It’s a lovely bit of kit but I’m just not using it. Is it overkill for the likes of Surrey Hills, Swinley etc?
Or do I just not understand how to get the benefit?

If you’re not using it – yes.

Use mine lots on every ride. Just depends what trails you ride, I guess. Sounds like you might as well get rid.

If you’re not using it, get yourself some MTB tuition. A dropper is not just about going down steep stuff, in the UK it’s just as much help to your cornering as well!! (basically, dropping the seat out the way opens up your cockpit to a vastly wider range of rider movement, and hence a massively more stable (or faster if you want that) cornering technique 😉

If you think it is, then it probably is. I haven’t used mine since the Dyfi Winter warmer if I’m honest.

If your not using it either its wasted on you, or you could change your riding style to make the most of it.

I use mine in the Chilterns / Surrey Hills as well as Wales / FOD / Trail Ctrs and the Alps.

I would suggest going for a ride with others who do use theirs.

I ride mostly Swinley and use mine more than I thought I would. For me a dropper post is as much about getting the seat higher for climbing etc as it is for getting the seat out of the way.

With a fixed post I always rode with it half an inch or so lower so I could get over the back in a hurry. Now I can have the saddle out of the way for downs and more techy riding, and right up for improved climbing.

I drop mine to corner faster and to pump better. Everytime I pop off something I have it dropped. Not just for tricky drops and decents.

Thanks for all the replies – definately some food for thought…

Sounds like a complete waste of time. You should sell it.

PS. If you’re Surrey/London based and selling a reverb any time soon I’m in the market (size etc permitting)

I probably use it more at Surrey hills than I do going for natural ride in Wales or Peaks.

The natural rides tend to almost one big climb up and one big descent down so not much bother with a QR seat collar.

While Surrey Hills tends to be very undulating, short decent followed by short climb and gets annoying with a QR collar.

But while I love mine, I understand not everyone rides the same and have different preferences. If you’re not using then sell it and get a normal post with lower maintenance and weight

If you corner with your outside pedal down and leaning the bike over your saddle will be in the way, I find that’s what I like best about my dropper you can really shift the bike about and the saddle is out of the way. It’s not really for the arse over the back steep bits (although it’s good for that too) but pretty much the whole time the bikes pointing even a little bit downhill being able to use the pedals to weight the bike for grip, properly. I’m by no means that quick but a dropper has made me quicker.

Like this

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Fabien-Barels-videos–how-to-cornering.html

Mine goes up and down about 10 times per trail section. Round most corners, uphill and down i’m reaching for that little lever. Not even any real hills here where i’z at.

I think t’s small drop offs and jumps where I benefit from the uppy-downy most. I look for these all round any ride and hop off every small obstacle I can find, just like a big kid. Having the seatpost out of there way really helps me ride 4inch obstacles like a pro!

Dead useful to guaranteeing your saddle automatically goes back to the correct seated pedalling height after dropping it a little for the fun bits.

I never thought I’d use mine as much as I do but on mostly flat but undulating terrain with the occasional obstacle thrown in it gets used a lot.

I think primarily the lever has to be very accessible if it’s not ‘there’ the moment has gone and the seat’s in the wrong position game over.

Have also found it invaluable not only for getting the seat out of the way but also for making minor changes to the c-o-g. So many more places now where I can lower the seat (a bit) and still pedal but have a better position on the bike. Not only do I feel better but the bike behaves better as well

Having said that on more sociable rides the pace is kind of slower and having everything set up to tackle obstacles is not so important so the dropper has an easy ride.

Very useful when parking though 🙂

Mine goes up and down a few times on most rides, there is the odd longer distance ride where it won’t move much, possibly not at all, but its not a hindrance, its doing no harm on those “seat up” rides, its just there for when you might need it in the future…

Is it overkill for the likes of Surrey Hills, Swinley etc?

Certainly not. Bear in mind you don’t have to drop it all the way.

Very useful when parking though

and for getting the bike into the car

My FS with dropper is out of commission at the moment, so I went out on the HT without a dropper last night. I really, really missed the dropper. I rode completely new trails to me. On some steep rocky bits I just had to stop and drop the saddle on the quick release. On some what I thought were fast flowy bits first lap I kept the saddle up. Second time round (I did two laps) I dropped the saddle on these so I could throw the bike around a bit more, which was miles more fun (and safer) but involved stopping more.

27.2 Lev will be getting ordered soon for the hardtail, I reckon.

Mine is most useful on rolling stuff rather than big hills/mountains.

If you’re not using it then yes it is a waste but it doesn’t follow that there’s no reason to use it. The handling benefits of being able to get your weight in a better place are huge but if you’re used to being limited in what you can do on the bike you’ll have adapted to it (it took me ages to get used to suspension forks!)