Unrecognised lever on the handlebar

[Oldchaponabike]

Hi. I'm completely new to electric bikes, so please excuse my ignorance. I have inherited an early Specialized Levo Turbo HT which seems to have been hardly used. I have looked online for manuals and am now fairly familiar with the bike and the way it works. HOWEVER, there is a lever on the left handlebar which doesn't seem to do anything and I can't find any reference to it. The cable disappears into the bike frame and I believe I can hear something moving inside the battery compartment when I push the lever. I'm completely mistified, can anyone help?

 

[chris_n]

Control for the dropper seat post. Sit on the bike then operate the lever and the seat should go down, take your weight off the saddle and operate it again and it will go back up.

 

[Oldchaponabike]

Gosh, that's clever! Bikes have come a long way since I started riding them 60 years ago! I did push it while I was riding it but nothing happened. I will have a closer look at the seat post. Thank you

 

[saneagle]

Gosh, that's clever! Bikes have come a long way since I started riding them 60 years ago! I did push it while I was riding it but nothing happened. I will have a closer look at the seat post. Thank you

If the seat is down, do not operate the lever unless you have some weight on the it, otherwise it will spring up and get you right where you don't want it to.

 

[Oldchaponabike]

Its pretty high up, so I'm guessing that its stuck, or the cable disconnected. I'm just looking on YT for a likely fix

 

[saneagle]

Its pretty high up, so I'm guessing that its stuck, or the cable disconnected. I'm just looking on YT for a likely fix

It's very simple. There's a spring in the seatpost . There are two holes , one high and one low that a peg goes into. The peg is operated by the lever and cable. You pull the peg out with the lever while pushing your weight on the saddle to move the seatagainst the spring into the low position, then release the peg, which goes into the hole to hold it there. When you operate the lever again, it pulls the peg out of the hole and the seat springs back to the high position.

 

[Oldchaponabike]

Yeaaaaah! Sorted it. Probably hadn't moved in a few years. I just put all my weight on it and wriggled a bit and it freed up. It now works just fine. Thank you so much.

 

[AndyBike]

Note of warning about droppers.

Never, repeat never ever operate that lever when standing up on the pedals or the post will shoot up and the saddle will strike you in the knackers.

Inherited a decent bike. Brakes are from a British manufacturer called Hope, and considered very good. Plus they arent standard equipment on that bike, so previous owner has added them at least.
The brakes came out in i think 2011(the bike is later. I think they started at about 2015) and like the lovely old car are fully rebuildable with unlike the car, all parts readily available

 

[Oldchaponabike]

Interesting to know. Thank you

 

[Oldchaponabike]

(You can still get 99% of the parts for that car by the way)

 

[chris_n]

It's very simple. There's a spring in the seatpost . There are two holes , one high and one low that a peg goes into. The peg is operated by the lever and cable. You pull the peg out with the lever while pushing your weight on the saddle to move the seatagainst the spring into the low position, then release the peg, which goes into the hole to hold it there. When you operate the lever again, it pulls the peg out of the hole and the seat springs back to the high position.

There is a lot more to it than that on every dropper I have owned / used. The height is infinitely adjustable between high and low rather than just 2 holes. Mine have always been hydraulic, sometimes the operation is by cable opening a valve or sometimes with hydraulic operation too. I always set high position at max height I want the seat for climbing when you need maximum power. Sometimes I change position by dropping it by about 10mm when on the flat on a longer ride just to change seat position and muscle usage. The seat goes the whole way down when going downhill to make the balance better. It is also useful to be able to start off with the seat in the down position if you are on a steep, loose surface to prevent wheelspin.

 

[Oldchaponabike]

Thanks, yes, I have discovered that it will adjust to any position in between.

 

[AndyBike]

(You can still get 99% of the parts for that car by the way)

Thats good to hear. So many old and really classic cars have been lost because parts are no longer available.
My dad was a big fan of the S-type, he had one of the top ones as I remember. I know little about actual models other than it was a V8 and could go like the clappers.
An old friends father owns the Morris(minor) company. which is still actually made, as they fabricate new parts out in Sri Lanka. I was over there 20 years ago and had a special tour of the factory. So nice to see.

 

[Oldchaponabike]

If you like classic cars - what wasn't in the photo.

 

[AndyBike]

Now you're just showing off lol

Actually the old classic types i like are things like the Morris traveler or something like a Ford 8.
Also got the appreciation for really old, pre-war motorcycles. The type with the brass tank and sidecar.
Which is funny, cos im sitting on £15k worth of bicycles, and one of those classic sidecar bikes would be a lot handier for me, and it would likely cost a lot less than my bicycle collection.

It's funny how we waste money on the wrong things, and later on have to spend more to buy what we should have bought in the first place.
Bit like my furniture making workshop. All full of loads of machines i hardly use or they take up loads of space, or chisels. I've 60+ chisels, and the ones I use mainly are a set of Lie Nielsen, which arent cheap at £500(for 6), but collectively the others combined cost more.

 

[Oldchaponabike]

Interesting Andy. I've owned classic cars on and off since I learned to drive, including Morris Minors. I've ridden motorbikes since I was 16. I would like some old classics, but she who must be obeyed has ruled that my motorcycling days are over. Probably sensible as I don't bounce like I used to! Most of us men love our 'toys', but I have rarely bought anything that I couldn't get my money back on, or preferably made a bob or two from. I have had a passion for Jaguars since I was a child. My current two came along at the right time and the right price, so it would have been rude to say no!
I just need to stay the right way up on this new acquisition now! All the best