So, I have been thinking of joining the dropper post bandwagon, but the other day while out riding I realised that quite often when in the attack position I will put sideways pressure on the saddle to help turn/stabilise the bike (In my head anyway). If I fitted a dropper then the saddle would be out of the way so I would not be able to do this.
So the questions are, Does anyone else do this? And is it really having any effect at all?
You don't have to drop the saddle all the time...or all the way down
The saddle/leg interface is largely unchanged. You're just 4" lower than you were. Or the pressure point is lower.
Yeah, it's not something I do, but a mate of mine does and still does it with the seatpost dropped. But you can trial it easy enough just by lowering your current post.
You will corner faster / drop safer and better with a lower center of gravity.
Also you can turn the bike just by shifting your weight / shoulders / head, not pushing on the saddle. You can weight the pedals and bars too.
Anyway, as said above, you dont need to drop it.
Get one and you will find your question invalid.
I used to prefer to be able to feel the saddle and use sideways pressure similar to how you described but these days i much prefer to get the saddle completely out of the way which allows me to move the bike under me much easier on tight technical stuff. Its up to you though how you set your dropper post up. You can still have it so its similar to your current raised / lowered seatpost positions
Generally better to have the bike<->person touch points lower IMO, which means pedals not saddles, and the bars too of course.
If I fitted a dropper then the saddle would be out of the way so I would not be able to do this.
I do find it really weird to ride with the saddle all the way down, because it removes my reference point. I also find it worse on the 5 than on the Patriot, the 5's HA seems overly steep if I am moving around on the bike too much.
However, if I only drop it a few inches it's not a problem, and I think that's what your dropper post will do. I think I would really like one, but they are £££ and not light either afaik. Someone tell me I'm wrong please 🙂
Generally better to have the bike<->person touch points lower IMO, which means pedals not saddles, and the bars too of course.
A fundamental technique for motocross is to grip the bike with your knees. I grip the saddle with my thighs. There may or may not be parallels, but my 2-wheeled background has an engine.
Surely you can crank the bike over further with a lower saddle which can only be a good thing for going round corners...
What Clobber said. I'm relatively new to droppers too and it has taken a bit of getting used to but i'm now using it more and more. Coming from a road and XC MTB background where I tend to be sat in the saddle more, I did find standing on the pedals to be awkward at first, but you do get used to it and do find huge benefits from it. WIth the saddle lowered you can move the bike under you better and get into that lean the bike over more position much easier and more often. This increases manouverability and grip and once you get used to the body position you do feel more secure on the bike despite not being in contact with the saddle, and higher speed over more techy stuff comes naturally. It also feels a much better way to ride. I'm now wondering how I ever got on without one before. Brilliant things.
Cheers guys, I will get it ordered today and give it a go. As the seat tube is 27.2 I am probably limited to a cheapish one anyway so if I don't like it then it won't be a massive financial loss.
Interesting comment about using the knees being a Motocross technique as that is my background also.
I don't see many pro downhillers complaining about the lack of saddle/thigh interfacing. 🙂
Having tried one on my FS & 29er HT I'm still undecided.
I either forgot to put the thing back up or realised I had not bothered dropping it.
So its hanging in the gagare for now. 🙂
It is an old G.D though, & its the faff of bouncing the saddle etc to make it work that seemed a faff. If I had a Reverb it would probably be a different story.
I just got a Tmars off ebay, it's fantastic for the price. And if you're unsure then a cheap one like that would be a great option. It also has 3 positions as well so you can drop it to half height for a bit of inner thigh interface, or fully for full on gnartothemaxmaxsuperradcore stuff.
Best £68 quid i've spent on my bike. How long it'll last is another question though........
I don't see many pro downhillers complaining about the lack of saddle/thigh interfacing.
That'll be because a lot run them suprisingly high...