[Closed] All bikes should have dropper posts.

Why? NOt something I have ever felt a need for and I don't have one on any of my bikes

🤦‍♂️

I think droppers are one of those very few components that are terrain specific. If I still lived in the Chilterns I don't think I'd bother with one. They're very useful when they're useful, but otherwise...nah.

I agree. They are ace. Improved my kids riding and enjoyment when they got them. We need better, cheaper droppers.

Rebuilt my Ventana a few weeks ago. Thought it would be handy to have a drooper. I've yet to drop it in anger...

You don't NEED one but the trouble is once you've ridden with one I do think they make rides more fun. I'll probably never ride without one now!

I’m with you... I can’t even get on and off my bike now without dropping the saddle...and that includes my turbo bike 😀

Has anyone used the words skill and compensator yet?

Only you.

Nope.
They're good if you're doing lots of steep and/or techy terrain but for normal, "downcountry"/trails/XC/bimbling that most of us do they're an extra complication.

I've never used a dropper, but I'm putting one on my current build because sometimes I'm riding my bike but I also wish I was on an office chair.

They do transform a bike and a ride, especially if you ride rough stuff, but even on pretty tame terrain. I'd really miss mine. I occasionally forget to drop it on tech sections and I am amazed at the difference. Loving the hate too. Seems to happen with a lot of new tech that eventually becomes universal

Most of the time, I own a rigid bike, and even that has a dropper in- because riding with no suspension is fun and challenging while riding with no dropper is just not being able to ride like I want to.

It's not a "big gnar" thing either, tbh the gnarlier the trail the more likely it is to be entirely downwards. The first time I really clicked with a dropper, was Drumlanrig- because there are loads of sections that have enough downwards, or technical options, or dubious line choices, to want the post down but also enough pedalling to want it up. Around the pentlands reservoirs I feel the same, I wouldn't want to have it either up or down.

I think droppers are one of those very few components that are terrain specific.

I think they're rider specific, there's a lot of folk that are completely wooden when riding, who hang on to the bars for dear life and let the bike do the work, and don't move at all, apart from pedalling.

Those folk don't use or need droppers.

I like to drop my post pretty much every time I stand up, even on flat trails they make the bike more manoeuvrable. I don’t understand why people only drop them when things get steep.

Just a load of more faff we’re told we have to buy to faff about with to ride a push bike. I don’t like faffing about.
I’ve never used one by the way but I bet it’s a load of faff.😀

there’s a lot of folk that are completely wooden when riding, who hang on to the bars for dear life

They're called Roadies. 😂

I've often thought my rigid singlespeed should have one, instant Big-BMX for twisty singletrack.

Apart from balance bikes, trials bikes, tandems, recumbents, BMXs, DJ bikes, tall bikes, unicycles.

Heavy, ugly, unreliable. No thanks.

So I've got one, and do use it, a Fox Transfer. But once its worn out it'll be getting replaced with a plain post, because in the analysis it isn't worth it.

Bike components, it's all subjective.....

Bit presumptive to say those that don't rate droppers also don't move about the bike properly, proper internet comment that.

But, what about droppers Simon?

Got one on the big bike.

Often get to the bottom having found I didn't use it.

Don't have one on either xc bike or the touring bike. Couldn't find one for my TT bike or my road bike (aero seat posts-so surely that would mean no sloppy keyway ;))

Yes so not all bikes. And even those with in my case are doubtful.

Put one on the wife's bike as she likes to put the saddle up and down to suit.

For me -I do drop the seat when terrain dictates - but most of what I do is long climbs and descents. so somewhere ( to take a place I have ridden) like the quantocks where the ups and downs are only a few mins apart I get it. But when you climb for an hour a descend for half an hour I just don't need it. I'll be stopping at the top anyway to see the view / catch my breath

wow, didn't realise. I thought they were pretty universal for most these days

I thought they were pretty universal for most these days

You thought wrongly 🙂

wow, didn’t realise. I thought they were pretty universal for most these days

Do not make the mistake of thinking this place is representative of actual MTBers.

Yeah they're not necessarily always needed, but they definitely are good to have for some rides. I've removed mine for maintenance reasons some time ago, can't remember when and haven't got round to fixing it. Have just been dropping the post manually using a multitool. Sometimes if feeling energetic then I'll just stick with it down for the whole ride, standing up as much as possible, pushing gently if seated to save knees.

I am happy not having one on my gravel bike, but would rather not ride my FS if I had to use it with a rigid post.

Heavy, ugly, unreliable. No thanks.

That’s what my seatpost says about me! Maybe I should change the bastard. He’s always been too laid back for his own good anyway.

🥁

I think it does depend on terrain, but also how/when you learnt to ride.

I’ve been riding a long time and droppers didn’t exist for the first 20 years of me riding bikes. So now, even though I’ve ridden plenty with one, I just don’t see the value unless you’re on the steeps, as I’m used to moving my bike and my body with the saddle where it is.

I can see where they’d be useful, but that’s not the riding I do.

You know when you google something and you find a singletrack thread from about 10 years ago, that’s what this one reads like 😂

😂

My brother only drops his when he puts his bike in the car.

You know when you google something and you find a singletrack thread from about 10 years ago, that’s what this one reads like 😂

Before that was disc brakes, before that it was suspension etc etc etc.

Not sure all bikes should have one.. my touring bike, my shopper and my road bikes don’t need them (And DH bikes, leave their seats down). I was a non believer or at least a piss taker of them, still if riding a DH track I’d lower my seat. Now a days - one on my Enduro race bike, a Bird and on my Solaris but there isn’t one on my single speed and when I rode down a stairway last week in it, I felt pretty uncomfortable with that seat up. I can just about pootle down some of the softer local gnarlier tracks with a seat up but I’d like to see someone do them any faster .. drops, small jumps, steep roll offs, logs on the track - seat up would make these pretty unpleasant If not downright dangerous, so you are at least undoing the clamp and pushing the seat down with out a dropper. I’ve seen people doing enduro races without a dropper but they lower their seat at the beginning of each track, like I do but at the end they are stepping off their bike and trying to get the seat right to ride up. Singletrack on an old school bike fine. Seems it’s down to your bikes and where you ride.

Have them on all my bikes, i enjoy techy downhills and jumpy stuff, so they are good, days at places like BPW i do tend to just have it lowered all the time, so can see how folk can survive without them, i did for the first 18 years of mountain biking, but they are one of those things in biking that has vastly improved bikes, especially with the way trail centres and the changes in trails around the country, where you are getting more techy descent more often, with features added, then straight into uphill at the turn.

At present, pretty much all bikes have the ability to use a dropper post, which is good enough, wouldn't want to see them on all bikes as you'd just get a lot more of the cheap and nasty ones that have more reliability issues and reduce the overall confidence in them.

Unreliable? I've had a Reverb for three years with no problems other than one bleed. Which is really easy. Heavy? Heavier than a standard post, but meh. Ugly? I'd maybe agree that externally routed posts aren't the most aesthetically pleasing, but internally routed ones don't look much different to a standard post. An extra cable does make the front look a little messy, I suppose. If I could afford the wireless Reverb, or a Magura Vyron I'd jump at the chance to tidy the cockpit up a little.

Faffy? Stopping to drop/raise the post when terrain dictates is way faffier than simply pressing a lever, popping your arse down and getting the saddle out of the way for a more fun descent.

I've just taken mine off and put a regular post on. I quite like how there's one less thing to think about.

It also means that taking the bike apart (maintenance, travelling) I no longer need to worry about the cable - I dread ever having to disconnect the cable from the post, and losing the tiny grub screw.

I might go back, but it will be externally routed so I can just take it off.

Wouldn't consider a mountain bike without one, but each to their own. I put one on my gravel bike, which seems a bit less common, but I like it and use it all the time. Even on road descents I prefer to get a bit lower (aero and cornering) and any sort of off road descent just feels much more fun with the seat dropped. I did start with a 150mm dropper (One Up) but actually found that a bit much for the gravel bike for some reason. Shimmed it down to 120mm and that seems to work better for me.

Have had them on MTB’s for a while, and recently got one on my Genesis Fugio 30 gravel bike and find it very useful.

Rather go back to canti brakes than lose the dropper

I'm a convert. I like to keep my bikes as simple as possible, ie rigid singlespeed so I thought they were just another gadget.

However I fitted one to my bike for the 'Puffer because I find getting my leg over the bike as the race wears on gets more and more difficult. It was going to be purely for that purpose - drop the saddle when I stop to make the remount easier.

I very quickly discovered the advantages of dropping it in all sorts of conditions, basically any time I was out of the saddle because that allows more mobility for the upper body, and therefore better bike control (IMO).

And they're brilliant if your solution to tech stuff is windmill legs... 🙂

I'm now looking at getting one for the gravel/Rough Stuff bike.

I used to do a short commute on my mountain bike (it wasn't worth buying another bike for a 2km ride). I found the dropper to be super-useful in a busy urban environment, especially being able to drop it when waiting at traffic lights. Essential? No, but pretty handy.

Not necessarily a dropper but if new riders are tackling drops and jumps get that ****ing seat down!

Every Friday Fails etc has examples of people getting kicked up the arse over the bars by a high seat.

It's amongst the most easily preventable MTB accident. Along with lack of speed and stopping the back wheel with your arse going off drops. I show videos of these things to newbies as an example of what to never ever do in any circumstances!