Talk to me about dropper posts…will I tegret buying one without a remote?

I think I’m finally going to buy a dropper post because I seem to spend a fair amount of time faffing with the height of my post.

I was thinking of a KS950 from bike discount because its relatively cheap. Also, I was thinking of getting one without a remote because my SX doesn’t have cable guides for a dropper and I don’t want zip ties all over it. The older none stealth jobbies seem like a pain too when compressed because of a bog loop of cable buzzing about by the rear tyre.

So, would it be a mistake to buy a dropper without a remote? I can see the benefits, but the able routing thing puts me off.

Thanks

I have one dropper post with a remote and one without. I’m converting the one without to have a remote.

If you ride up hill for half an hour, stop and then plummet down the non-remote ones are fine. If you want to move the post up and down regularly as you ride along then the remote is the one to go for.

Good without remote.
Better with remote.

yes you will.

I reckon that you will regret not having a remote. I fitted the KS Lev to my Heckler and managed with very few zip ties. The Lev routes to a fixed point on the post at the QR so does not have the big loop buzzing the tyre issues. Having the lever under post is not much of a step up from the QR on the seat post in my eyes.

If you don’t have a remote, you’ll probably think it’s fine. Once you’ve tried one with a remote, you’ll realise just how invaluable it is.

Get one with at least the option of a remote – you’ll find you use it much more, so you’ll get more benefit from it.

I did 3 rides with an under-saddle lever and now 1 with the remote, I won’t go back to the lever.

nope

Don’t see the point on not having the remote TBH. It’s far simpler and you can change the height without letting go of the bars.

Try grabbing your crotch riding over lumpy terrain for even a couple of seconds if you’re not sure whether you need one.

I ziptied the cable to the rear brake hose, doesnt look too bad and I certainly dont notice it. As for a dropper post, I’m fairly new to them but I think it’s the best mtb invention since disc brakes.

yes you will.

This.

Without the remote they are merely a heavy,expensive and possibly unreliable but slightly more convenient quick release alternative. With the remote their use becomes an intuitive part of your riding. If you would voluntarily go back to downtube gear shifters you might be a candidate for a remoteless dropper post.

Both our girls bikes, Enduro and Reign, have the cables attached to the gear cable with 2 small zip ties. Works well, looks OK and they dont get in the way. We are all useing Specialized Command posts and have had no problems with any of them

Get one with a remote…

I have one without (HiLo with a lever under the seat) and while it’s better than one of those horrid old fashioned fixed seat posts a little lever on the bars to just flick would be so much better than the crotch-grabbing manoeuvres that go with raising/lowering my seat.

I keep eyeing up the after market lever kit but it’s about £35 and seems a little steep considering I only saved about £20 when i cheaped out on the initial purchase… lesson learned for me.

My first was a Gravity Dropper Descender- a Turbo without the remote. Its entire purpose was to make it obvious how cool it would be if it had a remote. Luckily it wasn’t expensive to add it.

The i950 is convertible from lever to cable, but the kit isn’t the cheapest. Have you checked Superstar prices? Mine was cheap but also came with the remote kit. It’s a good post but the cable routing and protection is pretty poor…

If you don’t need the 6 inch drop, then the old i900/Supernatural is better all round IMO. You can’t convert it from lever to remote but it’s a well sorted design.

i thought you could convert the KS i900 dropzone from lever to remote? If there isn’t an official kit is there a ghetto way of doing it as i have the underseat lever version?

If you don’t have a remote, you’ll probably think it’s fine. Once you’ve tried one with a remote, you’ll realise just how invaluable it is.

…is the right answer! I had a non-remote Joplin and thought it was good. Dropped the post at the start of anything technical and raised it again afterwards. Now got a Reverb and I find myself adjusting the height, even if its only by a cm or so more often than I use my gears.

I bought a KS Lev in the Superstar sale for about £200. Briliant bit of kit. No loops of cable and a quality item. It’s working fine, but time will tell. I think you’d kick yourself not getting one with a remote. the time you usually want to drop your post on the fly will generally be uber bumpy and tricky, so taking a hand off the bar and crotch scrabbling to drop your post will not be ideal.

all the above responses are on the basis that ‘tegret’ is a typo for ‘regret’ rather than an obscure dialect word no one else understands.

That’s pretty unanimous then!

Remote dropper post it’ll be then. The KS ones are pretty cheap from Germany too. I’ll also keep an eye out with the usual suspects for a cheapy reverb. I’ll try and find a way to route the cable in a neater way than zip ties on the top tube.

If I stretch to a Lev, I could try and get the cable to run were the front mech does because I run a 1×10 set up.

I’ve got an old Gravity Dropper without a remote. No doubt it would be better with one (but it was cheap) but its still massivly better than using a normal post and a qr. Yes, there are times its not quite possible to get to it, leaving you descending old-school with it up, or climbing with it down, but I’d say 90% of the time, its adequate.

But, if I can get round to finding a remote conversion kit, I probably will do it.

There is the thought that there’s one less thing to go wrong and have to service too, but if that was truly the case, I’d have a bolt up seat clamp and rigid post.

Superstar have the Supernatural dropper left in the right size and I think it comes with a remote although it’s not totally clear because at one point it says it does, but in the detailed description it says that it’s an upgrade.Ice dropped them a quick email to get confirmation.

If it does come with the remote it’s cheaper than the German jobbies.