KS Lev Ci: A Year of Excellence

There’s a lot to be said for improvements and progress; sometimes they occur gradually, and other times they catch us completely by surprise. As September draws to a close, it feels appropriate to reflect on the different forms of incredible progress made over the course of the 2018 season. It’s been an incredible adventure- one where I’ve had the privilege of being surrounded by the very best people, support, equipment and companies. For the purposes of this blog, let’s focus on the amazing things I’ve seen from KS Suspension and the Lev Ci Dropper Post this season.

As a rider who started her mountain bike experience on a hardtail and stayed there for a long time, it’s fair to say that I can be resistant to change. After all, what I was accustomed to for racing seemed to be “working just fine.” Riding with a cross country race-specific dropper post this year was the sort of positive change that caught me totally by surprise. From the very first ride, the LEV-Ci was not what I had expected. I should have known better after a walk through KS’s US Headquarters-the surgical level of attention to detail in that building made my nurse-heart giddy; it was truly beautiful.

During races and training, I began to notice tricky descents felt much more manageable, especially when I was fatigued. I also found it easier to recover on technical sections- burning through less precious energy and no longer having to maneuver my bike at speed with a saddle jammed into my stomach. After a full UCI race season, the Lev Ci verdict is: increased descending speed, confidence and bike maneuverability- all without the penalty of significant added weight.

The KS Lev-Ci dropper post, which you may have seen gracing the bikes of World Cup XC superstars Jolanda Neff and Maja Wloszczowska, is the ideal solution for riders who are:

• Concerned about any added weight penalties of heavy all-mountain dropper posts
• Uncertain about the clumsiness or aesthetics of externally routed dropper posts
• Fearful of hydraulic-actuated posts: Either due to maintenance or the risk of having to ride with the post in the “down” position should the system lose pressure
• Wanting to ride the very best XC race-specific dropper post on the market

Weighing in at a sleek 428 grams (thanks to titanium bolt hardware, some crafty engineering and a carbon lower sheath) the Lev Ci perfectly combines the weight consciousness of elite XC racing with the type of high-performance travel and dropper action beloved by Enduro and Downhill athletes. The well-known Lev line from KS actually uses the exact same internal system, but weighs in approximately 200g more than the race-specific Ci series.

The Lev Ci employs cable-actuated dropper action, making it extremely reliable and able to be serviced with a shock pump at home, rather than sent out for hydraulic work. Having installed one myself, I’m pleased to tell you that the internal cable routing was simple and straightforward- even as a novice mechanic. There’s actually very little to be done in terms of maintenance for the Lev-Ci. As of writing this blog, I still haven’t had to replace any cables or even tighten the titanium saddle rail bolts-despite 10 months of abuse, and constant wear and tear. The reliable KS Southpaw Carbon Remote continues to work flawlessly and has great ergonomic adjustability.

With the best of the season still to come, the next big task for my Lev-Ci will be the XCE World Championships in Chengdu, China. It performed flawlessly on the obstacle-laden XCE course in Georgia this summer, and I am confident that it will help me to soar over the stairs, boulders, doubles and steep fly-overs that Worlds promises to deliver.

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