Which would you choose for your LT2?

Depends on your 1) height, and 2) what range of heights you need your saddle at. The taller you are, the more drop you might need. I'm 6'2" and the Joplin doesn't seem to drop low enough for my needs. If I ride with my saddle at the generally accepted, "proper" pedaling height, I can't drop it low enough to get over my rear tire. I often find myself setting the post low at full extension just so I can get it lower at it's lowest. I figure a shorter stem would help, but that changes handling and bike fit.

I would look for the Rase seatpost. It has a 9" drop and doesn't have that accordion-looking wrap like the Gravity Dropper.

Joplin. +1

My two cents. I own and love my Speedball, and a few of my buddies have GD's. I'm about 5'11 on a generation 1 Nomad.

The Speedball (now Joplin) is a fantastic product, I will never go back to a standard post. It will require (easy) maintenance from time to time and that's a fact, but it's smooth, intuitive and it will change your riding style.

From the time I've spent on my buddies bikes the GD is just felt unrefined. clunky. I had trouble getting the post to come back up while riding in rough terrain. The GD works, and frankly may be more durable, but just didn't hold any magic for me.

I've no idea which is lighter. Either way, if you ride in an area with techy terrain and lots of topography changes, then an adjustable post is WORTHY.

I purchased my new adjustable seatpost today

I decided to go with a Gravity Dropper Turbo and picked it up today. Tomorrow I'll give it a try on the trail and can't wait. The Turbo has a lever actuated return so no seed to weight the saddle first before raising the post like the original Gravity Droppers required. At least, that is how I understand them to work. The spring in the gravity dropper is very strong so I think caution will be required when raising the post to avoid a painful surprise.

I chose the GD because of no oil or air seals to blow, lighter weight and a 1" and 4" drop option. The Joplins look really nice and I prefer the way the cable is attached to the post but I really want more than a 3" drop and I do not want to get stuck 20 miles from my car and have an air or oil seal blow out on the Joplin.

Thanks for all your feeback!

If I could do it over I'd get the GD. My Joplin died after 15 months.

The shop I bought the GD from said they had to return 9 Joplins for waranty work so far this year. They have not had to return any Gravity Droppers. This seems to be validated by the reviews here on mtbr as well. Funny thing is, they said they never had any issues with the Maverick Speedballs which is the previous version of the Joplin before Crank Bros. purchased them. Honestly, I really wanted to get a Joplin and I like the design, looks and the way the cable attaches but I also need a reliable post. That is why I bought the Gravity Dropper. The looks of the GD are kind of funky but the performance is good. I could have gotten a much better deal on a Joplin too! Oh well, time will tell on the GD. I have friends that have beat them to death and they just plain hold up!

I have the Joplin, but I've heard very good things about the one from Specialized. I guess it doesn't have any side to side play at all...a little more solid. COMMAND MTB SEAT POST

I've been using the Command Post and it has work pretty flawlessly.....once it was sent back for the updated seals and bushings!

It actually worked well before the seals went south( happens all of a sudden/stuck down), it was common on first production run and would hope they have taken care of the matter by now.

I love my Gravity Dropper Turbo!

My new GD Turbo is awesome. So easy to use that I had it down after my first ride. I can't believe I did not buy one of these a long time ago. My riding is so much more enjoyable and I am able to ride longer as I am always in the perfect position for whatever the terrain throws at me. What an awesome product.

I have a Spec Command Post and love it. I did have to get the seals replaced, but have had no issues since. Even that was just a 20 minute repair while I waited. It has a 1 inch drop, and a 3 inch drop for a total of 4 inches. I haven't found a situation where one of those settings hasn't been ideal.

On a seperate note I love that my Nomad has cable routing built into the frame for the post. Makes everything neat and clean.

I've got both, and GD is much, much,much better than Joplin.

Now that is an endorsement!

terrassabike said:

I've got both, and GD is much, much,much better than Joplin.

Click to expand...

This makes me all the happier since I chose the GD over the Joplin. If only the cable came off the back in a different way. With GD design the cable has to come out the side of the post and it works great. Just looks strange.