I got a dropper post and I don’t know how I feel about it...

[StuckMTB]

I’ve been wondering about dropper posts for awhile now, but I haven’t really had the need to change my seat post out and it seemed like a bit of a gimmick. To me the biggest selling point would be that I can drive into the parking deck at work with the bike on my roof rack if I have the dropper down. To me, it wasn’t really worth investing in a $200 part just for that reason though. That said, when the mrs asked me what to get for Christmas, I figured why the hell not.

I ended up ordering myself a PNW Coast dropper, which fulfills my requirements of having external cable routing and fitting my 27.2mm seat post (I ride old bikes apparently). On top of that, the Coast has 40mm of air suspension as well as being a dropper post. I’ve wanted to try a suspension post for awhile, so why not both?

Well, I took it out for a couple trail miles last night and the short answer is, I don’t love it

The drop function is great and I can see the value in getting the seat out of the way for technical sections and descents, and it pops back up quickly, but the suspension was really unnerving. For one thing, it kept leaking whenever I disconnected my shock pump so I expect I was running somewhere between 140-160 PSI instead of the recommended 230-300. That meant in general there was a ton of sag when I put my fat ass on it. And every time I would pick my weight up even a tiny bit to maneuver something technical out of the saddle, the damned thing would come up with me and stayed attached to my tuckus unless I really stood out of the saddle.

So I guess what I’m asking is... is this just an issue I’m having because I bought a suspension dropper post, or is this droppers in general? If you have a dropper, do you like it? Maybe I’m just a simpleton who doesn’t like nice things and wants my dumb bike to stay simple and dumb.

[Highlander]

@stuckmtb said in I got a dropper post and I don’t know how I feel about it...:

PNW Coast dropper

I think the problem is the suspension aspect. I would be driven crazy riding on a suspension post. I've been using droppers on my bikes since 2015 and would never go back. I bought an Epic that didn't have a dropper and after 3 rides I was back in the shop buying a dropper for that bike.
The PNW droppers are pretty nice, I got a KS Lev for about $250 but my bike takes internal cable routing.

[trivet]

@stuckmtb
I don't have a dropper but I ride a RockShox suspension post and I love it. Takes the teeth rattling out of the unexpected drop or rock on the trail. I have it set very firm so there is not a lot of flex.

Is the suspension sensitivity adjustable on yours?

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@stuckmtb I looked into posts after you mentioned one. I want one, but I wouldn't want a suspended one. Suspended posts make no sense kinematically.

[PowderHound]

@stuckmtb has to be the suspension aspect. I have a rockshox reverb and I will never not use a dropper on a mountain bike again. That being said, it has developed some pogoing and it is extremely annoying and has me searching for a new one

[Wrong Wheel Drive]

@stuckmtb Ahh suspension woes. This is why I like my hard tail. I dont gotta worry about any of that! Nevermind that rocks murder me and theres lots of rocks around here. Its absolutely hilarious to me every time I bomb through a rock garden and feel like death would be a sweet release. Still havent broken the bike in half yet though so I will keep pushing it!

[DasWauto]

@stuckmtb it’s definitely the suspension aspect of the post. When you’re pedalling it’ll kill your efficiency and limit the power you can put in.

The dropper’s function is to move the seat out of the way for descents and/or technical sections of trail.

I absolutely love mine. It took a bit to get in the habit of using it but now that I have it’s a godsend with the shorter up/down nature of the trails here. Any descent where I’m up on the pedals the seat is down and back up immediately to meet my but when I have to pedal again. Just fantastic.

[ITA97]

@stuckmtb I'm a fan of the dropper on my hardtail. I've never ridden a suspension post, but the dropper function is fantastic for the days the steep, technical stuff is calling my name. It also has the fringe benefit off making the bike easier to transport.

[Highlander]

@powderhound KS Lev or fox transfer

[PowderHound]

@highlander I can't seem to find the Lev in the amount of travel I want and the transfer is internal routing only. I have to stick with external for my current bike. Been looking at the PNW cascade or even a Brand-x

[Highlander]

@powderhound PNW is good but heavy

[VincentMalamute]

@StuckMTB I love dropper posts for it's designed use. Technical trails with steep dropoffs.

For suspension on the saddle for comfort, rear suspension is the way. Or 2.8" Plus tires. Or something that will give a few mm of cushion. Like those double bladed carbon fiber seatposts or one of them with the elastomeric buttons.

[functionoverfashion]

It took me a long time to get used to mine, but I love it now. Mine does not have suspension within, it's fixed wherever you set it.

I find I set it at different heights, depending on the ride. Last night I was riding on ice and wanted it a bit lower so I could easily touch my feet down if I had to.

[BeaterGT]

No experience with a suspension dropper but to echo what most of the others said, they are great once you get comfortable with it. There's no shortage of droppers that miss the mark either so it could definitely be the model you are working with making it an unnerving experience. I remember I wasn't sold on droppers at first trial but I imagine they are like clipless pedals, slightly terrifying at first but game changing once you get used to them or modify them to your habits.

[StuckMTB]

Thanks for the feedback everybody. I'll definitely give it another try but I'm thinking my issue might be the suspension as previously stated. Maybe this post might be better suited for my roadie to give a little extra squish. I think for my hardtail, the 2.8 tires I've got should be enough, esp with the dropper to get the seat out of the way when I want to.

[trivet]

@wrong-wheel-drive said in I got a dropper post and I don’t know how I feel about it...:

@stuckmtb Ahh suspension woes. This is why I like my hard tail. I dont gotta worry about any of that! Nevermind that rocks murder me and theres lots of rocks around here. Its absolutely hilarious to me every time I bomb through a rock garden and feel like death would be a sweet release. Still havent broken the bike in half yet though so I will keep pushing it!

That's why I love my suspension post on my hardtail. It's in no way equivalent to a FS, but it takes a bit of the beating out of some rides.

[VincentMalamute]

@wrong-wheel-drive said in I got a dropper post and I don’t know how I feel about it...:

! Nevermind that rocks murder me and theres lots of rocks around here. Its absolutely hilarious to me every time I bomb through a rock garden and feel like death would be a sweet release.

I recognize that sentence. I was riding my hardtail with a fully suspended friend and noticed he was so much faster through the rocky sections and he was even staying seated through the lesser rocks. We switched bikes and the next day I bought an FS bike off Craigslist.

[nermal]

@wrong-wheel-drive Depending on the rocks, I find it's often best either going full send or complete weenie through them. Going at a moderate pace is often the worst of both.

[nermal]

@stuckmtb I'm running the BrandX post ordered from Chain Reaction, with an upgraded lever that was bought on clearance. About $150 into it total and has been great for 3 years of abuse. Not sure if any of that still applies, but worth a look.

It's a bit slower on the release than some of the other options, but I prefer it that way. When faced with a choice of having something directly towards your nether regions, it's better to have it a little slower and smoother than rocketing in at warp speed.

[Wrong Wheel Drive]

@nermal Yeah I agree, full send is actually better really. But the problem is that I end up going through way too many tubes that way. My one wheel/tire refuses to accept tubeless and its easier to replace a tube every other ride than struggle with that any further. I need to buy a new wheel is my assumption and I just dont feel like doing that. So extremely rocky stuff I try to be somewhat careful especially if I did something dumb like forgot to carry an extra tube.

[VincentMalamute]

@nermal said in I got a dropper post and I don’t know how I feel about it...:

Depending on the rocks, I find it's often best either going full send or complete weenie through them. Going at a moderate pace is often the worst of both.

I agree. Going faster with full commitment helps getting through a feature. Going faster also means harder falls. I'm still working on finding the best balance.