Best Dropper Pos?

Don’t want to jinx myself, but I have a ton of experience with KS and Fox. My general feeling on both is that reliability is hit and miss. I have a first-gen KS that has been bullet-proof, after 4 years still doesn’t even have any play, is on my sons bike now. I bought newer versions and one crapped out after 10mo, the other no issues. I’ve been running a non-kashima Transfer for 2.5yrs, and other than some side/side play that was there from day-1, no issues. I tried a new Reverb and it felt like shit, like the post was moving through mud. Does anyone even buy these after-market?

FWIW, out of all the “innovation” of the last 10yrs, the dropper post hands-down has made the biggest difference in the way I ride, and on-trail performance. None of this big-wheel or new-school geometry marketing crap would have ever reached any of the hype it’s received without the dropper post letting the seat get down and out of the way without a second thought.
 
I recently broke my seat post (carbon) so figured the universe was telling me to upgrade to a dropper. Been using it a few months, and gotta say, not sure it's worth the $300 investment. Between remembering to actually use it at the "right" time, and the times it actually made a difference, it's made me rethink my choice, and maybe a different upgrade would have been more worth the $$.
 
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stilluf said:
I recently broke my seat post (carbon) so figured the universe was telling me to upgrade to a dropper. Been using it a few months, and gotta say, not sure it's worth the $300 investment. Between remembering to actually use it at the "right" time, and the times it actually made a difference, it's made me rethink my choice, and maybe a different upgrade would have been more worth the $$.
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I was skeptical but it has 100% changed how I ride certain things. Corning, downhills and getting the bike in the air are so much more natural when you don't have to position yourself based on where you seat is.

Captain Brainstorm said:
FWIW, out of all the “innovation” of the last 10yrs, the dropper post hands-down has made the biggest difference in the way I ride, and on-trail performance. None of this big-wheel or new-school geometry marketing crap would have ever reached any of the hype it’s received without the dropper post letting the seat get down and out of the way without a second thought.
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This.
 
+1 for the fox transfer....have had mine for 2 years now and have not had any issues with it ....also I have a trans x that come on my fat boy(3 years on that now) ....and have not had any issues with either post ......I bought the fox as an upgrade to bike bike that did not have a dropper ...the tranz x came on the fat bike .........I would buy the fox again.....I dont know if I would "buy" a tranz x ....it works and I have had no issues....it's just not as nice and smooth as the fox
 
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stilluf said:
I recently broke my seat post (carbon) so figured the universe was telling me to upgrade to a dropper. Been using it a few months, and gotta say, not sure it's worth the $300 investment. Between remembering to actually use it at the "right" time, and the times it actually made a difference, it's made me rethink my choice, and maybe a different upgrade would have been more worth the $$.
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It takes a long time to get used to remembering that you have it. If you give it time, using it will be second nature and you won't know how to ride a bike without one. Pretty much any time I stand up, I put the seat down first without even thinking about it.
 
JimN said:
It takes a long time to get used to remembering that you have it. If you give it time, using it will be second nature and you won't know how to ride a bike without one. Pretty much any time I stand up, I put the seat down first without even thinking about it.
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The next level will be droppers that you don’t need to sit on to drop, that will be a true game changer. With tight, twisty single track where you constantly need to snap out of corners (six mile), it is awkward to sit down to drop the post.
 
I am so used to having a dropper now that I would have a hard time riding a mtn bike without one. I use it constantly. Pretty much any time I am riding out of the saddle, not just descending. When I come to a stop, the seat goes down - makes it easier to get on/off the bike.

Just about everyone I know who has owned a hydraulic actuated Reverb has had trouble with it, so I would only consider a cable actuated or one of the wireless versions.

I've been running Thomson posts for about 5 years now - since they first became available in external only. An internal version has been on my Primer since 2016 and hasn't been touched. I have an external 27.2 version on my Vassago Ver Hauen.

My Megatower has a Manitou dropper that seems to be functionally similar to the Thomson. It doesn't go back up quite as fast as the Thomson, but otherwise it's been fine. The Manitou is considerably cheaper than many.

I helped a friend swap a One-up dropper and it is similar to the Thomson and Manitou from what I can tell.

The PNW coil spring post seems like a good idea. To me, it doesn't seem necessary to use an air spring when a light coil spring would be just as effective and I can't imagine the weight difference being all that much. The spring only has to be heavy enough to move the seat.

I agree that a fully automatic dropper that can go up and down without needing rider weight would be a game-changer.
 
Fox and PNW make good ones. I have had 3 fox transfer posts and had good luck with them. Stay away from rock shox posts if you ride in the cold, they have a tendency not to work in cold weather.
 
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bergsnj said:
Stay away from rock shox posts if you ride in the cold, they have a tendency not to work in cold weather.
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I wonder if this is all due to pressure drops. Though I don't use it often, I've had two Reverbs that I used rarely and were purchased used. Never had any issues in cold weather, but I also set them up when it was cold so the pressures were correct when it was 10-20 degrees out.
 
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stb222 said:
The next level will be droppers that you don’t need to sit on to drop, that will be a true game changer. With tight, twisty single track where you constantly need to snap out of corners (six mile), it is awkward to sit down to drop the post.
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It looks like electronically actuated posts are on the way, so its a matter of time before dropping without sitting happens. This means that a seat post will eventually cost $1000 also, yea!

I have the same issue with the tight, twisty single track. This has forced me to spend a lot more of my time standing, which for me has had a positive impact on making my pedaling a little smoother.
 
I never felt the need for a dropper on my older bikes (note, I don't ride 29'ers). I could always ride obstacles and drops with the seat at full height. Dropping the seat was reserved for playing on serious obstacles. But with modern geomerty, a dropper makes dealing with the terrible, super-low BB's a lot easier, especially on my XL frame size.
 
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one piece crank said:
I never felt the need for a dropper on my older bikes (note, I don't ride 29'ers). I could always ride obstacles and drops with the seat at full height. Dropping the seat was reserved for playing on serious obstacles. But with modern geomerty, a dropper makes dealing with the terrible, super-low BB's a lot easier, especially on my XL frame size.
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My son rides my EWR and the dropper 100% changed his riding.

That being said, the geo of that is very similar to these modern bikes.
 
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Can’t imagine riding a MTB bike with a fixed seat post. That’s so 90’s ?

Even the top pro XC guys/gals are finding the benefits/advantages in having a dropper.
 
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jumping in late but i've had 3 fox transfers with wolftooth levers and it's the only post i'll ever ride. also wolftooth is the only lever i'll ever use.

plus that kashima coat matches my bike so good...
 
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stilluf said:
I recently broke my seat post (carbon) so figured the universe was telling me to upgrade to a dropper. Been using it a few months, and gotta say, not sure it's worth the $300 investment. Between remembering to actually use it at the "right" time, and the times it actually made a difference, it's made me rethink my choice, and maybe a different upgrade would have been more worth the $$.
Click to expand...
I'm a late convert too, it took me almost a whole season to get used to a dropper and when to use it. I can confirm that's its the best upgrade ive done on my bike too.

I've got a skinny seat post, my ks eten finally died after 2.5 years. But i admit I've never cleaned the post after a ride.
 
All modern trail bikes are designed with a dropper post as part of the equation. Every performance review you read on the internet, in a magazine or on YouTube is with a dropper. If you were to put a static post on any of the trail, enduro, “downcountry” (WTF?!?) bikes that are out there
then the review would most likely be terrible.

My Reverb crapped out a month into owning it. Had it rebuilt 2 years ago- no issue since. It’s slow as shit in the cold though. I bought a PNW for my new bike. Haven’t used it yet but heard good things.
 
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One up fanboy for life , cheap , adjustable, shortest stack height and home serviceable with cheap parts to rebuild when necessary.
 
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