. So I reckon most people would benefit from dropping their saddles and CoG and riding “in” the bike a bit more.
Of course whether a dropper (or stopping to manually drop the saddle) is worth* that benefit is an entirely different question.

Straw poll of all the riders at the enduro I was at all (I saw) had droppers, nobody was playing the “well I suppose if you don’t have the skills to ride it with your seat up” line…

have one on my main/big bike and use it all the time. Just bought a fat bike, did 2 days in Afan and a few hours at more local Woburn with a normal post and didn’t even consider dropping it or miss the dropper. Even bought a shim so I can use my GD on it, and not fitted it.

hmmm.

My riding is all Swinley & the surrounding area though so a dropper is really not needed.

I would probably not use one at Swinley due to the requirement to pedal a lot. Although maybe I’d go down an inch for the sections where you lose elevation (hesitate to call them downhills).

I would probably not use one at Swinley due to the requirement to pedal a lot. Although maybe I’d go down an inch for the sections where you lose elevation (hesitate to call them downhills).

…Specialized XCP – 35mm drop…

b r
I reckon it’s more to do with where you live/ride, ie when I lived in the south I didn’t have one and didn’t feel the need of one – then I moved to Scotland, and no way would I would I want to be without one.

This sums a lot of the debate up. Personally I think dropper posts are the most useful innovation in mountain biking in the last five or more years (since disc brakes essentially) and really notice when I’m without one. But then I live in Edinburgh / Scottish Borders these days where there are lots of hills and technically demanding descents. When in the South visiting family however, I can happily ride for hours on & around the ridgeway, South Downs, Swinley etc without ever moving the post and have no less fun.

When in the South visiting family however, I can happily ride for hours on & around the ridgeway, South Downs, Swinley etc without ever moving the post and have no less fun.

Hmm. I’ve found it nice on my particular bike to be lower on twisty singletrack, even if it’s not downhill. If I had one I’d definitely use it in places like Surry. Point is, it’s not just about steep descents.

Hmm. I’ve found it nice on my particular bike to be lower on twisty singletrack, even if it’s not downhill. If I had one I’d definitely use it in places like Surry. Point is, it’s not just about steep descents.

I absolutely agree. I just meant that my riding in the South (I grew up in and lived around Newbury / Hungerford for a long time) has historically been more sort of XC biased so putting the post up and down every couple of miles never really bothered me. To me the Glentress black should be used as an advert for dropper posts, particularly from the mast onwards!! I think I might hold some sort of record for number of saddle height adjustments made on the boundary trail!

Also Cafall. The down sections whilst not demanding are defintely more fun with the seat down a bit, you can manhandle the bike better. But they are not that long and interspersed with short bits of flat and up that are a PITA to do with your saddle still down.

Yes but not by choice. I’ll be on my fourth one when wiggle send me a new warranty replacement one this week. I hate not having one in the Peak District, but when I rode Sherwood Pines last week I didn’t miss it.

I still think a lot depends on whether you view it as a dropper post, or an upper post.

I you’re the kind of person who rides a lot of flowing XC for miles and miles then you use it as a dropper, only dropping for the techy descents, chances are you feel like you could probably do without one.

If your riding is more winch and plummet and a lot of techy riding then you probably treat it as an upper post, default down and raise for the climbs and longer peddally bits, chances are you might also be happy to stop to adjust and can do without one.

It’s the middle ground all round riding where i now wouldn’t be without one.

If you do a bit of both then You probably end up in the same camp I’m in, some of my bikes have them, others don’t, the ones that do I would miss the dropper on, and the ones that dont I never feel like I need it, so yeah, as much about the bike and the kind of riding you do as anything, and the more genuinely all-round your riding and trails are the more useful one becomes as you end up in that sweet spot where you needs and upper and a dropper a lot on the same ride 🙂