounds nuts but I dropped the stem a touch to make the bike more planted climbing without the disadvantage of the saddle to bar drop getting a little to much to handle in the steep stuff. That at least seems to work well so far and I'm going to continue experimenting with using a dropper to improve climbing.
Overall, the Lev Ci is a nice novelty but far from essential and I probably wouldn't buy a dropper again for the terrain I ride and certainly wouldn't ever use one for the XCO/ XCM races I tend to do
I have just started out with a KS Lev Ci which came in at 463g (460 cut).
Full list of parts with weights for those interested:
Lower clamp 18g
Upper clamp 22g
Ti nuts 3g
Ti bolts 10g
Seatpost (31.6) 363g
Remote 17g
Cable adjuster 5g
Inner cable 3g
Outer cable 22g
Weight tuning thoughts
If you have a standard KS Lev then you can get a good comparison with the weight that could be dropped. I think you can get within 60g of the Lev Ci but obviously gain some travel if that is important to you.
If you could use something like POP yokes then there's 12g to be saved. I don't think the angle of the bolts suits this though as the yokes would be pulled apart.
If you had a carbon lower cradle then that's around 9g saved. The KS is s strange radius though and the fit with the top of the seatpost is crucial for function so none of the cradles I had spare fitted well. MCFK make lower cradles in a wide range of radii so I may revisit this again.
The remote is the lightest I could find and I actually like this vs the trigger style. The Southpaw adds 27g (44g) and the lightest lever remote I could find it a CB Joplin at 28g. Availability is sketchy though so if you prefer a trigger style lever and can get hold of one then snap it up!
I played with removing the cable tension adjuster or using other approaches rather than the 100 degree (?) stock item. Function-wise the stock adjuster really is worth the few g's.
I don't think you'll ever beat the inner cable at 3g and the outer was 8g lighter than the KCNC I normally use for gear cables. Same weight as Quaxar outer/ Tune plastic stuff- basically as light as you'll get.
Tuning of other droppers
I worked it through and reckon you can tune a Thomson to ~500g if you borrow some of the key ingredients from the Lev Ci (remote, inner cable, outer cable, cable tensioner) and also do the normal Masterpiece tuning (Ti bolts, POP yokes and SMUD lower cradle). I actually have all the Thomson tuning bits and if I were to buy again then I'd take the 40g hit vs a Lev Ci and go for a tuned Thomson. The only reason I didn't was a flip of a coin really and the colour of the Thomson nagging at the back of my brain. Next time Thomson for sure (see below). The Fox will be fair bit heavier and a normal Lev tuned with Ci bits just 20g more than the Thomson.
KS Lev Ci thoughts so far...
Installation was a bit of a bitch. The outer is barely long enough so it was a real fiddle. Cable length is also trial and error so time consuming- the instructions are quite misleading. I also snapped an inner cable on installation. Lightweight fibre cables and grub screws squashing the cable are not a great combination. The front bolt is also on the limit of only just being long enough with a Speedneedle. All of these crop up as common complaints of the Lev
Remote feel is nice and I see no reason to change the lever. Activating the dropper is quickly second nature.
The post came with some small play which I realise is normal for a dropper. However after just two rides the side to side play has increased and there's now a large clunk as there's vertical play too. I will see how things go but I reckon it could already be due some warranty attention. Reliability of dropper is always going to be a PITA but this is one of the main reasons I'd go Tuned Thomson in the future as these seem to have the fewest problems and most satisifed riders. Can't they just make one in black though?!
In terms of function, 65mm is more than enough for XC IMO. If anything I feel it is too much as the saddle only needs to go down a touch to give a bit more clearance for getting behind the saddle on the steep stuff. At 65mm drop the bike almost feels like a DJ/ 4X bike with the amount of extra body language you can get away with vs a rigid high post. I read before that 90% of the usefulness is in the first 20-30mm and I'm inclined to agree with this. A dropper isn't a game changer for me and I don't envisage (and haven't recorded) being faster. What it does do is give you a little bit more room to work in for those "Oh Sh1t" moments for a late save in steep terrain or super slippery sections. Little jumps and drops you encounter on an XC ride are no different and if anything I prefer the saddle higher here for a little extra stability in the air. Of course if I were hitting Endurbro-mega-gaps then a dropper would be a different kettle of fish. One aspect I wanted to test was using a dropper to improve climbing. Sounds nuts but I dropped the stem a touch to make the bike more planted climbing without the disadvantage of the saddle to bar drop getting a little to much to handle in the steep stuff. That at least seems to work well so far and I'm going to continue experimenting with using a dropper to improve climbing.
Overall, the Lev Ci is a nice novelty but far from essential and I probably wouldn't buy a dropper again for the terrain I ride and certainly wouldn't ever use one for the XCO/ XCM races I tend to do
I'm going to do some testing on a well-known segment and see how much faster, if at all, I am.
I'll mix it up with a couple different types of trails. There are a few that are super chunky both up and down, and a few that are relatively smooth with some pretty big rooty, rocky drops (3ft).
I'll mix it up with a couple different types of trails. There are a few that are super chunky both up and down, and a few that are relatively smooth with some pretty big rooty, rocky drops (3ft).
Another quick post on this.
The Command Post IRCC comes with saddle clamps for standard 7x7mm circular rails. I walked into a Specialized dealer yesterday looking for the clamp for a 7x9mm oval/carbon railed saddle. They didn't have any in stock, unfortunately. Got to talking to one of the mechanics, who ordered one for me. It was going to be in next week, while I was on a bit of a riding vacation in southern Utah.
We then started talking about riding in general, etc. He's one of the fastest guys in town, but somehow I'd never met him before. We introduced ourselves and he showed me some great routes to look at on my trip.
We chatted for a while, and he realized that the clamp wasn't going to be in before I left. He then said I could have the clamp off his bike, which was sitting right next to the counter, complete with 7x9mm carbon saddle. I paid a discounted rate on a replacement for him, and walked out the door.
Other than a little bit of dirt, it's in perfect shape.
The Command Post IRCC comes with saddle clamps for standard 7x7mm circular rails. I walked into a Specialized dealer yesterday looking for the clamp for a 7x9mm oval/carbon railed saddle. They didn't have any in stock, unfortunately. Got to talking to one of the mechanics, who ordered one for me. It was going to be in next week, while I was on a bit of a riding vacation in southern Utah.
We then started talking about riding in general, etc. He's one of the fastest guys in town, but somehow I'd never met him before. We introduced ourselves and he showed me some great routes to look at on my trip.
We chatted for a while, and he realized that the clamp wasn't going to be in before I left. He then said I could have the clamp off his bike, which was sitting right next to the counter, complete with 7x9mm carbon saddle. I paid a discounted rate on a replacement for him, and walked out the door.
Other than a little bit of dirt, it's in perfect shape.
I use a 125mm reverb dropper on my AM hardtail, it's not WW, it's made of steel, it's around 12kg. HOWEVER, if you are in doubt about getting a dropper and the amount of weight it will add, I have to say I very rarely use the full amount of travel. I find the dropper most useful when going from a climb to single track and dropping my around 2-3cm. I also think that owning a dropper has made a massive difference to my riding, and would really like to try and light, carbon, short travel dropper for my XC bike.
I also use the hope dropper clamp guide and find it very nice.
I also use the hope dropper clamp guide and find it very nice.
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