dropper posts - Upgrade Bikes

Travel
Choose the travel of your post –
generally between 100-150mm
– carefully, measuring how much
seatpost your frame leaves exposed.
DROPPER POSTS
Nothing adds more speed and flow to your
trail rides – even XC sprints – than a dropper
post. But not all are created equal…
Words and photos: Andy McCandlish
Wire or fluid?
Hydraulic cables are smooth and
maintenance free, but being in a
fairly vulnerable spot they can
get damaged. Cable pull designs
are easier to home-repair.
Seamless or stepped?
Some models only lock up or
down, while others have an
intermediate setting. More expensive
models have infinite adjustment,
where you release the button
anywhere on the travel to set the
perfect custom height.
Remote adjustment
All these models are remote
switching, but some simply go with
a lever under the saddle. They’re
not as safe or convenient as
a bar-mounted button, though.
Ejector seat mode…
Air-sprung models generally have
adjustable speed of return – choose
fast if you only use it in one
position, slow if you might want to
stop it part way through its travel.
THIS TEST EXPLAINED
Dropping your saddle for a bit of
room under your body is a good
thing when it comes to tackling steep
and/or tricky sections. It lets you
lower your centre of gravity and
gives the bike room to move beneath
you, adding control and confidence.
Until recently, it meant stopping
every time the trail went up or down
to adjust for the best pedalling or
plummeting height.
With these, one flick of a lever and
the saddle sinks below your
backside, while another flick springs
it back into place. They’re all far
heavier than regular posts, but the
extra speed they create almost
always pays for it – and more.
We chose models with
bar-mounted switches (one has the
under-seat lever option) as they let
you keep a good grip on the bars in
the heat of the moment. They go
from cable-pull and mechanically
sprung to hydraulically-locked
pneumatic, and we considered ease
of fitting, maintenance and
performance when rating them.
A useful clunk
A good solid clunk lets you know
the seatpost has returned to full
height. It is definitely a benefit
as feedback, as it tells you it’s
ready again.
Don’t let the seat
dictate your vital
body position
YOUR TESTER
Andy McCandlish, writer,
photographer and tester
Andy pulled this test together, drawing
not only on his own testing, but on the
feedback of some of Scotland’s top riders and
shop mechanics – riders with experience of
each of these devices over many hundreds
of hard miles.
The devices were fitted, ridden, removed,
re-fitted, crashed… and so the process went on,
via several hugely experienced test riders. All
the resulting information was brought together
to form our conclusion.
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DROPPER POSTS
Fox DOSS £349
Specialized Command Post Blacklite £250
Weight 632g with remote/cable Diameters 30.9, 31.6mm Length 385mm Extension
100, 125mm Drop Two Stage – 40mm Trail and full drop Contact www.mojo.co.uk
Weight 530g with remote/cable Diameter 30.9mm Lengths 380, 405mm Extension 100,
125mm Drop Two Stage – 35mm Cruiser and full drop Contact www.specialized.com
As we’d expect from Fox,
the quality and finish
of the DOSS is noticeable
immediately. The gold-tinted
post, the slick hardware and
the switch can’t be faulted on
finish. What you also notice
immediately is the size of the
double switch (one lever for
each travel setting). It’s huge,
and fairly dominates your
bar once you’ve found a spot
for it. The reversible design
allows it to be mounted left or
right, above or below the bar,
however, which is welcome.
Being one of the lightest
posts on test certainly
meant a good start, with riders
commenting on it straight off.
The next comment invariably
involved the return rate – on
par with the Fox as a threat to
your family jewels. It’s rapid
almost to the point of rabid.
Still, once you get the hang
of using your backside to
moderate the speed, it’s fine.
The fast return and loud clunk
at least means there’s no delay
or confusion regarding a return
to pedalling height.
“You could fire a clown
across a Big Top with just
10psi in this post”
A lot of testers really liked
the two-stage travel – it means
no more hunting around with
your bum cheeks clenched to
find the optimum height for a
pedally yet technical trail. The
smaller 40mm drop is ideal
for most, but it’s ultimately a
personal preference thing.
We found a disappointing
amount of rattly slop in the
post at all extensions, which
we didn’t expect at this level,
but it didn’t affect performance
in the short term.
Pretty quickly we picked up
on the rapid, if not downright
explosive, return rate if left
unchecked. You could fire a
clown across a Big Top with
just 10psi in this post, and
we were frankly too scared
to go to the top end of the
recommended scale (25psi). It
doesn’t make a huge difference
when your weight is on the
saddle, but care is definitely
needed as you fire it back.
★★★★★
“A quality offering from the
suspension giant, but a bulky switch
– and it’s heavy for the price.”
“The return rate is on
par with the Fox as a
threat to your jewels”
The lever is a superb little
alloy number, low profile and
with a handy noodle to guide
the outer cable away. We have
one gripe though, and that’s
the force and lever sweep
needed to actuate the drop.
Not a big issue for some, but
pretty major if you have small
or weak hands.
The seat clamp needs plenty
of force to tighten effectively,
as it doesn’t grip that well and
can leave the saddle free to
spin to awkward angles.
The ‘Cruiser’ 35mm
drop position isn’t quite as
easy to drop into as with
the Fox, but never caused
us any great issue. As with
the Fox, many riders like
the predictable clearance it
gives just off full extension
for technical pedalling trails.
With a reasonable price the
Specialized makes a good
option – if only the lever could
sweep more lightly.
★★★★★
“It’s a reasonably good value and
lightweight post, but a stiff remote
makes using it a bind.”
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X-Fusion Hilo £200
Gravity Dropper Classic (100mm drop) £230
Weight 656g with remote/cable Diameters 27.2, 30.9, 31.6mm Length 385mm
Extension 100, 125mm Drop Infinite Contact www.upgradebikes.co.uk
Weight 648g with remote/cable Diameters 27.2, 30.9mm Lengths 350, 400mm
Extension 100, 125mm Drop Fully compressed only Contact www.hotlines-uk.com
Riders with skinny
27.2mm seatposts will be
pleased to see the X-Fusion’s
compatibility stretching
beyond the usual 30.9 and
31.6mm variants. Those same
people will also be pleased
to see the price – the Hilo is
the cheapest dropper post in
our test.
With its mechanical
spring, cable-remote and
bombproof design, the Gravity
Dropper has long been the
choice of riders who value ease
of maintenance and repair.
Every part of the Gravity
Dropper is readily available as
a spare, and there are no air
shocks or valves to frighten off
would-be tinkerers.
“A few testers tried the
remote and ended up
back with the seat lever”
When you consider that it
comes with hydraulic internals
and infinite travel settings, the
whole thing starts to look like
pretty good value.
The Hilo post also comes
with an option of either a
bar-mounted remote or underseat lever to trigger the drop,
so if you’re struggling for
space on your bar – or even
just prefer your bike to be free
of yet another cable – this post
caters for you. A few of
our testers tried out the
remote and actually ended
up back with the seat lever –
X-Fusion’s intricate and fiddlyto-fit cable routing under the
saddle soon becomes stiff and
in need of maintenance, while
the lever remains reliably light
but positive to use.
The Hilo sports the same
single-key saddle clamp
design as the Specialized
Command Post, so requires
similar amounts of tightening,
while the overall weight isn’t
anything to really shout about
(unless you drop it on your
foot). Still, this is a great,
cheap way to get infinitelyadjustable seat drop.
★★★★★
“The budget route to dropper posts:
the remote needs improvement but
the post works well.”
“The saddle often needs
a little bump with your
backside to release it”
The action is definitely on
the agricultural side – you can
hear the spring coil up and
release and the loud click of
the latch – and it only offers
either fully extended or fully
compressed settings, but if
your riding is similarly binary
(straight up or straight down,
with little rough contouring
in between) you can’t go
far wrong. Gravity Dropper
offers many more models if
you do want staged or infinite
settings, but the beauty of the
Classic is – unsurprisingly –
its simplicity.
The cable terminates at the
base of the post, which saves
that irritating loop forming
when you compress, and the
switch blends with other
controls without fuss. It is also
one of the few posts available
in the narrow 27.2mm size.
We find the saddle often
needs a little bump with your
backside to release it properly,
but we do like the positive
clunk when it returns to the
full height – there’s no doubt
as to when you can retake
your seat.
★★★★★
“Crude in action and works for full
up/down positions only, but it’s
simple, cheap and easy to care for.”
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TESTER SAYS...
If you’re going to the trouble
of fitting a dropper post,
along with the weight
disadvantages and extra
cable flapping around on
the bike, you want to know
it’s going to work without hassle.
Some of these posts have a noteably
heavy action at the remote, requiring
a strong thumb. Others only have one
setting, robbing you of that
all-important middle height on
pedally tech sections. The only posts
that tick every box are the RockShox
and KS, and we gave the win to the
KS for its smooth, light action and
superb design – its cable exits from
the bike half of the post, removing all
problems with baggy loops
and ugly cable runs. Andy
DROPPER POSTS
WINNER
RockShox Reverb (100mm drop) £300
KS Lev £325
Weight 490g with remote/cable Diameters 30.9, 31.6, 34.9mm Lengths 355,
380, 420mm Extension 100, 125mm Drop Infinite Contact www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk
Weight 562g with remote/cable Diamaters 30.9, 31.6mm Length 385mm Extension
125, 150mm (£350) Drop Infinite Contact www.superstarcomponents.com
The Reverb has a huge
following already, and it’s
easy to see why. Adjustment
is infinite – just release the
button when you’re happy –
the hydraulic action is smooth
and light, and build quality
(including, of course, the forkleg-like seals) is strong.
Everything about this post
shouts quality, from the
play-free infinite travel to the
silky return action.
Fitting brings the first
revelations. First we noticed the
cable exits at the bottom of the
post, doing away with the loop
that grows when other posts
are dropped; where you have to
leave slack in normal cables, the
Lev can be tightly bound to the
frame all the way. Tidy.
“The return speed can
be tuned. We left it –
the Reverb just works”
The cleanest way of mounting
the switch is with the integrated
Avid brake lever clamp, which
places it at the thumb with no
bar space needed, though the
standalone mount (supplied)
hinges for easy fitting. It’s a
skinny, long-travel design,
however, and is vulnerable
where it sticks out above the
bar. In crashes it can really get
it, and even flipping the bike
to fix punctures can damage it.
Being hydraulic this means a
shop repair unless you’re handy,
and some riders fit it upside
down, below the bar, to protect
it (that means swapping sides
too, though).
The Reverb takes a good few
cycles before it easily returns to
the top of its travel, but while a
bleed kit is supplied, we’re yet
to need it. The action is smooth
and controlled, and the return
speed can be tuned. Again, we
left it – the Reverb just works.
★★★★★
“A lightweight post with excellent
build quality, performance and
reliability – it’s still the benchmark.”
FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM THIS TEST
1
2
Dropper posts add a
Bar-mounted switches
meaningful chunk of
can be hard to place
(high-up) weight – budget on
around brake and gear
an extra pound – but the
clamps, and some designs are
benefits literally outweigh that. vulnerable to damage.
3
“The cable entry point can
be rotated anywhere
around 360 degrees”
We like the tiny carbon
switch, and the clamp can
replace the inner locking ring of
ODI grips, but fits just as easily
‘freerange’ to your bars. It’s very
unobtrusive and less vulnerable
Infinitely adjustable
posts are great for
obvious reasons, but a
series of customisable presets
would be even better…
4
than most of the other designs.
The cable entry point can be
rotated anywhere around 360
degrees, allowing for different
routings or awkward frames.
The fact it’s cable rather than
hydraulic also means that
breakages are easily repaired
in the home workshop.
The Lev showed very
little side-to-side play in its
mechanism, and the infinitely
adjustable action is smooth and
light to the touch. The return is
pleasingly controlled and soft,
with enough ‘clunk’ to confirm
its return.
★★★★★
“A high-quality, roller-bearingsmooth dropper post with easy,
unobtrusive fitting. Ace.”
5
Choose your travel
Even the best posts
wisely! If your frame
have a little sideways
has a lot of post
play in the saddle,
showing, go long-travel or risk but a few millimetres is
a compromised drop.
undetectable on the trails.
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