Test: SDG Tellis Dropper: Straight to the top?

With the SDG Tellis Dropper, the US manufacturer, which had previously made a name for itself particularly with its saddles, ventured into the highly competitive market for retractable seat posts last year. Is it necessary with all the selection or another support, one or the other question may arise - in the case of the SDG Tellis Dropper the answer can only be: Yes, it needs!

SDG Tellis Dropper: Assembly

The assembly of the SDG Tellis Dropper is wonderfully simple and shows that a dropper post can be done in just a few minutes and with just a few movements - if the manufacturer thinks along with you. This starts with picking up the outer shell at the end of the post. This is beautifully designed so that the case is held well, even if you move the support up or down to adjust it and without a pinched pull. The actual clamping is done on the remote using a grub screw. This works absolutely fine.

SDG Tellis Dropper: processing

With an RRP of 269 euros and a street price that is often around 200 euros, the SDG Tellis Dropper is one of the relatively inexpensive supports on the market. This does not have a negative effect on the workmanship; There are no flaws or imperfections to complain about here, although the post can't quite keep up with the premium posts from BikeYoke or Fox in terms of feel. The remote has a simple design, but also offers no cause for criticism, neither ergonomically nor functionally. Small nubs on the grip surface itself improve grip in wet conditions. If you don't have space for such a trigger-style remote on the left, you have to get creative and turn the remote control upwards, for example.

SDG Tellis Dropper: Feature

In all honesty, when we first pressed the Tellis Dropper remote, we were almost certain that something must have gone wrong during assembly. Almost no resistance was felt - but the post extended reliably and at a comfortable speed. Pressing it again confirmed: everything is as it should be, the dropper post from SDG really has such low operating forces! You have to get used to that on the trail, however, because without the usual resistance, there is also a lack of feedback. After a few rides, however, you are reluctant to go back to the 'old' support.

Otherwise, the seat post showed no weaknesses in practice: there was no play out of the box, and even a somewhat tighter clamp of the seat post could not elicit more than a weary smile. Thanks to its many variants and the quite compact dimensions, it should also fit into many frames.