[Closed] Dropper Posts - Do they work yet and are they the future?

Reverb all the way!

Reverb. Pop up every other day in the classifieds. I would sacrifice almost everything else on my bike before my dropper!

Only used a reverb and had no problems whatsoever.. what size is your seat tube?

I can't ride a bike without a reverb

They are the future. My Tracer 2 has a KS Lev 125mm. 10 rides in and it is the best bit of kit I've purchased in a long time. Gets used all the time during rides, as terrain at my doorstep isn't of the very high variety. No long-term experience yet.

Got mine from bike-discount.de. Worth every eurocent.

Droppers are the future if you ride up and shred down 😉

Reverbs are hydraulic and will need bleeding at some point. They have a fiddly hydraulic lever which can snap off in a crash.

KS LEVs are cable actuated and will need a new cable at some point. They have a chunkier lever which can get scratched when you turn your bike upside down.

Take your pick 🙂

Reverb. Wish I could fit one to my bikes but seat posts all too narrow. Claire has one and loves it.
A dropper post makes Lordswood come alive....

They aren't the future. They are now!

And Gravity Droppers work just as well as ever and are dead easy to service (even mid-ride, without tools!) if they get so graunchy they start sticking. Available in 27.2 and just about every other post size too. But they're not pretty and don't have a slickly damped lever/spring feel and I gather this is all important with something hidden under you which the back tyre throws mud at...

Personally I'm in the 'dropper curious' brigade

Need to upgrade the wheels first and then mebbe ditch the coil shock for a vivid air

And THEN ill mebbe have a look at a reverb

I can't ride a bike without a reverb

"do they work yet"? Well, the very first proper dropper post ever made works reliably. Lots of the other ones made since don't 😉 Most criticism comes from people who've chosen poorly (which is also why they're so vocal about it)

One of my KSs is slightly misbehaving just now, think it's going to have to go in for a professional to poke it, but that's 2 years of general scottish hell. 3 years for the older one, 4 years for the gravity dropper, none of 'em's had any serious issues and between them all they've had £10 worth of replacement parts and a handful of services- better record than suspension, for me.

early adopter with maverick speedball, went back to normal post and qr, now to gravity dropper.

The 2 Mavericks were great but some movement, convinced myself I did not need one especially after a skills course.

Gravity dropper the mechanism/back plate came off cannot speak highly enough of the customer service brilliant. for the grimy north gravity dropper wu=inning

Would not be without for most rides

I'm in the gravity dropper club too, well, I have one foot in it.

I want a dropper that works, isn't too much heavier than a normal seatpost and doesn't have to be sent off to be serviced. I want to be able to strip and clean it myself. As stated above, they get covered in mud and they don't need to be complicated. They are also much cheaper.

sharkattack - Member

Reverb. Pop up every other day in the classifieds. I would sacrifice almost everything else on my bike before my dropper!

Though considering the frequency with which they reportedly appear in the classifieds, you may be alone... 😉

I have a hydraulic one but just got a Gravity Dropper and I like the gravity dropper better. It just works, is simple and keeps working until it needs fixing, then it works again.

But it depends on your riding style. I think the thing is most people seem to come from and XC or road bike background so are used to having there seat up high most of the time, dropping was the exception. Some others ran their seat post quite low anyway most of the time and only used the QR to raise the saddle for road or boring bits. I don't mind biking standing up and find the dropper makes me lazy sitting on the saddle when I would get more out of the trail (Pumping, moving my body around and the like) if I did not have a dropper. So I don't think it as a dropper but a raiser (You have to sit on it to drop it which is harder than just pressing the button to raise).

I thought the survey for dropper was missing an options for serial low saddle junkys.

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k1170/a70023/eten-remote-hydraulic-drop-post-316mm.html?mfid=730

I'm loving this, weight doesn't bother me and at 100 quid I can get three for the price of most others. I'm a convert.

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k1170/a70023/eten-remote-hydraulic-drop-post-316mm.html?mfid=730

I'm loving this, weight doesn't bother me and at 100 quid I can get three for the price of most others. I'm a convert.

If you don't care about weight you can go oven cheaper but I wouldn't.
Good luck

I still can't perceive of a situation other than, possibly, a desperate Alpine descent (which I would probably walk anyway)where I would need or want one. I took the Reverb Stealth off my Whyte T-129 after two rides and haven't missed it. Furthermore, my riding buddies, most of which are better riders and all of which are substantially younger and fitter are of the same opinion. A couple of them are extremely skilled technical riders and just don't feel the need. Emperor's New Clothes? I think so.

I've got a dropper on the 'big' bike and wouldn't want to be without it. It's great when you're riding steep ups and downs and don't want to stop and 'lose the flow' (especially when riding with mates who've got droppers). On the XC bike I've got a fixed post and I'm in no hurry to change. I like the simplicity and don't want to forget how to ride a bike wihtout a dropper.

In my experience, the Alps are where you don't need a dropper post as much. Since the downs are much longer (and the ups too!) it's not such a chore to stop and drop the post. But at home, with more frequent, short ups and downs, I tend to adjust my post height (with my Reverb) multiple times in any one ride.

My advice, for what it's worth:

125mm drop is much better than 100mm. I have one of each , and the 125mm is much, much more usable.

Remote is really worthwhile.

The Gravity dropper is ugly as sin, but GD are great folks, very helpful and the product is simple stupid. (I still prefer my Reverb though - best bit of kit since I discovered disc brakes).

Reverb if you want most of it's ownership to be spent in the warranty dept, GD if you actually want to use it & aren't precious about how it looks

My KS dropzone is nice and solid feeling, but did suffer after its first (muddy) ride not had it long enough to fully comment

my gravity dropper is a fair bit lighter and definately less refined but has lasted well and is certainly easy to maintain

a s/h gravity dropper is a good bet, GD in the states will service it like new for <30 quid including postage7

either way cant see me speccing up a mountainbike without one ever again (well apart from a DHer)

Emperor's New Clothes? I think so.

There's always one isn't there. If you don't want it, you don't want it. But for a large proportion of mountain bikers who don't want to walk down a "desperate alpine descent" they're one of the few truly great innovations.

I still can't perceive of a situation other than, possibly, a desperate Alpine descent (which I would probably walk anyway)where I would need or want one. I took the Reverb Stealth off my Whyte T-129 after two rides and haven't missed it. Furthermore, my riding buddies, most of which are better riders and all of which are substantially younger and fitter are of the same opinion. A couple of them are extremely skilled technical riders and just don't feel the need. Emperor's New Clothes? I think so.

Couldn't agree more. I mean, all those squids racing the EWS using them. What a bunch of wobblers.

younger and fitter are of the same opinion

He's right only the old & unfit ( and probably ugly) need apply

I still can't perceive of a situation...

a. You suffer from a lack of imagination
b. You like stopping and use putting your post up/down an excuse
c. You don't drop your post

?

I have one, but I don't think they're the holy grail. Now my mate, who stops at every bloody slight decline to arse around with his saddle height, he should buy one.

failedengineer - Member

A couple of them are extremely skilled technical riders and just don't feel the need. Emperor's New Clothes? I think so

Yeah, you're right, it's a crutch for novices and incompetents

[img] [/img]

Where can I get a Hite-Rite?
And is it not the same thing but simpler?
I remember seeing it on a Breezer in an MBUK issue back in '94...

Joe Breeze uses a Gravity Dropper apparently 😉

Mate of mine had one back in the Good Old Days when everything related to bikes was shit. it didn't really work- awkward to drop, and didn't reliably go back up all the way due to mud etc.

My mate described droppers as the best upgrade you dont need and he wass right.
No probs with my reverb, a year in (admittedly not that much riding) and its been great.
Great upgrade and I do use it a lot on the trails..

I have a 125 mm KL Lev on my two main bikes. Best thing ever! It really changed how I ride for the better.

I use the dropper a lot more than the front derailleur. Its so easy to get the saddle down and be able to move around on the bike on downhills, technical sections, log crossings, and even bermed turns. I'll bet that I raise and lower the saddle 20 times more than I shift the front derailleur.

I've had Maverick, Crank bros, GD & Reverb. All were ok but reverb is very good indeed. They all have a bit of movement but crank Bros/maverick worst of all. To be fair once you're riding you don't even notice. I like and use mine a lot but don't think they're essential kit.

That said, disk brakes aren't essential, tubeless isn't essential, suspension isn't essential (you can see where I'm going with this...).

I've had Maverick, Crank bros, GD & Reverb. All were ok but reverb is very good indeed. They all have a bit of movement but crank Bros/maverick worst of all. To be fair once you're riding you don't even notice. I like and use mine a lot but don't think they're essential kit.

That said, disk brakes aren't essential, tubeless isn't essential, suspension isn't essential (you can see where I'm going with this...).

Where can I get a Hite-Rite?

Yep, useful. A bar remote makes them work, without that I think it would be a bit of a faff on.

Hasn't made me a better rider, but it does make it easier

They make technical descents more fun as it's easier throw the bike around without risking the saddle coming up and it throwing you off. I put up with a QR seat post on my HT as it tends to be ridden in filthy condition that would quickly kill the dropper.

I dont think they add much to non technical descents. When you stand on your pedals with saddle up, you still have inches of clearance to move around in.

mildred - Member

That said, disk brakes aren't essential, tubeless isn't essential, suspension isn't essential

I say the same thing in every dropper thread, my Soda doesn't have any suspension but it still has a dropper post- riding without suspension can be fun, but riding without a dropper is just irritating.

basstronic - Member

I can't ride a bike

FTFY 😛

Might have been said already but I can't see much difference between the wiggle and merlin links.

I feel as though I have to come back on this one. I'm really surprised that so many people use these things and/or feel the need to drop their seats. I can sort of remember doing it 20 years ago, but it never occurs to me now. I'm just a mincer, obviously. Surely, they can't be at the same level of usefulness a suspension and disc brakes though, that is plainly ridiculous. Are you sure that you users aren't just trying to justify another expensive purchase?

the last time i rode hardcore downhill, it was with seat down and body armour - loved every minute of it.
99.9% of my riding is not hardcore and thus i rely on a QR to drop me post if i have to.

That said, im tempted to buy a reverb stealth and dropping the saddle does make descending a bit safer and more fun.

failedengineer - Member

Surely, they can't be at the same level of usefulness a suspension and disc brakes though, that is plainly ridiculous.

Totally agree with that tbh.

Bought one because of all the raving on threads like this. Have had it for six months now and still haven't worked out what its for. Clearly I'm not rad enough to need one...

still haven't worked out what its for

press the button...

I still don't really get them, as I would need more than 150mm drop on a small frame..

ride up with saddle up
ride down with saddle down
2 second job to drop the post with a QR

I get it for racing enduro, but not for just riding around

Maybe because I like the steeper stuff where you need your saddle fully dropped anyhow.

Bought a 2nd-hand Joplin, then a cheap hydraulic one and then a GD when that inevitably died. The first two were painful to live with but convinced me of their usefulness. It fits perfectly for the kind of riding I do most: constant short sharp climbs and descents, no more than 100m at a time. Before I'd just ride with my saddle too low all the time because the inefficiency was preferable to not being able to move around when it got technical.

I was the first in my area to get one and everyone was dubious at first to the added weight and usefullness ("It'd only be useful in the Alps" was a popular argument). Now they all have them, and that's probably precisely because this isn't the Alps.

As someone else on here said, it depends on what/where you ride. Im XC bit of AM..if I go down a steep drop I put my arse over the back of the seat, job done. If I was DH then my seat would be low all the time anyway because what downhiller rides uo hills eh? 😉

My mate has one and im sure he just uses it to show off.

I'm treating myself to a Reverb in about 2 weeks time. Looking forward to seeing how I get on with it. Some decent deals about too.

Dropper posts make riding more fun. End of discussion.

I have had 2 dropper posts, a TMARS Gravity Dropper clone and a XFusion Hilo.

The XFusion had to go back under warranty and as I had sold the TMARS I had to go back to a normal post for a bit.
I was SOOOOOOOO glad when I got my new Hilo back.

If you just do big climbs followed by big steep descents then you won't get it, they come into their own on more flowing trails.

On my normal "little up, little down, along a bit all in the space of 1/2 a mile" type trails a dropper post allows to wring as much fun as humanly possible out of the trail.

On my normal 2 hour ride on local trails I would only lower a "normal" post three times. With a dropper it gets dropped 15 times.

Jedi rates them & hence they become must have accessory on STW, me I'm just an old luddite & clearly nowhere near rad enough

Only been riding for 3 years but love my dropper post. Dropped saddle means that the consequences for getting it wrong seem much less serious (mainly inelegant dismounts rather than being hurled off by high saddle) and a dropper post encourages you not to be lazy about dropping the post (or putting it up for climbing).

Anyway, drop seat more now, try more technical stuff, learn, ride more technical stuff, improve, ride more = happy.

I was also of the school of thought that dropper posts were unnecessary until I bought one to go on my new 29er SS. I was always pretty quick on the descents and almost never dropped the saddle because 1. I couldn't be arsed to stop and 2. I hated it when raising the saddle again if it was even only 1mm too high or low from its optimal position. Since using one (KS Lev) I find that using my bikes without it feel really awkward on the descents. I use it a lot in tight singletrack too as you can get your centre of gravity that much lower and find I can really rail turns and I am much quicker! At least that is what Strava tells me! 🙂

KS i7r and an X-Fusion Hi-Lo on two of my bikes. Both awesome and wouldn't be without a dropper post now.

My take on it;
Big rides in the wide open spaces? No need for a dropper.
Messing about on flowing trails (especially trail centre playgrounds)? They just make it more fun.

A prime example would be Bike Park Wales. From the top, down Sixtapod or Wibbly Wobbly, the post stays up at the top for the pedally bits, then drops for the fun. Back up when it gets pedally again. More fun. Simple, really.

+1 for CFH's stance, for the small time I ride at trail centres it wouldn't justify the cost

I have Reverbs on my Remedy and my 456; both have performed excellently and been well worth the money.
Right hand mounted under bar on the left so giving some protection.

As said before it depends on what / where you ride.

In terms of whether they are needed....

Some of my bikes have worked with droppers, some haven't. My Salsa Spearfish didn't work, the post never got used, so went back to normal post. My Cube Stereo wouldn't ride it without, it's up and down like a whores drawers!

Had this same discussion with the missus recently, when she swapped to a Cube Stereo 29, it came with a normal post, I offered to put a reverb on. She wasn't sure but I convinced her to give one a try and if she didn't like it then we'd take it off.

First couple of weeks, we hit Whinlatter, Gisburn and Llandegla, where she struggled to use the post effectively. Looking back think part of it was the new bike too. This weekend at Llandegla it clicked for her, she was using it loads, riding faster, hitting things harder, at the end of the ride she admitted, it had a made a huge positive difference and wanted to keep it.

From my experience I think you have to give them a chance and try them. You'll either click with or you won't but if you do, it will massively increase your enjoyment.

In terms of which post.....I've had a mixture of Reverbs and Command Posts over the past few years. The command post was simpler mechanically and needed less maintainence, but the reverb for me whilst a little more maintainence prone, is the slicker product and works better.

I had a GD on my bike years before it became the latest craze. I found I didn't use it enough to justify carting the extra weight around. My bars are the same height as my seat though. Most others, as far as I can see, ride with the saddle much higher than the bars. I'm not surprised therefor that these people benefit from a DP. They are riding along the level in the same position that I would be in going down a reasonably steep slope.

Dickyboy - Member

+1 for CFH's stance, for the small time I ride at trail centres it wouldn't justify the cost

Trail centres are usually up or down, usually with a sign at the start to tell you! That's the second least useful place for a dropper (the least useful being places where it's all up or down- ie full on downhill, or really simple xc)

But "natural" trails go up and down and all over the place with no concern about your legs or even whether it's really sensible to ride a bike on them, that's when a dropper post can be at its best- those 10 metre technical sections in a mile of sheep track, or that wee drop off the riverbank, or that mess of roots or random steep bit that you'd ride around with your seat up

Just to sum up the points-
-nobody says [i][b]you[/b][/i] [b]NEED[/b] one. Just like you don't [b]need[/b] suspension, disc brakes or gears, they are all options you have.
-if you are singlespeed/BMX stand up style pedaler, they won't be as useful.
-they are not for alpine descents. If you've just spent 3 hours climbing, taking a minute to drop your seat with a QR will be a welcome relief.
-they are for trails that go up and down, up and down in short bits.
-they are not just for steep trails.
-they are great for flowy gentle descents too, as lowering your seat(a bit) makes it easier to lean the bike over further for corners and really move vertically on the bike to pump the terrain.
-they make riding more fun, as you can play with the terrain more
-they make tricky climbs easier. Say you're riding up a hill and there's a steep ledge halfway up. Seat up for easy seated pedaling, then drop it a bit to be able to lurch up the ledge.
-they make riding scary stuff less so and less dangerous.

I have tried it and verified that I'd rather ride a hardtail with a dropper than a full suspension without.

Dropper posts make riding more fun. End of discussion.

I agree (as long as your riding isn't just snaking around flat woodland on a lightweight XC bike etc).

I do a bit of everything - big rides in the Peaks, trail centre stuff, 1 hour rides from my door taking in as much stupid steep stuff as my body will cope with etc. I've said it before but I use my Reverb almost as often as my gears and I really wouldn't be without it because it really does make riding (for me) more enjoyable.

Example, theres a very nice but unchallenging singletrack down the side of the park at the end of my road. Pre-dropper I'd have just attacked it as fast as I could but not gone totally bonkers as its only 100m long at the most and no much elevation drop so hardly worth stopping and dropping my post for. Post-dropper I'll knock it down just an inch or two and I'll be launching off every root I see, hopping logs and generally just trying to be ****in stupid. At the bottom I'll simply push a button, the seat rises to normal pedally height and I'll be on my way along the road towards the next bit of trail (which is seat slammed territory).

Obviously not everyones riding suits a dropper but for me, its a game changer.

Following this discussion with interest

99% of my riding is around Cannock which I know like the back of my hand and the other 1% is all up followed by all down in Mid-Wales

Do I need a dropper seatpost?

NO.

I'll get my coat.

rocketman - Member

Do I need a dropper seatpost?

Nobody needs a dropper. You might appreciate it though.

It's little to do with where you ride or what you ride, really, mostly it's about how you ride.

For those saying you don't need one, of course you are right, you don't 'need' one, but for me they rank alongside suspension and disc brakes - both of which I don't 'need' either - but all make my riding so much more enjoyable.

Pre-dropper, I was always the one faffing with my seatpost. The problem is exacerbated for me by having long legs and a short torso, so a high saddle and limited reach - getting right off the back on steeps was nigh on impossible, as the back of the saddle would be right in my nads and my arms at full stretch, giving me no control.

Other than that, simply lowering your centre of gravity on the not so steep, but swoopy stuff is absolutely the right thing to do - if you are riding with your saddle right up, you are definitely not in the optimum position for controlling your bike.

Trail centres are usually up or down, usually with a sign at the start to tell you!

Not sure I fully agree.

Some examples would include;
Odin/Gatekeeper at Cwm Carn. Pedally, swoopy, uppy downy.
R74 at CYB - Some steep stuff, some swoopy stuff. Ideal.
The end of Climachx at Mach - Again, variable terrain
Mark of Zorro at NYA - Almost perfect example, where being able to adjust on the fly really helps

As you might be able to tell, I run a Reverb on my trail centre gnarpoon, and it's ace! When out around Salisbury Plain, or when I get round to exploring the trails around my new place, I don't see the need for one.

mostly it's about how you ride

Tell me about how you ride

rocketman - Member

Tell me about how you ride

Like a drunk trying to get down a flight of stairs.

Hey, i found with a dropper I can ride for longer, I think. Not bothering to raise my saddle for climbs meant I got knackered, due to inefficient pedaling or whatever, so I went home earlier.

With a dropper I am more efficient on climbs, save energy and ride longer... maybe..?

Like a drunk trying to get down a flight of stairs.

My riding is nothing like that

I got a TMARS dropper, it's a slightly older (and £20 cheaper) version than the one you picture.

The cable it comes with is a bit shoddy, very prone to stretching and exits the post through a nasty 90 degree bend around a steel pin. It's very fiddly to change. If you search the forum you'll find a thread detailing one guy's experience (I didn't have as much bother as him, and a standard gear cable *does* fit mine).

The cable is apparently v easy to change on the TMARS you picture BUT some folk have reported issues with the bottom of that little black box fouling the top of their seat clamp, meaning they can't get the post in the tube far enough.

Folk have got round it by filing a flat spot on the seat clamp to afford some clearance.

After the initial bodgery, for £50 I'm happy with my post. The lever is a bit basic, the whole thing is a bit clunky but it's light and it works.

I bought one, didn't really 'get it' for a while in the UK. Went to the Alps, 'got it' pretty quickly. I was riding technical rocky rooty steep downhill followed by small bursts of uphill, followed by rocky rooty steep etc etc. It was invaluable, allowed flow, and allowed respite from the constant standing up.

I use it a fair bit more now in the UK, but could probably do without it for the majority of riding I do, although I wouldn't want to.

Yes, They are "the Future"... IMO

Droppers are obviously more mechanically complex than a normal post so inevitably you will need to bleed something or change/tension a cable at some point, don't expect to buy one fit it and never need to touch it again, but then that's true of most parts over time...

I'm still using a HiLo on my 456 as it's one of the few that comes in 27.2, it's been good, for a couple of years now, I'm still happy enough with it not to want to change, but it's not been maintenance free, easy enough to do, but it has made me appreciate the relative simplicity of certain other dropper posts...

If I was buying one tomorrow and budget was not a massive constraint, I'd be buying a Gravity Dropper over a reverb... GDs are way simpler than most others on the market now, more straight forwards to fix should it need to be, and no bleeding of anything required either... I can't see why adding complexity to a dropper is seen as a good thing.

I use the dropper a lot more than the front derailleur.

+1 and a perfect illustration of why they are a useful component IMO...

They're not the future, they are now.

Watching our clients, we've gone from a handful of riders using them 2 or 3 seasons back to over 90% this year.

They're awesome by the way - I've done 2 seasons of guiding on a Reverb with no hassles at all, other than a pilot-error induced broken hose.

I like them. For those who don't think they'd use them much, consider whether you'd change gear as often as you do now if you had to dismount and faff with the chain each time you wanted to? 🙂 The ease of operation (with a bar mounted remote) encourages you to change your saddle height in response to each bit of the trail, instead of making do with a single setting for long stretches.

I'm impressed by the guy who can stop his bike, dismount, clear the muck off his seatpost and QR, release the QR, adjust saddle height, tighten QR, remount and start off in 2 seconds!

Try riding this down anything steep with the saddle like that - albeit the forks are dropped in the pic making the front look a little lower

[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/10131962213_4937c540b4_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/10131962213_4937c540b4_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/85252658@N05/10131962213/ ]Black Rocks Trig[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/85252658@N05/ ]davetheblade[/url], on Flickr

why would you. just lower the post!