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Crank Bros.
Joplin Variable Seatpost
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Submitted by
kiwijames
a Racer
from Lafayette, CA
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Anything in Joaquin Miller Park | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Purchased At: | Online @ Modern bike | | Strengths: | Meets my expectations for quality, ease of set-up. Quality build, looks good, the orange ano looks red on a red accented frame. Lever is very easy to access and adjust on the fly. Not spring loaded, so your underside is protected from a getting a punch when raising the saddle. | | Weaknesses: | 30.9 or 31.6 sizes..have to use shims otherwise. Some frame makers say the the use of shims voids their warranty. | | Similar Products Used: | Never had a telescoping/adjust on the fly post. Always some stock or aftermarket solid..Race face, Bontrager, U.S.E. | | Bike Setup: | Spark 20, XT, Juicy 7, F100RL, DT SWiss Nude TC, Dt Swiss X455 with 240s, Panaracer XC Fire 127tpi, Joplin Lever w/U.S.E 31.6-34.9 shim, Selle Italia SLR XP Kevlar | | Bottom Line: | I've read the pros and cons of the lever vs remote. Already have too much on the bar with a rear shock tracloc, so the lever was my no brainer. I have to adjust my package out of the way when going for a descent anyhow, so a toggle of the underseat lever is easy on the fly at the same time. Anyone with inhibitions should just lower it in anticipation or opt for the remote. The ever so slight movement/rotation in the post is not noticeable while riding, so don't freak when it moves when you twist it by hand. 75mm is a big range depending on your bike and what the terrain is. Nice if they had mm measurement marking in the slider you could code/color with a sharpee so you know where to adjust to. I had to use a shim to have this on my Scott...and am glad I got it. Weight weenies will balk at the grams...take a big dump before you ride and you'll have it covered easily. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
hurtinunit
a Cross Country Rider
from East Rockies, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Jasper Trails - All from the Townsite | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$225.00 | | Purchased At: | Online - Speedgoat | | Strengths: | -Works very well
-I have the seat post lever which is fewer lines and fewer distraction on the handlebars.
-Very easy to reach down and activate the lever (THATS WHAT SHE SAID)even in technical situations
-Anodized orange looks bling
-Riding buddies are jealous | | Weaknesses: | -Saddle rail clamps may actually warp your saddle because of the 150 lb torque required to tighten. My WTB saddle is saying WTF?
-Obviously it is heavier than your standard weight weenie post
-Set back post and variable height on the fly and make horizontal saddle position hard to figure out
-Can't grip bike by seatpost as the hydraulics top out
-May need to go through the "Trouble shooting guide" when trying to figure out how the thing works | | Similar Products Used: | -None | | Bike Setup: | -08 Santa Cruz Nomad | | Bottom Line: | -If your wallet allows, buy it
-Slight saddle play side to side isnt noticiable at all when riding
-I wont go back to regular seatposts!!!!
Question for Admins....
The "What type of cyclist" category is a bit weak dont you think? How about the guy who rides a Nomad who believe or not rides XC and Downhill? Go figure! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
swisgar swiggle
a Cross Country Rider
from mordhaus, netherlands
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | ebays | | Bottom Line: | To anyone having seat clamp issues: grease under the orange four arm clamp thingie to help them seat on the clamp cups. If they are dry, you might have a problem with post loosening. Torque the bolt to 150 inch lbs (go to a shop and use their torque wrench to get a feel for this!). Problem solved.
Alternative usage tip!!! After installing this post you can usually move your saddle a cm or two forward, enabling a more forward seat position for climbing. This is possible because you can lower your seat a inch or so for fast moderatly bumpy descents. This gives a more planted front tire for steep climbs.
ALSO!! on super steep technical rocky sections --Lower--
your saddle 1/2- 1 inches! This will lower your center of gravity, allowing you to motor up the rocks no problem. I am hearing some grumblings of disbelief and complaints about pedal stroke efficiency. Yes you lose a fraction of efficiency in the pedal stroke, but this is more than compensated for in the gains in traction and having to stand and pedal with your chest lying over the handle bars. I feel this additional alt. usage is almost as important as the benefit of dropping the post for downhill!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gavin
a Cross Country Rider
from Alamo, CA
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Boy Scout | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Dropping the seat on the fly keeps the flow going and allows me to tackle descents with aplomb. | | Weaknesses: | Weight, if you are a weight weenie; lame orange-colored clamp and cap. | | Similar Products Used: | Regular seat post, that vise-grips into the down tube. | | Bike Setup: | Ibis Mojo carbon; XTR wheels & drivetrain; Magura Marta SL's; Easton bits. | | Bottom Line: | A friend has one on his Maverick and swears by it; but he is more DH-oriented than I, so I thought the added weight (close to 1 lb.) and adjustability was unnecessary. This past winter I experimented with lowering my standard seatpost prior to descending and was pleasantly surprised at the increased control and ability to grove through corners with a lowered center of gravity. But getting off the bike and adjusting the carbon on carbon set up was a pain, which led me to keep my post well-lubricated to avoid sticking (probably a good thing any how).
I finally caved and bought the Joplin, nee Speedball, w/o remote on eBay at a discount (not much more than the msrp on an high-end carbon post), yet it was still costly. That was a good move. Adjusting on the fly is critical in the varied terrain I ride, and on short (6 mile) spins in the evening, that means a savings of minutes. I found that as little as 0.5" in downward adjustment enabled me to attack moderate, flowing, downhill singletrack like never before. On severe steeps, a drop of 1.5 to 2.5" was a blessing (I don't even use the full 3" of travel!).
I found the post easy to install -- both onto the bike and the seat onto the post -- so I can't speak to others' mechanical issues. My only gripe thus far is the orange bits on the post -- why orange? I know, fashion sense and color schemes are low on the MTB-radar; but looking stealth suits me. Nothing matte black spray paint and a Sharpie counldn't handle.
At the end of the day, the Joplin is worth it and I will never go back when riding a 5-6" full-suspension AM bike. Hardtails are a different story. The ease of use and increased control outweigh the weight and cost issues. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Timothy
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: April 30, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Freiburg/Basel | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$220.00 | | Purchased At: | Speedgoat | | Strengths: | Looks great, surprisingly useful: no more compromise setting for saddle height! | | Weaknesses: | luxury item; remote lever is a bit basic, and seat clamp has to be set carefully -- not as idiot proof as some other manufacturers. | | Similar Products Used: | there is nothing else like it | | Bike Setup: | Trance X2 | | Bottom Line: | Originally purchased as pure self-indulgence: it was simply the most useless sounding piece of bike bling I could find -- wouldn't you want to tell all your friends that your bike has a remote-control seatpost?.
Of course I could see the point of it -- there have been lots of times when I went down a steep slope with my saddle too high simply because I hadn't the patience to stop and adjust it, and almost came to grief as a result, but this did look like high tech overkill.
However, once I'd actually installed it and could adjust at will, I found I was flipping that remote lever all the time. I now have my saddle all the way up for full leg stretch on the flat and smooth.
I drop it down an inch or two when I'm in stop and go mode, and want to slip off and on more easily.
When I do hit a steep downhill, I go to the lowest setting, which didn't look like all that much in the photo, but is actually a very sizeable drop -- more than my last bike allowed for a solid seatpost adjustment.
In terms of stress testing, I haven't pushed it to its limit yet -- hitting it hard on a big drop, but I'm over 200 lbs and I've had no problems with rigidity so far. Anyway, with dual suspension, I don't expect this to be taking too much of the shock.
While most people will think of this as the final touch to an ambitious component upgrade program, if you ride through a mix of flat/steep terrain and are frequently finding yourself at irritatingly sub-optimal saddle height, move it to the front of your list.
Seems a bit expensive but, as with all things Crank Brothers, design and finish make it a minor work of art.
One minor issue was that, straight out of the box, it refused to lock properly, but after I'd cycled the piston up/down 75+ times, it eventually caught and has worked perfectly ever since. The instructions say you may need to cycle it a dozen times to clear air bubbles, but this was a bit extreme (I only kept at it because I'd bought it mail order and would be writing off $80 shipping, brokerage, and customs charges to send it back.)
Another reviewer got very frustrated with the seat clamp, and having used several other posts before this, I can see why: if you assume the mechanism to be as simple as others, it's easy to tighten it to a "false lock" position where a sharp jolt will knock the saddle loose, but if you check how the clamp has seated itself on the rails and bearings, and wiggle it a bit before final tightening, it holds fast. But this isn't just CB getting too artsy for their own good -- once you get the hang of it, this is a lot easier to fine tune than other designs.
To summarize -- if you like things straight and simple, avoid this; but if you get off on imaginative solutions to subtle problems, the Joplin remote delivers on its promises.
(And yes, the extra $20 for the remote as opposed to the lever is worth it -- you don't have to take your hand off the bars at that tricky "oh my god this is a bit steeper than it looked" moment, and it doesn't look like you're playing with yourself each time you adjust the height.)
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cheese Soda
a
from CA
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Just the right amount of adjustability, and pretty natural to adjust after an hour or two of riding. | | Weaknesses: | Had a *slight* side to side wiggle, but wasn't enough to notice while riding, just if you played with it while off the bike. | | Bottom Line: | I spent an entire day over one of these (lever model, not remote) doing 20 minute ascents up fire roads with the post fully extended, followed by long, technical, jump covered descents with the post all the way dropped... and never did i have to stop to adjust anything. With something around 8 inches of adjustability, it was just right to max out either direction, and not have to futz with anything. The height mechanism seemed very solid, and never slipped, or moved accidentally. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael Dorsey
a Weekend Warrior
from Pacific North West
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | A-line / Whistler | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$280.00 | | Purchased At: | Universal Cycle | | Strengths: | It's a great concept to be able to lower and raise your seat remotely | | Weaknesses: | same as above.Plus the seat clamp is not up to the task. I have ridden it 5 times and every time the seat would pitch nose up or down today it went up and down and then my seat fell off. The clamp is in pieces and It will need to be replaced. Most seat posts I have seen that us the same screw to attach the seat and hold the seat level have serrations on the clamp and on the seat post this post has none only a smooth anodized surface. | | Similar Products Used: | http://www.frappr.com/?a=myphotos&id=4989596
checkout the photos | | Bike Setup: | same as below | | Bottom Line: | I'll give Crank Bros. a call in the morning.and start a RMO. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
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