[Closed] Dropper posts, Are they worth it ?

Ive been using my remote I900 dropper post for 14 months fantastic no wobble,no problems, feels strange on my other bike not to have one and you notice how much the saddle hits your arse.
Only slight problem at -13degs it was slow to come back up 😀 but I think the remote cable was icing up.

I think they can be a bit of a crutch.

And really not needed on a SS set-up where you can have the seat an inch or two lower than normal anyway

I have a Pure non remote version. Changed the way I ride on the big bike. It's been awesome. I can drop it en route in to the gnarrr (I iz so street, innit blud?) and then pop back up as soon as it gets climbing again. A really good upgrade to a longer travel bike and one which will only keep getting better as the technology gets better. The RS Reverb is on my shopping list, as it's the best one out there at the moment in my opinion.

Or use a quick release?

MC - No, I've never owned one.. I've ridden bikes fitted with most of them toh and all have had play, even brand new.
I actually love the idea of a remote dropper with a large drop (6"+)but until someone designs and sells one without that play I'm not about to drop £200 or whatever on one. It's not even difficult to design one with no play the manufacturers are taking the piss IMO.
I don't want even 1mm of play in my saddle. any manouver using the saddle feels awful to me with any play at all whether it's my inner thigh pushing into the saddle or sitting on it. The way I ride I'm constantly changing/correcting foot position and grip but the difference with pedals and grips is, The rider dictates when/how to rotate/move your feet/hands not the pedals/grips.

this arguement kind of reminds me of the old USD DH fork stiiffness arguement in the early 2000s.. the amount of people with Shiver DCs that said you couldn't feel the flex while riding even though if you grabbed the front wheel and twisted the bars there was a crazy amount of flex crazy was unreal but in the real world, stick your front wheel in a rut or rockgarden and it'd end up facing a completely different direction to your bars.

Northwind - pretty much no DH bikes these days can run a slammed seatpost as unless you run it ridiculously far forward on the rails the rear tyre will buzz it before the shock reaches full travel.
and no dropper post I've ever seen can be slammed like a DJ bikes'

"Northwind - pretty much no DH bikes these days can run a slammed seatpost as unless you run it ridiculously far forward on the rails the rear tyre will buzz it before the shock reaches full travel."

Um, yeah, obviously. But what has that to do with anything? You're not going to put a dropper post in a DH bike usually after all, and the few times you might- endurance type events- you'd never want it lower than you'd put a regular saddle. Likewise DJ bikes, it'd make no sense at all to put a dropper post in one of those but if you're just jumping on a regular bike you could drop the post.

Sorry, didn't read like you understood that ^^ from the wording of your last post.

more irrelivence for you - I used to always run a Scoper post in my DH bike at innerleithen DH Races, it makes a massive difference for fatigue from riding the stupid road to the uplift pick-up point being able to pedal the mile and a half 10X a day having your saddle at proper extension (not possible with an ordinary post on many DH frames). There are other UK DH venues with a nightmare pedal to the uplift too.
I'd run a dropper on my mini DH bike all the time if they didn't have play.
it would also make total sense for me to run one in my most used do everything (for want of a better term) bike, which just happens to be a DJ hardtail

GW - Member
"I'd run a dropper on my mini DH bike all the time if they didn't have play."

See I don't get this. I can understand your concern about play when it's for, oh, let's call it active riding- stuff where you feel it could impact your control. But for slogging along a road to an uplift? Really don't get why the play would be a consideration.

But OK, for the DJ bike I should have been clearer, it makes no sense for a DJ bike being used just as a DJ bike- didn't take into account people using them for other jobs.

er.. what would be my reason for slogging along the road to an uplift in the first place? 😕 or would you expect me to use the dropper to ride along then switch to a normal post that doesn't wobble at the top?

BTW - I don't uplift the mini DH bike, that was the whole point in building it.

Yes.

Ah, I get it- being stupid 😳 Thanks for clearing that one up.

Yes they are good but as said before always have a spare regular post with you! Don't use a Joplin post on chair lifts that you have to hang it from the saddle as it will put too much stress on it. I done this at Fort William and when I lifted the bike off at the top oil was dripping from it and defo had more play! My Joplin 3 broke twice with no more than 7 hours of use! Great when working, hopefully the newer ones will be more reliable. Should be better made and much more reliable for what they cost.

If you think you need a dropper for FTD then the Ad men have won 😉

Don't use em but they have Crank Brothers Joplin 3 @ CRC reduced from £209.99 to £98.98 53% off, seems like a good deal to me? Thoughts on the Joplin 3. would not be so gutted if I purchased this or it was shite!

Am I the only one that stands up most of the time when they are biking so I don't mind that my seat is low?

My local ride consists of.
22k on cycletracks/road/forest track - seat right up.
30k on small singletrack with jumps/much steepness both up and down - seat down by about 13cm. Standing up most of the time other times cruzing having a rest with my seat low.
22k on not so technical singletrack and forest roads - seat right up again.

My mountain biker/man need to buy gadgets says yes but looking at the riding I do says no. Especially as I have a tendency to snap seat posts.

GW, as I said if youve ridden one and disliked it fair enough, but your "emperors new clothes" argument that everyone else is in denial is wrong. I used to think they were a solution looking for a problem, then when I started with flatties I found I was forever lowering my saddle on technical stuff (even just an inch or so) to keep my feet on the pedals, whereas for climbing I like it (or my knees do) as high as possible. I'd originally planned to buy a used one off here to give it a try at no loss, but after a messy attempt purchase went for a new one from CRC, figuring if I hated it I'd lose, what, 30 quid which I was prepared to so. I genuinely dont notice the play when riding, if I did I'd have sold it, and I had an EC70 there before so its not being kept for bike bling factor.

I agree though that the Joplin in particular has some glaring design faults (laughable sealing, play from new which means poor tolerances) but they continue to sell despite that. I dont notice the play but it grates me that it's there from a perfectionist standpoint, and Ive attempted to solve the seal issue with a zip-tied neoprene shock boot and if that fails it'll be the cheaper, uglier but no doubt more effective zip-tied section of inner tube.

I've got one of the dropper posts on my Enduro but tend to forget it's there and not use it.

if its 30.9 you want then have a look at a spesh command post.
Mine doesn't wobble, and works.
They are all expensive, and considering the office chair technology i can't see where the money is being spent (against the price of office chairs) But you don't "need" to spend £2k on push bike either.

MC - I don't have an "emperors new clothes" arguement, I have a shite product (and owners' denial of it) arguement.
I've been riding around with a slammed saddle most of my life only raising it for climbs and as I've already said I would love a dropper post my only issue is the unacceptable (for the price) wobble they all have.

GW, you are assuming that everyone else shares your weird OCD obsession with having no play whatsoever in their seat post. 😛

I've never noticed the play on my gravity dropper.

I love the idea, but I've broken two saddles this year, therefore waiting for a reliable version. I can live with stopping to mess with my qr because I am always so far out front of groups, or riding on my own... in which case it doesn't' matter a fig anyway.

When I find one I think is me proof I will be in like flynn.

I can live with stopping to mess with my qr because I am always so far out front of groups

:swoon:

Just having returned to MTBing this year, after a long time away, I'd never heard of these things until a guy showed me the one he used at Carron Valley.
Initial reaction? Can't you just lower your seatpost with your QR? Is the 5 seconds of time you save worth the £200 you've spent on that, plus all the extra maintenance hassle?
Now, I can see the use of remotely operated ones, but my god, the price! £250 for a Reverb? Really? People think thats ok?

I don't notice any movement in my dropper, didn't notice any flex in my shiver DC's either. Lovely forks back in the day!

Q: "Dropper posts, Are they worth it?"

£170 for a cheap one?

A: No.

Q: Ever used one?

A: No, thought not

Yes they're expensive but so are most things on a mountain bike. It's honestly one of the best biking purchases I've made.

GlitterGary - Member
Q: "Dropper posts, Are they worth it?"

£170 for a cheap one?

A: No.

Going on that theory you could say the same about anything that costs a lot.
A rider buys a 500 quid hardtail, becomes a brilliant rider and get's muchos pleasure from it for years and years.
Another rider buys a 6000 quid trek fuel ex 9.9 and becomes your typical 'all the gear' type that never did the vital groundwork on a hardtail that so many adamantly stress is vital.

But perhaps the 'all the gear' rider is still enjoying themselves regardless of not becoming perhaps as good a rider as someone doing it the 'proper way'.

It's all relative if you ask me.

WTF? it's weird not to want no play whatsoever in a saddle? 😕

grumm - Member

Q: Ever used one?

A: No, thought not

Yes they're expensive but so are most things on a mountain bike. It's honestly one of the best biking purchases I've made.

I take it these things are new technology then? Hence the price.

WTF? it's weird not to want no play whatsoever in a saddle?

I have no noticeable play in my saddle - I really don't think you notice it unless you are looking out for it.

I take it these things are new technology then? Hence the price.

I dunno, the original GD has been around for a while. They should definitely be cheaper I agree. I think it depends on your riding style too, but I wouldn't be without one now.

The extra weight, limited adjustability, expense, and more mechanical things to go wrong all put me off getting one.

I'm no riding god, so I don't have much 'flow' to get spoilt by stopping for 10 seconds to adjust my post (if needed).

Maybe in some years they will be lighter, cheaper, sturdier, more adjustable.

grum - can you wheelie for an extended distance sitting down with your saddle at full extension?
try it on a dropper post and the play is instantly evident and more than a little annoying.

franciscobegbie - Exactly, it's a seatpost.

Possibly the most boring component on a bike. It's a post that holds a seat. £170 odd quid for one? Sheesh. A quick release takes seconds to adjust and don't wobble as some people have mentioned.

So no, they're not worth £170.

It's like remote suspension lockout - another idea that solves a problem that isn't really there.

What next? Handlebars that retract in width to get through a narrow gap? Actually, that might just work...

🙂

i rode my first rides with mine (27.8mm rase) over the weekend. Its not without its flaws (you have to sit on it a certain way to make it drop, its a little stickiony, its heavy (if you worry about that) and there is play) - but its well worth it. If you like riding techy stuff with your saddle up, there's little value, but I always slam mine right into the frame. I don't think I'd get much value out of one with a 3 or 4inch drop, as to me that makes the saddle still 'up' - however the 9 inch drop was very useful, as is the ability to run it at any hight (1" intervals)

H

I'd just like to express that I disagree massively with Gary Glitter's views 😉

GW - There is no play in my gravity dropper after nearly a years use. I'd agree that 4" drop isn't enough but as a flat pedal rider, it's still a very useful drop on XC rides. I will still drop the post fully using the QR if I want to ride some proper jumps on a ride, but I cannot see there being a 9" drop post to deal with that rare scenario coming onto the market in a reliable form for a while. I'd prefer an SLX equipped bike with a dropper over xtr without. It makes a genuine performance and enjoyment difference.

I can't see the point for shuttling at Inners ( 🙄 ) or riding at Glentress where you know whats coming. For the big mountain rides I do where it's 2 hours up and then half an hour down I can't see the point really, but for my local forest where I do adjust the height at least 4 times in a two hour ride I can see the benefit.
For terrain you don't know I can see it being a handy tool for surprises and making the most of what is there without having to stop... and perhaps this is the real benefit?

Yes - for my local ride I could leave the seat at max and mince round, or I could keep it down all the way for the benefits on the gnar; but risk hurting my knees. Or drop it an inch and get neither the best or the worst of the above options... and why I tend to break saddles (probably 😛 ). I've never managed a clean loop of the forest with no dabs/stops... perhaps one of these will make it possible?

GW - There is no play in my gravity dropper after nearly a years use. I'd agree that 4" drop isn't enough but as a flat pedal rider, it's still a very useful drop on XC rides. I will still drop the post fully using the QR if I want to ride some proper jumps on a ride, but I cannot see there being a 9" drop post to deal with that rare scenario coming onto the market in a reliable form for a while. I'd prefer an SLX equipped bike with a dropper over xtr without. It makes a genuine performance and enjoyment difference

there already is a 9" dropper post - the rase. Its as reliable as the other posts (ie, fairly but not completely), however a little heavy and agricutural in use.

it just hurts spending 200+ quid on a post when i know that a 20 quid one is perfectly good (even if i have to fiddle around with my QR)

granted, but the same could be said about rigid forks vs some fox 36s. You'll be able to ride down almost any trail on either, but on the sus forks the trail will be faster, more flowey and more fun.

Solamanda - No play at all? honestly? I find that hard to believe as even on a new bike still in the shop i've felt play in them.

messiah - have you ever raced DH at Inners?

GW... For shuttling use a QR is what I was trying to say... not don't drop the saddle 🙄

Side to side play is less than 1mm. They all have about 2mm up/down play due to how the mechanism works. Certainly more than acceptable and the kind of play you'd normally feel in a suspension fork bushing. Needless to say it's alot better than the other posts on the market.

No deterioration in the time I've had it bar requiring a regrease twice.

grum - can you wheelie for an extended distance sitting down with your saddle at full extension?
try it on a dropper post and the play is instantly evident and more than a little annoying.

Yup but it's not something I would ever really do on a bike ride. Again, you have to be looking for it. 😉