If you run a saddle bag along with a dropper post, then Wolf Tooth Components has a product that you may be interested in. Depending on the type of saddle you’re using and how much setback you have, a saddle bag can often cause some untoward contact with your seatpost. On a regular post, that’s not a big deal. On a dropper post however, that’s kind of an issue. In fact, we’ve seen a number of bikes where the saddle bag has actually worn away the anodising of the upper shaft on a dropper post, causing irreversible damage that can compromise the main seal and bushing.
In order to avoid this damage from occurring in the first place, Wolf Tooth Components have just announced a new product called the Valais 25, and it looks like this;
The Valais 25 is a relatively simple product, but it carries out a potentially important task. Made from injection molded thermoplastic, the Valias is essentially a plastic collar that bolts around the upper part of your dropper post. With a dual-lip design, it provides a guide for the strap on your dropper post to wrap around, protecting the upper seatpost shaft.
With it’s split clamp design, the Valais 25 is designed to easily clip on to your dropper seatpost, before being tightened down in place. It’s available in both 25mm and 26mm diameter versions, making it compatible with the RockShox Reverb, Fox Transfer, Specialized Command, Thomson Covert, Giant Contact and a whole bunch of other droppers on the market.
As you can probably tell in the above photo, the Valais 25 does limit the overall travel of the seatpost. By 25mm to be exact. So you won’t be able to get your dropper down all the way, as the Valais 25 will act as a limiter towards the end of the stroke. The way we see it however, is that you may not use the Valais 25 all the time. Perhaps you’ve got an upcoming race where you want to put more of your spares on the bike rather than in your jersey pockets or backpack? Chuck on the Valais 25 and a saddle bag, and you’ve got additional storage without worry of damaging your dropper post. Heading out for a weekly trail ride and using a backpack? Then take off the saddle bag and the Valais 25.
The Wolftooth Valais 25 features:
- Shifts cargo to the bike: Small- and mid-sized saddle packs are ideal places to securely store tubes, mini tools, and CO2 cartridges, ensuring that they’re always on hand when needed while freeing up top tube and handlebar bags for more regularly-accessed items.
- Protects seatpost: Inexpensive insurance, the Valais 25 protects dropper post stanchions from the wear that occurs at the intersection of saddle bag, seatpost, and wheel-flung grit.
- Emergency Crutch: While dropper posts continue to improve, locking mechanism failure does still happen- often far from the trailhead. The Valais 25 can be used to keep posts extended, allowing the rider to comfortably pedal out of the backcountry.
- Raceday Travel Limiter: When seven inches is more than terrain calls for, the Valais 25 can be used to limit dropper travel to suit.
- Sturdy Delrin Construction: The Valais 25 is injection molded from strong, resilient, and non-marring DuPont Delrin thermoplastic, allowing for easy snap-on installation and full strength all the way down to -20°F/-29°C.
- Made in the USA: Wherever the capabilities exist, Wolf Tooth is committed to domestic manufacturing. The Valais 25 is injection molded in New Mexico and assembled in Minnesota.
- Claimed weight: 20 grams
- RRP: $24.95 USD
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Weecog do a dropper saddlebag too and they are a UK company 🙂
https://www.weecog.co.uk
Or use an Ortlieb micro which clips to the saddle rails and doesn’t go anywhere near the seatpost
Or just cut the seatpost strap off.
That’s completely the wrong solution, get a bag that clamps to the rails like momo says.
Really annoying when companies get screen time for products that “solve” a problem that’s already been solved, only worse.
Yeah, what a poor idea. Last thing I want is to limit the drop I’ve paid for, I know RS include a collar but I’ve never seen anyone use it
@Clink – We’ve actually got one of the Wee Cog Slider bag’s in for testing at the moment;
http://singletrackworld.com/2016/10/fresh-goods-friday-313/
It’s a tough little nugget and really well made, but there’s still a small amount of contact between the bag and the upper part of the seatpost shaft. Again, results may vary depending on what kind of offset you’re running.
@Rubber_Buccaneer – The Reverb collars aren’t particularly common out in the wild, but as an example, Nico Vouilloz uses one on his dropper post for certain races where he wants to limit the travel.
I think some have missed an important point. This could be used with bigger bags or your existing bag.
Limiting the travel is sensible in these scenarios anyway, as the bag can hit the tyre otherwise when rear suspension compresses.
@AlexSimon – exactly what we were thinking. A lot of riders are getting into off-road bikepacking these days, and those oversized saddle bags aren’t too kind on dropper posts.
What saddle bag is it on the picture?
@wijkd – here’s the word from Wolftooth;
“That’s a Bedrock Bags seat pack (http://www.bedrockbags.com/). They’re up in Durango and made a handful of seat packs this summer but it’s not a catalog item yet.”
Or put some insulating tape round ya seat tube.
That’s pure JML.