KindShock i950 Dropper Seatpost

4.09/5

(23 Reviews)

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MSRP : $305.00

Product Description

The new i950 is a revolutionary new seatpost that offers “on the fly” adjustment without the need for tools.

The i950 utilizes a new patent-pending bushing design that self-adjusts, which greatly improves function and virtually eliminates unwanted side-play. With the new KS i950, optimal seat height and performance is just a levers touch away.

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Reviews 1 - 15 (23 Reviews Total)

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User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by celmeleon a All Mountain Rider

Date Reviewed: October 8, 2012

Strengths:    Good better than kronolog

Weaknesses:    Nothing yet

Bottom Line:

I would recommended to a friends

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Favorite Trail:   All technical trails

Duration Product Used:   4 times a weeks

Price Paid:    $250.00

Purchased At:   Sun bike

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Submitted by GettingOff a All Mountain Rider

Date Reviewed: July 15, 2012

Strengths:    Not the Greatest

Weaknesses:    Seat Clamp bolts cannot be evenly torqued, too close to shaft.
Sticky on upward travel, but that can be compensated for.

Bottom Line:

I would not have replaced this seatpost, but for the snap-o-matic seat clamp bolts.
When one breaks the irreplaceable eliptical square washer gets dropped on the trail.

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Favorite Trail:   many

Duration Product Used:   1.5 years

Price Paid:    $345.00

Purchased At:   dont recall

Similar Products Used:   RockShox Reverb

Bike Setup:   Santa Cruz Nomad

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Submitted by In2falling

Date Reviewed: June 30, 2012

Strengths:    looks nice (bling)
solid
lots of travel
reliable so far
remote lever works well (keep lever and cable lubed)

Weaknesses:    seat clamp bolts

Bottom Line:

I own 2 of these, one on my all mountain rig and the other on dh/freeride rig. The one on the all mountain rig has been installed now for almost a year and has held up very well. The only issues I have had has been seat clamp bolts loosening and then one breaking about month after I got it. Replacing the alloy bolts with steal bolts and using some thread lock cured the problem.

Second one I just got and replaced the alloy seat clamp bolts first thing. It had a little stiction out of the box, but some stanchion lube has seemed to cure the issue.

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Submitted by marmosetg a All Mountain Rider from Philly

Date Reviewed: March 7, 2012

Strengths:    Excellent remote.

Weaknesses:    Not user rebuild-able. Poor durability. Horrible customer support.

Bottom Line:

This dropper was a dream, while it worked, but that was short lived. It only took a few hours before it became a pogo stick. Repeated attempts to contact support have failed. Impossible to rebuild do to design. Very disappointing. I'll stick with my old Joplin which even though has more play and a goofy remote, still works after a years worth of abuse.

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Favorite Trail:   WCC

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $250.00

Purchased At:   ebay

Similar Products Used:   Joplin

Bike Setup:   Pivot Firebird / Fox 36 / Sun Ringle Pro Chargers / Hammerschidt

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Submitted by milodog a All Mountain Rider from South San Francisco

Date Reviewed: February 28, 2012

Strengths:    #1 is customer service. Design, infinite travel, ease of installation, trigger mount fits perfectly over ODI clamp, red anodized trigger is nice looking and ergonomically correct for thumb operation, cost, weight

Weaknesses:    seat clamp is kind of clunky but works.

Bottom Line:

I purchased the KS from Outside Outfitters for exactly $239. free shipping, no tax. Installation was simple and easy. At first ride, I immediately felt a small knock when I sat on the bike. Couldn't figure out what it was until I read another review about vertical play. I left it alone for about 10 rides and had no problems with side to side play. But eventually, the post would end up dropping about 2 inches of vertical play and would not hold in its locked position anymore.

I left a message to Rick Taylor who is the US rep. That evening at 7:00pm, I received a call from Ron Easton who is his associate. Apparently there was a faulty batch of internal cartridges and I was the lucky owner of one of them. Ron explained that they would replace the cartridge and that there should be no play vertically or side to side. I shipped the KS back to them for $8.00 via USPS. On the 4th day, I received an email from Ron that the KS was repaired, tested, and on its way back to me. I received it exactly 7 days from the day I initially sent it out! That is what you call great service!

During that time of waiting, I ended up fracturing my Scaphoid bone in my wrist (another story) I couldn't wait to put the KS back on and was able to install it with one hand. So whoever those reviewers say that it took a long time to install the saddle, I did it crippled. :) The KS works perfectly!! Somehow, it seems to pop back into position even smoother than before. And there is no vertical play whatsoever! Not even 1/16th of an inch. It feels like a standard post. Now the question is will it last. I will have to wait 12 weeks as I go into surgery for a screw and healing time to find out. I can't wait to get back on the saddle to fully test it.

Let it be known that a drop seat post is a must and even though I have not tested other like seat posts, I am extremely happy with the operation of this post, the looks are awesome, and best of all a customer service team that backs up their product. 6 Chili peppers if I could! :) Thanks Ron!

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Favorite Trail:   Skeggs,Tamarancho, Waterdog

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $239.00

Purchased At:   Outside Outfitters

Similar Products Used:   my first drop seat post after much research

Bike Setup:   2010 Stumpy Expert Carbon, Fox Talas 140 RLC 15mm, Easton Haven Wheels, XTR Crank, Sram XO and X9 drive, Avid Elixir Brakes, and of course KS i950r

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Submitted by Serfsale a Weekend Warrior from Dana Point, CA

Date Reviewed: January 30, 2012

Strengths:    So much fun. Takes you to another level in your riding style. Beefy construction, Feels strong, Looks Great, So far works perfect (1 ride).

Weaknesses:    Saddle Mounting - Really are you guys Mtn Bikers??? Come on now you can do better than what is on it currently.

Bottom Line:

Ok all bikes should have this PERIOD. Yes the price is steep but so much fun. had a Coilair then it got jacked from hB and sold on Craigslist (if you know anyone riding around with a green moster that has scratches on the top tube, it was stolen) ok back to my story. I got the Remedy 8 and wow same travel just so much more enjoyable to ride. Well guess what IT JUST GOT BETTER!!!! Sure I have heard all the stories and honsetly I wanted to wait for prices to go way down. I had a store credit and bit the bullet. So glad I did. I did get the none remote but after my 1st ride I ordered the remote, reason was going downhill I knew I needed to lower but as soon as I was going to take my hand off the bar to reach under my saddle it got steep and bumpy so I had to slow down (pointless). Get the remote and you will not have to think ahead. Okay got 3 more rides this week if anything happens I will write more. If it stays statis quo then this is my post. I am a Clydesdale 6'2 260lbs lets see if I can break it.

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Favorite Trail:   Rediscovered Peter's Canyon WOW

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $300.00

Purchased At:   Jax - Mission Viejo

Similar Products Used:   None. Looked and read all of the other reviews and was told to wait for the fox????

Bike Setup:   Stock 2010 Remedy 8

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Submitted by schnee a Weekend Warrior from Mountain View, CA

Date Reviewed: January 8, 2012

Strengths:    - Side to side play? What?
- Reliable
- Cable is long enough for an XL bike
- Doesn't creak

Weaknesses:    - Trigger setup requires some acrobatics with brakes, shifters

Bottom Line:

I got this because it was as reliable as most dropper posts and had the least reported side-to-side play. I can vouch; this thing doesn't have any wiggle that you can feel while riding at all.

If I don't ride for a while, then I need to 'bump' it from the top a few times before it just starts going down smoothly under weight. It springs back up smoothly and not to quickly (lol).

The only annoyance was setup; to put this on my bars between my brake and shifter I had to unbolt the shifter because the shifter levers were right in the way. Super minor.

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Favorite Trail:   Lake Morena, SoCal

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $190.00

Purchased At:   bikebling.com

Similar Products Used:   Crank Brothers Joplin

Bike Setup:   Niner Rip9 with a generally burly all-mountain setup

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Submitted by simoncmtb a Weekend Warrior from napier newzealand

Date Reviewed: September 14, 2011

Weaknesses: seatpost at present isnt staying in position when riding

Bottom Line:

has anyone with the KS1950r seatpost had issues with the seat not staying up? i have only had the 1 test ride and the seatpost is now back @ the shop being tested. after putting the seatpost to its maximum height then proceeding to ride it would gradually go down. i am 76kg so i dont think its a weight problem. possibly oil/air ,hopefully it is a simple fix, as other than that it seems to be a really good product.

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Favorite Trail:   ninja

Duration Product Used:   Tested or demo'ed only

Bike Setup:   spezialized stumpjumper 2006 full suspension

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Submitted by Pau11y a Downhiller from Golden, CO

Date Reviewed: June 27, 2011

Strengths:    What a dropper can do for your riding is undeniable. But for this particular product, there isn't a lot going for it...my experience w/ everything from the product itself, mfg support, and the vendor has left a teaspoon of kitty-litter taste in my mouth.

Weaknesses:    I'm suspecting there are two crews who make these things...one crew w/ experience w/ mfg tolerances to engineering specs, and another that treats things with, "close enough" attitude. By close enough, I'm referring to the response of mfg support's (Rick Taylor) to my 1/16" vertical play and the associated "clunk" as seal seat-in, or the play of the seal w/in its carriage to cause play. Rick, in any other industry this is called not meeting tolerances.

Bottom Line:

The 1/16" vertical play was notice on first install and after a car park test ride. Upon this discovery, the post was removed to make sure everything was secure and nothing was loose out of the box. I found tool marks on the base spanner plate and nut. I immediately contacted OutsideOutfitters for a RMA, citing the play and the tool marks. No response for two days...so I called. They refuse to issue a RMA citing they don't take returns of, "used or installed parts." I don't know if it's too much to expect a 100% working part out of the box, but am I expected to perform a full product test prior to installing the post?

So, despite OutsideOutfitters having one of the best prices on the 'Net for bike parts, I will not buy from them in the future...purely because of their unreasonable return policy.

Upon the DENIAL of return by OutsideOutfitters, I sent ($13.30 USPS) to post back to KS support (Rick). Keep in mind this post has not seen dirt yet. KS replaced the cartridge and claimed they tested the post and it was 100% repaired. When I received it, I did do a test for the play and lo' and behold, NOT FIXED. Tried contacting OutsideOutfitters again to the same results...no returns on installed/used items. After some discussion w/ Rick at KS, I asked if he could replace the parts that need to be swapped w/ bits from an older production run as my riding buddy's older i950 has absolutely NO play. Another $13.30 and off to KS again, still a dirt virgin. When returned, STILL NOT FIXED, followed by a comment by Rick of, "seal seat-in." I finally took the post out for a ride to see if I can live w/ the clunk...and no. Every time the post is unloaded, then loaded w/ my weight (187.5lbs), there's an audible and tactile "clunk".

So at this point, I have filed a charge dispute on a defective product w/ my credit card company. I would also ADVISE highly AGAINST buying KS PRODUCTS, and ESPECIALLY from OutsideOutfitters.com for their unreasonable return policy. I'm 2 warranty services into this post before its first ride, and it's still no working properly, and the vendor refuses to swap me for another. NICE!

FYI, I'm a former shop mech who builds his own bikes from rims and spokes up.

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Favorite Trail:   Techy up and downs

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $180.00

Purchased At:   OutsideOutfitters.co

Similar Products Used:   Joplin 3R, Reverb

Bike Setup:   KS - Blur LTc, light AM/trail bike build.
Reverb - Nomad MK1, light AM build.

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Submitted by david_asulin a Cross Country Rider from San Jose CA

Date Reviewed: February 12, 2011

Strengths: It's a life saver. Great product. But there is one minor downside. Read my full review here:

http://bikestuffreview.blogspot.com/2011/02/kind-shock-i950r-review-adjustable.html

Bottom Line:

It's a life saver. Great product. But there is one minor downside. Read my full review here:

http://bikestuffreview.blogspot.com/2011/02/kind-shock-i950r-review-adjustable.html

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used: 1 Year

Price Paid: $190.00

Overall Rating:

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Submitted by mwarrick a Weekend Warrior from Tucson, AZ, USA

Date Reviewed: January 2, 2011

Strengths:    Infinitely adjustable. Smooth operation. Ease of use. Looks bling with red accents. 5" adjustable travel. Very little side to side play.

Weaknesses:    Uses a 1.5 mm wrench to tighten cable housing under seat. Most bike tool kits only go down to 2mm. I had to run up to the hardware store to buy one. No biggie, but come on!

Bottom Line:

I bought the remote version. Installed on right hand side. The remote and post are both bling-bling and well made. All cables are pre-cut and measured perfectly. I'm 6'2" and have a large frame and am glad I could buy the 31.6 mm which is 385 mm long. With the seat where I like it, I'm just over the mimimum line. (About 3/8 inch). I trust that won't be a problem. All I can say after one ride is WOW! There is this nasty big rock roll where I ride that alway psyches me out. Right before I approached the rock, I pushed the remote and sat the seat down about 3 inches and rolled over it with complete confidence! Once clear of the rock, I flicked the remote and seat returned to max height (but not too quick - that could hurt!). I'm very pleased. One of the best parts I've purchased. I did a lot of research and read all the reviews. This one is a keeper and works flawlessly. No regrets!

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Favorite Trail:   GEM or JEM?

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $220.00

Purchased At:   mikesbikes.com

Similar Products Used:   None.

Bike Setup:   TREK Superfly 100 29er Full Carbon.

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Submitted by CanyunRider a Cross Country Rider from Orange County, CA

Date Reviewed: November 3, 2010

Strengths:    This is for the i950 Remote. Infinite travel, sturdy (no side play), fast action. Remote fits over ODI grip. Comes with easy to follow service instructions.

Weaknesses:    A little heavy, but weight penalty is well worth the convenience and fun factor. Had a little creeping up issue but no biggee and hear it's easy to fix. And not cheap... but again, fun outweighs price. Company has been hard pressed to keep up with demand.

Bottom Line:

Jokingly asked the wife for one as a birhtday present, thinking she knew I originally thought it was too "gadgety". Little did I know she ordered one. While she was waiting for it to arrive, I heard from several friends how much they liked the concept and how much better the KS was over the competitors. When it arrived, I was a little reluctant to install it, what with the weight and extra control, etc. Then I went and rode with it... it will come off my bike over my dead body!
I teach a New Rider MTB class, and am constantly stressing to students to get their weight back and low, and I make a QR seat post clamp a must. Now they all want a KS!
Another added benefit: my low back is toast and climbing uber steep stuff leaves me near crippled the next day. I found by dropping the post about a 1/2" from my normal XC position works wonders!When the hill eases up, I pop it back up and continue JRA with out the lumbar pain ;)
Now it's my turn to get my wife one...

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Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $260.00

Purchased At:   Online

Similar Products Used:   None, this was recommended by riders who used all the rest.

Bike Setup:   Blur LT trail

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Submitted by wpuk a Cross Country Rider from Exeter

Date Reviewed: October 21, 2010

Strengths:    Works as intended

Weaknesses:    Remote, the cable adjuster into the remote is tacky and made of cheese, removed the cheap metal L arm, fitted Goodridge inner/outer cableand a aftermarket barrel adjuster

Bottom Line:

Have had no issues with the seatpost at all, the remote is let down by the cheapness of everything after the switch

Would happily buy another one as long as this one continues giving value for money.

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Favorite Trail:   Haldon Hill

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $300.00

Purchased At:   Online

Similar Products Used:   n/a

Bike Setup:   Nicolai Helius AM, Sram XX, Flow rims on CK(rear) Hope(front) hub

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Submitted by mdavenpo2000 a Cross Country Rider from Atherton, CA, USA

Date Reviewed: October 18, 2010

Strengths:    5 inches of infinitly adjustable travel; solidly built;

Weaknesses:    None

Bottom Line:

I'd never owned an adjustable seatpost before, so I wasn't sure how useful it'd be. I bought this primarily for steep and gnarly rocky singletrack. Now I find myself dropping the seatpost almost everytime I point my rig downhill. The remote works great. I'll get one for my Karate Monkey as soon as they develop the 27.2 size. Worth every penny.

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Favorite Trail:   Any sierra nevada high country trail

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $275.00

Purchased At:   eBay France

Similar Products Used:   None

Bike Setup:   Santa Cruz Tallboy w/120 Fox Talas, mix of XT and XTR.

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Submitted by Underdog a Downhiller from Oregon

Date Reviewed: October 1, 2010

Strengths:    Works well

Weaknesses:    Common sticky actuation problem. Had trouble resolving other issues. Customer Service is a one man show and couldn't get a return call.

Bottom Line:

I like the action of the post but too often you have to give it a bump with butt to get it to move. It is tight, nice remote lever. Disappointed in the customer service. I've used the revised CB Joplin 4 post, much improved. If you have a problem Crank Bros is there for support.

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Favorite Trail:   Black Rock

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $250.00

Purchased At:   LBS

Similar Products Used:   Joplin 4

Bike Setup:   Trek Scratch

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KindShock i950 Dropper Seatpost

Product Description

User Reviews

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Easton: