# Dropper post recommendation



## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Can anybody recommend a good dropper post that maybe isn't the most expensive to go on my timberjack? I'd like to give one a try, but don't want to spend a ton of money. I don't like fancy crap that don't work right half the time, so if anyone has any good experiences with some of the cheaper models, let me hear about it (if you don't mind taking the time to write up a mini-review). Thanks


----------



## TwiceHorn (Jun 18, 2014)

Brand-X Ascend 120mm & 150mm Dropper Seatpost | Chain Reaction Cycles

Not the greatest, but does the job. Probably works as well as most of them, but may not be reparable.


----------



## TwiceHorn (Jun 18, 2014)

https://www.pnwcomponents.com/collections/affordable-trail

A step up, in cost and user support.


----------



## Geralt (Jul 11, 2012)

I put an IRD dropper on one of my bikes a few weeks ago. It's not very refined but it's inexpensive~$125. It's a simple mechanical design, so there's not much to go wrong with it. It has some limitations. Only three positions--all the way up, halfway down, and all the way down. Only available in 90mm or 110mm, so if you want more than that, look elsewhere. Another thing about it is that the return speed is very fast, so you quickly learn to ride the saddle as it rises unless you're into pain. So far, it's reliable and given the design, I expect it to continue to be reliable.

RQR2 Mechanical Dropper Seatpost - Interloc Racing Design / IRD

Oops, doesn't look like IRD makes that post in a diameter that fits the Timberjack.


----------



## noapathy (Jun 24, 2008)

Fox Transfer. Buy once, cry once.


----------



## Battery (May 7, 2016)

PNW Components Rainier. Why? Cuz it works. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Thanks guys. My gut tells me just to wait, save up the money, and splurge on the fox transfer. However, I'm a "keep it simple stupid" type of person, and I just know if the dropper ever malfunctions, I'll cuss myself for ever spending money on a dropper when the rigid post that came on my bike will never malfunction or cost me another dime. At that point, I'll throw the dropper on my workbench and it'll collect dust until one day 20 years from now I'll throw it away. That's kind of why I don't want to spend a lot. Are the fox transfer posts known to be pretty bulletproof?


----------



## tuckerjt07 (Nov 24, 2016)

MX9799 said:


> Thanks guys. My gut tells me just to wait, save up the money, and splurge on the fox transfer. However, I'm a "keep it simple stupid" type of person, and I just know if the dropper ever malfunctions, I'll cuss myself for ever spending money on a dropper when the rigid post that came on my bike will never malfunction or cost me another dime. At that point, I'll throw the dropper on my workbench and it'll collect dust until one day 20 years from now I'll throw it away. That's kind of why I don't want to spend a lot. Are the fox transfer posts known to be pretty bulletproof?


Even the best posts are going to eventually have issues, whether it's a cable, seal, lever or whatnot. That said I've heard great things about the Transfers.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

There is little correlation between the cost of a dropper post and its reliability. Generally, spending more gets you lighter weight and sexier operation but as a breed, dropper posts are not very reliable. 

So, working on the assumption that you are going to have to fix it, the best post seems to me to be the one that's the easiest to fix. Can you get spare parts? Can you work on the thing yourself in the shed? Does it need special tools? 

Some of the cheaper forks are simple mechanical affairs, which is good, but how easy is it to get parts? I weighed it all up and went for the Specialized Command Post. I'm not saying it's the best choice, others might be just as good, but I can get all the bits for it and fix any fault with basic workshop tools. Happy so far.


----------



## tuckerjt07 (Nov 24, 2016)

Mr Pig said:


> There is little correlation between the cost of a dropper post and its reliability. Generally, spending more gets you lighter weight and sexier operation but as a breed, dropper posts are not very reliable.
> 
> So, working on the assumption that you are going to have to fix it, the best post seems to me to be the one that's the easiest to fix. Can you get spare parts? Can you work on the thing yourself in the shed? Does it need special tools?
> 
> Some of the cheaper forks are simple mechanical affairs, which is good, but how easy is it to get parts? I weighed it all up and went for the Specialized Command Post. I'm not saying it's the best choice, others might be just as good, but I can get all the bits for it and fix any fault with basic workshop tools. Happy so far.


From an ease of working on it perspective it is tough to beat the X Fusion Manic.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


----------



## Geralt (Jul 11, 2012)

The reliability champion is probably still the Gravity Dropper. The cheap IRD I bought was sort of a test to see how well I liked a mechanical dropper before I possibly shell out $ for a Gravity Dropper for a third bike (I have a Specialized Command Post Blacklite on one of my bikes and was used to riding the saddle as it rises up because doing that supposedly makes the collet less prone to being damaged, so adapting to the IRD wasn't a problem.) The Gravity Dropper has some of the drawbacks the IRD does, but I figure it's a higher quality product and there should be no problems getting parts for it.

Gravity Dropper Turbo LP | GravityDropper


----------



## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Mr Pig said:


> There is little correlation between the cost of a dropper post and its reliability. Generally, spending more gets you lighter weight and sexier operation but as a breed, dropper posts are not very reliable.
> 
> So, working on the assumption that you are going to have to fix it, the best post seems to me to be the one that's the easiest to fix. Can you get spare parts? Can you work on the thing yourself in the shed? Does it need special tools?
> 
> Some of the cheaper forks are simple mechanical affairs, which is good, but how easy is it to get parts? I weighed it all up and went for the Specialized Command Post. I'm not saying it's the best choice, others might be just as good, but I can get all the bits for it and fix any fault with basic workshop tools. Happy so far.


I can get the command post locally, and it looks like it comes with the lever as well. What does the cruise control function do? Does it control the full extension position, or the dropped position?


----------



## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

check pinkbike.com for a used Gravity Dropper post. they are very simple design and most reliable of droppers incredibly easy to DIY service, but ugly and some other limiting aspects, e.g., drops only to pre-determined amount or two settings depending on model. The discrete setting is a deal breaker for folks who want continuous adjustment over the range. 

i usedthem for years and have sold a couple of them used on Pinkbike. gone in 24 hours 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Dropper (Mar 1, 2018)

Bikeyoke revive or fox transfer buy one like others have said and like pedals just keep it when you sell the bike.


----------



## armii (Jan 9, 2016)

I have a KS eTen on my trail bike, has worked fine for the two years I have had it. It is available from Amazon or Jenson USA for under $120. It is only 100mm drop, but still makes a difference without spending a lot.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

MX9799 said:


> What does the cruise control function do?


I have no idea, never heard of that. Mine is the older three-position one. I also bought an external one rather than internal for ease of set-up and servicing. Happy with that choice.


----------



## Geralt (Jul 11, 2012)

MX9799 said:


> I can get the command post locally, and it looks like it comes with the lever as well. What does the cruise control function do? Does it control the full extension position, or the dropped position?


Cruise Control is Specialized's way of making the Command Post feel more like an infinitely adjustable post. The first 30mm of drop is in one increment then there are many closely spaced increments in the middle of the range then toward the bottom there's another large increment of drop. Mine's an older three position Command Post, so I don't know how Cruise Control actually feels.


----------



## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Mr Pig said:


> I have no idea, never heard of that. Mine is the older three-position one. I also bought an external one rather than internal for ease of set-up and servicing. Happy with that choice.


The reason I ask is because there's a new bike take-off command locally on Craigslist that I can get for $185. What does the "three position" settings do? Do the set a fully extended seat height, or a fully dropped seat height?


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

MX9799 said:


> What does the "three position" settings do?


Like all posts, you set post fully extended at your highest saddle height. While the majority of posts can be locked off in any position, the original Command Post only had three positions. Full height, about 30mm down from full-height (on a 100mm post) and full drop. Some people saw it as a limitation but I like it. Rather than trying to judge where to set the post you know exactly where it will be and the three positions are all you need.

Probably in response to complaints, Specialized introduced finer settings either side of the intermediate position. I don't know how that works in practice. Seems pointless to me but that's the way all new Command Posts are.


----------



## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Mr Pig said:


> Like all posts, you set post fully extended at your highest saddle height. While the majority of posts can be locked off in any position, the original Command Post only had three positions. Full height, about 30mm down from full-height (on a 100mm post) and full drop. Some people saw it as a limitation but I like it. Rather than trying to judge where to set the post you know exactly where it will be and the three positions are all you need.
> 
> Probably in response to complaints, Specialized introduced finer settings either side of the intermediate position. I don't know how that works in practice. Seems pointless to me but that's the way all new Command Posts are.


So with those different positions, would you have to hit the lever multiple times to get the post all the way dropped?

I'm really just looking for a post to be all the way up for my normal saddle height, and then drop all the way down with one lever push when I want the seat to be out of the way. I'm not really interested in anything in between. Not really sure why anyone would want different drop points. Seems the whole point of a dropper is to get the seat down and out of the way, so I'm wondering what the point of the intermediate stops are.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

MX9799 said:


> So with those different positions, would you have to hit the lever multiple times to get the post all the way dropped?


No. Once you push the lever the post is free to move anywhere in its travel. As far as I am aware, all dropper posts are like that. So you can go straight from full height to full drop. If you push the post half way down and release the lever it will come up and click into the 30% drop position.

Having the post part way down is good, I use it a lot. You can still sit and pedal but the seat is low enough to allow good freedom of movement on moderate trails.


----------



## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Mr Pig said:


> No. Once you push the lever the post is free to move anywhere in its travel. As far as I am aware, all dropper posts are like that. So you can go straight from full height to full drop. If you push the post half way down and release the lever it will come up and click into the 30% drop position.
> 
> Having the post part way down is good, I use it a lot. You can still sit and pedal but the seat is low enough to allow good freedom of movement on moderate trails.


Ok. Gotcha. Thanks for the explanation. I might just pic up that command post off of Craigslist. Seems to be a pretty good deal for $185.


----------



## GoingNowhere (Oct 15, 2014)

TwiceHorn said:


> Brand-X Ascend 120mm & 150mm Dropper Seatpost | Chain Reaction Cycles
> 
> Not the greatest, but does the job. Probably works as well as most of them, but may not be reparable.


No complaints on mine. It was easy enough to install (once I looked up a Youtube video) and gets the job done. I've had it on my bike for a couple months now with no issues.


----------



## idividebyzero (Sep 25, 2014)

Go on Ebay and get some OEM dropper like a Bontrager Drop Line or Specialized Command Post (make sure its new/take-off, not used). If the Drop Line ever stops working you just swap out the air cartridge for $60.


----------



## GSJ1973 (May 8, 2011)

TwiceHorn said:


> https://www.pnwcomponents.com/collections/affordable-trail
> 
> A step up, in cost and user support.


I'll 2nd this post.


----------



## richj8990 (Apr 4, 2017)

armii said:


> I have a KS eTen on my trail bike, has worked fine for the two years I have had it. It is available from Amazon or Jenson USA for under $120. It is only 100mm drop, but still makes a difference without spending a lot.


I have that one too, it's up to $139 on Amazon, but still a good deal.


----------



## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

richj8990 said:


> I have that one too, it's up to $139 on Amazon, but still a good deal.


After reading this thread, I bought one from Tree Fort Bikes for $109! I was debating if it was worth putting money into my 26er hardtail but at that price, yeah! A bit disappointed that the remote is not hinged as I'm hoping to try it on my CX as well. I actually have a PNW remote I might try with it; when I bought my Cascade they included the wrong remote and I think this one might work.


----------



## Bearing Man (Oct 9, 2018)

I got a Fox dropper after my KS dropper went bang!:madmax: The Fox has not only been really good but it looks sweet in gold too.
I do lube the stem fairly regularly with silicone spray, keeps it sliding smooth.:thumbsup:


----------



## Osco (Apr 4, 2013)

My $150 Transx dropper also badged as the Giant Contact SL switch, also badged as the Syncros dropper works like this:
My saddle goes up and down.................
Just like the $400 big name droppers...

Over 3 years old, regular riding, have to clean and re lube the short cable twice a year, takes about ten minutes, cost Pffft.

https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy...MI8Nrrjan-3QIVkbrACh274AitEAQYASABEgJTavD_BwE

Go figure.


----------



## Ruturaj Hagawane (Mar 29, 2015)

I bought PNW Components Bachelor Dropper Seat Post, 170mm Travel for $223 on Amazon (they had promo coupon). I had it for a year and it has been good to me. I haven't serviced it yet but as per as I have heard it's pretty easy.


----------



## Speireag (Jun 13, 2018)

An ebay vendor has a bunch of the 150mm X-Fusion Manic posts they're closing out for just over a hundred bucks. At that price, they're a very good deal. Very easy (and cheap) to rebuild, if needed. If you're on a budget, that's going to be hard to beat.

I've had one for about a month now, and have nothing but good things to say. Forum reviews seem to suggest reliability is good.


----------



## Hops143 (Apr 27, 2018)

I bought a Crank Bros. Highline slightly used on Craigs for $125 and have had zero issues. Would definitely recommend.


----------



## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

chazpat said:


> After reading this thread, I bought one from Tree Fort Bikes for $109! I was debating if it was worth putting money into my 26er hardtail but at that price, yeah! A bit disappointed that the remote is not hinged as I'm hoping to try it on my CX as well. I actually have a PNW remote I might try with it; when I bought my Cascade they included the wrong remote and I think this one might work.


Just an update. I installed the eTen and found it to be slow in rising, just as a lot of people said. Like slow enough as to be less useful on the trail. I rode it this past weekend for the second time, though these trails didn't need a lot of dropping so I didn't use it a lot. Last night, I pushed the seat down then released it and it rose very, very slowly. Actually, it didn't rise at all until I pulled on it. Tried it several times more and it would rise but at like half the speed it had been rising. I checked the lever and it seemed to be tensioned properly but I went ahead and gave the little barrel adjuster a twist anyway. Pushed it down, hit the lever and it popped right up! Much faster than it ever had. Pretty much at the same speed as my PNW Cascade.

The cable slack due to the attachment at just under the seat is more of an issue than I thought it would be. You just have to give it some though and testing to see where the cable will go when you lower the saddle so that the cable doesn't go somewhere that it might get caught on your foot or something. I just bought a Brand-X Ascend II on sale from Chain Reaction for the same price for another bike, since it has the cable attach at the collar.

And also, the PNW lever I had didn't work out with my eTen. But that was mostly because it was hitting the shifter as I am running that bike as 3x9. The little eTen lever worked fine as it is so small and doesn't travel a lot.


----------



## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Well, I wound up going with the KS Lev SI dropper post with a wolf tooth remote. I have to say the set up looks nice. Riding it around the yard last night when I got the bike home, I can tell already that I'm going to love the extra room the dropper gives you when it's down. The post drops pretty quickly when sitting on it, but doesn't seem to come up super fast. It's like it starts out a little slow, and then gets faster until it tops out with a thud. I think I'm going to love having it on the bike for the downhills. Wish it would stop raining so much so I could get out on the trails and break it in good.


----------



## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Here it is. I'm liking the look and feel of the wolf tooth remote. Glad I decided to splurge on the remote.

One question I do have about a dropper post. Do you have to trim/adjust the cable if you make adjustments to the height of the post in the seat tube? I ask because I had the lbs install this post for me since the bike was in the shop for the last warranty tune-up. They installed the post sitting up about 1.5 - 2" too high in the seat tube. Sitting in the saddle, my legs are locked out completely with the pedals at 6:00, which I don't like. If I drop it down a couple inches to get it at the height that I like, will I have to make adjustments to the cable and housing to get it to work right, or will the little bit of cable slack in the seat tube and/or frame not really make that much of a difference. Thanks.


----------



## Taildragger (Mar 13, 2005)

Unhappy with SRAM/Rockshox Reverb and their warranty department. I didn't spend the time, money and effort to send this in for repair only to get it back saying it functioned 100%. I was unaware that it was supposed to be sticky and sound like a zipper! 2019 model that came stock on a high end bike.


----------



## Battery (May 7, 2016)

MX9799 said:


> View attachment 1223822
> 
> View attachment 1223823
> 
> ...


Lowering it will just move the housing around by 1.5 to 2 inches inside the frame. You should be fine. You can pull on the housing near the front of your bike to get the slack to the outside that way it doesn't bunch up at the bottom of the seat tube. Don't yank it too hard. If the cable looks super long on the outside, you may need to trim the cable and housing again.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

Battery said:


> Lowering it will just move the housing around by 1.5 to 2 inches inside the frame. You should be fine. You can pull on the housing near the front of your bike to get the slack to the outside that way it doesn't bunch up at the bottom of the seat tube. Don't yank it too hard. If the cable looks super long on the outside, you may need to trim the cable and housing again.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's what I thought, but didn't know how finicky these things might be to cable tension and stuff like that. Thanks Battery.


----------



## willowbeast (Jul 10, 2017)

Another happy owner of Brand X here. No issues what so ever.


----------



## Rngspnr (Feb 15, 2016)

willowbeast said:


> Another happy owner of Brand X here. No issues what so ever.


Yeah. Mine's going on two years with no issues or service. They're on sale at Chainreaction for $107.00. Cheaper than a service on other brands.


----------



## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

I'm looking forward to getting my Brand-X; great price from Chain Reaction this week, $107. I needed 27.2 external. I'll post a comparison to my KS eTen and PNW once I get it installed and a ride in, and a ride on my tweaked eTen (way too little time to ride with the change in time ). I think the Brand-X may come with the sideways lever designed for a CX bike so I'll have to either shim it or try to use my extra PNW lever. I'm happy we have some low price alternatives for droppers now-a-days, I just can't afford to spend a grand on seat posts for 3 bikes.


----------



## Battery (May 7, 2016)

My new Transition bike came with a Race Face dropper. I've never used those before. I can tell you this much. The remote sucks! I ordered a PNW Components remote to replace this junk! I just hope the dropper is decent!


----------



## NH Mtbiker (Nov 6, 2004)

Bontrager just came out with this new Line Elite that comes in the following configs:

100, 130, 150 & 170mm - But only in 31.6 diameter, and the lever not included. Not sure how good it is, but like the 130mm option. Anyone riding this post yet? Should be on the 2019 Trek bikes.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...ite-dropper-seatpost/p/22689/?colorCode=black


----------



## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

NH Mtbiker said:


> Bontrager just came out with this new Line Elite that comes in the following configs:
> 
> 100, 130, 150 & 170mm - But only in 31.6 diameter, and the lever not included. Not sure how good it is, but like the 130mm option. Anyone riding this post yet? Should be on the 2019 Trek bikes.
> 
> https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...ite-dropper-seatpost/p/22689/?colorCode=black


It comes with a lever:

Includes cable, housing, and 1x under-bar remote lever
On-Bar Universal Lever sold separately


----------



## NH Mtbiker (Nov 6, 2004)

chazpat said:


> It comes with a lever:
> 
> Includes cable, housing, and 1x under-bar remote lever
> On-Bar Universal Lever sold separately


Correct. Meant to say On-Bar Universal Lever sold separately...oops


----------



## bim6180 (Sep 7, 2017)

Another happy brand-x dropper owner. Came with my new Process last year, and it's been performing great. All you need is some slickoleum once in a blue moon.

Investing in Wolf-tooth remote is totally worth it though.


----------



## Battery (May 7, 2016)

I can tell you one dropper I don't recommend and that's the Race Face Aeffect. It was brand new on my bike and it doesn't want to extend to the very top. I set the air pressure to 250psi (stamped on the side), slathered SRAM Butter, and cycled it multiple times. I managed to make it top out several times but it's intermittent. Sometimes it will hit the top and other times it won't. 

I also swapped out the POS remote for a nice PNW Components Loam Lever. It looks sexy on the bike and works properly too  

I emailed Transition about it and hopefully, they will get back to me today. They are quick to respond.


----------



## twodownzero (Dec 27, 2017)

MX9799 said:


> Thanks guys. My gut tells me just to wait, save up the money, and splurge on the fox transfer. However, I'm a "keep it simple stupid" type of person, and I just know if the dropper ever malfunctions, I'll cuss myself for ever spending money on a dropper when the rigid post that came on my bike will never malfunction or cost me another dime. At that point, I'll throw the dropper on my workbench and it'll collect dust until one day 20 years from now I'll throw it away. That's kind of why I don't want to spend a lot. Are the fox transfer posts known to be pretty bulletproof?


Just so you know, since you don't seem to be fully convinced that a dropper post is a critical component of your bike, I would sooner install a rigid fork on my bike than ever ride a trail without a dropper again. They are the most important innovation in the history of mountain biking, in my opinion. Considering even $12-1500 bikes are coming with them now, it appears that the market agrees.


----------



## MX9799 (Feb 11, 2018)

twodownzero said:


> Just so you know, since you don't seem to be fully convinced that a dropper post is a critical component of your bike, I would sooner install a rigid fork on my bike than ever ride a trail without a dropper again. They are the most important innovation in the history of mountain biking, in my opinion. Considering even $12-1500 bikes are coming with them now, it appears that the market agrees.


I got the KS Lev Si, and although the trails here have been closed due to rain every 3 days since I got it on the bike, I can already tell just by riding it around the back yard that I'm going to love it. The extra room I have when just practicing trackstands was instantly noticeable, so I got a feeling I'm going to love having it on the trail. Maybe one day soon it'll at least dry out enough to at least maybe hit the pump track or something and I can get some real riding experience with it.


----------



## motard5 (Apr 9, 2007)

OneUp dropper for $199. It's the most compact setup you can get for 150 or 170mm of travel.


----------



## escrowdog (Oct 26, 2018)

motard5 said:


> OneUp dropper for $199. It's the most compact setup you can get for 150 or 170mm of travel.
> 
> View attachment 1224552


Very cool! I have an e thirteen 150mm that came on my size L Jeffsy, it's just too long for me and no way to adjust the travel, seems really silly you cant limit how high it goes. Hoping YT will swap me for a 125mm. If not the oneup looks like a great idea!


----------



## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

chazpat said:


> I'm looking forward to getting my Brand-X; great price from Chain Reaction this week, $107. I needed 27.2 external. I'll post a comparison to my KS eTen and PNW once I get it installed and a ride in, and a ride on my tweaked eTen (way too little time to ride with the change in time ). I think the Brand-X may come with the sideways lever designed for a CX bike so I'll have to either shim it or try to use my extra PNW lever. I'm happy we have some low price alternatives for droppers now-a-days, I just can't afford to spend a grand on seat posts for 3 bikes.


Mine did come with the CX lever and it's too much of a difference to try to shim (large diameter for going over wrapped bar). I see now that Chain Reaction has added a note that they are shipping the 27.2s with the CX lever. So, looking into a proper remote.


----------



## ShaneK46 (May 10, 2020)

Is it possible to get a 170mm dropper with 27.2 diameter


----------

