Adjustable Seatposts

Posted by PeterD Fri, 28 Jul 2006 18:54:00 GMT

Do you know what this is? Click on the picture to see a larger version of this contraption.

This is called a Hite Rite and was made about 20 years ago. The metal loop at the bottom attached to your seat quick release (QR) and the band attached to your seat post. The goal was to give you a way to change your saddle height on the fly. You reach down, open your QR, push the saddle down, the close the QR. When you want to bring the seat back up, you open the QR and the Hite Rite spring would push the seat back to its original height. This all was nice in theory, but it actually didn’t work well.

But accessories to help you change seat heights have shown up from time to time, with varying success. Technology has continued to improve, and there are two products on the market now that work well. Both work basically the same way – to lower the seat, you hit a lever or button, push down the saddle, and release the button to lock the new position. To bring the seat back up, hit the lever when no weight is on the saddle, and the spring mechanism inside the seat post pushes the saddle back up.

But there are differences between these products:

Gravity Dropper uses a magnetic latching system which you control from your handlebar. There are fixed locations that the height can be adjusted to. Weight 450 grams, price $275. Pros: Can be ordered in various saddle drop distances (up to 4”), is controlled on the handlebar, and available for many different size seat posts. Cons: makes the bike hard to put into a work stand, both heavier and slightly more expensive than the Speedball, and has limited positions that the seat post locks in to (full drop, optional 1” drop, and full up only).

Maverick Speedball – the Speedball is a hydraulic shock, similar to what you find in your office chair. It has a lever that sits under the nose of the saddle. Available in 30.9 and 31.6 mm sizes, weight: 396 grams, price: $220. Pros: lower weight and cost than Gravity Dropper, fits in a work stand Cons: not as convenient to activate on the fly because there isn’t a handlebar mounted switch, only available in 2 seat post sizes.

We have some of both of these in stock in the store right now. Charles even has a Speedball installed on one of his bikes, so you can give it a try next time you are in the store.

PS - I am not sure which is scarier – that people recognized the Hite Rite, or that I had one sitting around…