A dropper post that requires very little maintenance

**radam** · 09-27-2016, 06:08 PM

Had an eTen as my first dropper, liked it so I grabbed a used supernatural for more travel and put the eTen on my wife's bike. Supernatural turned into a suspension post and couldn't figure out how to fix it and it was out of warranty (old and not the original owner) so cost to repair was obscene. Sold it for parts and bought the reverb so I could have a warranty. Which I've now made use of twice.

I'm not expecting perfection from a dropper but I've killed several in a short amount of time. (had another eTen where the actuator got so sticky that if you sat down less than ~5 seconds after pushing the trigger, the saddle would still drop)

**Lindahl** · 09-27-2016, 09:12 PM

My bike shop will rehab an eTen for $30. Only had to do it twice over 3 years. They do wear out eventually (one did). At least they're cheap to replace. Mud seems to be the main problem over time - for the externals.

**Soups** · 09-27-2016, 09:39 PM

Which shop?

**Lindahl** · 09-27-2016, 09:48 PM

Pedal Pushers in Golden

**Soups** · 09-27-2016, 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by Lindahl

Pedal Pushers in Golden

Dope. Thanks

**BaNosser** · 09-27-2016, 09:54 PM

Originally Posted by evasive_MT

9.8

waiting patiently....

**VTskibum** · 09-29-2016, 10:27 AM

Not fashionable, but Fox DOSS has been bullet proof. Reverb was ok, but I loathe the idea of bleeding it and pulled it off in favor of the older reliable DOSS. I don't have the bleed kit and already have a backlog of bike shit to fix, bleeding my dropper post is not high on that list.

For the record I run my dropper Sept - May then hank it off for XC racing in the summertime, so does get lots of sloppy conditions. Also reverbs in cold get pretty slow to rebound.

**nickwm21** · 09-29-2016, 10:40 AM

I just upgraded to a fox transfer from a 6 year old gravity dropper.

I really like the transfer so far. It was easy to install, the movement is smooth, and it is easy to feather the lever to get where you want.

My gravity dropper finally stopped working after a 6 years of heavy use. I broke it down and cleaned everything and put it back together. Turns out something in the pin/cable interface on the post is getting stuck. Replacing that entire assembly can be done for under $40 through gravity dropper, but I decided to upgrade.

Does anyone want a gravity dropper turbo for parts or rebuild?

**jm2e** · 09-29-2016, 11:21 AM

I just bought a 9point8 while warrantying my wife's LEV.
Set up on the 9.8 was a pain in the ass. Maybe I'm just dumb, and a sloppy wrench, but it took me a while and I went through several cables to get it right. Now that I've done it, I could do it again in 20 min.

Big surprise was the amount of force needed to actuate the lever on the 9.8
I emailed them and they said it was normal, but that I should try to measure it. So I did. My LEV with a South Paw requires 3 lbs to actuate, consistently. The 9.8 with their lever requires 7-9 lbs to actuate and it's pretty inconsistent and stiction seems to play a pretty big role. My wife has said she'll NEVER use it and is waiting for me to reinstall the LEV.
Meanwhile, the warrantied LEV made it round trip in about 7 days. I was very impressed. Now I guess I gotta sell a $430 dropper post.

**ColMan** · 09-29-2016, 11:43 AM

I have a different dropper on each of my bikes (didn't plan it that way). Reverb (1 month old) on my 27.5, Lev (3 years old) on my 29er, Fox DOSS (1 year old) on my fat bike, and a 10 year old Gravity Dropper Classic on my single-speed (was also on 2 of my previous bikes). My thoughts:

Gravity Dropper: Was bombproof for about 9 years but started to develop a lot of play/creaking recently. Has 3-4,000 miles on it which is impressive. Going to send it to them for an overhaul this winter. These things last but are ugly.
KS Lev: Was fine for the first 2 years and then the cartridge failed just after the warranty was up. Easy to service. I replaced the cartridge myself ($80). Fine ever since. Has a little play but is buttery smooth.
Fox DOSS: Works great but I hate how the cable runs to the seat clamp instead of the seat collar like the Lev. Also has a little play like the Lev. Only has 2 positions (mid or all the way down). Fox was blowing them out on Amazon for $150 so I can't complain too much.
Reverb: Only have about 200 miles on it but it's just ok. Sticky compared to the other droppers I have. I also don't like the fact that I now have one more thing that I will need to bleed. Time will tell how it holds up. Latest version so hopefully all the issues have been resolved.

**BaNosser** · 10-13-2016, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by jm2e

I just bought a 9point8 while warrantying my wife's LEV.
Set up on the 9.8 was a pain in the ass. Maybe I'm just dumb, and a sloppy wrench, but it took me a while and I went through several cables to get it right. Now that I've done it, I could do it again in 20 min.

Big surprise was the amount of force needed to actuate the lever on the 9.8
I emailed them and they said it was normal, but that I should try to measure it. So I did. My LEV with a South Paw requires 3 lbs to actuate, consistently. The 9.8 with their lever requires 7-9 lbs to actuate and it's pretty inconsistent and stiction seems to play a pretty big role. My wife has said she'll NEVER use it and is waiting for me to reinstall the LEV.
Meanwhile, the warrantied LEV made it round trip in about 7 days. I was very impressed. Now I guess I gotta sell a $430 dropper post.

I just got done talking with a 9.8 rep... he said to actuate with less pressure you can use a Race Face dropper lever.. needs less force to actuate.. longer lever.. does more with less.. Race Face Turbine Dropper Remote

**evdog** · 10-13-2016, 11:27 PM

I have three different KS posts on three different bikes with pretty good results.

My original KS I-950 is going on six years now with almost zero maintenance. Occasionally it will sag 1/4" but the only problems I have are when the cable gets sticky and it won't release easily. The post itself functions fine consistently. I've been very impressed. I also have a 4 year old Supernatural that had to be sent back once after a couple months but has been solid every since. And a newer LEV 4" post that has been flawless.

Seems like every post has plenty of negative reviews and plenty of positives. I'll stick with KS for now because they seem to have fewer problems overall. I like the idea of hyraulic reverb not having to deal with cable stretch and crud but I have personally seen almost all my friends who run reverbs experience failures at very inopportune times during rides. No thanks....

**kootenayskier** · 10-14-2016, 08:30 AM

My original KS I-950 is, despite large grooves having developed in the anodizing, still working flawlessly after 8 or so years of hard use. I keep waiting for an excuse to upgrade, but it's still going. When the time comes, it seems to me that Giant is leading the pack, as it does what it's supposed to, is cheaper than most, has very few reported issues, and if it does fuck up, replacing the cartridge is relatively painless. Or I could pay double for the 9.8, for ?

**mntlion** · 10-14-2016, 06:14 PM

another vote for KS

**funkendrenchman** · 11-15-2016, 01:57 PM

My buddy's post, an Easton Haven, broke twice on our last ride. It wouldn't stay up or down. We wasted a good hour on the trail. He bought that post, after having issues with his KS Lev. I'm sticking with my Gravity Dropper for the foreseeable future.

**sethschmautz** · 11-15-2016, 02:57 PM

I got an KS i950 with my recent purchase and it also seems to be solid. I just keep it lubed occasionally and it keeps on ticking along. Glad to hear that others have had good success with that post.

**toast2266** · 11-15-2016, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by funkendrenchman

My buddy's post, an Easton Haven, broke twice on our last ride. It wouldn't stay up or down. We wasted a good hour on the trail. He bought that post, after having issues with his KS Lev. I'm sticking with my Gravity Dropper for the foreseeable future.

I'd bet five pennies that he has too much cable tension. Those things are super fussy about that, and even just a little bit too much tension makes them slip. And the hydraulic mechanism tends to contract over the course of the ride due to a couple of factors, so I find that I have to run a little extra slack in the cable to allow for that.

**funkendrenchman** · 11-15-2016, 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by toast2266

I'd bet five pennies that he has too much cable tension. Those things are super fussy about that, and even just a little bit too much tension makes them slip. And the hydraulic mechanism tends to contract over the course of the ride due to a couple of factors, so I find that I have to run a little extra slack in the cable to allow for that.

When he finished his last ride it worked fine. Right from the start of the ride, it wasn't working. Apparently air temp can also have an effect. Cable tension may also be related.

**toast2266** · 11-15-2016, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by funkendrenchman

When he finished his last ride it worked fine. Right from the start of the ride, it wasn't working. Apparently air temp can also have an affect. Cable tension may also be related.

Yeah, air temp definitely affects it (as best as I can tell, so does elevation). Changes in temp seem to affect the hydraulic chamber, which in turn affects the plunger that the cable attaches to. It's pretty annoying.

**sethschmautz** · 11-16-2016, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by funkendrenchman

My buddy's post, an Easton Haven, broke twice on our last ride. It wouldn't stay up or down.

This was my stress dream last night. I blame this thread.

**smmokan** · 11-16-2016, 10:15 AM

Just when I thought I had a reliable post option for my demo fleet... I had a Fox Transfer puke out all the oil last weekend after less than two months of use. It's always a nice thing to see the oil leaking out the bottom of the frame during a ride, knowing you might lose all control of the dropper at any moment.

I hope it was just a one-off default because otherwise, I'm a big fan of the design and operation of the new Fox posts. I've got a PNW Bachelor on the way too, based on the reviews maybe that's my next post option...

**Eluder** · 11-16-2016, 10:31 AM

Everyone like hating the big S so it dosn't get nearly enough credit but the Command Post IRcc is a damn fine post. Mine never complains and they are super easy to service if needed.

**joetron** · 11-16-2016, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by smmokan

Just when I thought I had a reliable post option for my demo fleet... I had a Fox Transfer puke out all the oil last weekend after less than two months of use. It's always a nice thing to see the oil leaking out the bottom of the frame during a ride, knowing you might lose all control of the dropper at any moment.

I hope it was just a one-off default because otherwise, I'm a big fan of the design and operation of the new Fox posts. I've got a PNW Bachelor on the way too, based on the reviews maybe that's my next post option...

I've heard about number of Transfer failures from shops around here. Same with the RF posts.