Forca Vario Dropper Seatpost - Gravity dropper clone 27.2 for £65

Bike Forum

Forca Vario Dropper Seatpost - Gravity dropper clone 27.2 for £65

186 posts & 94 voices | Started 5 months ago by was | Latest reply from ash.addy

Tags:

No tags yet.

Pages: 12…6 Next »

was - Member

Been pondering a dropper post for a while, people seem to rate the gravity dropper as the most reliable and lightweight (perhaps not the slickest design), however it seems very expensive (to me) for what it is.

Then I spotted the Forca Vario - a gravity dropper clone:

http://www.forca-sports.de/?p=63

85mm drop, comes in 27.2 with shims included, dirt boot protection for a fiver extra.

Here is a translation of the German MAg article provided by Schweiz off here. Apparently they did 1991KM on it to test it!
There are not many dropper posts available with 27.2mm diameter which is common on hardtails

Forca SPS350
99€, 551g

Cheap and surprisingly light. Simple mechanics with steel spring and cable actuated positioning bolt. In use it's not a smooth as the expensive hydraulic posts but even in Winter it's astonishingly reliable. If something does go wrong then you can disassemble and maintain it in minutes thanks to the simple design.

Changing the cable is simple and you can also "pimp" the system with Nokon cable outers which have tighter clearances which are advantageous. The cable connection is at the base of the stanchion and so is less disturbing in the dropped position compared to other posts.

On the downside, there's only 85mm of travel but considering the limited other options, 85mm is better than nothing!

Postives : Simple, reliable mechanism, 27.2mm diameter, cheap and light.
Negatives : Extension is not very smooth, only 85mm travel

Missing from the review but also important - It only has 2 positions, up and down. You also get the shims for the other tube diameters delivered with it.
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/any-german-speakers-able-to-traslate-this-short-mag-review?replies=6#post-3227226

Theres a few users on MTB News de that seem happy with them: http://www.mtb-news.de/forum/showthread.php?t=501708

I decided it was worth a punt for £65 from here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400228107736 they do ship to the UK €18. The "shock boot" is €6 extra.

I will update when it arrives.

Posted 5 months ago #
was - Member

Posted 5 months ago #
xiphon - Member

I'd like to know how you get on too - I'm stuck with 27.2 size post.

Posted 5 months ago #
sweepy - Member

That looks more like it!

Posted 5 months ago #
wombat - Member

Looks good, will be interested to hear how well you get on with it

Posted 5 months ago #
was - Member

Posted 5 months ago #
Simon - Member

Interesting, that could be just what I've been waiting for.

Posted 5 months ago #
t_i_m - Member

watches with interest

Posted 5 months ago #
sweepy - Member

Do you reckon you could increase the travel with a drill, and a disregard for personal safety?

Posted 5 months ago #
was - Member

Some people on that Mtb-news forum link have added an extra stop halfway, which what I plan to do.

Not sure I would do what you say sweepy as the overlap maybe reduced too much!

Posted 5 months ago #
xiphon - Member

Looks like I might have to add dropper cable guides on my frame, before I spray it... £65 seems quite a bargain

Posted 5 months ago #
docrobster - Member

Cheers for the heads up- that's gone straight on my xmas list- and my sister in law in austria can buy it and bring it with her to save on postage too!

Posted 5 months ago #
5lab - Member

the rase post is available for those with more money who want a bit more travel (9" I think) http://www.rasebike.com/

Posted 5 months ago #
Militant_biker - Member

WANT WANT WANT

I've been eyeing the RASE for a year or more for the big bike. Still not had the guts to splash the cash on one yet.

I wish I had known about the Forca 18 months ago (for the sake of argument, if it was available) as it looks perfect for my current needs. About to move though, so no debits for me

Posted 5 months ago #
radtothepowerofsik - Member

85mm? Like, eight and a half centimetres? My saddle is dropping waaaay more than that when it gets slammed.

I'm oot (which is a shame cos I do want a cheap one of these!)

Posted 5 months ago #
kilo - Member

Bought one, got two recently built up 27.2 bikes at the moment so too good to resist - was not going to spend any money on bike kit this month - fail.

Posted 5 months ago #
cruzheckler - Member

the clamp/remote is very like the joplin one

Posted 5 months ago #
kilo - Member

85mm? Like, eight and a half centimetres? My saddle is dropping waaaay more than that when it gets slammed.

Only 4cm less than a ks i950 and a bit less (15mm?)than a Joplin.

Posted 5 months ago #
edoverheels - Member

I think it is pretty irresponsible to post this thread only a couple of days after I have bought the original and surely much better, because it is so much more expensive, Gravity Dropper.
Still look on the bright side. If I get on with the Gravity Dropper then the next one for my other bike will be cheaper.
Not heavy, not complicated, not expensive. Hardly seems fair.

Posted 5 months ago #
flow - Member

£65 to put your saddle down 3 and a bit inches, special.

Posted 5 months ago #
toys19 - Member

Looks great and an advantage over the reverb is that the cable is on the bottom collar so it doesnt move when the saddle goes up or down.
Its about time these things were realistically priced. I mean the reverb is essentially one air fork leg, but with an even simpler oil mechanism inside than any damping method you'd find in a fork. Should be 100 quid or less..

Posted 5 months ago #
radtothepowerofsik - Member

Only 4cm less than a ks i950 and a bit less (15mm?)than a Joplin.

Really? I won't bother with those either then!

Posted 5 months ago #
was - Member

Would there be any interest in these for around £90 to your door shipped from UK?

Similar price to the German ebay seller but including the boot and faster service.

Posted 5 months ago #
flyingmonkeycorps - Member

Possibly yes... I do quite fancy a dropper, and sub £100 makes it very tempting

Posted 5 months ago #
nickjb - Member

Does anyone know if you can lop anything off the bottom of it to make it a bit shorter? I need one to fit a frame with an interrupted seat tube.

Posted 5 months ago #
makkag - Member

WAS - if you could source and people who had one experiance no issues in the next month id have one !

Posted 5 months ago #
steve_b77 - Member

Thanks for posting this up, I'll pass it onto my mate with an Orange 5

Posted 5 months ago #
nockmeister - Member

was - Member
Would there be any interest in these for around £90 to your door shipped from UK?

Similar price to the German ebay seller but including the boot and faster service.

Do they inc a shim to 30.9??

Posted 5 months ago #
thisisnotaspoon - Member

Ohhh tempted, had a could of crashes last night that might have saved me from, I'm way too lazy to drop my post manualy on other bikes after fitting a reverb tot he Pitch.

£65 to put your saddle down 3 and a bit inches, special.

Thompson do a 0mm verison for £63

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&q=thomson+seatpost&um=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=689&bih=283&wrapid=tlif132275536760810&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=12470760941554253300&sa=X&ei=L6XXTomxLcK68gOJ-_TkDQ&ved=0CHUQ8wIwAQ#

My saddle is dropping waaaay more than that when it gets slammed.

I thought that when buying a reverb, but after fitting it there's only 1" of post left poking out (plus the seal bit, so 2" total). Using the OEM 350mm post you couldn't lower it past the seatube kink, so the reverb is only ~20mm short of being 'slammed' (unless your short). So unless your using a long seatpost (i.e. not the default 350mm) you couldn't get more than an inch lower anyway.

Would there be any interest in these for around £90 to your door shipped from UK?

No, but if you can source them from wherever they get them and sell them for £65 I'd be interested.

Posted 5 months ago #
was - Member

Just received my order from Germany:

Quality has exceeded my expectations. One of the seatpost shims isn't very long so I will use a wiggle "post moderne" £3.99 one to shim upto 30.9 for my old bike. 27.2 will fit my new frame directly.

I will install and give it a ride this weekend, expect my feedback!

I am negotiating to buy a large quantity of these to sell through my retail outlets, so watch this space for a special STW price to beat the German delivered price (this cost £89 delivered in total).

Posted 5 months ago #
Simon - Member

I'm watching.
Do you reckon they could be modded to give more drop, or more than 2 positions?

Posted 5 months ago #
kimbers - Member

about time prices on dropper posts have been silly high for too long!
not to mention the limiting size issues

i do love my gravity dropper but if i was buying a second one i doubt i could justify spending twice the price+ of one of these

Posted 5 months ago #
a11y - Member

Watching with interest.

I've found the 100mm drop on my GD to be enough for 95% of the time - it was only on stupidly steep stuff in the Alps that I felt the need to lower the post further in the old-fashioned way (with the seat clamp).

Posted 5 months ago #
midlifecrashes - Member

Another watcher here, got to be worth a punt if they work even reasonably, especially at 27.2 for my old Turner. Have you weighed it? Also what's the overall length and where is the min insert at? Cheers.

Posted 5 months ago #
boriselbrus - Member

£65 to put your saddle down 3 and a bit inches, special.

Paupers look on with envy!

(Sorry, couldn't resist!)

Posted 5 months ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Pages: 12…6 Next »

Reply »

You must log in to post.

Singletrack Mountain Bike Magazine

Bike Forum

Forca Vario Dropper Seatpost - Gravity dropper clone 27.2 for £65

Reply »

Don't miss…

Singletrack

Website & Forums

Exits