| |
Submitted by
fredjjjj
a Cross Country Rider
from North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Obsession Bikes | | Strengths: | Works! Can't ride without one! | | Weaknesses: | See below for personal tweaking! | | Similar Products Used: | GD Turbo | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Stumpjumper 2008 S-Works | | Bottom Line: | Follow up to my review a few weeks ago.
Finally figured out how to get it working!
Adjustment nut under the rubber sleeve needs
occasional adjustment for the pin to line up.
The backplate connecting the magnet/pin housing to the
post has come off on my Turbo as well as the Classic model.
Solution: Epoxy it back on, making sure the pin can move
freely (careful!). Support it with two zap straps to hold in
place. Also, to dampen the 'shock' to the backplate
when on-the-fly slam-dropping the post using the QR, I added a zap strap around the seat post below the backplate.
Now it works like a charm! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
fisker76
a Cross Country Rider
from Underhill Ctr, VT
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | the one i'm on | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | gravitydropper.com | | Strengths: | This is a review of the 3" classic. The GD is solid, well built and a simple mechanical design. Positive mechanical interlock signals that the seat is properly positioned [up or down]. Easy to install and set up on bike. Does not move or have play in mechanical action. Collar fitting my 30.9mm post tube was precise. Excellent fit and quality machining. | | Weaknesses: | Weight, if you're worried about things like that. It is heavy, however that gives it reliability and solid build. | | Similar Products Used: | standard oem stems from various manufacturers | | Bike Setup: | '07 enduro sl expert, GD seatpost, Brooks saddle B-17 narrow, crank brothers Mallet pedals, rear Maxxis swampthing, front WTB moto raptor, FSA bash ring | | Bottom Line: | Amazing piece of equipment that immediatelty improved my riding, confidence, and allows the groove to continue without dismounting and changing height on steep technical descents and climbs or stuggling in one height position over varied terrain. The actuating shifter is easy to use, and after only one ride the 'bump' to set the saddle position was intuitive and reflexive. It is the best add-on I could make to my bike. The post is spendy and worth every penny. I will never ride with out one. Concerning an earlier reviewer complaining of injury from a broken post:
1. The product was purchased over ebay
2. Was the product damaged prior to purchase?
3. Was the post a proper fit to the bike?
These questions concerning specific fit to my bike were answered promptly by the people at GD. Call them, they know what they are doing there. I'm 6'2 230lbs, ride 4-5 days/week and so far the post has exceeded my expectations.
I plan on posting in the future regarding overall reliability and longevity. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fred Jorgensen
a Cross Country Rider
from North Vancouver BC Canada
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS: Obsession Bikes | | Strengths: | So far works as advertised! Magnetic activation seems better than the Turbo version (couldn't be worse!). | | Weaknesses: | Bounce needed to activate, but that's worth the inconvenience
if it's reliable.
| | Similar Products Used: | GD Turbo. ( Went through 3 of them. See review. Extremely poor design!!). Current 'Classic' version is warranty replacement. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized S-Works Enduro carbon | | Bottom Line: | Concern about strength from other posts.
Hopefully the current version has been improved from past
years!
Will definitely improve your riding!
| Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
madriverskier
a
from boulder,co
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | South Boundary in Taos...mmmm | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Bottom Line: | I have the opportunity to own and use the GD and the Maverick Speedball back to back in the last year, so I thought I'd chip in.
Firstly, this is one of the best concepts to come to mt biking in the 2 decades I've been riding. Actually, it's revisiting the "Height Rite" of days of yore, but in a much slicker package.
It's hard to underestimate how much your seat height impact your riding. Not just on the downs, but also in terms of efficency climbing. Watch most riders, and you'll see they've split the difference seat height wise (too lazy, etc to drop/raise seat) and how awkard they look.
The GD pioneered the modern version of this and deserve mad kudos for it. They had the handlbar remote first, and I think GD/Speedball would be worthless without it. The GD has a sturdy feel to it, looks like it was made in serious machine shop, with look and feel to match. Actually, that cuts both ways as IMHO it's pretty ugly.
The biggest flaw of GD is that it isn't infinitely adjustable, your stuck trying to hit the designated 1 or 3 or 4 inch drops, and to me it just was never seemless. I'm actually shocked that more GD reviewers haven't mentioned this. Although maybe other riders haven't used the Speedball (somewhere on mtbr there is an inhouse review of GD vs Speedball, pre Speedball remote I believe). Anyhow it never felt effortless to me, you have to do this semi hesitant click of the lever and bump with your ass (whether going up or down) and it just takes a sec, which is the last thing you want in a tough spot. You have to know exactly where the pins are going to catch on the shaft in order to move the seat to the right spot. Maybe akin to clipping into your SPD in rocky terrain... it can be done, and becomes easier with time, but never a snap.
The Speedball is more like a pneumatic office chair, very smooth to adjust and you can literally set it anywhere, which I like. The lever seems a little cheesier than GD but time will tell. The main rap on the Speedball seems to be that no matter what your seat is going to wiggle ever so slightly (something with the internals), so if this is deal breaker to you, forget it. Aslo the GD comes in many sizes down to 27.2 (possibly smaller), but the Speedball only goes in 30.9 and 31.6 (?).
Finally, despite the last review I always found GD customer service to be SUPERIOR. These are good folks, and if you want to speak to the owner, it's very possible and he seems a very good guy.
Lastly these are both in the neighborhood of 500 grams on my scale, so you're picking up maybe .5 lbs from your stock seat...very worth it!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Corona
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Came with Bike | | Strengths: | Allows low center of gravity when riding downhill. Increases confidence on technical sections | | Weaknesses: | Maybe Weight | | Bike Setup: | '07 Blur LT | | Bottom Line: | Lowers center of gravity when riding downhill which improves overall ride. Increases confidence on technical sections | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cooper
a Weekend Warrior
from Wisconsin
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$155.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | It worked great..... | | Weaknesses: | .....but then it SNAPPED after the first ride... Cutting my leg open! Gravity Dropper did not help AT ALL! | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Jekyll 4.5 in travel with 135mm Lefty. SRAM X-9. DT Swiss rims on Omega and XTR hubs. BB7 brakes with Alligator Rotors. Diabolous 1.5 stem. Nevegals. | | Bottom Line: | GRAVITY DROPPER SUCKS! I rode the post for one ride and really liked it. Worked exactly how it was suppost to. THEN IT SNAPPED in half! I popped off a TINY bump in the parking lot and it I hear a loud CRACK, then the pain of the sharp fractured metal of the inner stantion pierced my leg and ruined my week. I had a gash in my leg a quarter inch deep and 2 inches long. SH!TTY!
SO, I email gravity dropper about the problem several times and never get a response. Waste of money. Waste of time. Waste of blood! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
LP
a Cross Country Rider
from Mililani, HI USA
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Werx, Mililani | | Strengths: | Allows lower seat height without stopping. Very good customer service. | | Weaknesses: | Extra weight & pricey | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Transition Covert, Fox Talas fork, Sram drivetrain | | Bottom Line: | This product is well worth the cost (it is pricey) and extra weight for the benefit of riding and being able to lower your seat height on the fly without stopping. You get the best of both worlds, downhill seat height for the downhills (more control with no nut crackers) and for the next climb, Cross Country climbing seat height. This post is highly recomended for those who ride technical terrain with lots of up and downhills. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy
a Cross Country Rider
from Newport Beach, CA USA
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Whiting Ranch/Santiago/Luge | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | gravitydropper.com | | Strengths: | It works! Easy installation. Solid design. Looks moto. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Superlight. | | Bottom Line: | Sunday: took my first ride using the Gravity Dropper post (27.2mm x 350mm; 3" drop). Wow! You have to experience what it's like to adjust seat height on the fly. A bit of "Transfomers" action going on - from tall, efficient cross-country rig to low slung canyon carver in less than a second. On the familiar trails I rode, I was able to anticipate each section ahead of time (climb, descend, carve, etc) and whether I wanted full extension or comression, but without really having to put any thought into what psoition the post was in, etc. The actuation of the seatpost is solid and deliberate and chunky. Nice! What I thought would be a mere convenience device I now believe can elevate the ride to a new level. Contruction, fit and finish seem top-notch and installation was a no-brainer. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jonah Salloway
a Weekend Warrior
from Taos, NM
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Monarch Crest, CO | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | From the company | | Strengths: | Easy to use, sturdy, amazing piece of equipment! | | Weaknesses: | Slightly heavy | | Similar Products Used: | Other high-end carbon and aluminum posts. | | Bike Setup: | Yeti 575 Enduro Pro with FR wheels, Fox DHX 5.0 shock, Fox RC36 fork, Avid Juicey with 7" rotors. e13 bash guard and Gravity Dropper seatpost. | | Bottom Line: | Try one of these on your cross-country, all-mountain or Free-ride rig. You won't believe what a difference it will make in your climbing efficiency and downhill bikehandling skills if you can quickly and easily drop your saddle! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Neil Chandra
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, Colorado
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$299.00 | | Purchased At: | Dealer | | Strengths: | Simple yet tough, easy to overhaul, easy to use. No wear from ball bearing on Aluminum- simply plastic on Aluminum. | | Weaknesses: | None yet | | Similar Products Used: | Thompson but the GD is unique | | Bottom Line: | I have a painful knee and have to run my seat high. This lets me do it and lower the seat on a really steep downhill or drop. The post is so easy to overhaul and to use. It is completely mechanical and has no fluids or anything complex. I love it. The AMP looks good but the ball bearings will wear down the post and when disengaged, it feels sloppy. The GD Turbo just rules and has enhanced my feeling of safety when riding the steep stuff. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Guy
a Weekend Warrior
from West Yorkshire
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$299.00 | | Purchased At: | Gravity Dropper website | | Strengths: | You can get small diameter seatpost and shim to the size you need, 27.2mm is a popular size and other adjustable seatposts don't fit this size.
You can have the saddle higher for better leg extension in pedaling but drop it for confident decending.
Handlebar mount ake it very easy and quick to get the post up or down at the last minute.
| | Weaknesses: | Cosmetically it is a little agricultural compared to the competition, but it works.
I have found if you don't get it all the way down with your weight it can comeback up as the lock mechanism doesn't engage, sometimes I've thought I depressed it far enough but didn't quite, that's my only gripe. | | Bike Setup: | Global TH1.5, Fox forks, mixture of XTR, Thomson and Hope. | | Bottom Line: | I have the Gravity Dropper Turbo post, it allows you to drop the post 3 inches with the flick of the handlebar mount switch and depress the post with your weight on the saddle. Then it pops up when you flick the switch again. I have a 27.2mm diameter seattube so when I wanted an adjustable height seatpost this was my only real choice. I've been able to have my saddle higher for a more comfortable and efficent pedaling position that would feel way too high for decending rocky trails if it was a normal post. When dropped I can get myself low and back over the rear wheel and take all sorts of drops and trials in my stride. I didn't realise quite how useful it was going to be before I bought it, now I change it from bike ot bike so I always have the option of dropping the saddle and shifting my weight over the back of the bike.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Connie M
a Downhiller
from Sandy, UT, USA
Date Reviewed: May 29, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Porcupine Rim | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Go-Ride | | Strengths: | Easy to use - does it's job and improves your ride more than any upgrade I've ever done to a bike! | | Weaknesses: | Not indestructable. But they have phenomenal customer service if you need repairs. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Yeti AS-X with the 3" gravity dropper, Fox 36 | | Bottom Line: | I honestly think this is the best upgrade you can do for a trail bike. Everyone looks at it, thinks, yeah, that might be nice, but it's too expensive, too heavy, whatever. Then you try it. I've never met anyone who has one that doesn't think it was worth every dime.
Get the one with the remote lever, and you won't regret it. Perfect for anyone who rides trails with rolling terrain. Maybe if you only ride totally flat trails or trails that have one climb and you can stop and adjust your seatpost and not pedal again once the rest of the ride you don't need it. I know before I got this, I use to just adjust my seatpost once or twice a ride and I'd just suck it up and pedal with my saddle too low for short little climbs. You have no idea the power you're missing with this (and the knee pain you could be avoiding).
And if you're an XC racer type who never lowers their seatpost? GET ONE AND TRY IT! There is no way to corner and descend to your potential with that saddle up so high. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney Australia
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Sparrow hill | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | their website | | Strengths: | Awesome! I used to be seatpost fiddler, stopping at the bottom of hills or at the start of technical terrain. Now I no longer stop riding because the dropper makes adjustments on the fly easy. Customer service was good, after sending me the wrong one they then resent what i ordered. Gives you confidence in technical descents. | | Weaknesses: | The seat clamp is ordinary and it is not offset, so it can be a problem if you have your seat a long way back on the rails. They initially sent me the wrong one. Some XC racers will tell you to take it off because it is heavy | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Gravity dropper | | Bottom Line: | All my mates want to play with it and I think they have a secret lust for it, even though they think they are too cool for it. They always look at me funny, with a smile on their face and say 'gravity ropper' in a funny voice.
I have crashed a few times and it hasnt broken
I saw a guy who had bought one without the remote and he wished he had - so spend the extra $$$
Buy one! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan
a Downhiller
from Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Anything with dirt | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Gravity-dropper.com | | Strengths: | On the fly saddle height adjustment. No stoping and messing with quick releases and getting your saddle height to the correct position. Getting the saddle out of the way provides stability on descents and keeps your saddle from impaling your junk. You can descend and corner faster than if your saddle is jacked up sky high. The 27.2 size will work on bikes the Speedball can't. | | Weaknesses: | There is a little play that is necessary to get the post to operate properly. You get used to this and it is not noticeable after a ride or two. I like to run the remote inverted rather than on top of the bars, on some OS riser bars there is limited realestate to mount the remote.
My biggest complaint with this product (besides the $250 price tag) is that once you own one and get used to using it, you can't live without it. I've purchased 4 in the past 2.5 years and have them on all my bikes. I gave one to my brother and now he is hooked. | | Similar Products Used: | Nothing like them. | | Bike Setup: | I currently have 3 on all my bikes: 2006 Yeti 'ASX', 2007 Santa Cruz 'Nomad', 2007 Turner 'Sultan'. | | Bottom Line: | Parts break. Period. I weigh 195 lbs and still have my first GD post which is still going strong. As far as complaints about the cable not working-just like your derailleur cables, the derailleur cable used to operate the remote stretches so you have to adjust it after a day or two. It's a simple process involving an allen wrench and a pair of needle nose pliars, takes about 2 minutes. For the most part you do have to take care of them and it's really not a mount it and forget it product, but if you take care of it will work well for a long time.
By and far this has been the best upgrade I've ever done to any bike. My riding has improved and the convienence of dropping my seat while riding is such a great feeling. Add to that, if you race Super D or endurance DH you have to have this post! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MIKE G. MUNY
a Cross Country Rider
from FOREST HILL, MD
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | JEDI | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | LOCAL IBD | | Strengths: | EASY TO USE AND GET USE TO (BECOMES SECOND NATURE AFTER A MONTH OR TWO). GREAT UPGRADE FOR TODAYS 5-6" TRAIL BIKES, PUTS YOU AT THE BEST POSITION FOR CLIMBING AND WITH THE FLICK OF A SWITCH, OPTIMUM PLACE FOR GOING DOWN. | | Weaknesses: | FIRST GENERATION HAD SOME MATERIAL WEAKNESS NEAR SEAT CLAMP AREA. | | Similar Products Used: | STANDARD QR | | Bike Setup: | SANTA CRUZ HECKLER, KING/MAVIC WHEELS, XO DTIVETRAIN, EL CAMINO BRAKES, THOMSON/EASTON BAR-STEM YADA, YADA, YADA. | | Bottom Line: | THIS IS A LONG TERM TEST OF TWO PLUS YEARS AND OVERALL IT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST UPGRADES THAT I'VE EVER USED. I KNOW SOME COMPLAIN ABOUT THE WEIGHT (MAYBE 1/2 POUND HEAVIER) BUT ALL THE ADVANTAGES OF THIS POST MAKE THE 'EXTRA' WEIGHT MELT AWAY. BEING A BIGGER RIDER AT 225LBS, I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE DURABILITY, BUT I WAS PLEASANTLY SUPRISED THAT THE POST HELD UP VERY WELL. I DID MAKE IT A POINT (LIKE THE INSTRUCTIONS SAY) TO NOT JUMP, HOP OR DROP OFF WITH THE POST EXTENDED.
TWO ISSUES THAT DID COME UP: YES AFTER ALMOST TWO YEARS THE POST DID SNAP NEAR THE SEAT CLAMP JOINT. I SENT GARIVTY DROPER AND E-MAIL WITH A PHOTO ASKING ABOUT REPLACEMENT COST. TO MY SUPRISE, WAYNE RELPIED BACK STATING THAT ALL I HAD TO DO WAS SEND IT BACK AND THEY WOULD REPAIR AND REPLACE FOR 'FREE'! GREAT SERVICE. A FEW DAYS LATER MY POST COME BACK (WITH THE BEEFIER PART) AND WITH A LAZER ETCHED LOGO. KUDOS ALL AROUND. THE SECOND ISSUE WAS THAT THE MAGNET IN THE PIN THAT HOLDS THE SEAT UP OR DOWN WAS COMING LOOSE. THE MAGNET WOULD SLIDE OUT OF THE PIN BUT NOT PULL THE PIN, SO THE POST WOULD REMAIN STUCK. SIMPLE REMEDY WAS A DROP OF EPOXY TO KEEP THE MAGNET FROM PULLING OUT. (IF THIS HAPPENS WHILE ON THE TRAIL, JUST PULL THE MAGNET OUT AND PUT A SMALL PIECE OF GEL WRAPPER BEHIND AND PRESS MAGNET BACK IN.)
SINCE THIS IS A NEW BRAND NEW ITEM, SOME GLITCHES ARE LIKELY, BUT THE CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS SPOT ON. YOU CAN'T REALLY APPRECIATE THIS POST UNTIL YOU DO A 'FULL' RIDE ON ONE, THEN YOU'LL NEVER GO BACK. THIS IS RIGHT UP THERE WITH A GOOD FORK AND GOOD WHEEL SET AS ONE OF THE BEST UPGRADES YOU CAN GET. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria, B.C.
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Strengths: | always having saddle at the right height | | Weaknesses: | broken inner post | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Heckler | | Bottom Line: | Great post for the most part. I broke the inner post on a small compression in the trail, and yes, I was JRA (just riding along)... the upside is that I didn't get injured although it could have been disastrous, as the post sheared off and left a dagger like section of post exposed. Haven't heard back yet from Gravitydropper whether or not this will be warrantied, but in my opinion this should not have happened. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jamie Alackness
a Cross Country Rider
from Eagle Colorado
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Any thing here | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Moon Time Cyclery | | Strengths: | Imspires confidence, improves the handling of any bike, easy to use. | | Weaknesses: | A little sticky when brand new. It's a little spendy but worth every penny. It's a little heavy but it's the best half pound you will ever add to your bike. I will never own a bike without one! | | Similar Products Used: | standard fixed posts | | Bike Setup: | Titus Moto lite XTR and XO drive train Mavic XLs Thompson Easton King Kenda and IRC | | Bottom Line: | I just got my new MBaction and was pretty fired up that they rated the Maveric speed ball over the Gravity dropper. In a full year of use I have had absolutly no problems with my GD. My friend Jeff also has had a GD for over 2 years with no problems, and he is super hard on bikes, and parts. Mean while a friend of ours has the Maverick speed ball and within the first few weeks of use it blew up. It took maverick a while to return it. Then the seat clamps bent and we had to duct tape the saddle to the post to get home. My friend is only 155 pounds soaking wet with 2 water bottles and tools, and is a relatively conservative rider. So if he can destroy a Maverick speedball in less than one season. I would be very leary of recomending it to anyone.
The bottom line the Gravity dropper has improved my riding and I am riding faster with more confidence and control than ever before. This is the most bang for your buck performance upgrade you can add to your bike even better than a lite set of wheels, buy one and start Smoking your friends! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bob Dawson
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Strengths: | Great to have an adjustable seatpost. Easy to use. Great idea. | | Weaknesses: | Post breaks at holes. Fatigue failure at stress points. | | Similar Products Used: | Standard non-adjustable post | | Bike Setup: | Intense 6.6. | | Bottom Line: | Great idea. Flawed in its design. Upper post failure (suddenly) at hole. Needs complete redesign. Planning on trying speedball seatpost. Would only recommend for the lightest of riders, otherwise, DANGEROUS. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a
from Sierra Madre, CA
Date Reviewed: January 8, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Lowering and raising seatpost on-the-fly | | Weaknesses: | sometimes i try to use the thumbshift rig to try and shift gears
not much set-back. i like to run my seat further back | | Bike Setup: | '05 Klein Palomino | | Bottom Line: | it's so good, it's like having sex with a different woman each night,
i even like the 1" lower option for casual descending and very technical uphill pedalling. but 4" lower is the shizzzzle | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from St George, Utah
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Technical ones | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | Desert Cyclery | | Strengths: | Ability to change saddle height on the fly, well made, great clamping mechanism to the saddle, does what it says it will do. | | Weaknesses: | did they use sharpie to paint the welds? | | Bike Setup: | I have one on my Coiler Deelux and on my Blur LT | | Bottom Line: | I figured there are enough reviews on this product praising it, but i love mine so much that GDer deserves the props. I never disliked using my QR but a friend had a GDer and loved his so much. So i tried it. People say they don't need to adjust that much. You don't need 5-6" of travel either, but it sure is nice.
When you have that adjustment it surprises you how much you use it. And it's as second nature as shifting. I can't imagine someone trying it and saying it's not worth it if they ride techy up and down trails. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a
from Alpine, UT
Date Reviewed: December 31, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Bottom Line: | I wouldn't ride without it now. Gives you great confidence on the downs. Very easy to shift the seat up and down.
Initially, I bought the 4 inch model, but traded out for the 3 inch later. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dpdsurf
a Weekend Warrior
from pacifica, ca, usa
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | gravitydropper.com | | Strengths: | Handlebar mounted remote allows you to easily lower the seat in the roughest of trail sections. | | Weaknesses: | 1/2 pond hevier then you standard Thomson seatpost. But well worth it and it's not rotational weight.
One more item that will require maintenance. | | Similar Products Used: | N/A | | Bike Setup: | 2005 Turner 5 Spot, 29 lbs | | Bottom Line: | This post completed the evolution of mountain biking for me. Suspension, disc brakes and now the gravity dropper! If you lower you seat during technical descents, you will wonder why you didn't spend the $250 sooner! It's chicken feed for how it can enhance your riding experience. Gone are the days of sacrificing a quick DH section with your seat jabbing you in the butt. Or those quick flat sections and uphills where you wish the seat was higher.
For those that say a quick release does the same thing don't know what they are talking about. Sure at the top of a long climb where you take a break before the descent it is not a big deal to lower your saddle the old fashioned way via QR. But where the GD excels is those many occasions where you don't want to stop. It keeps your flow and allows you to maintain the optimum setup at all times. I do various single track loops whith mutiple climbs and descents that I may only stop once, twice or not at all.
Those that have no problem with their seat at climbing height all the time need not apply. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from L.A.
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Cheesbro | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Manufacturer | | Strengths: | This post does exactly what the MFG says it will do, 100%.
It works perfectly........ | | Weaknesses: | None that I can find | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Trek Liquid 20 | | Bottom Line: | I have now ridden with this Post for over a year and love it.I would not ride without it.
It wouldn't seem that it could get any better but when the MFR kindly upgraded me to the two position Post, well that is what I would recommend to anyone buying this Post.
And as to the previous rider who said that the Post broke, I can't imagine that the MFR wouldn't replace it. The have been nothing but helpful.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd
a
from Rapid City, SD
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Storm Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | ACME Bicycles | | Strengths: | On-the-fly adjustability in the steeps. | | Weaknesses: | Mechanism can malfunction and jam your seatpost in the up or down position. | | Similar Products Used: | n/a | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Heckler, Marzocchi, Mavic, Raceface, XT stuff | | Bottom Line: | If you like to ride aggressive XC, freeride, etc then this is the post for you. With the flick of a switch you drop 4" from a fully extended seatpost to gain the clearance neede for steep drops or for bombin' the downhill. When you're done, flick the switch and your back to full extension without having to stop!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Snead
a Cross Country Rider
from Bend, Oregon
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | The bumpy one | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Purchased At: | a bike place | | Strengths: | Gets down. Just like it should. Makes me go faster. | | Weaknesses: | Sometimes won't stick in the down position. I have to twist the little round gizmo on the bottom of the post to make it work. I had to put a little thread lock on the round thing to keep it from slipping. I had to cut the little boot down so I could keep my seat bag on the seat. | | Similar Products Used: | Quick release. Hacksaw. Whiskey. | | Bike Setup: | Full suspension x-c bike | | Bottom Line: | My friends assumed I had a suspension seatpost on top of my rear suspension and thought I was silly until I was able to STOP dropping my seatpost on top o' the helipad for the ride down Whoops.
Other than the little round thing slipping and some play in the post, it works great. I really like the idea.
If you are like me and live in fear of technical descents at speed, this can really help you out. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Larry
a Weekend Warrior
from Weehawken, NJ, USA
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Ringwood State Park | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | gravitydropper.com | | Strengths: | 1) Lets you move seatpost up and down on the fly, increasing uphill power and downhill control and providing varied saddle positions for a happier butt 2) Solid construction 3) Excellent customer service from Gravitydropper.com | | Weaknesses: | 1) Sleeve that protects inner post workings from dirt and water doesn't always stay in its proper place and is a bit cheap-looking | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Modified Kona dawg | | Bottom Line: | I recommend this seatpost more than any upgrade except good tires. Once you've got a good grip on the ground, I can think of no better next step than to make sure you're able to get high enough above the ground to crank uphill, low enough to whip downhill, and moderate enough to sail over bumpy flat terrain. This seatpost accomplishes this without forcing you to get off your bike and make a manual adjustment every time the trail changes. The product is very solid, mounts easily, and the switch works wonderfully. Learning to use the product is easy too. I had it under control after just 1 ride. I had a slight problem with the mounting screws in my switch stripping, but Wayne at Gravity Dropper shipped me a replacement the next day. The only thing I don't like about this product is the cheap-looking plastic sleeve that slides around too much. I hope Wayne can come up with something a little better to replace this. But this is really a minor concern and absolutely should not stop anyone from buying the product. The price is high but reasonable for a low volume, high quality piece of equipment. If this goes mass market, I would expect the price to go down, but given the current situation I think it's a good value. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Patrick
a Cross Country Rider
from Morgan Hill
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Serpentine | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Website | | Strengths: | Does exactly what it claims and it does it well. I really like the safety feature of having to bounce on the seat to release. No unexpected suprises. | | Weaknesses: | Yeah its heavier. I also have the multi position 1" and 4" drop. Sometimes it takes a bit longer to find the middle 1" drop position. | | Similar Products Used: | The Hite Rite. Yeah I am that old. Still got it too on my 1989 Gary Fisher steel hardtail. | | Bike Setup: | Yeti 575 with Marzocchi AM1 6" travel up front. | | Bottom Line: | Great product that works even better than I expected. Customer service is also very good. I had to send mine back to get a glue joint fixed and it only took 1 week total with shipping ground. Nice people too. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Duncan
a Cross Country Rider
from CA
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | web | | Strengths: | Quality design and construction. Incredible innovation that adapts easily to any MTB. | | Weaknesses: | Obviously somewhat heavier than a |
|
$ 250.00
