Dropper post grinding ( feels like scratching inside )

[VaseLEVO]

New 2018 carbon expert Levo here. I just noticed this started happening after my dropper post / rear height was adjusted. It was smooth before but suddenly I feel some scratching or some rough grind inside when I drop it. Anyone experience this also?

 

[Gary]

service it.
No idea which dropper you have but most mechanical dropper posts are really easy to service. Most use a non-servicable cartridge so just unscrew the top collar and undo the bottom (it'll be screwed in or held in with small bolts (or a combination of the two) and they tend to come apart easily. Servicing is simply a case of cleaning/inspecting for wear, re-lubing/greasing and re-assembling. once you've figured them out and done it once it's a 5 minute job to do regularly.

 

[ccrdave]

the spesh dropper has this horrible (in my opinion) preset heights and they are racheted, the rachet is a hard metal on to alloy interface and the alloy wears a little creating dust, this seems to jam the post up without regular cleaning. Taking it apart is a bit of a pain but doable if you have a very strong strap wrench for the top nut.
I gave that up and cheated, I push a small cable tie in the top seal to open it up and let some wd40 soak in to the internal, I then work the post up and down until its quiet and free. the wd40 along with the dust seems to dribble out of the bottom.
I do this about every 1-2 weeks and it works for me

 

[Gary]

WD40?

WD40 is a cleaner not a lube, and it evaporates eventually leaving things dry and LESS lubricated.
By all means clean it using WD40/GT85, but lube it afterwards. Grease inside, Silicone spray on the shaft. but don't ride it with wet silicine spray exposed as dirt/dust will stick to it and make it worse.

No wonder it needs doing every 1-2 weeks.
Do it properly and it should last far far longer

 

[ccrdave]

the idea is to wash the crap out if you see the amount of thick grease they pack inside its a fair few wd40 washes before that even starts to disappear. I have tried the post with grease, without grease dont seem to make any difference still jams up after a week or so.in fact I think it works better without grease as the dust doesnt clog the ratches so much.
if it wasnt for the layback I would ditch it and put a brand x in
supposedly Spesh have re-engineered it for 2019 but I have yet to see it

 

[ccrdave]

ok on your advice In have just cleaned my dropper post and this time I have also added some lubricant and I will admit at the moment it does feel a little smoother but lets see!

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

New 2018 carbon expert Levo here. I just noticed this started happening after my dropper post / rear height was adjusted. It was smooth before but suddenly I feel some scratching or some rough grind inside when I drop it. Anyone experience this also?

Not had this problem sorry,
You say brand new 2018 Levo, how brand new?
If you have just recieved it or its only a few weeks old you should be up for a free service and also, it will be covered under warranty.
If your bike shop is close by take it back and get them to sort it out for you.

 

[ccrdave]

is the seatpost clamp too tight?

 

[VaseLEVO]

Bike is two weeks old. About 100 miles on it. Am taking it back today. I was surprised it not only makes noise but vibrates when trying to drop or adjust it up. I thought this is something thats supposed to be used repeatedly many many times on an outing. They should have engineered it better. But am fine if they fix it correctly and the grating feeling goes away. Bike now perfectly dialed in for me except for the dropper/seat post issue.

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Bike is two weeks old. About 100 miles on it. Am taking it back today. I was surprised it not only makes noise but vibrates when trying to drop or adjust it up. I thought this is something thats supposed to be used repeatedly many many times on an outing. They should have engineered it better. But am fine if they fix it correctly and the grating feeling goes away. Bike now perfectly dialed in for me except for the dropper/seat post issue.

This is not a common occurrence so I am sure they will sort it out for you and replace it for a new one if they can’t fix it.
In a single ride I would probably raise and lower the seat dropper at least 30 to 40 times so it needs to be in good working order ?

 

[Sparkydave]

The WU on my Kenevo feels like grating metal every time I use it

 

[VaseLEVO]

The WU on my Kenevo feels like grating metal every time I use it

They told me it was normal. I hope its ok because am finding myself dropping it and raising it as many times as I get on the bike.

 

[Kaelidoz]

I'd be pissed off.

It's not normal nor okay. It sucks.