
I'm all for adjustable seatposts and have been using the Gravity Dropper brand for 5 years now. I've often thought about changing but never had one break-the only issue ever being cable stretch right out of the box, which happens just like your new derailleur cables-and only takes a minute to unscrew two bolts and retighten the cable.
What's been a huge turn off from other hydraulic models is:
[B]1.[/B] Size. If you're running an older Turner or some other brands you're going to be hard pressed to find a hydraulic model that will fit your 27.2 seat tube.
[B]2.[/B] I can tear my Gravity Dropper down completely with a simple set of allen wrenches.
[B]3.[/B] The cables are static and attached to the lowers of the seatpost, so they're not moving up and down with the saddle and hanging off the side of the bike like the other brands-[I]that looks really cheap IMO[/I].
If a company is going to ask a customer to dish out $250+ for a seatpost, they need to think out the aesthetics of their product a bit more. I do think the Joplin, etc... look cleaner and nicer. But that long cable dangling off the side of the bike is just an accident waiting to happen. Get that caught on your shoe as you're going down and you're riding home without a seatpost that works and hydraulic fluid all over the place.
Like hampsteadbandit mentioned with his customer, a good friend of mine who will only buy Specialized experienced the same problem with his. After one ride, the thing wouldn't work. A simple coil, derailleur cable and 3 magnets and my Gravity Dropper have been going strong for years-and I weigh about 215 lbs with gear on.
Nov 30, 2010 at 11:54