# Thinking a dropper post would help me.



## dirtsniffer (Jan 19, 2020)

Was in an accident and trying to get back in the saddle again. 20 lb's heavier and 20% weaker equals some very ungraceful takeoffs & landings. Would a dropper help? I'm 59 and have 15% nerve loss on left side mostly in arm and shoulder, right hip doesn't like to bring my leg up after a while. Anyone use droppers for essy mount/dismount?


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## LanceWeaklegs (Dec 24, 2019)

Yes. That’s one thing a dropper will do for you, in addition to allowing you to get in the most effective position while riding. Get a dropper. Ride as much as you can. Get fit. Drop weight. Ride better. Feel better.


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## dirtsniffer (Jan 19, 2020)

Thanks, thats the plan. Bought a fat bike but was too small so bought a new larger with front suspension and put a b67 brooks saddle on it to smooth it up some. My raise stem or bars to take the pressure of my neck and shoulders, should increase ride time . Maybe raise stem height and narrow the fat bike bars an inch or two will do it.


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## telemike (Jun 20, 2011)

Buy a dropper post. I was skeptical until I tried one. Buy a dropper post.


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## Racecar (Oct 10, 2019)

Dropper is awesome for getting the seat to just the right height for pedaling. Then drop it for bumps. I use my dropper lever more than the gearshift. There is no downside other than the cost. I don't think you will be disappointed..


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## Dirtrider127 (Sep 17, 2010)

A dropper post and tubeless tires are must have for any bike & rider anymore


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## be1 (Sep 4, 2013)

yes. the dropper is great for lowering the seat height for mount/dismount.


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## Radium (Jan 11, 2019)

Everyone I've watched dismount when they have a dropper does this. The guy at my bike shop told me it was "OK" to do it.
I got one on each of my trail bikes. They're great.


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## Miker J (Nov 4, 2003)

Get a dropper.

I'd sooner ride V-brakes on fully rigid bike with a dropper, than a fully tricked out bike with out a dropper.


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## TheBaldBlur (Jan 13, 2014)

I was VERY skeptical of droppers ....until I got one. I was firmly in the camp of "get your butt off the saddle and you don't need a dropper", but I was wrong. The thing that surprised me most about riding with a dropper was NOT the ease of getting behind the saddle, but the range of motion I gained in moving my hips laterally around the bike with the saddle out of the way.


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## YJ Bill (Jul 16, 2013)

Like everyone says, can't go wrong with a dropper. Gives me a lot of confidence on the downhills also, i use the heck out of it


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

I have a Fox dropper and I appreciate it's convenience. I ride year round in variety of weather conditions and terrain


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## bachman1961 (Oct 9, 2013)

I never got revved up about them nor tried one on a ride or for a day but I'm not real advanced, thrill-seeking or dynamic. Yet I know it's the next bike related thing I'll buy.
I get seriously irate just the few times a year my shorts get caught on the saddle disrupting rhythm, balance or creating distraction so its worth it in my estimation.

Were I in your situation, it would be my top priority to pick one up the very next time I 'jumped' in the car. I can see that helping a ton.

:thumbsup:


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

Back in the day, we put quick-release seat post clamps on our bikes and when anticipating a descent would stop, quickly drop the saddle and proceed. After the descent we'd stop and raise the saddle. Droppers simply allow the same without having to stop. If you're willing to stop, QR clamps are a relatively cheap alternative:

https://www.jensonusa.com/Salsa-Flip-Lock-Seat-Collar


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## NorCal_In_AZ (Sep 26, 2019)

I installed a dropper on my bike a few weeks ago. It instantly transformed my riding. No more of locking the seat into a good middle ground position between high enough to climb and low enough to descend and mount the bike. Being able to move my weight around the bike so much more, made features I found hard, into moderate. 

I did have a click release on my bike when I first got it. I could not get it tight enough to keep the seat from moving. On a 10 mile XC ride I would find it moved about 1/4"-1/2". Not enough to be an issue, but enough that I knew it was happening.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

Problems with a QR seatpost clamp are far fewer and easier to resolve than problems with droppers. I'm not advocating their use instead of droppers, but simply suggest an alternative for the casual rider who may not want to spring for a dropper and its relative complexity, or are unsure if they'd benefit. They can also try dropping the saddle on rides and decide if they want to get a dropper. Of course they could just bring an allen key and drop their saddle too, but that gets old pretty fast.


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## dirtsniffer (Jan 19, 2020)

thanks for the replies, buying dropper first then summer wheel set.


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## CactusJackSlade (Apr 11, 2006)

Once you get a dropper and get used to activating it all the time... YOU WILL NEVER LOOK BACK!

Much safer, lets you do things you would not normally do... and your feet can reach the ground when you are stopped and makes getting on the bike WAY easier!

If you have a HARD TAIL, I'd recommend the dropper/suspension post from PNW.

For the soooothest dropper ever, go with a Bike Yoke. I just tried one and as my current ones (KS LEV and RockShox ones) wear out I'm switching all of them to Bike Yoke's!

Cheers


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## dirtsniffer (Jan 19, 2020)

well i bought a dropper, raised the stem about 2". Crank Brothers Highline 3 125mm. Much better! May narrow the handle bars or get something else, Jones or Surly moloko's. New used wheel set too DTswiss481 29ers with 2.20 schwalbe ice spiker pro's on them. Now to get 2.6 tires for it.


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## PierreR (May 17, 2012)

I ride three days a week in a group of octogenarians on mostly gravel type bikes. It did not take long for them to realize the value I had in dropping my saddle five inches when coming up to a stop light. Most of them still clipped in and would fall over about once a month. Reminding them that a dropper is less than the deductible on an injury was powerful. 
Now they all ride droppers and insist they have no idea how they rode all those years without one. If it broke, they would not ride until it is fixed. 

They still do not like my loud fat tires. They are now about 75% converted to e bikes after I went there. I am the only one in that group still doing some single track.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

My dropper opinions:

a. RARELY do they ever NOT benefit the rider. I don't run one for XC racing for my own personal reasons that are not up for debate. Even then, depending on course, I would consider one.

b. Most people who do have one still fail to fully exploit them. If you have a dropper...use it! I see people all the time not drop their saddle for some silly reason or another. Why? When I am teaching riding technique with a dropper, I teach people that the natural position for the seat is fully down, only raised when you plan to sit in the saddle and pedal. If you are not actively using the saddle, then drop it. Even for a simple turn, obstacle, or downhill. Drop it.

c. A dropper post is like a suspension fork. No, you don't need it. But MTB is so much better with one!


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

PierreR said:


> ...It did not take long for them to realize the value I had in dropping my saddle five inches when coming up to a stop light. Most of them still clipped in and would fall over about once a month...


Dropper or not, you still gotta remember to clip out.


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## alazgr8 (Apr 16, 2020)

Dirtrider127 said:


> A dropper post and tubeless tires are must have for any bike & rider anymore


I am newly back into riding, after a 20 year layoff due to bad knees which I had replaced recently. I have never heard of droppers until very recently, but I can see the value of them, in my case for getting on and off my bike.

Please explain to me why you think tubeless tires are a must have.

Thanks,

Rick


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## alazgr8 (Apr 16, 2020)

Hi NorCal_In_AZ,

I'm interested in getting a dropper for my bike, more for making it easier to get on and off, than anything else. I'm old and fat, and my down hill days are behind me. Can you make a recommendation for a decent dropper. I'd like to buy something in the $200 range, as long as I can get something decent. 

Thanks,

Rick


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## SoDakSooner (Nov 23, 2005)

Tubeless tires (with sealant) are typically self healing, so they greatly reduce the need to patch on the trail. No more tubes to deal with. Most holes that don't self seal can be fixed with a plug, similar to an automobile plug. Then just air up and off you go. A tire can be repaired in less than a minute if you are good at it. I don't even carry a spare tube any more(for local rides anyway). Tubeless tires have been around for a LONG time, maybe just coming around when you stopped riding. They also allow you to run lower tire pressures for more traction as you have less risk of a pinch flat(I have pinch flatted a tire before(without a tube).

Oneup components makes a decent, relatively inexpensive dropper. One of my riding partners runs the Oneup and really likes it. Note that typically the actuator lever will be purchased separately.


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