XC world cup droppers.

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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wingguy
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by wingguy

Will be interesting to see if this is raced tomorrow, and if it is whether it helps Absalon stay with Nino on the downs...

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/article/julien-absalon-bike-bmc-fourstroke-01-with-shimano-di2-and-dropper-post-2016-46913/

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the_marsbar
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by the_marsbar

Dan McConnell was also using a dropper post in Cairns I noticed.

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wingguy
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by wingguy

Didn't seem to help McConnel much, but maybe he'd have lost even more time without one.

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hjb1000
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by hjb1000

Absalon did pretty well considering he had a rear flat and a very average wheel swap by his mechanic... very slow.
Perhaps the dropper did help!

One other thing I noticed was all the problems with XTR Di2- a few guys struggling in the pits

Nefarious86
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by Nefarious86

Plenty of flats. A mate copped a front flat as well.

Dropper makes sense for a course like Cairns, lots of technical downhill rocks to contend with and every small advantage helps.
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wingguy
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by wingguy

Yeah, Absalon looked pretty stylish - but without the straight fight against Nino I think it's impossible to tell how much it's helped him.

Side note, without Kulhavy there and Absalon's puncture Nino looked like he was cruising the whole race. Some of the younger guys seriously need to step up their game just to get close!

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LeDuke
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by LeDuke

I'm hoping that this means we see a) lighter and b) more robust designs for dropper seatposts.

I'm 143lbs/65kg, XC "pro" and I've killed three. To me, that indicates they are built for people who either don't ride much or don't pedal in the saddle vigorously. I don't crash much, I don't pick the bike up by the saddle, and I keep the seatpost very clean with a toothbrush and microfiber cloth (no water or soap, mind you).

My current dropper, a Specialized Command Post IRCC, is gradually developing a rattle to it. I'm not sure if it's bushing wear or what, but it's definitely getting worse over time.

wingguy
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by wingguy

I've always abused mine and neglected to maintain them much at all and they've been fine. However, I've always used them on longer travel bikes so they're never taking much of a sharp vertical impact. Could be as you say that there needs to be a new generation of 'XC proof' droppers... but how to achieve that while getting lighter?

Could be something that electronics holds the answer to.

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the_marsbar
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by the_marsbar

So far I'm really liking my Specialized XCP 50 mm, but I have to admit I'm keeping the Save 2 seatpost handy just in case...

wingguy
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by wingguy

Just watching the womens XC - Neff was giving a masterclass of high saddle descending technique but still went OTB on the steep rock garden.

Even if a dropper wouldn't have made her much faster they should definitely give more margin for error in those situations.

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the_marsbar
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by the_marsbar

It also seems to be working quite well for Absalon.

In my own experience, it gives quite an advantage compared to a regular seat post. I'm not taking mine off anytime soon.

mattr
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by mattr

wingguy wrote:Just watching the womens XC - Neff was giving a masterclass of high saddle descending technique but still went OTB on the steep rock garden.
I'd say fast, loose and lucky rather than a master class. Batty seemed to be far more in control, and still had a mishap.

wingguy
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by wingguy

Anyone can be in control going 20 seconds slower on a 2 minute descent. On that basis my skills would stack up pretty well against an EWS pro rider!

mattr
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by mattr

Yeah, i know. But it certainly wasn't a masterclass.
The phrase in use while we were watching was "Shit or bust"

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CGT
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by CGT

Yeah, I cringed every time Neff was attempting the more difficult sections. Looked like she was going for 50% skills and 50% luck. Turns out it wasn't enough to keep her on the bike on all 5 laps. I can't help but think that they're doing themselves a massive disfavour by not using dropper posts on tracks like these.

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