Having not used a dropper post until today, I took my new bike out for the first time today on one of my normal XC routes, starting at QECP, out towards Harting Down and back into QE on the SDW. None of the route really requires me to use the dropper function except for the final descent back through the park.

So, just before the trail starts to go down, I pull the remote lever, sit on the saddle to lower it and am pleasantly surprised when I lift myself up and the saddle stays down! What I really did not expect was the bike to instantly change it’s character into a wickedly fast, hooner of a machine 😀 . The final descent was a total blast! Found myself searching for all the lips and drops to launch off!

Do dropper posts do this to all bikes? Or have I really just gone and got myself a bike that performs perfectly for me on the ups, downs and everything in-between? 😀

Yes dropping saddle is a good thing, try it some more.

Best things to happen to mountain bikes since they were invented
1. Proper working gears
2. Proper working suspension
3. Dropper posts

Forget those silly wheel sizes. Droppers are the real innovation.

C

Best things to happen to mountain bikes since they were invented
1. Proper working gears
2. Proper working suspension
3. Dropper postsDisc brakes

Said this before… I have a rigid xc bike but when I ride it, I don’t miss the suspension- I miss the dropper post. Riding without suspension is fun, riding without the dropper just feels daft now. They are ace.

I love my dropper post!

I’ll be using more often then!!

Best things to happen to mountain bikes since they were invented
1. Proper working gears
2. Proper working suspension
3. Dropper posts

On the basis that in 22 years of MTBing i’ve never had a bike where I couldn’t get the gears working fine, I’d put it as:
1. Disc Brakes
2. Good Suspension
3. Dropper posts
But, in answer to the OP, droppers do that to all bikes, it’s a huge improvement in how MTBs work and genuinely changes how you ride for the better.

I’m ashamed to say i’ve poo-pooed the idea of needing a dropper post for years being firmly in the camp of “if you feel the need to drop your post then learn how to ride your bike” , blah….blah…waffle….better rider than you etc…

Needless to say i’ve recently bought a KS lev for my cove hummer and on the first ride out i realised i was going to have to publicly apologise for being a conceited self righteous prick for the past few years, like you i found myself actively looking for stupidly steep drops to try out.

Yeah for sure i could ride them beforehand with my seat up but i had to mince down certain sections as there was always the bucking seat to manoeuvre around which i had never perceived to be an issue but on using the dropper it became apparent that subconsciously i had been aware of it and adjusted my riding accordingly, now i drop the seat and belt through techy stuff keeping my centre of gravity as low as possible which gives better traction and thus overall control despite faster speeds.

They are a game changer, i was an arse for sticking to my opinion for years, perhaps i’m still an arse but i’m very happy to admit when i’ve been wrong 😀

Sent mine back for a warranty issue and missed it like hell for the past 3 weeks.

This may sound daft…but when I first got mine I started riding my bike like I did my old bmx when I was 8 thinking I was in bmx bandits with a crush for Nicole Kidman and with with complete reckless abandonment.

Best upgrade I’ve ever purchased!

Hey Somafunk, I’ll also admit to having a similar attitude to them up until today! I also have a Hummer as my hardtail and following your comments, I’ll be adding a dropper to that too when the funds allow. 🙂

Mines away for service, how long do Gravity dropper take? I miss it.

This is the future!

Like my reverb a lot. But it’s not “revolutionised” ny riding. I always used to drop my saddle before a descent anyway. I just had to stop to do it.

having ridden with a seized alu post in a steel frame for a year without any big dramas i was similarly convinced droppers were only for big girls blouses.

However, thought i should try one so got a tmars off teebay.

**** brilliant on my clockwork.

not sure how long it will last though as when i took it apart to grease before using they look pretty flimsy..

the seat bolts have a habit of loosening and some sideways play has developed in just over a month.

If/when it explodes i will defo invest in a more robust one.

Anyone tried the thomson one yet?

Yes.

I had one of those hite-rites on my Marin bear valley se back in 1992, it didn’t really work as promised and got in the way of my seatbag.

Yes.

Including on my weight weenie SS rigid race bike.

So, how are you getting on with the Thomson dropper mattjg?

I don’t have a Thomson, my ‘yes’ was in response to the OPs original question “Do dropper posts do this to all bikes?”.

I’m lucky enough to have space fo 3 bikes, a trail FS, a fun HT and a SS rigid race bike, all have droppers.

It’s hard for me to see how Thomson, which is a company bending and folding and shaping bits of metal, can make an after market dropper as well as companies that have been making suspension kit for years, but we’ll see.

Well to be fair Bikeradar rate it http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/components/seat-post-seat-pin/product/review-thomson-thomson-elite-dropper-47114

But that’s presumably a few hours riding in the sunny desert. The test that matters to us is a few months in UK sludge.

Yeah… I think Thomson will be on the job, but they did make a scary mention at one point that after finishing the design they sent 2 production prototypes to the UK for testing here. Which is a pretty small sample anyway, and seems a bit late- certainly came after all their promises of reliability. Good design could cover it, hopefully.

interestingly, I have in the last week got a reverb after 10 years of never dropping my post. Only used it on 2 rides,so jury is still out for me…

Well Ive put a reverb on my epic and it transformed the way I ride the bike. Not having a QR on the frame didn’t help but Ive found the ability to lower it mid trail really good, and Ive been going faster and riding cleaner since fitting it based on keeping the fast guys I ride with in sight now where as before it was a see you at the bottom of the run!

Best things to happen to mountain bikes since they were invented
1. Girvin Flexstem
2. Tioga Disc Drive
3. Mt Zefal Pumps

My dropper really changed my riding for the better! Best thing ever!!!