Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 40 total)
  • Dropper post – didn't really miss it until…
  • stilltortoise
    Free Member

    …hitting the trail centres.

    My Reverb is in the “to be fixed” pile so I’m back with a regular seat post and QR. If I’m honest I’ve not missed it as much as I thought I would for regular “natural” rides where I drop the post for the difficult descents but for nothing else.

    Where I have missed it is at the trail centre, where the terrain changes much more frequently and there are these things called corners that are so often missing on “natural” rides. The saddle just gets in the way for proper cornering and not being able to get it up and down quickly – and whilst riding – is a pain.

    Where do you find the most value in your dropper post?

    russyh
    Free Member

    So I was just talking to my riding buddies about this Sunday. My winter hardtail is currently dropper-less whilst I await delivery. I ride off piste in the FOD most rides, it’s amazing how much I miss one. In fact I would say I’m bloody dangerous or if not bloody slow without one. All my riding friends run them, so they have to wait for me to raise my saddle (they don’t wait anymore) with the tight, dodging round trees descents or short very steep drops it’s pretty dicey for someone of my poor skill level. So for me, I won’t buy a bike without one again!

    kayla1
    Free Member

    Dunno, I only fitted My First Dropper on Thursday and it hasn’t broken yet. They’re ace though, aren’t they? One ride out on a bike with a spangly seatpost and I’m sold.

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    stilltortoise
    Free Member

    I’ve had one for 4 years and rave about it to anyone who cares to listen (and some who don’t!), but was surprised at how I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would when it broke. I rode without it at Cannock yesterday – where I previously used my dropper like I use gears – and rode like a lemon*

    *it could just be because I’m crap 😆

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    Where do you find the most value in your dropper post?

    Waiting on group rides a dropped saddle is more comfy
    First to the gate, it’s easier to waddle around with a dropped saddle
    Then there is all the actual riding stuff of course 🙂

    iainc
    Full Member

    My Soul is currently with fixed post while Reverb is off being fixed. I have become very dropper reliant. I was never one for moving the fixed post up and down for sections of a ride, I just left it where it was all the time. Now I really don’t like it at all on descents…..infact I may ride the FS this week instead…

    teethgrinder
    Full Member

    All the time!
    Built a BFe recently. Was hard work without a dropper. Either too low on the climbs or too high on the downs.

    I had lent my spare reverb to a mate while his was being fixed, so got it back asap… Next ride out was miles better.

    bacondoublechee
    Free Member

    I’ve never had one on the singlespeed. I miss it a medium amount when cornering and a big amount on steep techy descents when I get stuck behind the saddle and have lots of near death experiences.

    weeksy
    Full Member

    Don’t miss it at all mostly… i generally use it about 3 times per ride in techy rides..

    Hob-Nob
    Free Member

    I’m at the point that I probably wouldn’t bother riding if I didn’t have one.

    I don’t ride boring stuff so my seatpost gets a lot of use.

    Trimix
    Free Member

    I wont ride my bike if it doesn’t have a dropper.

    I do think it depends on the type of rider you are and the riding you do.

    mcnultycop
    Full Member

    Mine is up and down constantly, often just 20mm or so to assist on rooty climbs and let me move the bike.

    Also I drop it traffic lights when riding to and from the local trails. It impresses kids when you ride away and it pops back up.

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    when I get stuck behind the saddle

    Ah yes, first there is the horror of having to get behind the saddle rather than being able to just lower my body then the OMFG moment when the saggy crotch on my shorts get hooked up on the saddle 😯

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Where do you find the most value in your dropper post?

    I originally thought they were only for steep tech. I have now realised that whilst this is useful, the best thing they offer is being able to lower my saddle by a couple of inches for twisty singletrack or descents. My long travel bike works far far better if I can get my weight a bit lower. Otherwise, with the saddle up I just roll forwards as the fork dives under braking. It’s compeltely transformed that bike (or rather – dropping the saddle did – the dropper just makes it much easier).

    I’ve now decided that slighly dropped is the default position, and it goes UP for climbs, and down for steepness.

    However I won’t put one on my Salsa, because it’s not that kind of bike, and doesn’t have enough suspension for this to be an issue.

    mark90
    Free Member

    Also originally thought it was just for steep tech descents, but find I use it much more than that, the biggest revelation was cornering. It’s up and down all the time during a ride, getting on/off, sitting waiting, etc. Typically up for easier climbing, slightly dropped for tech climbs and anything I stand up for I’ll generally just slam it out of the way to give more room for bike/body movement.

    FS has had a dropper for a while and I had to put on one my HT too as I got so used to riding with one. Without one I tended to sit and bimble more rather than drop the seat and attack sections, only dropping the seat to for the odd steep descent.

    Stevet1
    Free Member

    I’m at the point that I probably wouldn’t bother riding if I didn’t have one.

    [quote]I wont ride my bike if it doesn’t have a dropper.[/quote]I’m sure that was for dramatic effect and you don’t really mean it. I don’t have one most of the time on my hardtail because it’s either up to get places, or down when I’m playing around.

    I don’t ride boring stuff so my seatpost gets a lot of use.

    Lol, just undo the QR, whack the seatpost down and enjoy!

    tomhoward
    Full Member

    New (xc race) bike arrives in a couple of weeks.
    It doesn’t come with a dropper
    Won’t have time for a shake down ride to see how I get on with a fixed seatpost before first race.
    Haven’t owned an mtb without a dropper for 7 years.

    Do I just order one or risk certain death and everyone laughing at me in the process of going over the bars at anything steeper than a wheelchair access ramp?

    kayak23
    Full Member

    Hob Nob – Member
    I’m at the point that I probably wouldn’t bother riding if I didn’t have one.

    This, unless I’m just doing xc type stuff.

    stilltortoise
    Free Member

    Lol, just undo the QR, whack the seatpost down and enjoy!

    I’m sure that was for dramatic effect and you don’t really mean it 😉

    Seriously though, this misses the point which was slammed home to me this weekend at a trail centre. If I’m out in the Peak District it’s not hugely inconvenient to stop and drop my saddle for a descent and put it back up again when I reach the bottom. At trail centres however…

    I’ve now decided that slighly dropped is the default position, and it goes UP for climbs, and down for steepness.

    Agreed. When at a trail centre, I want it lower for the sinuous, winding singletrack through the trees so I’m not snagging my shorts when cornering. I can’t really be bothered to do that if it means putting the saddle back up when I get to each climb. I just want to keep riding and *that’s* where dropper posts are special.

    CheesybeanZ
    Full Member

    Absolute game changer for me , I’d rather have a dropper than gears .

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Do I just order one or risk certain death and everyone laughing at me in the process of going over the bars at anything steeper than a wheelchair access ramp?

    People were riding XC a long time before droppers were invented!

    I want it lower for the sinuous, winding singletrack through the trees so I’m not snagging my shorts when cornering

    For me it’s about lowering the centre of gravity.

    ulysse
    Free Member

    Ive just bought a Large version of my current frame, 2016 bizango (yeah yeah, halfords crap- carry on!) as im getting old fat and past it, and want to see if a trade off for efficency over chuckability will suit me, so its getting built from all the bits i’ve upgraded on my medium frame.
    So that means the large frame will be built as per it left halfords, complete with the normal style seat post.
    It’s gonna be interesting, as people above have already said, the dropper is used as everything from a hill start aid, waiting about at gates feet on the floor, another gear on climbs, techy rock gardens, steep descents…

    Stevet1
    Free Member

    Seriously though, this misses the point which was slammed home to me this weekend at a trail centre. If I’m out in the Peak District it’s not hugely inconvenient to stop and drop my saddle for a descent and put it back up again when I reach the bottom. At trail centres however…

    I think we’re in agreement, this is where I put a dropper back on. I wouldn’t give up riding if I didn’t have a dropper though…

    teethgrinder
    Full Member

    CheesybeanZ – Member
    Absolute game changer for me , I’d rather have a dropper than gears .

    I’d rather had SRAM gears than no dropper.

    makecoldplayhistory
    Free Member

    Having spent less than 5 hours at trail centres in the last 2 decades of MTB’ing, I don’t use my dropper much. Since getting one, my local rides only have 4 real climbs and descents in a 2 hour ride so not really what droppers were designed for. It’s off at the moment waiting for a new cable. It’s been waiting for 3 weeks and is near the bottom of the ‘to fettle’ pile.

    kayla1
    Free Member

    I originally thought they were only for steep tech. I have now realised that whilst this is useful, the best thing they offer is being able to lower my saddle by a couple of inches for twisty singletrack or descents. My long travel bike works far far better if I can get my weight a bit lower. Otherwise, with the saddle up I just roll forwards as the fork dives under braking. It’s compeltely transformed that bike (or rather – dropping the saddle did – the dropper just makes it much easier).

    I’ve now decided that slighly dropped is the default position, and it goes UP for climbs, and down for steepness.

    All of this +1, I totally missed the point of the Flare until I stuck a dropper in it. Dunno whether to stick one in my SS HT or not though, I quite like the XC whippet mincey misery/penance of it 😯 😆

    nemesis
    Free Member

    I’m very much a saddle up and never drop it type rider but recent use of droppers has convinced me of their worth. For longer trails (especially trail centres) it’s the ability to drop it then raise it then drop some more then partially raise then fully then drop again, all on the fly as the trail changes.

    rocketman
    Free Member

    Have got 4 bikes all 31.6 seat tubes and 2 droppers I swap round

    I don’t think a dropper is a must-have. It suits some bikes but not others

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    For those catching their baggy shorts on their saddles, there’s a very simple solution…

    nemesis
    Free Member

    Get rid of the saddle?

    ianpv
    Free Member

    I’ve been using droppers for 10 years, and love them, but have been riding more xc/bikepacking stuff recently and not had one on the bike. It takes a while to get used to, but it is possible to ride things without one, you just go slower.

    I can’t imagine trying to ride a bike with flat pedals without one though…

    ianpv
    Free Member

    double post

    Jeffus
    Free Member

    Missed mine when it went for a service really surprised how much i use it knocking it down and inch or all the way on techy down hill it never just stays up makes riding more fun keeping the bike and me balanced..

    failedengineer
    Full Member

    I wonder what the percentage of ‘serious’ MTBs with dropper post is? I don’t ride with anyone who uses one and some of my (much younger) riding chums are pretty handy on the technical stuff. My bike had one when I bought it, but I sold it after a couple of rides. One of my friends did the same, except he used it about 6 times, I think. I recall one of the staff at Wheelbase in Staveley saying that none of them use them, either.

    weeksy
    Full Member

    scotroutes – Member

    For those catching their baggy shorts on their saddles, there’s a very simple solution…

    L**RA shorts !

    jonnyboi
    Full Member

    Haven’t had one since I ditched the trail bike for a 29er carbon whippet thing, although I am tempted to stick one on there….

    stilltortoise
    Free Member

    I wonder what the percentage of ‘serious’ MTBs with dropper post is?

    Do you mean mountain bikes or mountain bikers?

    We’ve been dropping seat posts for as long as we’ve been riding bikes; a dropper post simply makes the process (a lot) more convenient and many of us are prepared to pay for that convenience. They are still a lot of money though, so I can see why people are happy to manage without.

    In my day this was the height (see what I did there?) of dropper post tech:

    tomhoward
    Full Member

    Well, I bottled it. Reverb ordered for race bike. Skills are now compensated for by an additional 20%.

    wiggles
    Free Member

    I am fitting a static post on my new bike just to work out what length dropper to get before I spend the cash, I bet I last one ride before I order one…

    kayla1
    Free Member

    Well, I bottled it. Reverb ordered for race bike. Skills are now compensated for by an additional 20%.

    😆

    Compensate for lack of skill, COMPENSATE!

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 40 total)

The topic ‘Dropper post – didn't really miss it until…’ is closed to new replies.