I’ve tried Googling but the same old suspects keep turning up.
Can you point me to a 27.2mm dropper post, around 420mm long?

I believe Gravity Dropper do a 27.2 around that length.

The Thomson also comes in 27.2mm flavour, at 425mm total length.

I’d go for the Gravity Dropper- I have the T-Mars cheap version and it’s ok but not as good as the GD

GD as its fugly but it will work for ever

can you run the Gravity Dropper without the boot?

You could but it is there to stop grit being on the inner post that then slides up and down

How critical it is i really dont know

I have used a cut chain stay protector which looks better but i cannot see it when I am on the bike so tbh the looks thing does not worry me.

I would rather have longevity and function than pretty

YMMV

Does it have to be 420mm? KS LEV 272 is 400mm.

That KS 272 looks great but a hefty price at £300+

Cheaper than the Thomson .

crotchrocket is too posh to go for a gravity dropper 😉

but its probably the best option if you want 420mm (and dont wanna pay lev money)

KS lev

My T-Mars stuck solid the first time it was exposed to mud and rain.

g5604 – Member

can you run the Gravity Dropper without the boot?

I do

Has anyone seen any of these options in 27.2, 400+ mm with a layback head as well?

You could use a Gravity Dropper with I-beam saddle clamp and an I-beam saddle. They have a far greater range of adjustment than normal ones and could give you a similar result as a layback head.

Pretty sure I saw a 2nd hand 27.2 420mm gravity dropper on ebay the other day. Didn’t bid… cos I already got one 🙂 Highly recommended. Not as smooth as the reverb on my other bike but infinitely more reliable. The reverb is currently leaking air, the gravity dropper I can strip grease and rebuild in 10 minutes.

Ive heard X-Fusion do a dropper for 27.2- never had one so can’t rate performance but price looks good

X-Fusion hilo?
http://www.freeborn.co.uk/x-fusion-hilo-100-125-seatpost-2014

RSP Plummet ticks all your boxes and cheap as chips. Not the most exciting but for £80 can’t complain too much?

The x-fusion is decent and easy to service i have 2 for my old oranges and they are pretty good.

Junkyard – lazarus
You could but it is there to stop grit being on the inner post that then slides up and down

How critical it is i really dont know

If you run the GD with the locating mechanism at the back (which is the preferred/stronger orientation) then, without the boot, the locating holes will fill up with mud and crap, preventing the locating pin engaging.

RSP Plummet ticks all your boxes and cheap as chips. Not the most exciting but for £80 can’t complain too much?

I have one and for the price its very good. Sure doesn’t feel as refined as a KS LEV or RS reverb but it goes up and down on command with out a problem. Only problem is its not long enough for the OP. I think they are around 360mm / 380mm long so a little way off from what the OP wants.

I have one and for the price its very good. Sure doesn’t feel as refined as a KS LEV or RS reverb but it goes up and down on command with out a problem. Only problem is its not long enough for the OP. I think they are around 360mm / 380mm long so a little way off from what the OP wants.

My mistake, seems the specs I got from the place I found it (I’m looking to buy one) were incorrect, as it suggested it was over 400mm

Unfortunately the hilo is what I already have. It is an inch too short in 100mm travel, 27.2 short (I believe this is 380mm total length).

So a Thompson or a lev…. Kerching :/

Lev is great

The problem with layback, on the reverb at least but I assume it’s pretty universal, is that unless the weight is central over the post it jams and won’t drop. Putting the saddle right back on the rails has that effect, you then have to shuffle onto the nose to get it to drop. Which is presumably why no ones ever made a layback dropper post and frames are starting to get slacker seat angles.

So a Thompson or a lev…. Kerching :/

or a Gravity Dropper