Hardly any other component has changed MTB sport over the last 15-20 years as much as the dropper post. Being able to lower the saddle comfortably while riding to get more freedom of movement and more safety on the bike helps beginners as well as professionals, from cross country to freeride. After the market was dominated for a long time by the top dogs Reverb from Rock Shox, the Kind Shock LEV and a few others, the selection of dropper posts has exploded in the recent past. Almost every accessory and component manufacturer now has its own retractable seat post, which makes it increasingly confusing for prospective buyers. Reason enough for us to give you an overview and to take a closer look at a selection of dropper posts.
Which supports made it into the test?
When selecting the test supports, we were as open and free as we could in order to be able to make comparable statements about the test field. In concrete terms, this means: We have tested drops between 500 and 120€, drops with internal or external routing, 100mm or 170mm stroke, with hydraulic or mechanical inner workings. The only criterion was that all test supports should be remotely controllable from the handlebars; Dropper posts with a lever under the saddle are easy to install and still an attractive option for many riders, but they are only comparable to remote posts to a limited extent. As an example and outside of the test field, we took a close look at the H-Lifter from Procraft - for all those who prefer to have a lever under the saddle.
components: Test: Procraft H-Lifter Vario support
Test: Dropper posts have undoubtedly changed MTB sports. However, beginners in particular shy away from retrofitting for fear of the possibly complicated assembly or because of any incompatibilities with the frame. For those, supports like the Procraft H-Lifter are an attractive option - installation is child's play without a remote control, lowering is done with a lever under the saddle. Procraft H-Lifter: […]
According to which criteria did we test?
How do you judge whether a dropper post is good or bad? We racked our brains for a long time about this question and the individual factors wanted to be carefully weighed. Function was the top priority for us: impressions such as lever ergonomics, hand strength, positionability of the lever and also the extension speed of the support come into play here. Equally decisive for us was the selection of different support dimensions, strokes and the constructive seat height of the support. With this we wanted to get to the bottom of the question: Can this post make as many people as possible happy, regardless of frame size and anatomy? If you want to read more about how we exactly determined the dimensions, you can read it here.
Of course, we also included the assembly in the final evaluation. How long does it take and how complicated is it? Does the guide help or just confuse you? Are there helpful manufacturer videos? Furthermore, we have dealt with the service friendliness of the supports. Can the manufacturer carry out maintenance work? Is there any help in the form of videos? What about the availability of spare parts? Last but not least, the overall build quality of the post also had an impact on the end result.
One or the other will miss the durability factor in this list, which is certainly not unimportant for dropper posts. There are two main reasons why we did not do this. One is of a pragmatic nature and is related to our large test field of a total of 15 supports. In order to be able to make credible and meaningful statements about durability, a support must at best be used for several months under different (climatic) conditions. We simply don't want to draw any hasty conclusions from some test drives. In addition, the durability also depends extremely on the individual driving style, the transport, cleaning effort or laziness and to make comparable statements about more than a dozen supports seems almost impossible to us.
What did you notice?
Large test field, many findings and surprises: First of all, it is astonishing that more and more manufacturers rely on closed gas pressure cartridges inside: In the past, these were reserved for inexpensive beginners, but they are now also found in the upper price segment, such as on the Crankbrother's Highline. Although you have to do without an adjustable speed, the gas pressure supports are usually easy to open and maintain and in the event of a possible defect, the entire cartridge can be easily replaced - usually quite cheaply. Completely mechanical seat posts are still exotic, but with the new TRS+, E13 shows that very good seat posts are also possible with a classic spring and simple inner workings – even if they weigh a few grams more. Last but not least, there are of course still many manufacturers who rely on a classic, hydraulic inner workings, including Rock Shox, Fox or Magura.
Most of the new supports are only available with internal cable routing; However, our test showed once again that the models with external routing still have their right to exist: (Dis)assembly is usually much easier and quicker to complete and, on top of that, they are compatible with almost all frames. For example, if you want to use the post on several bikes, you will be happy not to have to fumble the cable through the inside of the frame every time. Especially the supports with a fixed cable attachment like the Kind Shock LEV or the cheap Forca have hardly any disadvantages compared to their internally routed counterparts. By the way: The new FOX Transfer is also available in this version. The radio-controlled Magura Vyron occupies a special position - even if the test revealed that the modern technology not only has advantages.
Overall, we were quite surprised that there wasn't a really bad dropper post in the entire test field. Even the cheap Forca in the thankless last place has its raison d'être and its merits. Supports like our test winner BikeYoke Revive or the X-Fusion Manic also show that it is definitely worth looking beyond the big names – even though the top dog candidates like Reverb, Transfer or LEV were able to confirm their good reputation.