Part Time Dropper?

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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rothwem
Posts: 206
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2014 4:45 pm
Location: Asheville, NC

by rothwem

I recently built up a Specialized Chisel frameset. In the interest of ride quality and weight, I used a 30.9->27.2 shim and put a carbon seatpost on, and it rides really well. I did something similar on my old Santa Cruz Chameleon, but in the end, I put a dropper on because the terrain in my area is pretty steep. The dropper helped with the steep trails, but it absolutely wrecked the ride quality because the post was so stiff.

Since I'm a dummy and built up a hardtail (again), I'm finding that the rigid post on my new bike is a handicap on the steep trails (again), I bought another dropper but haven't installed it yet.

I guess my question is, is there a way to make the fitting of the dropper easier so it can be easily taken off for flatter rides and then re-installed for steeper ones? The Chisel is internally routed.

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KonaSS
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2008 3:15 am

by KonaSS

I see 2 options -

Sram Reverb AXS

Or, you could try and leave enough cable slack in the frame to be able to pull the post, take off the cable at the post end, stuff the cable and housing back into the frame and put on your tall post. Not seen this or sure it would work. Just thinking out loud.

grover
Posts: 1302
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2004 1:06 pm

by grover

There's a few dropper posts on the market that offer are designed to have some 'squish' when at full extension, like a suspension seatpost. You could consider one of them for ride quality at full extension and maintain dropper post on the bike full time. The new Rock Shox Reverb AXS XPLR is one such model. Only available in 27.2 diameter with 50 or 75mm drop though. I can't recall any of the other options at the moment.

Karvalo
Posts: 3425
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:40 pm

by Karvalo

grover wrote:
Sat Sep 11, 2021 7:46 am
There's a few dropper posts on the market that offer are designed to have some 'squish' when at full extension, like a suspension seatpost. You could consider one of them for ride quality at full extension and maintain dropper post on the bike full time. The new Rock Shox Reverb AXS XPLR is one such model. Only available in 27.2 diameter with 50 or 75mm drop though. I can't recall any of the other options at the moment.
The XPLR is rigid at the full extension position though, you only get the squish when it's semi-dropped. Though normal Reverbs are known for getting a bit squishy at the top anyway IIRC.

Otherwise as said above with enough cable length it should be dead easy to hook and unhook the cable end barrel from any normal dropper and just leave it in the frame when running the rigid post.

scant
Posts: 270
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2004 2:05 pm
Location: S.Wales UK

by scant

bikeyoke divine sl dropper seatpost has some suspension when partly dropped (by design)

grover
Posts: 1302
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2004 1:06 pm

by grover

@Karvalo thanks for pointing that out. The 'squish' when partly dropped makes no sense to me. Full extension is the only time I can see myself wanting it. Something that adds compliance when riding in the saddle.

And funny that I couldn't remember a cable actuated post that had this feature. It is the Divine SL...which I own! I forgot about it because it too only adds the squish when partly dropped! Silly.

Hexsense
Posts: 3254
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 12:41 am
Location: USA

by Hexsense

Then set seatpost a little too high and use partly drop at where your max extension used to be all the time. There, you have squish at your preferred seat height.

I prefer to use full extension when TT on road only. I control the bike better on technical climb with seat ~20mm below that level. Coincidentally, on road I don't need squish. On technical climb, I do.

Singular
Posts: 537
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2020 8:59 am

by Singular

It's WW and all, but I'd just have the dropper on all the time. In case you really, really want to be able remove it an externally routed one is the way to go.

Marin
Posts: 4035
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:48 am
Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

I'm using KS droppers with the lever under the saddle (I own 3, 2 for MTB, 1 for gravel). I have no idea why cable remotes have become so popular.

rothwem
Posts: 206
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2014 4:45 pm
Location: Asheville, NC

by rothwem

KonaSS wrote:
Fri Sep 10, 2021 8:29 pm
I see 2 options -

Sram Reverb AXS

Or, you could try and leave enough cable slack in the frame to be able to pull the post, take off the cable at the post end, stuff the cable and housing back into the frame and put on your tall post. Not seen this or sure it would work. Just thinking out loud.
Man, so that Reverb AXS is kinda awesome, but costs almost as much as the frame, and weighs about half of what the frame does. Maybe I'll try your second option and see how badly it rattles.

Karvalo
Posts: 3425
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:40 pm

by Karvalo

Marin wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 2:19 pm
I'm using KS droppers with the lever under the saddle (I own 3, 2 for MTB, 1 for gravel). I have no idea why cable remotes have become so popular.
Same reason no-one uses downtube shifters anymore, but more so. A control intended for use on technical terrain that you can operate without taking a hand off the bars is objectively better from a riding perspective.

Karvalo
Posts: 3425
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:40 pm

by Karvalo

rothwem wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 2:31 pm
Man, so that Reverb AXS is kinda awesome, but costs almost as much as the frame, and weighs about half of what the frame does. Maybe I'll try your second option and see how badly it rattles.
Shouldn't be much issue with rattling. And if it does you can solve it with 6 inches of foam liner and 2 minute's work.

Marin
Posts: 4035
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:48 am
Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

Karvalo wrote:
Tue Sep 14, 2021 12:18 am
Marin wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 2:19 pm
I'm using KS droppers with the lever under the saddle (I own 3, 2 for MTB, 1 for gravel). I have no idea why cable remotes have become so popular.
Same reason no-one uses downtube shifters anymore, but more so. A control intended for use on technical terrain that you can operate without taking a hand off the bars is objectively better from a riding perspective.
I use it right before the terrain gets technical, otherwise I'd just have the seat lower all the time :D

Karvalo
Posts: 3425
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:40 pm

by Karvalo

Marin wrote:
Tue Sep 14, 2021 11:36 am
Karvalo wrote:
Tue Sep 14, 2021 12:18 am
Marin wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 2:19 pm
I'm using KS droppers with the lever under the saddle (I own 3, 2 for MTB, 1 for gravel). I have no idea why cable remotes have become so popular.
Same reason no-one uses downtube shifters anymore, but more so. A control intended for use on technical terrain that you can operate without taking a hand off the bars is objectively better from a riding perspective.
I use it right before the terrain gets technical, otherwise I'd just have the seat lower all the time :D
And then you end up riding with it dropped through the entirety off the technical section regardless of whether you need it dropped for the bit you're on or not.

From a riding perspective that is objectively worse than being able to raise or lower it more easily.

rothwem
Posts: 206
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2014 4:45 pm
Location: Asheville, NC

by rothwem

Well I went ahead and installed the dropper, it's a 2020 fox transfer performance. Annoyingly enough, it added almost two pounds, so now I'm sitting at 26.4 lbs for a darn hardtail. I might have to go buy some carbon stuff now.

Edit, just realized I weighed it with the tube strapped to the seat. Maybe the dropper isn't so bad.
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by Weenie


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