Review: Crankbrothers Kronolog – Dropper Seatpost
Crankbrothers used to be the pioneer of dropper seatposts. However, with its first incarnation of the Kronolog seatpost, the Californian component manufacturer faced criticism due to poor reliability.
The Kronolog was updated in 2014, and is now available at a price of 300 Euros. In contrast to most other posts, the Kronolog relies purely on a mechanical clamp. It can be infinitely adjusted throughout its entire 125 mm of travel. The clamping mechanism design requires quite a lot of space and extends the seat tube 60 mm above the frame. Shorter riders should test first to ensure that the lowest saddle position is low enough for them.
One advantage of the mechanical clamp is that it can be fixed more easily compared to a hydraulic system, and can also be manually controlled should a cable snap. You can also choose if you want the cable to join the post from the front or from the back, allowing more choice with cable routing and only requiring a minor adjustment to change. Precise tuning of cable tension is essential for reliable operation, and Crankbrothers have added a green mark to the redesigned lever which is only visible when the correct tension is reached – a nice touch!
An expanding adjuster allows fine-tuning of the cable tension. Due to its construction, the nicely designed lever at the handlebar has some free travel, but can be controlled with medium effort and adjusts the post precisely. The extension speed of the Kronolog can be adjusted via air pressure. During our test period the Kronolog worked flawlessly, adjusting the saddle to the desired position even under adverse weather conditions. Not even extreme cold seemed to bother the Kronolog. Whether the mechanical clamping mechanism will withstand long-term abuse (or, as seen before, fail due to excessive wear) will only be determined in a long-term test. At least during our test, there was no evidence of wear.
Go back to the article: “Review: 8 Dropper Seatposts selected for testing”
You can read an in-depth feature about the group test and our conclusions in the actual ENDURO issue #008! As usual it’s free & only digital for iPad, Android-Tablets and Online-Viewer: Issue #008.
Text: Aaron Steinke Pictures: Fabian Rapp