I’ve been riding for many years but only recently started watching on TV or reading about pro racing. One thing that struck me this weekend was that none of the DH crowd seemed to have dropper posts. I then got thinking and took a look at the XC and similar story there, and none of the pics I’ve found of riders like Nino etc. feature a dropper. Do any pros have one fitted, and if so are they actually used? Are droppers an amateur get out of jail thing, or am I just not looking at the right kind of pro racing/right riders?

I’m sure you lot will now link to a thousand pictures/videos I’ve missed, so thanks in advance!

XC – weight, some XC racers are sticking v. short droppers on to help with the trickier descents.
DH – no need to sit down and peddle, ergo, no need for dropper post

You’re looking at the wrong disciplines, I doubt you’ll find a pro enduro rider that doesn’t use a dropper.

I think some riders used dropper posts at the WC DH in Pietermaritzburg.

DH races are sprints, if you’re sitting down and pedalling you’re doing it wrong.
XC is won and lost on the flat and climbs. Saving a second or two on a descent and having to carry the extra weight isn’t worth it.
ENDURO – OTOH – has lots of DH and plenty of climbing mid-stage. So droppers are standard kit here

My 2p anyway

i’m prepared to bet 50p that some elite Dh racers are choosing to use dropper posts.

(course dependent, of course)

Not unless the course is absolutely shit (see Pietermaritzburg comment above) and even then most will have the power to not bother

pro enduro rider

I thought enduro was just long XC rides, I’ll take a look 🙂

I thought enduro was just long XC rides, I’ll take a look

No, that’s enduro. We’re talking about enduro. Get with the times, bro.

I thought enduro was just multi-stage DH rides, I’ll take a look

see also

I thought enduro was just messing around with your mates, I’ll take a look

alternatively

I thought enduro was just trail biking with a timing chip, I’ll take a look

YMMV
😀

Ahh looks like you’re all right, the enduro riders have them. Looks like enduro is just XC for people who like big helmets though?

Don’t underestimate, for all their radness, just how conservative the racing crowd are. Most of them seem like they are on their first day at school, desperate to fit in.
See:

Tear offs (Moto!!!!) instead of a decent mudguard
Pyjamas instead of something more aero
Proper sized wheels being shunned for decades

Droppers have been used in the past in DH. Canberra I think, one of the tracks one year had this 1km or so flat section in the middle for some reason or other, but most of the time a DH race means a sprint out of the gate and maybe a few strokes out of slower corners, a dropper isn’t worth the weight penalty. Some riders like Peaty used to run a pretty high saddle anyway, just moved around it.

Droppers are actually coming into XC racing now, shorter than the current ones on sale.

Hey, bedmaker, you’ve just got to embrace the rad dude. I went full on enduro **** at the last PMBA round:
Roll offs on the goggles (tear offs cause baby hedgehogs to die)
MATCHING red, white and black pyjamas, gloves and bike – seriously, I even managed the same tone of red, my wife was very impressed with my eye for colour detail.
29er for the wi…50th place…but damn man, I looked good and stoked the gnar of every roost.

I don’t race, but a dropper post has been the single best thing I have ever bought for any bike. Genuinely.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/cross-country-bike-checks-from-albstadt-world-cup.html

7 featured bikes, 3 dropper posts.

https://www.pinkbike.com/u/RichardCunningham/blog/more-bike-checks-from-the-albstadt-world-cup-xc.html

4 featured bikes, 2 dropper posts.

I think part of it is that at the top end of XC racing, those guys are phenomenal at riding with the seat up- if you’re currently one of the best in the world you don’t have that much incentive to upset things. And up-and-comers and amateurs are very influenced by the top guys.

Pros do sometimes use droppers- at Cairns last year a couple of the top 10 finishers had them (though Nino won, and didn’t have one)

Actually it’s pretty interesting I think because as time passes and droppers get more and more standard, less people will be good at descending with the seat up. I know I am, now- in the 90s I’d never even thought of dropping the post in the frame, everything was done seat up, now I basically hate riding without a dropper- so that skillset’s just gone, and I have no intention of getting it back. A lot of riders will just never really have it in the first place. So will that lead to more people doing XC racing with droppers, or will it be a barrier to starting XC racing, if you people feel they have to learn a different way of riding which they’d not use from choice? Or will it just even out and people’ll adapt to whatever the single best way is?

I don’t race, but a dropper post has been the single best thing I have ever bought for any bike.

A lot of people could say that… but the OP was asking specifically about pro racers!

Here’s one

and another

They’re the only pro enduro riders I know off the top a me ‘ead

I don’t race, but a dropper post has been the single best thing I have ever bought for any bike. Genuinely.

You and me both Ken, although I rank x1 gearing as the co-singlebestthingIhave everboughtforanybike.

Put together, they have single-handedly rekindled my interest for MTBing.

As for XC racers – look how long it took them to adopt sus forks, then disc brakes, then full sus… they’ll all have dropper posts in about 2021 I reckon 🙂

less people will be good at descending with the seat up

or you’ll get a development spiral, with XC courses becoming more gnarr, so more riders use droppers, so courses become even more gnarr…

Droppers have already been tried in CX and ‘gravel’ so I can see them becoming commonplace in XC when naturally conservative riders get over the weight penalty (see resistance to hydro disc in CX).

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/trail-tech-dropper-seatposts-for-cyclocross-45399/

http://road.cc/content/tech-news/192320-just-bianchi-allroad-gravel-bike-dropper-seatpost

http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-and-gear-features/components/dropper-seatposts-come-road-bikes

If you have a nose at the trail bikes that the Pro DHers warm up at the top of the hill on all of them have droppers fitted. So whilst they’re not required for the race for general riding most of the DH guys use them. For XC, it’s up to you, I’ve never seen Nino use one, but I’ve seen Absalon run one in races, and he’s less rubbish than me. But none on my bike equipment choices are suitable for xc races. except maybe gloves.

Get one – you won’t regret it.

Just got a stealth-routed Brand X Ascend – bloody brilliant especially at £105 delivered with a 2 year warranty.

http://www.ubyk.co.uk/brand-x-ascend-dropper-seatpost-120mm/66794

A lot of people could say that… but the OP was asking specifically about pro racers!

What has the original question got to do with subsequent answers? Are you new here??

🙂

Sorry, just being cheeky!

There area few xc pros starting to use custom dropper posts with limited / restricted travel (30-50mm).
Personally I can’t see the point of restrictions on the travel as the weight is if not tge same, very close to stock.

How could I forget Ms. Beerten

Pyjamas instead of something more aero

Because… roolz:

3.9 Skin suits or lycra shorts may not be used during timed race runs. Peaks must be correctly attached to your helmet as the manufacturer intended (Disqualified)

http://www.britishdownhillseries.co.uk/rules/