October 25, 2019

Dropper seat posts

This are the third biggest innovation in mountain biking since fat tires. My local bike shop mentioned two brands and suggested that I will end up spending somewhere around $200. My research suggests that you can easily spend up to $500. The question is, why would you?

One variable is the amount of travel. My seat post is extended 8 inches out of the frame, which is 200mm, so I ought to be able to accomodate a dropper with 150mm, certainly 125mm. I asked about the combination of a dropper and a seat bag and was told that you simply don't use the dropper if you are carrying stuff in a set bag. Some droppers have some kind of adjustable stop to allow limited use without terrible accidents.

When shopping, be alert that some makers sell the control lever (often called the "remote") separately at added cost.

KS was a brand that was mentioned. They list 14 models, so you have the game of sorting out all of these options. The E-Ten seems to be the bargain model (at $200). The Lev Integra at $280 adds some desirable features.
Here is a buyers guide just for KS posts:

OneUp makes a well regarded dropper post and I am not seeing crazy prices. It offers tunable drop lengths and they say this is field adjustable without tools. The price looks like $200 with the lever costing an additional $50. It uses a cable rather than hydraulics, which you could view as a good thing.

Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's mountain bike pages / tom@mmto.org