2012 Adjustable Seatposts Thoughts..

A whole slew of new and or improved adjustable seatpost has been hitting the market these few months.. Even the much awaited KS Lev is now out.

Firstly to touch on the 2 that solved one of the top irritating  problem in adjustable seatpost....  a fixed cable eliminating the issue of a variable length of hose that is difficult to route and causing all kinds of rubbing and bowing that necessitates tons of cable ties to keep things in place.

My hunch on the negative aspects of Crankbrothers Kronolog Telescoping Seat Post after some sneak pics by now is very much in line with many user's feedbacks from various forums. Reading between the line in this review, I reckon is subtlely worded but screaming out loud to discerning readers to  "STAY AWAY". Could just extrapolate  what further problems will develop in one of these as the wear becomes worse with prolonged usage. Looks like the Gremlin, oops I mean Joplin post saga continues....

On the other hand the KS LEV is looking as good as it is advertised to be. The intro here by KS pretty much says it all. Pics are clear and I really can't spot too many "Uh Oh" factors. Save for the fact that despite what they say it is a really simple system-- it seems to have quite a number of parts especially surrounding the swiveling mechanism for the cable. For me the less parts a moving component has, the less likelihood of problem in the long run. Still having said, this improved cabling plus a one up with the ability to locate the cable exactly where you want is a nice touch. The one thing that is not addressed is whether the closed cartridge system in the Maglev remains as difficult to access as their earlier KS posts.. As someone who doesnt rely much on others or shops, it would be much preferable having designs that were meant to be user-friendly when servicing.

What about FOX DOSS? -- that also has the cable problem "solved"? I'm not even gonna bother but it can be ogled here. The remote alone with double triggers and the described quirky method of operation is enough to put me off from ever getting one on my bike. From the pics, it reminds me of those integrated brake-shifter abomination on a commuter bike. If it was half the price they ask for- that I can understand with a highly self acclaimed fugly nutcracker but at MSRP: USD$439 !!! Yea but just DOsSS... Drop Off some Steep Sh!t on a fixed post instead.

FOX seems pretty swooned with yet another of their acronym, CTD, (Climb-Trail-Descend) on all categories of their product this year which the DOSS is also a part of. Ok Im bias as usual but really what's with their creative department in coming up with better sounding names...

Others-- well there is the post from Giant, I saw one from Da Bomb and a few unfamiliar ones from some obscure websites... but those are pretty much copies of what's already in the market with little or not enough significant improvements and or simply "off" with a casual glance.

If I can try another seatpost this year-- the option has been narrowed down to just the KS Lev.
But for now I'm pretty much happy with the DSP Bighorn... comparing apples to apples... for post with the cable routed to the top of the clamp area -- this by far really is the most solid piece I have tried till date..