[Closed] Has anyone "gone back" from a dropper post?

Yes and no.

I find that I use it a lot for certain riding - trail centres being the obvious one for me. For much of the local stuff I ride I don't find it much advantage so often take it off the bike.

Took mine off as I didn't use it. Don't notice at all.

If I could jump I might!

If you live anywhere with any kind of decent descents then you'll miss it, i defo missed having one.

Same as Nemesis - I only have one mtb (steel hardtail) at the moment and prefer to swap between my dropper and a Thomson depending on the ride. Part of this is that I only have a cheap dropper (X-fusion HiLo) and it has some movement when riding which I find annoying. Fine for trail centres etc but not for 50 miles on the south downs. Perhaps if I had a reverb that was rock solid it might be different

Took mine off because I didn't use it. Fitted an EC90 so saved a lot of weight. I didn't use the full drop so now I just put the seat up and down manually.

I run one on both my offroad bikes; enduro and xc and wouldn't be without them, I run an old hardtail as my commuter and still miss having a dropper if I ride down the odd set of steps, but I manage just fine

So in answer yes I can live without one, but life's better with a dropper and the more so the gnarlier the riding

I have one shared between 4 bikes and I dont always swap it over.
I would prefer to have one on all bikes but it is not essential and wuite expensive to do this.
I would not be without it though

I have a Reverb on my full sus and have now turned into a mincer extraordinaire if I'm out on one of my other bikes which don't have one. Currently pondering what 27.2 post to fit to my fat bike.

Anyone else hopeless now without one?

Went from reverb to doss as I prefered the known amount of drop on the doss versus the infinite on the reverb - then ditched it all together for an ENVE post - don't miss it, although local stuff is flat the peaks isn't and I still don't miss it there

Took mine off my Ti 29 for a Ti post for weight, comfort and pure vanity.

I've never had one. Mainly because

1. They weigh more
2. They cost more
3. They can spoil a bike's aesthetics
4. They have poor reliability
5. I can drop the post if I need to, don't do it very often.

Even when I built a lightweight rigid titanium XC bike, it had a dropper post- riding with no suspension is fun, riding with no dropper was just irritating. My hybrid doesn't have one though.

Ironically the only rides I wouldn't miss it, are the more severe ones- riding up to bomb down basically, with fewer seatpost height changes. Anything up-and-down I want it.

[i]I've never had one. Mainly because

1. They weigh more
2. They cost more
3. They can spoil a bike's aesthetics
4. They have poor reliability
5. I can drop the post if I need to, don't do it very often.
[/i]

6. I've never had one and therefore don't realise how useful they are...

Ironically the only rides I wouldn't miss it, are the more severe ones- riding up to bomb down basically, with fewer seatpost height changes. Anything up-and-down I want it.

Similar for me: if its a winch & plummet ride, i don't miss a dropper at all and having to stop to drop the saddle manually is a chance to have a quick rest/catch breath. However i do miss having a dropper on xc rides where on the start of a descent i don't want to stop to drop the saddle but know I'll enjoy the descent more with a dropped saddle

I've got two in the shed FS

Stopped using them - use your body instead

I do a lot of long rides with sharp downhills and I don't like stopping,don't have a dropper but i do need one,I demo'd a nomad with a dropper on it and liked it,just can't justify spending the money on a brand new one,but don't wasn't to buy second hand in case if get sold a dud.

I had one, didn't use it much, it kept needing fixed so I sold it. Similar to Northwind, I find the last place I need it is enduro races. One change at top and bottom of stages is fine. I went on a riding holiday and really did need one so bought one, but will sell again probably more back in Scotchland. Just less faff, and I've dropped my saddle for years and years just fine with a qr

(I actually do use mine in most enduro races- maybe only a couple of times in a day actually in the stages, but always at times it makes a big difference. I've rarely done an enduro where it wasn't invaluable.)

I have one. It works well. I only use it at bike park Wales. I drop at start, raise at bottom lol. I could do without it with ease.

Anything up-and-down I want it.

Ooh Matron!

I'd rather give up on suspension.

Not so much "gone back" but I bought a second MTB and thought a pair of Reverbs was a mild extravagance. Managed for about 6 weeks but I've just bought a second one. Mainly because I can't manually lower the seat every time I want to do a sick stunt. It was really impeding my stunting.

They're pretty cheap on Merlin for anyone still on the fence. (OEM £150).

No way. Dropper first on the list now.

I'm considering building a new hard tail up but need a reasonably priced (used) frame ideally a Soul or Slackline but all the used frames are 27.2 and I don't want to build one without a Reverb!

Mines up and down like a yo yo nearly every decent I want the saddle down without this it's difficult to move freely...there's a reason DH riders and DJ riders have their seat slammed!

I use mine a lot so no.

I don't use mine as much as when I first got one, this actually makes it more valuable. I only drop it when I need it for as long as I need it now. It's still great, I ride more with the saddle up as I can drop it for the bit of the trail I want not just the section etc.

No...1/2lb additional weight over a standard alu post for some serious advantages make it a no brainer IMO

Spoilt the ride on my Niner. Felt too stiff.
Plus it was such a faff to use.

Occasionally guide on the hardtail when either I feel like it or my big bike is broken.

I don't miss the travel. I don't miss the monster tires. I don't miss the massive brakes. I miss the dropper post.

takisawa2 - Member

Plus it was such a faff to use.

I can only assume you have no fingers and are posting this with your nose.

bonesetter - Member

I've got two in the shed FS

Stopped using them - use your body instead

what make and size are they, what sort of price you looking.

thanks chris.

iv got one on my full sus just need to buy one for the HT,
would not be with out one now i spent years thinking they were just over priced bling but after riding and using one for 2 years i can see why people like them.

Been using one since the original Gravity Dropper came out. Wouldn't consider a fixed post ever again. It was a real game changer for me on gnarly steep single track. They were a novelty back then, but I'm not surprised droppers are now pretty much standard issue on serious trail bikes.

Think it depends on a few factors, mainly how much steep descending you are into and how tall you are or more specifically how long your legs are. I'm quite tall (6' 1") and have long legs, so my optimum seat height for pedalling is much higher than I would prefer even on relatively tame descents. On steep descents it's dangerously high. So without a dropper I would be forced to manually drop the seat quite often. My new bike came with the Specialized 3 position dropper, which works perfectly for me.

Worth mentioning that I find droppers really good even on moderate downhills when you are charging through a series of tight turns. It's like having a 5" lower BB without smacking the pedals.

Burn the heretic!!! 😈

I get the feeling lots of people bought them because they were the thing to have, rather than actually needing them.

As mentioned above, I rarely use my hardtail for anything other than local rides or rides where it's pretty much up or down and that's because it lacks a dropper. It's the one thing I miss over my big bike.

I wouldn't consider not having one now. Absolutely brilliant invention.

Lol@Nothwind!!!

I took mine off as it wasn't getting used.
I got mine with a bike I bought so didn't choose it per se.
Mind you, I was never one for fiddling with the seatpost anyway when others were stopping to drop them because of a descent, I'd be half way down and having to wait for them at that bottom.
I don't miss it.
If you're a seat-post tinkerer then you might

i no longer have a dropper post, because i broke it.

want a new one, too skint.

hang on, i'll rearrange that into a haiku...

i no longer have,

a dropper post, because i,

broke it, in the spring.

If any of you are selling these no longer needed droppers, in 27.2, I'm interested 🙂

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/tmars-272-dropper-post-brand-new-and-camelbak-bite-valve-cover

Nope, and wouldn't ever go back to without one.

Anyone else hopeless now without one?

Droppers are great for trail centres or for racing around up/down hitting everything at full speed without pausing, the more social ride up regroup at top ride down regroup a QR is fine, hike up plummet down as others said droppers are less useful (and all that extra weight you have to carry up too!) as I have to stop and lower my dropper post anyway cos on proper steep stuff I want my [i]saddle[/i] slammed.

so:
heavy
reportedly unreliable* - certainly more to potentially go wrong
expensive
bloody brilliant functionally

*mine's doing ok so far but I'm mollycoddling it a bit.

Well I came in here to subtly spam my dropper I'd just listed in the classifieds to find a stranger had already done it for me. ^^^^^^^

I can't live without mine on my AM/Enduro/etc bike. I need one on my HT too, but as I've broken my elbow it can wait a while so I'm flogging it unused! Once I'm back on the bike it'll be roadie first, HT mincing for a while before I do anything steep downhill. Or jumpy. Or fun.

I used one for ages, then it died. It took me ages to get a replacement sorted (ended up with free new one although out of warranty). But by then I'd ridden loads without one and realised that although I liked them, I didn't like them enough!

Twice I got that new post ready to fit, but once you take the nice light post off and hold it in one hand and the dropper in the other the weight difference really strikes home. That, combined with the reliability issues, meant I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It's still in the box if anyone's interested - brand new 30.9 Hilo 😉

I'm never in that much of a rush that I don't feel I can't take the time to lossen a QR and drop the saddle, which I do quite a bit.

I never remembered to change height, so I've gone back to fixed.

Started off without one on my new bike as I thought why bother as it's easy enough to stop undo the qr, but it ended up being such a faff stopping at every decent climb or descent or bit in the trail with good jumps to put it down or back up. Decided to pick up a Reverb and I can honestly say I'll never go back to a traditional seat post on the mtb as the dropper just makes things so much easier.

On the HT I'd quite like one without a remote, so I can stick a nice light seatpost in if I am just riding easy XC. No decent ones seem to exist in 27.2.

What I can't understand is why I can't ride my bike without a dropper anymore! I managed for 12 years without one, but now every time I take it off (every 6 months for servicing ) and ride without it, my bike feels alien and chucks me off as soon as the terrain gets rough, as soon as I drop the post the bike comes back to life.

My advice is don't get one because once your hooked, every bike you own needs one! 🙂

Tom

No decent ones seem to exist in 27.2.

Original gravity dropper, surely?

Or the hilo without remote option.

(anyone want to swap my 27.2 hilo for a 31.6 one (new frame 🙂 )?

I removed mine for a while and didn't really miss it, as most of my riding involves going up for a long time, and then going down for a long time.

I have got another one for my new frame. I do use it but funnily enough I find it most useful when riding on the road! It's great to drop the post while waiting a traffic lights. No straining to reach the floor, and no need to get of the saddle 😀

A while back I whacked my bad leg a bit and decided to do some turbotrainering to try and get it moving again. Couldn't get on the turbo bike, fitted my gravity dropper to it so I could get on and off. ENDUROOOOOOOOOO

Ride what and how you like, but personally I think they are perhaps one of the best additions to my riding for a long while.

A lot of the riding I do is short climbs and descents so when I'm on some steep stuff it really helps to be able to put it out of the way but then have it back when you reach the bottom and have to quickly start climbing again.

Wouldnt be without one now.

I could never go back just love mine massive help when riding new and mixed terrains.

7, if your mates haven't got one then you spend as long waiting anyway:-)

gone back to hardly ever dropping the post now, and yes there are some steep bits around here. Last time I went to CYB I dropped the saddle by an inch at the start and left it there.

Except..... there is one bit of trail on my doorstep, Son and Daughter of Cliff, steep down, steep up and steep down in a few minutes all fast. the dropper was perfect there. Then it broke.

I've just grabbed a 2nd hand Reverb for my FS, to compliment the one on my hardtail. I was using a Gravity Dropper Turbo, but disliked using it with a big shim, as my current bikes are both 31.6.

probably could get rid of the GD now, as it's just sat in the garage doing nowt. I tried to tempt Mrs B to use it on her ti456, but she didn't get on with the 'industrial' feel of it.

heavy - what, 300g more than a normal post? How much does that camelbak weigh?
reportedly unreliable* - pffft... maybe 3 years ago when crank brothers was a real option
expensive... £120? How much do people spend on tyres, or wheels, or carbon bars? They very good value for money for what they deliver. Biggest improvement to riding enjoyment in a single item.
bloody brilliant functionally.. yep

TBH the only real ride-bothering failure I've had from a dropper post was when a seatclamp bolt snapped- and I've had exactly that happen with standard posts too. Occasionally they've gone a little temperamental (bit like when I bent my Thomson), only real difference is that they require occasional servicing.

The weird thing is, the first dropper post ever made, the gravity dropper, has always been highly reliable. Quite a few of those that have copied it, have been far less reliable, but people bought them anyway despite knowing full well they were buying temperamental kit, basically because they looked nicer. And then people queued up to buy the original reverb even when it was clearly a paying beta test, because hydraulic! Rockshox!

I've got a few bikes but only one dropper which lives on the trail bike.
I'm quite happy riding with the seat up most of the time, but that bike gets to see more of the silly stuff and a dropper means I don't have to put a foot down if some fun comes into view.
The biggest help it provides is setting off on really steep inclines though, setting off without wheelying straight off the back is great 🙂
Do I miss it on the other bikes? Nope.

I'd rather have a dropper and ride a hardtail than full suspension without.

The weird thing is, the first dropper post ever made, the gravity dropper, has always been highly reliable.

Early ones were prone to snapping at the top of the seat post. Nothing to do with the dropper mechanism. I had one fail after about 2 years average usage, but I noticed that the warranty replacement had a subtle design change at the point of failure and has been fine for the last 5+ years. It's a fugly old post, but it does work well.

Aye- and tbh that's another weirdy, so many dropper posts have seatclamps that [i]suck[/i]. I've had 2 KSs, a Gravity Dropper, and now a Reverb, not one of them's very good. One of the KS ones is pretty terrible. How do you succesfully design a complicated reliable seatpost then screw up the clamp? Actually you can buy a lot of standard posts with rubbish clamps too. How does that even happen, it's not brain surgery...

Well having had a dropper for the last 4 years and had one failure which was the original KS out the box back in 2010 and having been running them since I've not got a problem with reliability.
Weight? Not that much considering what it does.
Cost? Reasonable when you add the functionality in there.

Yesterday I was riding a new trail, it's got some great technical down on it then some level technical riding with some up too. The dropper was great, out the way when needed, up enough at others then right up to pedal. Only issue was I need to go and threadlock the bolts on the clamp again...

I actually hate riding without one now simply because most of the people I ride with.have them and if I stop to adjust a post I have to catchup. This might have novelty sprint value to begin with but gets old very fast.

I've had a Reverb on the bouncy bike for well over 18 months now and still find myself making adjustments to height as I ride if the terrain justifies it rather than simply for ups and downs.

Purists continue to hate them but honestly, they're one if those things I would recommend never trying if you weren't toying with the idea of buying one already.

Last Christmas when I was riding all over the peaks in the snow and ice on my >X< I even found myself working out where to put a release for a dropper on the drop bars...

[i]On the HT I'd quite like one without a remote, so I can stick a nice light seatpost in if I am just riding easy XC. No decent ones seem to exist in 27.2. [/i]

That is what I do, and have an X-Fusion Hilo.