Dropper post on a drop bar gravel
 

I'd like to hear the case for a dropper post on a drop bar gravel. I've got a dropper on my FS 29er and use it a lot. When it comes to a drop bar gravel bike though, my thought is that if I'm bombing down fast enough to warrant a dropper then I'll also be wanting meatier mtn-sized tires and mtn straight bars for better control. I'm in the queue for a custom Lobster gravel and have specd no dropper for the above reason. But I'd like to hear the args for.

I think down hill on dirt is always a good time to get your weight down and back, so why not spec the option on a custom frame? In fact - now that I think about it - there's a huge paved descent around here that would probably feel great if I could drop the post a bit to get that "in the bike" feeling for carving the twisties on the way down.

I think you just made a very succinct case yourself for not getting a dropper. A meatier tire set up with a flat bar is an MTB.

I don't think the weight penalty is worth it for a bike doing lots of asphalt duties. Plus, with a dropper, you're usually going to have to commit to a 1X.

Maybe droppers have improved lately, but I can always feel lateral movement on every dropper I've tried, subtle and not so subtle. It's OK on a MTB, where you're in and out of the saddle a lot, getting jostled, and generally squishing and boinging all over the place. But it would drive me absolutely nuts on any bike I ride on the road. For that reason alone I'd be out. Plus I'd want a 27.2 post for compliance and I believe it's hard to build a good dropper in 27.2.

Why is that?

The dropper operates on one side, and the shifter on the other. The set up is much easier.

My buddy has a dropper on his gravel bike. In the right areas I think it can make sense. The problem is how much faster can you go downhill when geometry, no suspension, and thinner less aggressive tires are at play. A dropper May work on a gravel bike by adjusting the saddle height from road to dirt.

ok but its still possible to use 2x, you just have to use a separate control for it. Or use the new etap wireless dropper :eek:

https://thesis.bike/products/the-ob1-shredder


my buddy's bike

No - they make a vertical dropper lever for 2x setups

https://www.jensonusa.com/Fox-Transf...iABEgIobfD_BwE

I have a new bike incoming that I am going to setup with a dropper just to try it out. The bike can handle up to 2.1"/2.2" on 650's or 2.0 on 700's so one set of wheels are going to have a set of tires that can handle some rough stuff.

It sure is a good idea to make you more dependant on parts that need to be constantly upgraded to new.

That's 90% of the hobby.

I think it really depends what type of gravel you're riding. If you're out in Kansas riding flat county roads, then it doesn't make any sense. But around here the gravel goes straight up, then straight down. I don't have a dropper on my "gravel" bike, but I've been bombing down logging roads wishing I had a dropper.

Why not? Assuming you find one that doesn't rock while seated as Pegoready mentioned.

And it certainly doesn't tie you in to always having a dropper, a regular post will always fit.

Sorry, gotta say, Kansas country roads are not "flat". Sure, you're not going to climb one hill for an hour, with a matching extended descent, but in most of Kansas that I have ridden, you're pretty much never not on a hill. Take this DK200 route, for example:

https://www.strava.com/activities/1613173254