Gravity Dropper seatpost?

[Jisch]

I thought I remembered someone doing a "review" of sorts on the Gravity Dropper here on NEMBA, but I can't find it.

Anyone using one, a Speedball or AMP adjustable height seatpost?

I really have never ridden with a dropped seat before last week, I was amazed how much easier it was to go down stuff without having to worry about that seat. On this weekend's ride I was thinking how great it would have been to drop the seat for the downhills, then put it back up for the ascents. I like my seat up high when I'm climbing.

Any comments?
John

[justwanttoride]

John
I have the gravity dropper and it works great, although I would go with the speedball R if it's available in your seatpost size, it offers a fuller range as opposed to the gravity dropper which is up or down.

Rich

[Mt.A TODD]

Hey John,
Had my first ride with the speedball post the other day.... WOW! I love this thing, major upgrade! I know it's pricey, but man is it well worth it. Very glad I went with the remote option too, I didn't think it would be a big deal to grab the handle with the original version, but with the remote I found myself totally "shifting" the speedball on the trail quite often. I hope this speedball doesn't wear out, cause I used it ALLOT! Lever works great on the left side for me, less confusion with the shifters. I really noticed less fatigue in my legs and knees too, seemed like I had extra energy during the ride because I was able to give my leg muscles some variety with the slight height adjustments, really felt good. At full extension the post is slightly higher than I would normally ride it at, which is good for steep climbs and sections of road. I discovered I could just "tap" the lever real quick to lower it just a wee bit for normal trail riding. And of course the biggest benefit of the speedball is the ability to just drop it down for downhills, switchbacks, tech, whatever nasty sweetness comes your way. My fricken baggies didn't get hung up on the seat all day! During pit stops and waiting for stragglers and intersections it was super cool to just drop the seat and sit on the bike comfortably with one foot on the ground. Installing the remote setup was easy (if you do your own shifter cables). Two slightly annoying things about the post... little bit of side to side play in the saddle, but I didn't notice it riding and I also have to retrain my brain not to grab the seat when lifting the bike while the post is lowered because it kind of pulls out, no biggies. Add me to the list of riders that say "I can't imagine riding a bike anymore without one." Well that's not true, no need for a speedball on my single speed.. but on an "All Mountain" rig.. uugggh I hate that term... on a FS bike that you ride hard, a speedball kicks butt!
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/Toddski/spbl.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/Toddski/sbsl.jpg

[errollthin]

Todd nice rigg!

[Jisch]

...
Had my first ride with the speedball post the other day....

Todd:

Nice Rig. sounds like I might have found my Father's Day present. I read that same review yesterday somewhere...

Why did you end up with the Speedball over the GD or AMP? I read one review which questioned the strength of the SB over the GD.

John

[Mt.A TODD]

I have ridden on a gravity dropper for a three hour ride one time and it was nice and worked great but a few things jut didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t like the look of the “boot” on it, people kept asking me why I had suspension seat post on a FS rig, but it seems like maybe the boot has been done away with. Seat clamp on the GD is a two bolt pain. Also the way the cable remote attaches to the post, that little box thing in the front… not sure if you can twist it to the back, but I didn’t want the cable to run down the top tube. And the actual remote lever on the GD is like a on off sliding switch, the speedballs lever can be pushed in any direction for operation. The GD is either up or down, where as the speedball locks in place where ever you let off the lever, it’s more multi position. I’m sure the Gravity dropper is just fine; people who have one seem to really like them. It’s just me and my weird customer loyalty thing; I like to support Maverick when I can.

..ohh and post diameters! I would need a shim for the GD to fit in my 30.9, Toddski doesn’t do shims!

Downside to the speedball no 27.2! yet.

[Jisch]

Thanks for the reply. I have a 30.9 seatpost so I'm ok with the Maverick.

My buddy with the ML-8 will have a cow if I get something Maverick on my bike.

John

[If_Rider]

I thought I remembered someone doing a "review" of sorts on the Gravity Dropper here on NEMBA, but I can't find it.

Any comments?
John

I finally found it only because I remembered who started the thread. The search function didn't return anything for "gravity" or "dropper"...strange.

http://www.nemba.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14361

It seems they changed the GD to accomodate just what SloMo was complaining about and they now have 3 positions instead of 2. He bought one of the new ones recently and seems to like it so maybe he'll chime in.

[SloMoJo]

Hey guys ... IF_Rider gave me a nudge on this thread.

Nice looking bike Todd ... for sure.
Todd's always about the look. ;-)

fwiw ... I did try a GD dropper on my Locomoto a few years back and returned it. I recently got a Bullit and tried the GD seatpost again. I like it and expect to keep it. They made a few design improvements ... such as having 3 positions now, stronger trigger, etc.

It's good to see there's some competition for the concept.

It's not a must have ... but nice add on.
I've had a couple knee surgeries ... so this thing really helps.
No more nut-cracker drops.

GL
-Slo

[SofaKing Fast]

I just got mine today. First ride will be on Friday.

[Mt.A TODD]

I just got mine today. First ride will be on Friday.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/Toddski/P5140041.jpg

Thanks for the compliments on the my ride guys... but that Nomad is pretty SWEEEET too! Speedball will rock on that bike sofaking!

[AA]

Sofaking,

Cool Nomad! Now that you have the speedball post you can change out your seatpost clamp. Those Salsa flip locks can be very painful in a crash (seen a couple of punctured legs... not pretty).

[errollthin]

Yah sofaking now maybe your seat won't catch on your skirt.

[Doro]

can the gd handle the abuse of freeriding? I always wonder how "Ford Tough" they actually are. Seems just like one more thing to break. I like the idea as I am always up and down w/ my seat out at lynn but not sold on the concept yet.

[Jisch]

I just ordered the Maverick from Universal Cycles. I hope this thing lives up to the hype... that's a lotta bologna for a seatpost :-D

If it doesn't, I'm coming after you Todd... :-D

John

[MMcG]

Anyone see the Origin 8 ones yet? Saw some on Ebay for like $50.00.

That low price makes me sceptical - but for only $50.00 if it does get the job done that ain't bad ad all considering the prices for the competition.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ORIGIN-8-AIR-DROP-PRO-SUSPENTION-SEAT-POST-AUTO-ADJUST_W0QQitemZ220117183576QQihZ012QQcategoryZ106 951QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

the saddle clamping mechanism doesn't look so hot but it looks like a low budget Maverick eh?

http://i9.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/8e/06/e1ed_1_b.JPG

[Jisch]

Anyone see the Origin 8 ones yet? Saw some on Ebay for like $50.00.

That low price makes me sceptical - but for only $50.00 if it does get the job done that ain't bad ad all considering the prices for the competition.



After suffering through the crappy Easton post that came on my Switch, I can tell you that a seatpost is a bad place to save money. I broke 5 or 6 bolts on that dang thing - I was actually carrying spare bolts with me. To me (the guy who just ordered a $225 post) that Origin post looks cheap and therefore frustrating and possibly dangerous.

John

[SofaKing Fast]

So far so good. I already find myself using it a lot without really thinking about it. Downhill it is just a joy to lower your center of gravity and hammer turns. I have found it easier on the legs because do don't have to settle on one height for a ride. All the way up for my XC height, I can lower in one inch for some flowy stuff and slam it for speed drop or downhill. Off to the LBS to get a bolt on seat post clamp.
Barry

[MMcG]

After suffering through the crappy Easton post that came on my Switch, I can tell you that a seatpost is a bad place to save money. I broke 5 or 6 bolts on that dang thing - I was actually carrying spare bolts with me. To me (the guy who just ordered a $225 post) that Origin post looks cheap and therefore frustrating and possibly dangerous.

John


Plus it is also heavy as all get out.

[Jisch]

I got the Speedball up on my bike. The cable and housing that came with it is a bit short for my frame - it barely makes it to the handlebar, I may have to put a longer one on it.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d91/Jisch/DSC03455.jpg

It seems solid. I had the seat slip once in the clamp, but I don't think I had it tight enough - it hasn't slipped since that one time. The build seems solid and well done.

I can't really say much about whether or not the operation of it is advantageous. I've had it out behind my house twice, which is not much of a test, but I think I can see how I will use it. I should probably note that I NEVER change the height of my seat normally, so I am not 100% confident that I'm going to use this thing. The lever is easy to hit when you want to and I have never hit it when I didn't want to.

If I'm reading this thing correctly, once I get used to it, it will be impossible to go back to a solid post. I put it down for some rock climbing and it sure was nice to have that seat down and out of the way.

I'll report up more later (or maybe in Singletracks).

John

[Doro]

so anyone having issues w/ the there gd's or mavericks yet?

[Jisch]

I've had my Maverick Speedball R since June. I think they gave it a good name because it is a lot like a hard drug. I use it alot, and at this point can't imagine riding without one.

I drop an inch or so on the technical descents and I drop it all the way down for rollers and drops. I'm an XC guy so I'm used to having that seat between my thighs, that part took a little getting used to. Now that I am used to it, the freedom of movement from a dropped seat is amazing. It also took a little while to build the muscles to enable hovering over sitting down.

I'd buy one if I were you - check out Universal Cycles - they publish 15% off coupons - as far as I could find it was the only way to get a "deal" on the Maverick - oh yeah if you haven't heard Maverick sold production rights for the Speedball to Crank Brothers. I guess Maverick is going to do maintenance for a certain period of time then hand that over to CB too.
John

[SofaKing Fast]

Drew,
What John said. It is great to be able to blast downhill with the seat down, then raise it to climb.

[Doro]

thanks john/barry,

so no side to side play or anything. maverick doesnt make a 27.2 so my
only option is GD.

D

[Jisch]

The Maverick does move a bit side to side - that is your saddle can twist maybe a degree in each direction. Its a bit concerning at first (and for anyone who "checks it out" on my bike), but when I'm sitting on my bike I never feel any movement. It has not increased in any way since I've had it.

I did have an issue with the seat clamp slipping, I emailed Maverick and had an email back with a solution (grease everything except the cones) within a few hours. Since I put the grease on the seat has not moved. Without the grease the bolt was binding up, you couldn't tighten it enough.

John