27.2 dropper posts are not common but if you have a bike frame with a skinny seat tube you can still take advantage of the benefits of a dropper post.
This guide last updated: March 5th 2022
While the options are certainly more limited compared to fatter seat tubed frames – you won’t get anything with more than 125mm drop – there are still numerous 27.2in droppers to choose from. After all, it’s not just retro MTBs and kids bikes that sport 27.2 seat tubes; the new world of gravel bikes is full of 27.2 seat posts.
You’ll tend to notice that 27.2 are strangely split between relatively cheap and really freaking expensive. This is a reflection of the two markets. Kids and older bike owners just want an affordable dropper. Gravellers, XC racers and CXers may want to splash the cash for weight weeenie and bling reasons.
WARNING!
You need to make sure you buy the correct type of cable routed dropper. Older MTBs and most kids bikes with require externally routed droppers, more modern (mainly gravel) bikes can work with internal AKA stealth routed droppers (although you can just run externally routed droppers too, it’s just not as ‘neat’).
Here’s the full list of 27.2 droppers in this guide, in alphabetical order (in case you were wondering!)
- Brand-X Ascend CX
- Brand-X Ascend Kids
- Crankbrothers Highline 3
- DT Swiss D 232
- Easton EA70 AX
- ENVE G Series Dropper
- Fox Transfer SL
- OneUp Dropper Post 27.2
- PNW Fern Kids
- PNW Pine 27.2
- PNW Rainier Gen 3
- PRO Discover
- Thomson Covert
- X-Fusion Manic Gravel
- XLC SP-T08
Brand-X Ascend CX
Available as 85mm or 105mm drops, this is an externally routed seatpost with paddle style actuator. Read our Brand-X Ascend II Dropper review (31.6x125mm version).
Brand-X Ascend Kids
- Price: £119.99
- Routing: Internal
Brand-X: “Ideally suited for riders aged six to twelve years old, this seatpost will drop under a 20kg load and Brand-X suggests a max load of 40kg. It is internally cable routed and comes with a 1x shifter for left hand bar mount.”
Crankbrothers Highline 3
- Price: £179.99
- Routing: Internal
Crankbrothers: “Keeping your momentum flowing, this seat post features a tough aluminium construction which gives you stiff and dependable operation. Crankbrothers has also equipped this trail-ready seatpost with Igus bearings and a high-quality Jagwire cable.
DT Swiss D 232
- Price: £334.95
- Routing: Internal
DT Swiss: “Load optimised construction and DT’s signature engineering make this one of the lightest droppers on the market, with only about a 150 gram weight penalty versus using a standard alloy post.”
Easton EA70 AX
- Price: £199.00
- Routing: Internal
Easton: “The claimed weight is a very reasonable 400 grams and it can be used with either a separate drop bar lever or a compatible shifter if running a 1x drivetrain. By allowing the cable to be clamped at either the post or the lever end, maximum compatibility is ensured, meaning that it can be operated by a wide variety of levers.”
ENVE G Series Dropper
- Price: £360.00
- Routing: Internal
ENVE: “Its innovative inverted design better resists the ingress of water or mud and crucially allows the fitting of a saddle pack so that it can be used when bikepacking.”
Fox Transfer SL
- Price: £369.99
- Routing: Internal
Fox: “Meet the Transfer SL. At 128 grams (25%) lighter than the regular Transfer post. With lever options for flat bars, drop bars, and 1x and 2x drivetrains it (finally) brings the word ‘shred’ into the super-lightweight cross country (XC) and gravel conversation.”
OneUp Dropper Post 27.2
- Price: £199.50
- Routing: Internal
OneUp: “The OneUp 27.2 Dropper Post has the shortest stack height and shortest total length of any 27.2mm diameter dropper post. 27.2mm diameter available in 90mm, 120mm.”
PNW Fern Kids
- Price: £201.00
- Routing: External
PNW: “Adults shouldn’t have all the fun. That’s why our all-new Fern Dropper Post is specifically designed with your little one in mind, taking less effort and less weight to drop that saddle and get rowdy in the dirt.”
PNW Pine 27.2
- Price: £201.00
- Routing: External
This isn’t PNW’s kid dropper post (the Fern). This is just the skinny 27.2mm modest-travel dropper with external cable routing. Great for kids that are heavy enough to actuate the post, old bikes, CX/gravel bikes, bikes with faffy internal cable routing that you just can’t be bothered dealing with.
PNW Rainier Gen 3
- Price: £201.00
- Routing: Internal
PNW: “Gravel and Cross Country bikes deserve love too, that’s why we squeezed all the features of our Rainier Gen 3 into a slimmer package. We increased travel, giving you the most drop of any 27.2 post on the market, and guaranteeing your adventures on gravel and beyond.”
PRO Discover
- Price: £230.00
- Routing: Internal
PRO: “The 70mm drop is perfect for increasing confidence on steep drops or technical sections and fits well with CX and gravel bike frame geometry. The remote lever clamps beneath the brake lever hoods and is operable from either the drops or the hoods so it’s always to hand and the cable run is designed to be internally routed.”
Thomson Covert
- Price: £450.00
- Routing: Internal
Thomson: “The Thomson Covert Black Dropper includes a new shifter oriented remote lever for easy operation. The cartridge-based system is designed to have the longest service life in the industry.”
X-Fusion Manic Gravel
- Price: £199.99
- Routing: Internal
X-Fusion: “Carrying you across every inch of the mountain, this version is also equipped with internal cable routing and a double Key Way internal design. This allows it to stop lateral movement while creating a reliable seatpost which adds performance to any ride.”
XLC SP-T08
- Price: £??
- Routing: Internal
XLC: “Air-oil cartridge, exchangeable cartridge. Low-profile patent head – low installation height. Rider’s weight: 50-120kg.”
There we go… 15 options to get your saddle dropping. Have you spotted any others? Let us know in the comments below if you think we’re missing a trick.
This guide last updated: March 5th 2022
