Syncros Raises The Game By Lowering The Price For Entry With The Dropper 2.0 – Review

The Syncros 2.0 Dropper recently became available to purchase aftermarket, after having been spec’d on complete Scott bikes for the past two seasons. We received one a few months ago, and sent it out to one of our high mileage test riders, Rachel Sokal, who takes up the review from here.

Scott’s Syncros dropper has been spec’d on its own bikes for a couple of years and now it is available aftermarket too. Options are a bit limited though as the range consists of two posts; a 120mm or 150mm drop in 31.6mm diameter with internal routing only. Much like offerings from Specialized and Trek/Bontrager, the Syncros post is geared very much towards its donor bike range. I had the 120mm version on test which comes up at 410mm long which is in line with most others with a similar drop. Total weight (including cables and levers) was 630g which is considerably more than the listed 544g, presumably Scott refer to the weight of the post only.

From a cost perspective the Syncros very appealing. At £179.99 it’s very competitively priced compared to other mainstream brands. It comes in at £60 below the Bontrager Drop Line, £20 cheaper than the PRO Koryak, and £40 more than Brand-X Ascend.

Like those aforementioned posts, the Syncros uses a sealed cartridge system which is cable actuated. The post’s plunger is activated by the cable by the means of a small barrel attached to the end of the cable via a cinch bolt. Overall this mechanism adds a further 35mm or so to the length of the post.

The seat clamp is a robust two-bolt design, not dissimilar to a RockShox Reverb. Attaching saddles to seat posts is my most hated spannering task and I’m pleased to say that the Syncros is one of the more manageable designs. There is 10mm of offset incorporated into this design which gives a bit more scope for riders who like to run layback.

Given that I’m exclusively running 1x setups, it’s a bit disappointing to see a fairly basic lever spec’d on the Syncros. It has a vertical throw rather than the more ergonomic under-the-bar levers that are becoming more commonplace. The lever also lacks compatibility with either SRAM or Shimano mountings or even ODI grips as seen on other dropper posts, so things aren’t quite as neat on your bars. Of course the main advantage of this design is that it is compatible with 2x and 3x drivetrain setups, as it doesn’t interfere with a front shifter. If (like me) you’re running a 1x setup, the addition of the Wolf Tooth ReMote would be an excellent upgrade.

Setting Up

Installing the Syncros was amazingly painless and only took me about 15 minutes to do (admittedly I was assisted by using the cable of the previously installed dropper as a guide). You do need to read the instructions and be careful though: leaving 17mm of cable between the ferrule of the outer and underside of the barrel seems somewhat precise but experience from installing other droppers tells me it’s vital.

The other thing to be careful of is not to flick the tiny barrel across the garage floor and under the fridge. Urgh. This task isn’t helped by needing a hex key in each hand (there are 2mm and 3mm grub screws in each end of the barrel), balancing the barrel on the end of a flexible cable and not being able to reach a firm surface to rest it on as it’s all just over your seat tube. A wise home mechanic would ask for some assistance to hold onto the vital, tiny parts. All that said, measure twice, cut once and be careful, and installation is achievable.

On The Trail

Performance-wise there’s very little to actually say about the Syncros on account that it just works. It goes up and down and stops wherever you choose to put it in between. So far I’ve had none of the issues I’ve had with other droppers like it getting stuck at the top or bottom or being difficult to activate.

Whilst the lever design isn’t as nice to use as some others, it’s been completely reliable and after a few goes I didn’t have to think about how I moved my hand to reach it. The throw of the lever is short, which means you can simply press and release without having to rotate your hand round the bar at the same time. The lever doesn’t require a lot of force to operate either which is excellent news for people like me with weedy thumbs. If the horizontal lever is a deal breaker for you, there are now several after-market horizontal throw levers available which makes upgrading an option if you are willing to spend a bit more money.

Long Term Durability

I’ve run this post for about four months now and not had one single issue with its functioning. There’s a little lateral rotation in the saddle as is pretty much standard on all droppers but nothing major and certainly not noticeable on riding. The anodising is a bit worn at the base of the post which has been tucked inside the frame and I’ve put a small scratch in the main body but nothing significant or that would make me doubt its build quality.

Previous cable actuated droppers I’ve ridden have all started to be a bit sluggish at this point but either need a fair amount of tweaking, cleaning or recabling to get them back to operating smoothly. I started running the post in the dry months of early summer so assumed I just hadn’t been tough enough on it but even now, after several months of mud, grit and grime, it’s still performing smoothly and reliably. This bodes well for the quality of the seals and I’m hopeful that its reliability continues to last.

Overall

A very reliable and well-functioning dropper post at a very good price. If you’re looking for a 31.6mm internal post of either 120mm or 150mm then you should definitely include the Syncros on your shortlist.

Review Info