Define a precipitous descent. We think dropping 2,000 feet of vertical over two miles on loose, rocky, chunky stuff qualifies. That's the Joplin trail. It's the perfect place to use the Crank Brothers Joplin post.

We like to have our seat position high enough that it's ideal for pedaling most of the time. The idea of a lower post used to be about absorbing shock, but since the bike is doing that, we want our legs to get as much efficiency as we can afford them. That desire goes out the window when we see a long 20% drop in front of us. Suddenly, it’s a good idea to get low. We're not going to sacrifice our seat position unless we absolutely have to and the Joplin allows us to have our regular position and a descending position as well.

Does the design look familiar? Actually, this design is licensed from Maverick, which has stopped producing the Speedball. And the clamp is licensed from Bontrager. Crank Brothers has taken over production, which means for now that the post is better looking (if you ask us) with nice shiny anodizing and accents that are define the Crank Brothers brand.

The Crank Brothers Joplin Seatpost is 382mm long. Both the inner and outer shafts are made from aluminum. The post adjusts 75mm (3-inches) once it is clamped in a seat clamp. The post adjusts via a lever attached to the saddle clamp sitting directly under the saddle. The seatpost clamp itself is infinitely adjustable for both fore-aft and tilt. The colors are black anodized shaft, gold anodized stanchion, orange threaded ring and seat clamp hardware. There is a two-year warranty with the post. The post can be converted to a remote release as well. The post comes in two diameters 30.9mm and 31.6mm. 461g.