Top 3 adjustable seatposts
I recently asked Mike Luby from Dirt Labs and the guys at The Fix Bike Shop for their top 3 adjustable seatposts.
Quick and dirty:
Mike Luby
Runs Dirt Labs. Services suspension and seatposts. Wants the best feel without sacrificing reliability. “Ask yourself, if you’re in Moab and your post fails, what are you going to do? Who’s going to fix it? What’s the warranty?”
• Rock Shox Reverb
Very reliable. Known issues have been worked out. The best warranty in the biz. Great feel.
• Gravity Dropper
The worst feel, but the greatest reliability.
• X-Fusion
Good feel. Designed by the Maverick guys. Available in 27.2 mm.
Luby doesn’t work on Command Posts, so he doesn’t have much experience with them, but he says he gets very few requests to repair them.
Mike at The Fix Bike Shop
Gravity racer on shoulder repair duty. Hasn’t been riding much, but interacts with lots of customers.
• Specialized Command Post
Initial issues have been worked out. Current models have had zero problems. The fast rebound is a bummer.
• Rock Shox Reverb
Infinite height adjustment. Adjustable rebound speed.
• KS
People love them, but they’re hard to get into the shop.
Duncan at The Fix Bike Shop
General ripper and shop co-owner.
• Rock Shox Reverb
With the adjustable rebound speed, you can be at full low, bump the switch then let the post raise to rally height (low enough to rip but high enough to pedal). He uses this all the time and says it’s way better than having to go full low, full high then rally height, as with the Command Post.
• Specialized Command Post
Super reliable.
• KS
Hard to get, but no lateral play. Infinite adjustment. 6-inch model. See reliable. Not certain about service. (Lee note: I met a client this weekend who sent his KS for service on a Thursday and had it back Tuesday.)
We all look forward to the Fox.
As for me, my original issue Maverick Speedballs are becoming liabilities. I’ve been on the X-Fusion since spring. It’s always had a slight bleed-down, which was tolerable, but the seal just blew, and now the post won’t stay up at all. The X-Fusion is on my daily driver, so I suppose a full season with one service isn’t bad. But: it really pisses me off when stuff doesn’t work.
I have had just the opposite experiences with the Reverb. I went through two warranty rebuilds and three different seatposts, and they were nothing but trouble. One lasted all of 24hrs before it sunk down and would not hold air. My local shop sent all of theirs back to SRAM for a refund, because they were a constant source of headaches. I will say that when they worked, they were great, but what a PITA.
My two Command Posts have been rock solid. I would rather trade infinite adjustment for reliability and the ability to ride my bike any day.
I love the super quick speed of the command post. I know that when I see that steep pitch up right after a long DH, I can hit the lever and sit down right away. I hate waiting for the post to catch up to my brain.
I have been on the KS for nearly 3 years. A bit of stiction after it sits for a while, but the thing is awesome. Once it moves the first time of the day, it runs good. Never had it rebuilt, no issues. No head play. I love it, its on its 3 different frame…lol
I have had a 2 gravity droppers over 6 years now. Would have only been 1 but I sold my last one with the bike. I never had one problem other then having to put a little lock tight on the top cap to keep it from unscrewing. I have a friend on his second reverb and it just blew a seal in moad this last weekend. I have another buddy who has had 2 command posts. The 1st gen which had seal issues like most and the latest version that is acutally quite nice. No problems so far. And then another buddy with the crank Bro’s. I don’t know how many times he has sent it back now.
The gravity does have the most slop but its mountain biking. The trails aren’t exactly smooth. The roughness covers up all the movement. Even on the road I don’t notice it. That little bit of movment is worth the comfort of knowing that when I hit that switch the seat post is going to work. Plus anyone can order any part and rebuild the thing themselves. They are very easy to work with and have great customer service. Another one I would consider is the rase. It is also mechanical. Supposed to be very reliable. From my experiance #1 is gravity dropper, #2 is the newest command post and #3 is KS.
going on 4 years with my original Maverick. changed the cable 3 times, otherwise no issues other than stiction on return to full height.
+1 for the Command Post. I’ve got the new Blacklite and I’m satisfied with the action, even if the the return is rapid compared to the hydro’s. What sold me was that the post can still be locked in the “up” position if pressure is lost. As for the to be released Fox DOSS, seems the description (mech. actuation and 3 positions) is much like the Command Post, so I figured why wait.
Reverb!!!!!!! Hands down! All the kinks are worked out now. I wouldn’t run anything else!!!
KS is great. Easy to service. I’ve had my one for two years including 1 year riding in the filth in Scotland.
Still running strong
Reverbs seem to have a small issue with the hose fouling the seatpost collar at lowest position. Fine when they are new but they catch more and more. Thats vsn 2 of the reverb btw
The gravity dropper ain’t the prettiest girl in town…
But it’s the one you can spend your life with.
4+ years on 27.2 GD without issue
1+ years on 31.9 GD without issue
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Gravity dropper all the way from me also, for multipe reasons.
-Easy of maintenance (simple mechanics involved)
-“Only pay once” policy. Even the worst case scenario, will cost bloody cheap.
-Statik cable (not moving up and down with the saddle)
are some of them.
It does have some play, but it’s definitely not noticeable while riding. On the third year riding with it,4-5 times per week, on extra rocky terrain, without any issue at all.
Hey everyone, thanks for the great feedback.
I rode an early Gravity Dropper (circa 2005), and it worked fine until it got *really* dirty. After it was cleaned and lubed, the balance between the magnet power and the spring preload became so delicate that the post was unusable. The post wold either drop for no reason or not move at all.
Does anyone know, has that been addressed?
Have you contacted GD directly? Their customer support is amazing, and they serviced my husband’s post when it developed a hairline crack after 3 years of using it UNDER WARRANTY!
The preload is always that delicate. There’s a knob below the boot that people tend to mess with that can screw up your GD if you’re not careful.
Experience with just 2.
AMP – full mechanical 3 position, 1″ down and 4″ down.
Never had an issue even on a very slack seat-tube 08 Knolly Delirium-T. Still works a charm. I am going to rebuild it and put it on my sons bike. Only downside is the lever is prone to bend in a bad crash; it is not solid but cut-out in the middle.
Reverb – been riding it for just over the year with no problems. Again on a slack seat-tube Knolly – this time a 10 Delirium. I must have gotten lucky because it is one of the first released. The only issue I have is that I bent the barb on the lever assembly on a rock-garden crash (plus a couple of my ribs). So now the speed adjust is too stiff to move by hand and the slight bend means I have to bleed it about every 3 weeks as it tends to slow.
ymmv
michael