I can second LiveFreeorDies comment. First ride on my Trek Remedy, and that shitty little hanger decided to let go while I was bombing down a chute. Derailleur into rear wheel, lost a few spokes, chain was destroyed, derailleur was MANGLED, lost the derailleur cables, casette damaged, and fresh frame paint chipped... needless to say I was pretty pissed. Luckily I went back to my LBS and they sorted it all out free of charge. However if that were to happen again now, that would not be a "cheap fix". I think stronger is better, to a point of course. I have only once actually bent my hanger, and it was only enough to mess up shifting, bent it back and finished the ride, went to the store to replace it, and guess what? it was like 70 bucks! So much for cheap replaceable hangers.

That was awesome, always like watching Aaron Chase

That was incredible guys, great job! Added to faves and posted to FB so I can share it with friends, such a great vibe. I admire the amount of work it must take to put something like this together, some of those shots were amazing.

To be fair that was the only option for people who wanted to say "Yes I want/have a dropper post and like it" lol. How old school do you wanna go? Don't go too old school, or your bike won't have anything but 2 wheels...

I had the original 3" Joplin, and you are totally right. I had all the problems as everyone else, BUT it did get me hooked on the dropper posts! I sent it in for service, and they said I could upgrade to the new Joplin 4, better seals, extra travel. Honestly, I have ridden it all year, raced it in a 24 hour, left it in the garage dirty, and got it muddy. It has had ZERO issues. Maybe I lucked out, or maybe they actually made the changes needed to improve reliability. Just my 2 cents, but the new Joplin seems just as good.

It doesn't freeze but its viscosity changes. It does get thicker. Same thing happens to your suspension, thats why people change to a lighter weight oil if they are doing any serious winter riding. I have noticed the effects of cold temperatures on suspension (say like -20 C then add windchill). I assume your post went down easier because the air cartridge pressure dropped from the cold, can you adjust that pressure with a shock pump WAKI? Might make it work "better" for you in the summer months if you drop a few PSI.