We had a chance to do some great rides with the new Crank Brothers Kronolog dropping post. This post is the latest entry in this important and competitive category of Dropping or Height Adjustable Seatposts.

Here's a quick video reveal we shot on location at the San Juan Trail in Southern California:

[youtube width="610" height="343" align="left"]httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CRHMiVI1sk&hd=1

The vital specs on the Kronolog are:

Msrp: $300

Weight: 465g + 28g (30.9mm + remote*), 477g + 28g (31.6mm + remote*)

Travel: 125mm / 5in

Adjustment type: standard mechanical shift cable

Diameters: 30.9mm and 31.6mm

Warranty : 2 years with proper maintenance

After a few rides, this is what Mtbr thinks of the Kronolog

Strengths:
  • Smooth lever action with light lever force required
  • Up and down action is very smooth and consistent with minimal effort and stiction.
  • No side to side play at the saddle
  • There are unlimited height positions between zero and five inches
  • Seatpost raises up fast but slows down in the last inch of travel to prevent harming the rider
  • Saddle is locked when lowered so there is no creeping up behavior and the bike can be lifted up with the saddle.
  • Cable routing is clean with no movement in the cable when seatpost is lowered.
  • Cable routing can go in front or behind the seapost.
  • Seatpost clamp is no offset and is consistent with the norm with all-mountain bikes
  • Fatigue tested to the highest standards
  • Maximum travel can be reduced with internal shims
Weaknesses:
  • Minimum exposed seatpost height is high at 5 inches + 2 inches to allow the rider to get the full 5 inches of adjustability. As a workaround, the max height of the post can be reduced with internal shims.
  • There is no local lever option available
  • No 27.2 mm size avaialble yet.
Bottom line:

The most important aspect of a dropping post is smooth action and ease of use. It has to be really easy and consistent to use for it to be an effective tool in our rides since we often need it on those 'oh snap' moments. The more intuitive and hassle-free it is, the more the rider is likely to use the dropping post. The Kronolog lever is intuitive and easy to activate and the seatpost goes up and down without much drama. The action seems really precise and smooth so we think this will become a great ally for not only descenders but also cross country riders. Heck, I really think my kid and my dad would enjoy biking much more if they had this tool .

We may very well have a contender here in this coveted and growing category. It's all a question of durability and reliability now. Crank Brothers has learned a ton from their experience with the Joplin and they've taken every measure to improve and stress test the Kronolog. It's all up the harsh world of real-world consumer testing now. From what we've seen and tested so far, this looks like a winner.

First Impressions by Andy Lightle:

Last week I was lucky enough to test out the new Kronolog adjustable seatpost by Crank Brothers. Lets talk about the seatpost itself. Its made of aluminum, 405mm long, has 5 inches of travel (can be set up for less,) comes in 30.9mm and 31.6mm (soon 27.2mm,) comes in red/black and black/black. The warranty is a 2 full years and the msrp is $300.

A little history about my riding style... I am a cross country rider who enjoys the steeps of Laguna Beach as well as the Santa Ana Mountains here in Southern California. I have been a traditionalist with my riding style as I have NEVER ridden on an adjustable seatpost. I have always been wary of dropping posts because of complexity and reliability issues of existing system.

I have always had concerns about adjustable seatposts over the years. I continually hear about the seat getting play in it over time. What if the seatpost fails and my seat gets stuck in the lower position? And finally I donʼt like the look of the cable hanging down the seatpost and how it flops out when the seat is lowered.

Well it seems Crank Brothers has taken a strong look into these issues and addressed them.

Let's start with the lever. The clamp has a hinge on it so there is no need to take off the shifter, brake lever or the grips; you simply put it on. The bolt can be tightened without having to re-adjust the shifter as well since the bolt is position out of the way. The thumb lever itself can be placed in a natural position and feels like a shifter. The lever is also really easy to push on. I understand some of the seatposts out there need quite a bit of force to activate.

The seat clamping mechanism seems to be bomber too. Crank Brothers took the extra step and the Kronolog passes even the CEN standards of Europe. I understand this is the only adjustable seatpost to have ever passed. I watched a video of this machine forcing down (I believe 270lbs) on the nose of the saddle 100,000 times. Not only did the Kronolog pass the test, it passed it 2.7 times the European fatigue standard. The saddle was still on there tight with minimal play

What about failure and the post getting stuck in the down position? If, for some reason the rider were to take a big fall and rip out the cable for the seatpost, the Kronolog is still adjustable. Simply open the cover on the post and unlock and unlock the post manually. How simple is that?

Crank Brothers put the locking mechanism of the Kronolog on the lower end of the seatpost. It sits right above the seat tube of the frame. I see two advantages of this. One, I donʼt have to see the cable climbing up the seatpost and two, when the seat is lowered, the cable doesnʼt flop around. While there is less than a centimeter of play in the cable, it is unnoticeable and virtually unseen.

As I mentioned before I am a traditionalist when it comes to my riding. I haven't converted over to the Dropping Seatpost camp because of complexity, reliability and weight of previous systems. But experiencing the simplicity and smoothness of the Kronolog has me itching to try this seatpost on my rig for a long term test. This may be the post that converts an XC hardtail 29er rider like myself.

Here's a couple informational videos by Crank Brothers featuring Hans Rey.

[youtube width="610" height="343" align="left"]httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_haXzjaQNMI&hd=1

[youtube width="610" height="343" align="left"]httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcs7eh5lK-Y&hd=1