I could write an article about manufacturers' warranties against defects in manufacturing and materials but the conclusion would just be to stay on top of your service interval and consider the service cost when buying a product. I wouldn't use the warranty as a factor when considering a dropper post purchase unless if there was a company with a no-fault guarantee new-post-in-the-mail-today-if-you-have-an-issue policy (Crankbrothers Highline is the closest thing to that on the market and it's a great post).
For example, if I owned this Ritchey post for three-to-five years, riding as much as I do, the cost over that time (including the initial purchase price) would be notably lower than a Reverb or Transfer. One of those posts I can service myself but it requires expensive seal kits if I have all the tools and the other one I'm sending away to get serviced.
Now, again, if the Manic works for you and you're handy it's a relatively easy post to service as well and the cartridge is cheap and easy to replace and it has a lower purchase price. It's still the value leader in an infinite position post. Crankbrothers Highline is even easier to take apart with tools every one owns (even non-cyclists) for basic service and cartridge replacement.
Personally, I prefer an, albeit more complex, collet style post with fixed positions. My Command post experiences have been poor, my Fox DOSS died and wasn't serviceable, my e13 TRS+ experiences have been good but I have had to do a fair amount of labour to keep them running tight and smooth (although not to keep them running), and the Ritchey has been flawless to date. When I factor in time and cost of service parts the Ritchey has the potential over time to be the best value on the market in my preferred style of post.
The big reason, as I noted, the Ritchey wouldn't be my go to is the lack of travel. I've replaced much better remotes with my preferred pieces from Wolftooth or e13 so for me, personally, the remote isn't actually a big deal but it bore noting.
Anyways, it's obviously not the post for you but I don't think it's a joke at all. It's a great product and the cost of ownership will be comparatively low compared to the market average if it's amortized over a few years of hard riding.
Oct. 3, 2018, 11:19 p.m. - Andrew Major
I could write an article about manufacturers' warranties against defects in manufacturing and materials but the conclusion would just be to stay on top of your service interval and consider the service cost when buying a product. I wouldn't use the warranty as a factor when considering a dropper post purchase unless if there was a company with a no-fault guarantee new-post-in-the-mail-today-if-you-have-an-issue policy (Crankbrothers Highline is the closest thing to that on the market and it's a great post). For example, if I owned this Ritchey post for three-to-five years, riding as much as I do, the cost over that time (including the initial purchase price) would be notably lower than a Reverb or Transfer. One of those posts I can service myself but it requires expensive seal kits if I have all the tools and the other one I'm sending away to get serviced. Now, again, if the Manic works for you and you're handy it's a relatively easy post to service as well and the cartridge is cheap and easy to replace and it has a lower purchase price. It's still the value leader in an infinite position post. Crankbrothers Highline is even easier to take apart with tools every one owns (even non-cyclists) for basic service and cartridge replacement. Personally, I prefer an, albeit more complex, collet style post with fixed positions. My Command post experiences have been poor, my Fox DOSS died and wasn't serviceable, my e13 TRS+ experiences have been good but I have had to do a fair amount of labour to keep them running tight and smooth (although not to keep them running), and the Ritchey has been flawless to date. When I factor in time and cost of service parts the Ritchey has the potential over time to be the best value on the market in my preferred style of post. The big reason, as I noted, the Ritchey wouldn't be my go to is the lack of travel. I've replaced much better remotes with my preferred pieces from Wolftooth or e13 so for me, personally, the remote isn't actually a big deal but it bore noting. Anyways, it's obviously not the post for you but I don't think it's a joke at all. It's a great product and the cost of ownership will be comparatively low compared to the market average if it's amortized over a few years of hard riding.