Dropper post on a gravel bike..pointless?

At the end of a long day, down a steep ish,  tech ish trail, I'd find one useful.

But I can't justify the cost, I'd buy a fork first.

being able to drop just a smidge to keep pedalling and semi seated across rough surfaces is nice

plus when hitting real rough stuff like roots and unweighting or jumping is ace to get it out of the way

I've got a PNW post waiting to go on my gravel bike, did you get the half price one in the sale too?

Hoping it will be useful for me, as I do a fair bit of XC terrain and there are a couple of points on most rides that I wish I had one.

Definitely don't see myself using it multiple times per minute like on an MTB though.

I ride mine on some pretty rough stuff and have never felt the need - on the gravel bike I find the attack position puts my arse ahead of the saddle, so it's not in the way like it is on an MTB.

I use the one on my Fugio from time to time.  I could live without it but as it's there it gets used.

I'm with you on this OP. I put one on my very gravel/off road version of a gravel bike and it's still a marginal gain addition. I'd say Alan above has it right - dropping  a bit for rough stuff and keep on pedalling is probably where I've used it most.

I’d buy a fork first.

I've got a redshift stem - I think that might be the sweetspot for a gravel bike at the front end. And to be fair their suspension seatpost might be a better option than a dropper too.

I have one with and one without, horses for courses, love them both

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I’ve got a redshift stem

I had one of those, absolutely ace but served as a gateway drug to a full bouncy fork

does make me question how they managed to make suspension stems so bad back in the day however..

I have a dropper on my gravel bike. It’s definitely useful for what I ride but I could live without it.

I have one on my drop bar Diverge. It isn't used on every ride but I do push the limits on some rides and the dropper is definitely welcome then.

I'm only a gravel noob, but for me, I like the direct feel, the rigidity, the light weight, the instant acceleration, something completely different to the MTB.

As soon as I find myself wanting to put things like suspension and droppers on, I'll just take a HT MTB out.

Of course, different people want different things out of what they ride, so there's no right and wrong

I'm planning to put one in mine. On the MTB I even drop the post for corners

Decided to then go the whole hog and fit a dropper

I think this is where it's heading for some:

But 'Gravel bike' means quite different things to different people. For me I'm probably a bit more hung up on the idea of them basically being more like road bikes that can go off-road, foe others they're more like slightly more efficient drop-barred XC bikes.

So if a dropper, front or even rear suspension appeals, crack on.

I’m only a gravel noob, but for me, I like the direct feel, the rigidity, the light weight, the instant acceleration, something completely different to the MTB.

As soon as I find myself wanting to put things like suspension and droppers on, I’ll just take a HT MTB out.

Of course, different people want different things out of what they ride, so there’s no right and wrong

It's interesting what different people get out of gravel bikes... And where they draw the line.

I'm open to a dropper, but I don't think I want a suspension fork because I love the way the fully rigid setup and steel frame reminds me of riding MTB back in the day.

And no, I'm not saying gravel bikes = 90s MTBs before anyone starts 😄

I’d have a dropper on my road bike if I could afford it. So I can totally see why one on a gravel bike would suit certain types of riders. Especially those who also use their gravel bikes as sort of XC-lite bikes and ride some MTB trails.

Also they might help people get on and off their bikes, especially shorter people. I know it’s easier to get on my MTB with the dropper down than up (I can only swing my leg so high at my age)

I'm not a gravel rider but I had a gravity dropper in my cross bike and in every modern rigid I've had. As others say it depends entirely on your riding, I reckon literally nothing else comes into the decision. If I did have a gravel bike I'd still be chucking it down mountain bike stuff so my situation isn't yours.

Have them on all bikes inc the gravel bike, and wouldn’t like to give it up. Really useful, and broadens the comfort/control zone in technical situations on what is really a road bike with small gravel tyres fitted. The GRX dropper lever probably helps - makes it feel like it should be there, and intuitive to use, rather than bandaged on. Makes riding it more fun for me and where I ride it.

Wouldn’t want a suspension fork on it though, but then I like rigid MTBs and I’d pick an MTB with rigid forks and a dropper over an MTB with suspension forks and no dropper.

“ does make me question how they managed to make suspension stems so bad back in the day however..”

I had a flexstem, it didn’t actually move with the stock elastomer.
But when a mate fitted a considerably softer elastomer it actually worked pretty well.
However, it was still quite heavy and the pivot bolts came loose with monotonous regularity.
But i reckon the principle was good and would probably consider a redshift.

A dropper with a decent lever is what finally got me onto a gravel bike. I'm never going to stop and manually lower/raise a saddle, just not something I can be arsed with on a ride, but I like to hit some fun bits and get my adrenaline fix when I can so will always seek out something a bit too much for full saddle up the arse riding.

Combined with PNWs wide bars it feels surprisingly capable. Don't think I'm fussed about a fork though, it is a bike that gets mostly gravel/tarmac use. Borrowing a redshift stem to try, but it'll have to be great to impress me at the money it costs.

I've always taken the view that by the time I need a dropper on a gravel bike I should be riding a different sort of bike.

Never felt one would be beneficial, even on trails really not best suited to a gravel bike. Actually, not having one probably helps me ride within the limits of other parts like the skinny tyres and mile long stem. If I changed every aspect of a gravel bike that is holding it back on rougher/steeper terrain the end result would be a mountain bike. So, flex stem yes, dropper no. A line in the sand has to be drawn somewhere.

I find the dropper most useful when exploring, when you dip into some unknown route in the woods and there's a steep drop and you can instantly get the saddle out of the way. The grx lever is great for this. I'd hate to be fumbling for a separate lever. As mentioned above I do use a gravel bike as a XC bike first rather than road first with bits of off road. wouldn't fancy a suspension fork though.

Never had a dropper so don't know what I'm missing. Where I mostly ride I find it's not needed and the bike spends more time in road trim these days...

Also the D-fuse seatpost on mine has loads of flex which I would miss if replaced.

Last year I would have been dead against as it is more weight and tech on what should be a light and simple bike, but I seem to hoon around with bags, mudguards and sometimes even a rear rack attached these days without upsetting the ride too much.

Not pointless but not necessary either.

I don't have one on my gravel bike and really fancy one but, for slightly different reasons.

It's great to get to the top of a hill, stop for a breather, drop the saddle, eat a pie* and relax for a bit.

Don't think I'll bother though - just need to pedal it a bit more and prevent the need for a stop 🙂

*maybe not the pie.

The sort of gravel I ride on means there is absolutely no need of one of pointless to me.

(I also ride fixed gear so having a much lower saddle would completely screw that up)

I suppose for me the more interesting bit of kit would be a suspension stem these days, just to take the edge off of vibrations and bumps. Don't want a bouncy fork though.

I sort of think the redshift is a bit overpriced though and the other cheaper options look a bit bulky. There's no satisfying some people I guess 🙂

There was definitely a descent on the Dorset Gravel Dash where a dropper would have come in handy particularly if you like a fair bit of saddle to bar drop in your positioning.

The PNW Coast suspension/dropper combination would seem to be the ideal gravel post for that kind of riding - best of both worlds? albeit a bit heavy.

I have a under-saddle lever pull dropper, used on my old HT.

Tried it on the gravel bike, a couple of rides and gave up - only time it came in useful was for fast road descents.

when I had a dropper equipped gravel bike (Fugio 30) and a HT, I rarely used the dropper and actually when I replaced the bike i got one without (though with some front damping by way of a Spesh futureshock).  Moving on a year, i have sold by HT and replaced it with a gravel bike with dropper and suspension fork - a Giant Revolt X, with 40mm travel gravel Rudy fork and AXS dropper - for me it's great.

I’ve got one of those brand-x cx dropper posts, still in the box though. Haven’t been motivated enough to deal with the headset routed internal cable run on my focus.

only reason I’ll fit it is so my wife can borrow the bike without having to adjust the seatpost every time.

Haven’t been motivated enough to deal with the headset routed internal cable run on my focus.

only reason I’ll fit it is so my wife can borrow the bike without having to adjust the seatpost every time.

Now that's love.

I'd definitely be putting a bit of felt tip on the seatpost and showing her how to use the seatclamp.

GRX lever with 150mm dropper on my gravel bike and wouldn't be without it. I don't need the full 150mm but it was spare after swapping to 200mm on a MTB. GRX lever makes it an integral part of my riding. I also use mine foremost as a dropbar XC bike with very little tarmac, so very much at the MTB end of the gravel spectrum (if there's such a thing).

Not bothered about a suspension fork though. That crosses my own threshold into becoming a MTB at that point but I realise others will view that differently.

What I would say to those that considering it......most of the levers are crap. I also have the brand X CX lever and found the lever that came with it mounted next to the stem on the bars pretty useless for me - I'd normally be barrelling along and think "bumpity bumpity...it would be good to have my saddle lower right now" and the last thing you want to do is take your hand off the bars to lower your saddle. I couldn't justify/afford a 800 GRX series left lever (and it wouldn't have matched my 600 series right lever so I'd have felt compelled to change that too!) so ended up with the Pro lever. Probably the next best but silly money unless you find it cheap. You can access it from the hoods and the drops.

I cant think of a position where I thought a dropper would make a difference over the whole concept of the frame geometry , handlebars, tyres etc being more of a compromise than and extra 2" of seat clearance.

At that point get yourself on an mtb for the win. Or if you are just using it for 1 steep decent per ride get over it and get on with it.

Forgot about another use I use it for......but it definitely is not a reason to install one......when you have a big seatpack attached it makes easier to swing you leg over.

Not much love for the suspension fork on here! I have been super impressed however. Really not noticeable on the road and takes the sting out of the off road bits.

for those considering the redshift stem, it really is a great bit of kit which does pretty much the same thing, although obviously not able to absorb some of the bigger hits as well. Much lighter however, and imo looks better. Plus obviously doesn’t mess with the bikes geo

Pnw dropper/suspension post with pro lever here.

Love it, can't think of going back to a normal seat post now, even when using the bike for commuting I'll drop the post at times because I can

The suspension in the pnw post helps avoid jarring hits that irritate my slipped disc too

I'm thinking of getting a suspension stem at some point, but not in any rush for it

I like the idea, and I've picked up a dropper but not got round to fitting it. I am more inclined to think I'll use it for "drop the saddle an inch on some winding singletrack" rather than "slam the saddle to the seatclamp for a dropoff". Though I also think it will add a bit of confidence when I'm riding something a bit more gnarly (and yes, I do ride my gravel bike in places where a mountain bike would be more appropriate, but if that only represents a mile or two of a twenty mile ride, I'm generally going to pick the gravel bike for the ride overall, YMMV). I also think that on a drop bar bike, it would be useful to drop the seat to get more aero on a smooth descent, which I don't think I've ever done on a mountain bike.

I'll try and report back once I've actually fitted it and see if reality matches up with how I think it will go.

ETA: I've also picked up a 2x left hand lever which I intend to take the ratchet out of once I work out how to connect the whole thing when both ends of the cable expect the nipple end.

I bought one in the Wiggle clear out for £50. The thing I like best is being able to have the saddle just right for longer tarmac sections then bring it down 10mm or so for the less smooth stuff. Next best is the confidence it gives fully dropped on descents, even on smooth roads.

PITA for seatpacks if you're doing any bikepacking though?

I'm a big fan of them for what I call gravel riding.

I can see if you have endless American style unsealed roads or your gravel is Dirty Reiver type stuff then its not necessary.

I use mine as more of a shit '90s mountainbike in semi-rocky terrain, flowy singletrack, the odd blue & red trail-centre type trail, that kind of thing, so its worth its weight in gold for being able to move around freely on the bike, drop off things and the odd little jump. It doesn't need to be massive travel - the 50mm one that came on my old Fugio was fine, I'm now on a 90mm One-up, mostly because it was a bit lighter.

Bikepacking - I've got an Apidura/76Projects collar that clamps on the post and gives the seatpack something to strap to.

(Conversley, I really wouldn't bother putting a sus fork on, that would be a step too close to MTB).

Not much love for the suspension fork on here! I have been super impressed however. Really not noticeable on the road and takes the sting out of the off road bits.

Been covered really but just depend what you use your gravel bike for. I'm firmly in the 'treat it as xc mtb and wouldn't be without one' camp.

1st thing I did with my ti frame was drill it to take an internal PNW dropper along with their remote, Coast bar and stem. Think I'd sooner go back to v-brakes than be without a dropper these days.

Hard nope on the suspension fork for me, half the fun is trying to get down stuff with zero grip on something that looks like a road bike.

At that point get yourself on an mtb for the win. Or if you are just using it for 1 steep decent per ride get over it and get on with it.

I think you need to broaden your horizons and maybe try an unknown or different route. Must be pretty boring doing the same one over and over just to avoid having to drop the saddle.

I cant think of a position where I thought a dropper would make a difference over the whole concept of the frame geometry , handlebars, tyres etc being more of a compromise than and extra 2″ of seat clearance.

At that point get yourself on an mtb for the win. Or if you are just using it for 1 steep decent per ride get over it and get on with it.

Yeah, there's that point when you're out exploring a new trail and find that it's steepening up so you just whip your MTB out and leave the gravel bike leaning against a tree. Or alternatively maybe just flick the lever, drop the saddle a few inches and carry on riding, because having a  dropper fitted has no impact on anything else on the bike other than adding a little weight, and even if it only gets used every few rides still gets used.

OK, so posting on here earlier gave me the nudge to go and try and fit my dropper onto my gravel bike.

However it seems I've hit a snag, the lever that came with the post seems to be a mountain bike version, which won't fit my (Easton) bars anywhere even to try it out.

Does anyone sell a gear cable joining adapter that my Google-fu is failing to find? As I mentioned, ideally I'd prefer to control it with a de-ratcheted shifter, but that falls down as niether the shifter nor the post have a clamp to grip the cable, they both expect the nipple end of the cable. FWIW, my frame needs full outer cables, there's no stops to join the inner between.

Otherwise it looks like £20-30 for a 31.8mm clamp lever to go next to the stem, which doesn't seem the ideal place for it, or £55-£75(!) for a lever next to the brake lever.

Am I missing a magic other option?

@roach I just ran a bit of clear Gorilla tape over the area on the stanchion that the bag overlapped with to protect it. Still had some dropper function available, but not the full stroke obviously. Whip it off when you’re done and it’s back to normal with full drop.

Another benefit of them is additional comfort over a standard post due to the skinny stanchion.