Dropper posts?

[Ken Robb]

I've never used one so pardon my ignorance. I have lowered my saddle using the quick-release when faced with a long, steep, rough descent so I understand how that is a nice position when I don't have to pedal. I remember seeing simple spring devices 20+ years ago that might have been precursors to today's dropper posts. As I recall the spring-thing went between the seat collar and the saddle rails or clamp. When the rider wanted to lower his saddle he release the QR while sitting and the saddle dropped. The rider might or might not tighten the QR to keep the saddle down. When he wanted the saddle back to his normal riding position he got off the saddle, released the QR if it had been tightened in the down position, the saddle was raised back up by the spring and the rider clamped it there with the QR. It was a very simple system.

Do the modern droppers just do the same thing but easier because they have remote controls to release/grab the post? Is there more to it than that?

[Ozz]

are those for road bikes or mountain bikes??

I assume mountain only...but who knows what some folks will buy.

I am ignorant on this topic as well....,.

[vqdriver]

basically, yes.
obviously more appropriate for mtb than for road due to the frequency of incline changes and steepness of the drops you just don't get on the road. i'll say that out of all the modern advances marketed as 'game changers' the dropper post has been for me. with all the ups and downs of a trail i was really surprised at how often i actually use it. i'd guess that i use it more often than i used to use a front shifter. i was skeptical and most likely would not have actually bought one if it wasn't included already on a bike i bought.

fwiw, a test spin at the shop may show you the mechanics of how it works, but you really have to trail test it to appreciate the utility of it. being allowed to do this on the fly with both hands on the bars, at speed, really frees you up to manipulate the bike and your position as the trail dictates.

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

I've never used one so pardon my ignorance. I have lowered my saddle using the quick-release when faced with a long, steep, rough descent so I understand how that is a nice position when I don't have to pedal. I remember seeing simple spring devices 20+ years ago that might have been precursors to today's dropper posts. As I recall the spring-thing went between the seat collar and the saddle rails or clamp. When the rider wanted to lower his saddle he release the QR while sitting and the saddle dropped. The rider might or might not tighten the QR to keep the saddle down. When he wanted the saddle back to his normal riding position he got off the saddle, released the QR if it had been tightened in the down position, the saddle was raised back up by the spring and the rider clamped it there with the QR. It was a very simple system.

Do the modern droppers just do the same thing but easier because they have remote controls to release/grab the post? Is there more to it than that?

[vqdriver]

is this what you're remembering?
the hite-rite

[BikeNY]

Hite Rite!

That's what you're referring to.

Modern droppers do basically the same thing, but they do it 100x better. I've only used one once, and don't have one on my mountain bikes. I understand the attraction, but for my riding I just haven't needed one.

They are much quicker and easier to actuate, and most allow positions other than full up or full down.

And yes, they are starting to show up on 'Gravel bikes' as well!

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by vqdriver

basically, yes.
obviously more appropriate for mtb than for road due to the frequency of incline changes and steepness of the drops you just don't get on the road. i'll say that out of all the modern advances marketed as 'game changers' the dropper post has been for me. with all the ups and downs of a trail i was really surprised at how often i actually use it. i'd guess that i use it more often than i used to use a front shifter. i was skeptical and most likely would not have actually bought one if it wasn't included already on a bike i bought.

fwiw, a test spin at the shop may show you the mechanics of how it works, but you really have to trail test it to appreciate the utility of it. being allowed to do this on the fly with both hands on the bars, at speed, really frees you up to manipulate the bike and your position as the trail dictates.

Agree with all this. Id give up my suspension fork before I’d give up my dropper.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by vqdriver

is this what you're remembering?
the hite-rite

Yep!

[weaponsgrade]

I've got a dropper on my Ibis Ripley. I was also skeptical, but I use it quite a bit.

[RudAwkning]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

Agree with all this. Id give up my suspension fork before I’d give up my dropper.

I've got a dropper on my fully rigid SS. Never going back. Just being able to move the saddle a few centimeters at a time between various types of terrain is worth any weight penalty.

[jh_on_the_cape]

Dropper post on a mtb is totally worth it! get a good one because it sucks to have it stuck down for a ride...

if you get one, ride behind someone who knows how to use it and you will see him/her using it all the time.

it takes a few rides to learn, which is quite fun!

a few years ago on the VT50 race, I rode SS and was leapfrogging with another SS for the last few miles. The race ends with a long DH and this guy just smokes me on that. We high fived at the finish line and I commented on how fast he was on the down. He just smiled and pointed at his dropper post.

The next year I used one and it made a huge difference. Now when I ride a bike without one it feels awkward.

Bottom line: dropper posts increase the fun. IF they are working properly.

[DRZRM]

I would have trouble imagining riding a MTB without one. I have one on my Ibis Ripley and on my rigid singlespeed Zanconato. Some feel like they have a place on gravel bikes...I don't think I'm there, my gravel riding is not that technical yet, but it is constantly in use on MTB trails, or even when practicing manuals or bunnyhops with my kids. I have trouble imagining riding a MTB without one. More of a game changer than any other bike tech I can think of.

I wish there were more choices for externally routed 27.2 droppers so that they can be retrofitted for all the folks who don't want to buy a new bike just to take advantage of a dropper post. The Thomson is excellent, but pricey. Lot's of reliable and affordable droppers if you have internal routing options, but they are missing a big chunk of the market by ignoring retroconversions on older bikes.

[sandyrs]

Agreed with everyone here that now that I have a dropper, I couldn't imagine choosing to spec a mountain bike without one. The prevalence of that opinion should tell skeptics all they need to know.

[echelon_john]

Getting a new MTB shortly with cable routing for an external dropper. Any rec's for a 6'6", non-skinny-guy dropper?

I've had great luck with Thomson stuff in general but $450 for a seatpost makes my eyes twitch.

Brand-X seems to get good reviews? Or ?

[Gartenmeister]

Contrarian opinion:

I recently built up a Santa Cruz 5010. I pretty much went all out on the built, including a good dropper (Bike Yoke Revive). In the four months that I have had the bike I have been riding it 3-4 times/40-50 trail miles per week. Lots of climbing, lots of descending.

Since I've paid for the dropper in dollars and weight, I really make an effort to use it. It works fine. It's ok. Sometimes it is nice to move the saddle. But I don't get the fuss. It just doesn't seem like a big deal to me. I don't think I would miss it much if I went back to a rigid seatpost.

[ptourkin]

Watching the Fort Williams world cup DH last night with a friend, I focused on how much time they spent behind the seat - pretty much every moment that they weren't pedaling hard. As most of us are both going up AND down, a dropper can eliminate some of the compromises between the two optimum positions.

I'm not using one on my Timberjack right now because on a medium frame, it would mean compromises on the seat bag for bikepacking, but that's not insurmountable. There are good options for that now, it would just mean a new bag.

I'd also love to try one on my Trail Donkey, which is set up for the routing, but I have even less packing space on that frame, so the seat bag is really key. For recreational up and down, it's a big plus.