Poll

What do you think of dropper seatposts on MTBs?

The best thing since suspension forks, an absolute must
1 (7.7%)
Kinda useful and worth the money
3 (23.1%)
Kinda useful but not worth the money
4 (30.8%)
Good for posing but not my cuppa
3 (23.1%)
Yet another so called 'must have' invented by marketeers - avoid like Biopace
2 (15.4%)

Total Members Voted: 13

Voting closed: 09 March, 2018, 11:00:05 pm

Author Topic: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?  (Read 9566 times)

handcyclist

  • watch for my signal
Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« on: 07 February, 2018, 11:00:05 pm »
Having been out on the mountain bike today - in life affirmingly glorious, if bloody freezing, weather - it occured to me that I must get off-road more often. I'm thinking of getting a new toy as an incentive, so considering a remote dropper seatpost. Opinions?
Doubt is is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.

Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #1 on: 08 February, 2018, 10:03:21 pm »
I was extremely sceptical when they first appeared, but found myself completely won-over very quickly when I tried one. Most surprisingly, I find I drop the post slightly (maybe an inch) on relatively gentle slopes as the speed picks up. Conversely, you can have the saddle at full height for pedalling efficiency on smooth terrain without compromising your off road position.
Life is too important to be taken seriously.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #2 on: 08 February, 2018, 10:12:32 pm »
Back in the '80s, we used the seatpost QR and Hite-Rite spring quite a bit. A dropper post is just a better and more complicated way of doing the same thing.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #3 on: 08 February, 2018, 10:15:32 pm »
Never used one, but they seem like an excellent idea.  I regret not lowering my QR saddle for technical bits often enough.

woollypigs

  • Mr Peli
    • woollypigs
Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #4 on: 08 February, 2018, 11:25:31 pm »
Only thing I know about them is what I would be very very careful with them. Young lad had his bike in the shop and his seat shot up like a canon. I just looked at him and he told me - his finger slipped and hit the tricker one day going down the high street and hit him right there, pure luck that he didn't drop right in front of the car behind him and that he needed a few minutes to compose himself.
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #5 on: 09 February, 2018, 03:55:14 am »
I bought one a few years ago but rarely use it, most of the riding that I do isn’t technical enoug( to justify it and when I do those sections it’s invariably on another bike. Think it’s actually sitting on a shelf at 5he moment

Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #6 on: 09 February, 2018, 07:46:43 am »
Only thing I know about them is what I would be very very careful with them. Young lad had his bike in the shop and his seat shot up like a canon. I just looked at him and he told me - his finger slipped and hit the tricker one day going down the high street and hit him right there, pure luck that he didn't drop right in front of the car behind him and that he needed a few minutes to compose himself.

Sounds a bit odd. The cheap, purely mechanical ones are undamped, but need a ‘tap’ of the saddle to release the retention pin, so should only come up if your posterior is already in contact. The more sophisticated ones that allow release unweighted all have, afaik, damping systems to limit the speed.  It’s possible that it may have been over-pressurised, I suppose.  Can you remember the model?
Life is too important to be taken seriously.

woollypigs

  • Mr Peli
    • woollypigs
Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #7 on: 09 February, 2018, 10:32:38 am »
Sadly no but I wouldn't be surprised it the owner had done some DIY to it.
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #8 on: 09 February, 2018, 10:58:24 am »
I've had a few of these , on various bikes and wouldnt have a mountain bike without one now.   Great for just dropping a bit when on the gnarly ( ;D) stuff  and popping back up for pedalling efficiency on fireroads etc.   Worth the money.

I have a Thompson post on my Orange currently but have also had a Lev, both worked/ work reliably  and I've never had it work like an ejector seat :-)

I've got a spare 27.2 dropper in the garage that cost me £70 which Ill part with at cost of anyone wants to try one on the cheap and it'll fit.

JennyB

  • Old enough to know better
Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #9 on: 09 February, 2018, 12:13:51 pm »
Back when mountain bikes were a NEW THING (1984ish) someone  came up with a cam-lock seat clamp. To lower, release the clamp and let the saddle sink under your weight;  to raise, just grab the saddle nose and pull up.

Does anyone else remember that?
Jennifer - Walker of hills

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #10 on: 09 February, 2018, 01:04:41 pm »
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #11 on: 09 February, 2018, 01:35:56 pm »
If you're going actual off road (which sounds odd when talking about mountain bikes, but it's all railway tracks and that round here) I'd be having one for sure. They're brilliant.

handcyclist

  • watch for my signal
Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #12 on: 09 February, 2018, 09:08:27 pm »
Back when mountain bikes were a NEW THING (1984ish) someone  came up with a cam-lock seat clamp. To lower, release the clamp and let the saddle sink under your weight;  to raise, just grab the saddle nose and pull up.

Does anyone else remember that?

Yes - and face planted into the countryside when I hadn't quite finished lowering the saddle before rolling over a short-notice drop off  ::-)
Doubt is is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.

handcyclist

  • watch for my signal
Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #13 on: 09 February, 2018, 09:10:02 pm »
I've got a spare 27.2 dropper in the garage that cost me £70 which Ill part with at cost of anyone wants to try one on the cheap and it'll fit.

Mmm, interested - will send PM
Doubt is is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.

Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #14 on: 03 January, 2019, 12:35:32 pm »
Definitely a yes.
I have a Rockshox reverb dropper. It played up like mad until Rockshox replaced the internals for free. Now it works perfectly.
My other dropper is a BikeYoke cable actuated model. It's fantastic. If the reverb ever packs it in, it will be replaced by the BikeYoke.

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #15 on: 03 January, 2019, 01:39:29 pm »
Used a dropper on my Full Sus, but not on my XC bikes once I got good enough to do the Laggan Lower Red without adjusting my seat post mid-ride.
Where I think it does help for XC is climbing as you can get the post to lift you to your most efficient position for the climb and then drop to your trade off for technical sections.

If you're riding "Enduro" then the mix of need for XC mechanical efficiency and Downhill's technical "get the saddle out the way so I can use my arse as a brake" makes it a must.

If you're riding downhill then your saddle is pretty much there for Homologation purposes.

If you're riding non-technical MTB stuff then there's no point.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #16 on: 23 June, 2020, 09:33:25 am »
Just discovered this thread... until not very long ago, MTB was a totally foreign world to me. I'd never even heard of dropper posts, and when I did, I wondered what was the point of them.

Now I have an MTB and I was glad of the dropper post on this morning's ride in the woods, which included a few flattish bits, a short road section, and a long uphill slog followed by a "gnarly" descent. And the more I get into MTB riding, the more I totally get why downhill racers have their saddles set so low. Only problem is I lack both the upper body strength and technical bike handling skills to descend at any real speed with confidence. Being able to get the saddle out of the way does let you go a bit faster though.

I note that the new Shimano gravel groupset includes a switch for a dropper post in the left-hand lever on the 1x version, which is intriguing.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Dropper seatpost - yes or no?
« Reply #17 on: 23 June, 2020, 08:44:25 pm »
Now the question is whether a seatpost of this type might allow me to ride a bike  again  🤔  :)
the slower you go the more you see