Product Review Specialized Command Post

Nerf Herder

Wheel size expert
Item:
Spez Command Post ... Came on the Spez Enduro
Purchased From:
Demo bike from TBSM
Purchase Price (approx):
demo ... Guessing it's around $350?
Usage:
2 glorious weeks of "ride it like I stole it"

Pros - Can lift the puppy from the saddle
Cons - Read the review

Comments:
I am obviously biased (I own Link Sports the KS AU distro)... But fuck it, I've never ridden another post other than KS and in the end I'm a mountain biker, so meh I wanna play.

Big thanks to TBSM for organising the demo (bike review to come). The Menai build crew were invited to a special Specialized Demo long weekend, which was absolutely flooded, except for Menai ofcourse as its professionally built and drains very well :thumb:. So a few of the lads and I got to enjoy our handy work with many a huck to flat and some wicked monster truck action. I also got to ride Hornsby the following weekend, and a couple night rides in between.

I have always been curious of the Spez... I've read quite a few of the comments from you Spez lovers on here over the years and I was glad to jump on one.

believing in the sandwich approach to staff reviews ... I'll use that approach here.
Positive - Negative - Positive

- Post is the goto black that everybody digs ... Tick
- If you are old school and can't live without the ability to pick up your bike from the saddle then you will jizz. I had all the weight of the bike plus me jingling the puppy and that thing didn't move ... Had it dropped down, and reefed the thing as hard as I could upwards and still noting. Very impressed. Tick

Definitely never do that with KS or Reverb.

- 2step
What the absolute fuck ... C'mon, anybody that tells me they like that shizzle hasnt Tried anything else ... So you drop it where you want it, which happens to be in between the preset positions and the fucker pumps back up at you ... Man, that has to be the worse feeling ever.

drop the puppy ... ready to get rad ... Stand back up to get into attack position ... Hey what the ... the saddle has come up a bit ... Actually hit me in the arse and pushed me up ... FFFFFUUUCCKKK rough ridaz...

being use to infinite adjustment, and putting the saddle exactly where I want it to get either max clearance or a bit of support or enough extension to pedal out whatever is ahead ... The 2step was good sometimes, but annoying or scary at the most inconvenient of times.

i was aware of the 2step ... But I had expected to drop to step1, then press the remote again and drop to step2 ... Nothing in between. Just down the down again. Not this down, then push back up business.

i did get used to it, but I hardly ever got a clean drop unless I slammed it all the way down ... But, it seems I rarely drop it slammed the first time, as I'd more often then not put the saddle in the no mans land between slammed and stage 2 ... Which was fucked. I put my arse down there for a reason, don't bloody push me back up FFS.

all that whinging aside ... When it did what I wanted it to do, it was a good solid post. A nice familiar klunk at the top of its travel told you it was back home and ready to pedal.

it also had a nice zipper like tone as it came back up. I actually liked this bit of industrial character.

press button ... Zzzzzzzit, klunk ... "Top floor ... men's underwear department"

lastly the shifter remote was pretty cool ... Nice shape, placed exactly where my thumb was looking for it and all very unnoticeable. Really exactly what you want, no extra thinking ... Just drop and wait for the saddle to push you back up at the worse time possible.

To conclude:
If you have never had an infinite drop post before, then all my qualms would be like water off a ducks back to you ... But if you have had other posts, then it will take a little bit of getting used to.

Rating:
usability => 6/10
longevity / installation => no comment, not tested
 
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wavike

Likes Dirt
Yup never used another type so do think it's great. This if from a more XC/trail orientated guy, who just used to stop and drop the seat manually about 20mm on steep downs.
It did take a while to get used too, but any first time user on any post would. I've been using for about a year. Had NO problems during that time (looking at you reverb). The graduated adjustments work for me, full up for smooth climbing/fireroad. First drop (20-25mm?) just right for normal single track. The grads are 10mm after that so pretty easy to find the right spot, but hell I really only need the first drop for trail work, another 20mm for rough stuff and more or less slammed to get it out of the way. Got used to the 'find a position' ie make sure it clicks in and don't get the 'So you drop it where you want it, which happens to be in between the preset positions and the fucker pumps back up at you' at all. Yup I haven't used anything else - and don't feel the need at all. I'd get used to a KS (or other reliable post), but would miss the 'first drop/click' perfect for single track, no way I could get just the right spot every time on infinite post, and my knees/hips are much better for it.
 

carpetrunner

Likes Dirt
27.2" shortie Command post

I've a short travel (75mm) command post on the Epic, it's a 27.2" dia with setback, so not too many options.
I figured that 75mm would be enough for most trails and so far it has been fine.
I've read endless stories of unreliable droppers here and I have a spesh store within walking distance, so that was the only thing gave it the nod over the KS.

It came with a weightweenie grip mount kind of control lever and a heavy 'nduro style thumb shifter. I'm happy with the light grip shifter for the moment.

The post does have a mid position at 35mm, I think I've found it twice in three solid months of riding.
There is definitely a knack to getting the post to stop at 35mm but I don't have it.
I guess I'm a pedal hard / oh f*ck kind of rider.

No problems with the post coming up unexpectedly as described by Nerf Herder. There were a couple of occasions where the post didn't stay down,
but this was just cable adjustment after pulling the post out for packing, maybe they are more sensitive to cable tension/adjustment than others?

Just returned from Bike The Boot - 21 days, 850km, 21,000vm of MTB in Italy - The command post has gone down when required and come up without fault.
I would have died several times without it.

- carpetrunner
 

Tubbsy

Packin' a small bird
Staff member
I had the Specialized Command post. It was a three position one, but like others it was the mid-drop position I mostly wanted to use, not the slammed option.

I found it difficult to locate the middle position while negotiating the trail at times, which was frustrating and meant I didn't drop the post as much as I might have.

Now on a Fox Transfer which will drop to any point and I use it a lot more as a result. The Fox does have a bit of play meaning the saddle wobbles from side to side. Not noticeable while riding, but irritates me when pushing the bike around.

I reckon the Specialized was a higher quality item, but I wouldn't go back to a dropper with fixed stops.
 
Got one with my Enduro. Coming on 4yrs now of pretty solid service. And not seeing any love apart from being washed down with the bike
Last year the collett inside it exploded. Was a job for the factory and they did a good job. Reconditioned and now should be good as new for another 3+yrs.
I am used to the 3 position thing and don't mind it. I now have a Hi-Lo Strate on my hardtail and prior to that was running a KS underseat lever. Comparing the 3 of these, the action of the Spesh is not as good as the other two, KS is the best but X-Fusion is close. Return speed can catch you out, I tend to press button and stand up as the post rises. Saves a knock to the boys. It's a technique that works for me. Can be sketchy in hectic situations but usually all the way down is where that ends up and I'm out of the saddle anyway
All of them have a little side to side play but not so much as to be a deal breaker.
Was initially hard to get used to infinite adjustment but you work it out. I find more often than not the Hi-Lo gets put all the way down or all the way up, rarely in the middle. Whereas the Spesh sees quite a bit of time at the mid setting. Different bikes though.
They're not the cheapest option out there but they do the job, coming OEM is not a bad thing and I wouldn't rush to replace one if it came with my next bike.
Probably wouldn't buy one stand alone but that's because I'd be looking for something cheaper.
 

slimjim1

Fat boomers cloggin' ma leaderboard
Good and fair review.

Which one did you ride??

The new IRcc model has like 12 different levels where it locks in around the middle of the travel, so its virtually infinite adjust.

I've had all 3 versions (the original external cable, the IR and the IRcc) and they've all been bulletproof. Cheap and easy to service and run a standard derailler cable too. And the underbar lever is awesome as you said.

The only issue I've found is that because they use a fairly thick grease, they can get a little slow in the cold weather. Spesh do offer a cold weather 'tune' though (assume its a thinner grease).

If I ever bought a bike with a reverb I would throw that shit in the bin and put my command post on.
 

mark22

Likes Dirt
Good and fair review. If I ever bought a bike with a reverb I would throw that shit in the bin and put my command post on.
Keep me in mind if you get one ay i'll take it off your hands. :yo:

Had 4 reverbs never had any of them serviced and had zero problems, never even re bled any of them.
Recently had a E*thirteen which works similar to the command post and trying to get it to lock in any of the intermediate positions was a problem.
Had same experience with the reviewer with it popping up when you thought it was locked or go to whack your arse down on it thinking it is locked in one of the intermediate positions to find out it's dive dive dive.

You don't get that with an infinitely adjustable post.
 

John U

MTB Precision
Nerf. Great to see the work going in to the review.

I think it would be a good idea to state your relationship with KS clearly at the top of the review. Not everyone reading it will know all the background of the regulars on the site.

Cheers, John.
 

moorey

call me Mia
Used one for 5 hours on a Derby hire bike. No. Just no. And the return speed! I still have watery eyes.
I'm sure I would eventually get used to the steps, but it was a pretty horrendous experience.
 

dunndog

Eats Squid
The return speed is stupid. Went to a store with a mate to pick his new Enduro up. I was playing with his bike while he paid for it.. hit the lever, BANG! That post came up so hard it lifted the rear wheel off the ground.
 

moorey

call me Mia
The return speed is stupid. Went to a store with a mate to pick his new Enduro up. I was playing with his bike while he paid for it.. hit the lever, BANG! That post came up so hard it lifted the rear wheel off the ground.
You can only imagine how it treated Felix at Derby.... I didn't want grandkids anyway.
Can't be good for the internals, returning un-damped like that....(talking about the post, not felix now)
 

slimjim1

Fat boomers cloggin' ma leaderboard
Used one for 5 hours on a Derby hire bike. No. Just no. And the return speed! I still have watery eyes.
I'm sure I would eventually get used to the steps, but it was a pretty horrendous experience.
Anyone who has issues with the return speed can just let some air out. They only need about 10 psi in them (slightly more in colder temps) to actually raise at a normal rate that is comparable to other droppers. You really need a digital gauge to set these up with the low pressure because 10-20 psi does not even register on the shock pump.

I definitely agree that finding the middle setting on the three steps versions is annoying but the newest model does have around 12 different steps and is close enough to infinite for me.
 

Nerf Herder

Wheel size expert
Nerf. Great to see the work going in to the review.

I think it would be a good idea to state your relationship with KS clearly at the top of the review. Not everyone reading it will know all the background of the regulars on the site.

Cheers, John.
Fair play ... Have added in my interests and will do in future ... Cheers Al

re return speed
mine was setup nice, I didn't have to muck around with it. But like slim said above ... Air adjustment is standard via a Schrader valve in a fairly convenient place at the saddle clamp head.

re: model
not sure which one I had ... The Enduro was a povo build with guide R, ... But had Lyrik forks and not the yari ??? Definitely 2step though ... 12step would have been a good one to try ... Maybe next demo ride :)

edit ... According to this I did have the 12step?
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/trail/enduro-elite-carbon-296fattie/118407
which kinda makes it a worse experience I guess ... Benefit of the doubt, and I'll stick with the 2step in my head
 
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swaz

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I'm liking the product review.
I'm hating the posts that follow. It should be a review and stand alone as a review. Otherwise it's a discussion.
 

Plankosaurus

Spongeplank Dalepantski
I'm liking the product review.
I'm hating the posts that follow. It should be a review and stand alone as a review. Otherwise it's a discussion.
Why don't we have both?



Queue the music and celebrations!!

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
 

rowdyflat

chez le médecin
Grave dig I bought two from RB +I am happy.
Mostly use intermediate position for pedalling gnarly stuff , full drop for steep drops too low cant pedal.
 

rowdyflat

chez le médecin
Yeah i know old + boring like me, just sayin .
Sometimes its good to enjoy the simple things of life.
 
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