Dropper posts are the best thing to happen to mountain biking since disc brakes. But a lot of them leave a lot to be desired still. Here’s our top dozen or so things that get on our nerves about some droppers.
And yes, this feature is sponsored by OneUp. One Up droppers are the best, so we’re happy to oblige with well deserved bigging-up.
Wobbly shafts
Dropper posts that exhibit an excessive amount of lateral/rotary saddle jiggle. Truth be told, you can rarely if ever actually detect the wobble when you’re riding but it’s just an off-putting thing to feel when you’re stood aside your bike moving it around. And in a practical sense, excessive slop in the shaft department results in a post that can compress/extend inconsistently (bushing bind etc).
Saddle pulls up when lifting up your bike
We’re not sure why this is as annoying as it is but droppers that extend whenever you go to pick up your bike by the saddle (from the ground or over a obstacle etc) are Officially Well Annoying.
Fiddly saddle rail clamp
This is a moan that applies to all seatposts really, not just droppers. Why is it seemingly so difficult to design a rail cradle that doesn’t require three hands to assemble, or needs the entire cradle disassembling just to get the saddle rails in there?
Cable nipple at the remote lever end
Believe it or not there are still dropper posts that have the cable nipple housed at the handlebar end of things. This makes initial setup overly faffy and then makes the post more prone to numerous complications during the ensuing use of the post.
Go squishy
Suspension seatposts are good, if you want one. A dropper post that squidges up and down a centimetre or so when you sit on it, is not good.
Vague or slow in operation
When you experience a decent dropper it affords you more control over your ride experience; being able to quickly and accurately position your saddle height ‘just so’ is a real benefit in terms of bike contro, efficiently and handling. Slow or vague droppers only ever spend their life either fully compressed or at full height. Which is a waste.
Rubbish remote levers
Shifter-style remotes with a rubberised thumb pad please. No other styles need apply. Certainly not those horrid old fashioned ones that lay vertically on your bars and have a V-brake metal noodle jutting out of them. Ugh.
Non-adjustable
Sometimes you need to swap a dropper post from one bike to another. Whether it’s a spare bike, demo bike, winter bike and even a whole new bike. And sometimes the dropper is too long for the other/new bike. Being able to quickly change how much travel a dropper post has can be a real ride/weekend saver!
A lot in a little
Droppers with more travel are better. Some droppers pack in more travel than others, even though the overall post length is the same. For example, OneUp can squeeze in 210mm of travel into the same length post as other brands’ 170mm droppers.
Expensive
There are some droppers that cost several hundred quid. For no worthwhile advantage. Bonkers.
Hard to service
Some droppers are dauntingly tricksy to crack open and service. Either that, or they require some tools that not a lot of home mechnicas actually own. Did you know (yep, here comes the Hard Sell) OneUp droppers are easy to service by mere mortals? Here’s the video proof…
OneUp Dropper Post range
Let’s now go over the features of OneUp’s V2 dropper post. What makes it a good choice for a whole lot of riders.
One key thing about OneUp is the adaptability and serviceability of the posts. The fact that travel can be adjusted means that you can get the longest drop possible for your bike rather than being restricted.
The general service process is really indicative of OneUp’s ease of usability. There’s only a small number of parts required, they are all available to buy, and the servicing itself doesn’t require any tools that aren’t already in an experienced mountain biker’s toolbox.
Lengths available
90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240
Diameters
30.9, 31.6, 34.9
You can also get 27.2 version, in 90 and 120mm travel options.
The 90mm is good for small frames, kids bikes but also comes in handy for frame designs with very interrupted seat tubes (droppers for DH bikes!)
Weight-wise, OneUp posts are decent too, with a 150mm travel V2 dropper coming in at around 480g.
More is more
Almost everyone is looking for the most travel possible. This is OneUp’s trump card.
Put simply, by running a OneUp dropper you can achieve up to 30mm more drop than you can with rival droppers. OneUp posts fit more drop into the same space (saddle rail to actuator).
As well as the things you can see externally – short stack height clamp, dinky top collar – the system inside the post takes up less room than other droppers.
For example, you can run a 230mm drop OneUp post in the same space a 200mm drop rival brand post takes up. Or, where you ‘only’ had a 160mm dropper, you can now have a 180 in there.
There aren’t really any downsides in having more drop, apart from the extra loads going through the bushings. Which is why the longest travel OneUp droppers have increased bushing overlap.
Travel adjustment
Going back to the simple 10mm increment travel adjustment. This is very handy when, for example, you can’t quite accommodate a full 210mm travel so you can quickly adjust it down to 200mm or 190mm. (it’s also just nicer looking to be able to get the collar of the dropper to sit as flush as possible to the seat tube collar!). This travel adjust flexibility also helps future-proof your dropper post purchase for future bikes that you may get.
The travel adjustment feature means that OneUp posts actually offer a total range of travel options from 70mm up to 240mm, in individual 10mm increments.
Changing the travel only takes a couple of minutes. You do it by removing or inserting thin 10mm-long brass rods into post. It’s very simple and swift to do.
Our favourite dropper
As well as the long drop-ness and travel adjustability, OneUp droppers are just really flipping good droppers. Really nicely made. Responsive and accurate in operation on the trail. They’re also light weight for the travel on offer. There are a few cheaper posts out there but none can hold a candle to the quality, travel amount and adjustability of a OneUp.
Free express shipping from their warehouse in Sussex.
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