Fox Drops Longer Dropper. The Transfer Post Now Goes To 175mm

It’s been a little while coming, but Fox Racing Shox has finally unveiled a longer travel option for the brilliant Transfer dropper post. And we’ve got one in our grubby little hands to put to the test.

Previously only available with 100mm, 125mm or 150mm of infinitely adjustable travel, the Transfer can now be had in a huge 175mm (7in) option, making it the longest travel dropper post that Fox has ever produced.

Longer travel droppers aren’t for everyone, but they’re certainly getting more popular. And as seat tubes on contemporary trail and enduro bikes are getting shorter, this opens up the flexibility to run a longer stroke dropper post. More drop means you can you can get the saddle even further down and out of the way for jockeying the bike on rough trails and on steep descents. Bikes like the Ibis Ripmo have been designed exactly with this in mind.

There are already numerous options on the market for those looking at a long-travel dropper. We’ve recently tested the 160mm travel Crank Brothers Highline, the 175mm travel BikeYoke Revive dropper post, and we’ve also had that super-exotic KS LEV Carbon with 175mm of travel. Barney is also currently testing a humungous 200mm travel 9point8 dropper post, so stay tuned for his incoming review.

Structurally, the Transfer 175 shares the same features as the existing Transfer range. That means you’ve got a Thomson-esque saddle clamp with twin-bolt adjustability, a hydraulic cartridge inside with a nitrogen-charged IFP, and the return speed can be modulated by how much you push the lever.

The post we’ve got is the all-black Performance Series version, and we’ve got the Race Face 1x Lever to link it all up.

Fox Transfer 175 Performance Series Dropper Post Features

• Travel: 175mm (also available in 100mm, 125mm & 150mm)
• Hydraulic cartridge with nitrogen-charged IFP
• Infinite travel adjust
• Cable activated w/internal and externally routed versions available
• Stanchion: Black Anodized (also available with gold Kashima coating)
• Twin-bolt saddle clamp
• Diameter: 30.9mm, 31.6mm
• 1x and 2x remotes sold separately
• Confirmed weight: 630g (31.6mm diameter post) & 65g (Race Face 1x remote)
• RRP: $479 AUD / £319 GBP (dropper post only)

Options

You can get the Transfer 175 in both 30.9mm and 31.6mm diameters, and it’s available with internal or external cable routing.

To match Fox’s Factory Series forks and shocks, there’s a blingy Kashima version too for those who go gaga over gold (Factory Series posts are due to land in a few weeks time). Internally and functionally the Performance and Factory Series Transfer droppers are identical – it’s only the gold Kashima coating that separates the too, and even then it’s really only an aesthetic difference.

If you must have it though, you can get the Factory Series Transfer for £369/$559 AUD.

Here’s one we prepared earlier:

Fox sells the posts and levers separately. That means you can BYO, and really most cable-operating levers will be compatible, like the Wolf Tooth ReMote, PNW Loam Lever, and the Cane Creek Dropt.

Alternatively, you can get one of Fox’ own 1x/2x levers, or a Race Face 1x Lever like we have here. All three of those options sell for £69 / $99 AUD.

Setting Up

If you’ve got any experience with a current Transfer, or any other cable-operated dropper post for that matter, there will be no surprises setting up the Transfer 175. The cable head/nipple loads into a cradle at the bottom of the post, while the end of the cable wire is pinched down up at the lever end. This is definitely our preferred orientation.

The twin-bolt saddle clamp is secure and easy to micro-adjust, and it’s also compatible with oval-shaped carbon fibre rails. Our only complaint is that the bolts don’t angle in a whole lot, which makes adjustments with many multi-tools and torque wrenches quite difficult.

Also, when trying to run a nose-heavy saddle tilt on a bike with a slack seat angle, it’s possible to bottom-out the front bolt. I’ve had one test bike where I actually snapped this bolt trying to tighten it further. My advice? If the bolt gets really tight, stop turning it.

Will It Fit My Bike?

With the longer travel comes a longer overall length – 531.2mm to be exact. Part of this length is in the upper stanchion, and part of it is in the lower outer tube. That means you’ll need to have a sufficiently high saddle height and sufficient insertion depth available in your frame in order to run this dropper.

Here are the key numbers for those working out if this dropper will fit their bike;

• Total length: 531.2mm (middle of saddle rails to bottom of cable stop)
• Minimum saddle height: 233.2mm (middle of saddle rails to underside of main seal collar)
• Maximum insertion depth: 298.5mm (underside of main seal collar to bottom of cable stop)

As to how this extra-long dropper post performs in the longterm? We’ll let you know once we’ve put it through a proper test under a long-legged test rider. Until then, we’re pretty confident based off of our previous experience – check out our longterm review of the 150mm travel Fox Transfer dropper post here.

On the note of durability and servicing, Fox reckons the Transfer will keep sliding comfortably for at least 2 years under normal use, or 12 months under extreme use before it’ll need a teardown. Aside from wiping the seal every so often and checking the torque of saddle clamp bolts, there’s not a lot of home faffing required.

If you want more info on pricing, availability and your nearest stockist, get in touch with Silverfish in the UK, and Sola Sport in Australia.

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