KS LEV - what size?

[Pegleg]

Looking at picking up a dropper post and I'm hearing great stuff about the KS LEV. My bike (2008 Giant Trance X) has a 30.9 tube diameter, but I have no idea whether I need 100, 125 or 150mm drop. Any advice on how to tell? (KS's website and the product manual don't have any insight.) Thanks.

FWIW, I'm looking at the LEV because (a) I like the fact that the cable connects to the bottom of the post, not the seat, and (b) I like that it's a mechanical cable and not another hydraulic line I'll have to bleed. Feel free to comment if you feel strongly otherwise.

[jamesp]

check the spec's for your frame & measure your existing post to see distance between your up position & where you would have it if dropped down.

[alewi11]

I'm sure others will disagree, but I don't know why you would need 150.

[Chugachjed]

I want a dropper post bad. I have nothing to offer.

[nickwm21]

Who needs more than 50mm?

sent from the future using my mind powers

[kevin267]

go for a ride. When you are raising/lowering your seat, make a mark on the seat post with a serrated knife or file, then measure the marks between where you like it up and where you like it down to figure out how much drop you need.

[marshalolson]

Stoked on the ks lev. Nothing but good things to say from this guy.

Picking seatpost drop is all about 2 things

1. How much drop can your frame take? Measure the exposed seatpost in climbing position and see if you even can use a 125 or 150mm.

2. What you are doing with the bike. Buff singletrack only? (ala buff creek), a 100 is probably golden. Steep technical rocky singletrack frequently? (ala white ranch/apex) then spring for a 125. Riding dh bike terrain and jumping? Get a 150.

Remember, you can make a 150 post drop to 100 easily, but you can't make a 100 drop any further.

[Dee Hubbs]

3 major measurements you need to figure out:
-How much post insertion your frame can take.
-How much post exposure you have in your tall/ climb position (collar to seat rail).
-How much you drop your post.
The first 2 usually are the factors that force you into a certain size.

[Roxtar]

The problem I had was the extended length on even the shortest LEV was too tall to work with my frame (interrupted seat stay leaves very little adjustability.)

[iscariot]

Stoked on the ks lev. Nothing but good things to say from this guy.

Yup. Finally got my 27.2 x 100mm a couple of weeks ago.

Smooth, tight, functional. Stupid easy to set up. Lockon trigger is awesome.

[HobieTony]

I would say, measure how much post is showing on your current post. Subtract 1.5"-2" for the mechanism of the Lev. Convert the remainder to mm. Get the closest size without going over.

[beast]

I would say, measure how much post is showing on your current post. Subtract 1.5"-2" for the mechanism of the Lev. Convert the remainder to mm. Get the closest size without going over.

We've got a winner! Like Hobie said, you need to take the mechanism (head of the post + the clamp area at the base) into account. It's a total of about 2 1/4-inches on the Lev.

More here: http://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guid...justable,11421

[frorider]

Generally speaking for most riders and most frame designs, 125 mm is perfect.

I have a Reverb with a metric shit-ton of miles, and a Lev I've been using on my main bike for a while.

In terms of use on the trail, both are good.

Bleeding the Reverb is easy and quick. I've only had to do it once. I do prefer the easy cable routing on the Lev but then again I've had no cable routing issues on the Reverb on various frames.

LeeL surveyed a bunch of shops and concluded that failure rates were equally low for both.

I don't like the cable routing of the Lev at the bars--sticks out fwd at 90 degrees.

My next dropper post will probably be another Reverb ie the hype around the Lev is a bit overblown IME but it's a good post.

[Roxtar]

I don't like the cable routing of the Lev at the bars--sticks out fwd at 90 degrees.

That's an easy fix. After I kinked the cable end in a crash, I added an old Avid Rollamajig to get the cable tucked in and running along the bar. Works perfectly.
A 90* cable end from an old V-brake will do the same thing.

[SubV]

That's an easy fix. After I kinked the cable end in a crash, I added an old Avid Rollamajig to get the cable tucked in and running along the bar. Works perfectly.
A 90* cable end from an old V-brake will do the same thing.

Good call!

[Pegleg]

OK, trying to figure this out. I've got a Giant TranceX and it appears that there's plenty of room for insertion of the post into the frame (no funky bends, straight run down for several inches). Fully extended during a ride, I've got about 8" of seatpost between the collar and the seat rails. Assuming that the Lev requires 2 1/4" for the mechanism, this means that there's room for roughly 5 3/4" or 146mm of post showing between the mechanism and the rails fully extended.

Does this mean that I have to get a 150mm Lev? If I got the 125mm version, would it not extend high enough to match my current highest position? Or would I be able to get it that high, but it would only drop 125mm (so not all the way down to the mechanism)? If the latter is true, that's fine - I don't need it to drop all the way down. But I do need it to extend high enough that I can comfortably climb - I ride a range of trails from XC to fairly technical, so there are times it would mostly stay up and times that I'd want to be able to get a good amount of drop. I'm very confused about how this whole thing works.

[jamesp]

Should be the latter. Disclaimer is i've not seen a Lev, but I do have my GD set up this way. Maybe someone with a lev could confirm?

[marshalolson]

OK, trying to figure this out. I've got a Giant TranceX and it appears that there's plenty of room for insertion of the post into the frame (no funky bends, straight run down for several inches). Fully extended during a ride, I've got about 8" of seatpost between the collar and the seat rails. Assuming that the Lev requires 2 1/4" for the mechanism, this means that there's room for roughly 5 3/4" or 146mm of post showing between the mechanism and the rails fully extended.

Does this mean that I have to get a 150mm Lev? If I got the 125mm version, would it not extend high enough to match my current highest position? Or would I be able to get it that high, but it would only drop 125mm (so not all the way down to the mechanism)? If the latter is true, that's fine - I don't need it to drop all the way down. But I do need it to extend high enough that I can comfortably climb - I ride a range of trails from XC to fairly technical, so there are times it would mostly stay up and times that I'd want to be able to get a good amount of drop. I'm very confused about how this whole thing works.

if you got a 150mm, the post at full extension up, all the way down in the frame would be 4mm higher than current.

if you got a 125, you would just have 20mm of seat post showing between the frame and the mechanism.

[Pegleg]

Got it, I think. I guess I thought there was some way to adjust the fully-extended height of the post other than just moving it up and down in the frame. If not, then this is simpler than I'd realized. Thanks all.