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[LIVE SOON] World's First Electronic Dropper Post Conversion – Kickstarter Pre-Launch!

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9.1K views 86 replies 40 participants last post by  preston92103  
#1 · (Edited)
Hey MTBR,

My name is Simon, and I work at OnlyMotion, a Canadian company. We’ve been deep in development on something we believe could change how riders use their dropper posts, and we’re now wrapping up prototyping. Before moving into production, we wanted to share the idea here and gauge interest.

The concept is simple: a wireless electric conversion kit that upgrades your existing dropper post. For some of you, this idea isn’t new—it’s been floating around for years. It took us years to get here, but now it’s no longer just an idea.

Image


Preliminary characteristics:

  • Compatibility: Works with most dropper posts—OneUp V2/V3, FOX Transfer, Bontrager Drop Line confirmed (more coming).
  • Quick Installation: We designed the charge port cable to be smooth and easy to route without snagging.
  • USB-C Fast Charging: External charging port; about 10 minutes gives you a full day of riding.
  • Battery Life: Around 50 hours or 2000 actuations per charge. Recharge with your phone, power bank or car USB port—no proprietary charger.
  • Weatherproof & Maintenance-Free: Built to handle the elements with zero upkeep.
  • In-tube battery: Compact unit hidden from the elements.
  • Price: ~278$USD
We’d really appreciate your thoughts and feedback. Our goal is to make sure this truly works for riders before we finalize everything.

Bringing a high-tech product like this to life has been a tough but rewarding adventure and we’re proud of how far we’ve come. It may not be for everyone, but we’ve put everything we have into delivering the best experience possible.

Production is planned to start this spring. Don’t worry, we won’t miss the bike season!

If you want to make sure you don’t miss any updates, follow OnlyMotionco on Instagram.

Thanks for reading!

UPDATE 2025-02-28

Hey everyone,

We just launched our Kickstarter pre-campaign page for our electronic dropper post conversion, and we couldn’t have done it without you! Your feedback, comments, and insights have been incredibly valuable in shaping our final offering, from refining the design to dialing in the key features.

The official launch is planned for March 10!

Subscribe to our Kickstarter pre-campaign page to get a chance to get yours for only 249$CAD ($172USD) while Super Early Birds spots last!

Check it out here

We made sure to keep it simple, fast, and built for the real-world demands of mountain biking, all thanks to your input. Now’s your chance to grab one at the best price! If you believe in this project, sharing the campaign with other riders, bike groups, and communities would mean the world to us.

Thanks again for being part of this journey!

Cheers,
Simon - OnlyMotion

Follow us for exclusive content coming soon on
Youtube
Instagram
 
#2 · (Edited)
Very cool! Great work. Form and specs look good. But since you're inviting feedback...

Routing a charging cable just as you would cable and housing kinda defeats the purpose, no? But to be fair, I'm not sure how you get around this to provide external charging access. I'd probably prefer to just remove the post to charge, especially if I could get a month out of the battery – and maybe I'd like the option of a bigger battery to reduce this interval.

Price-wise it seems a bit tough too, since wireless posts would seemingly be less than or close-to this plus a cable-actuated post (and not require cable routing or post removal for charging).

Who's your intended customer? People who want to convert their existing posts or have an affinity for particular dropper brands already? People who want to move one post across several bikes?

Cheers
 
#34 ·
Thanks for the kind words and thoughtful feedback—we really appreciate it!

You’re absolutely right about the charging cable being a trade-off. However, we’ve designed it to be incredibly easy to route—it’s a breeze compared to traditional cables. Reliability across all frame types and configurations was our top priority, which is why we chose a wired charging solution. While removing the post to charge is an option, we wanted to avoid the hassle of disassembly. That said, we’re always listening to feedback, so we appreciate the suggestion!

As for battery life, we think the current design 2,000 actuations should be plenty for most riders, we could be wrong. We also made the design modular, so a larger battery is possible, but it comes at the cost of post length. We had to strike a balance that works for most setups.

On pricing, we’re launching a Kickstarter campaign soon, and the price will be much lower during the campaign. The goal is to get your support to produce a larger quantity, which will help make the product more affordable. Just to clarify, this isn’t an R&D Kickstarter—our design is almost ready for production. We’ve bootstrapped this project for years, and scaling up to thousands of units requires significant resources.

Our primary audience is riders who love their current dropper post and want to upgrade it, as well as those looking for a budget-friendly electronic solution without the commitment of a full wireless system. Plus, not everyone loves external batteries or proprietary chargers. We’re also including features you won’t find elsewhere—more options mean more happy riders!

Reaction time is another great advantage over a mechanical dropper. It might seem like a small difference, but once you try it, you'll really feel the improvement—it makes you want to use your dropper more often.

Thanks again for the feedback—it’s great to hear different perspectives as we refine this project!
Cheers!
 
#5 ·
Firstly I luv seeing CDN innovation





Agreed, thats probably the biggest barrier I see with this design- The motor and receiver must add a substianal amount to the overall length of dropper and if I have to shorten my dropper to allow for the extension, it defeats the benefits of wireless

Also there is no mention of IP rating..Knowing my last 2 bikes with Oneup droppers were covered in marine grease to avoid rusting or seizing
 
#7 ·
100% agree- but you're going to be hard pressed to find a company to develop, make and produce it at that price

If I were a betting man, their production costs at low volume are in the 75 to $100 cdn and to recoup their development costs, marketing etc....is whats making it $400cdn
 
#11 ·
OnlyMotion said:
Hey MTBR,

My name is Simon, and I work at OnlyMotion, a Canadian company. We’ve been deep in development on something we believe could change how riders use their dropper posts, and we’re now wrapping up prototyping. Before moving into production, we wanted to share the idea here and gauge interest.

The concept is simple: a wireless electric conversion kit that upgrades your existing dropper post. For some of you, this idea isn’t new—it’s been floating around for years. It took us years to get here, but now it’s no longer just an idea.

View attachment 2130302

Preliminary characteristics:

  • Compatibility: Works with most dropper posts—OneUp V2/V3, FOX Transfer, Bontrager Drop Line confirmed (more coming).
  • Quick Installation: We designed the charge port cable to be smooth and easy to route without snagging.
  • USB-C Fast Charging: External charging port; about 10 minutes gives you a full day of riding.
  • Battery Life: Around 50 hours or 2000 actuations per charge. Recharge with your phone, power bank or car USB port—no proprietary charger.
  • Weatherproof & Maintenance-Free: Built to handle the elements with zero upkeep.
  • In-tube battery: Compact unit hidden from the elements.
  • Price: ~400$CAD
We’d really appreciate your thoughts and feedback. Our goal is to make sure this truly works for riders before we finalize everything.

Bringing a high-tech product like this to life has been a tough but rewarding adventure and we’re proud of how far we’ve come. It may not be for everyone, but we’ve put everything we have into delivering the best experience possible.

Production is planned to start this spring. Don’t worry, we won’t miss the bike season!

If you want to make sure you don’t miss any updates, follow OnlyMotionco on Instagram.

Thanks for reading!
Click to expand...
How do the batteries do in freezing weather?
 
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Reply Quote Like Like
#12 ·
I get the advantage of electronic shifting: the motor and software can make for very precise shifts, every time.

Dropper just goes up and down. What is the advantage here? Is it targeted at people who for whatever reason cannot operate a dropper lever with their left hand?

Do some people want the dropper to consistently stop at some midway points? Does your system support that?

I can think of one good use: bike share fleets. You configure your desired saddle height with the system, and it automatically positions the saddle when you undock a bike.
 
#22 ·
We initially aimed for a fully wireless design but realized it would be too risky to market as a reliable solution due to the vast variety of bike frames and configurations. Even factors like frame paint can affect the signal. We focused on ensuring it’s clear and simple to fit any bike, which is exactly what we’ve achieved. While it’s technically possible to go without the cable, we can’t guarantee consistent performance every time you push the button.
 
#15 ·
OnlyMotion said:
Hey MTBR,

My name is Simon, and I work at OnlyMotion, a Canadian company. We’ve been deep in development on something we believe could change how riders use their dropper posts, and we’re now wrapping up prototyping. Before moving into production, we wanted to share the idea here and gauge interest.

The concept is simple: a wireless electric conversion kit that upgrades your existing dropper post. For some of you, this idea isn’t new—it’s been floating around for years. It took us years to get here, but now it’s no longer just an idea.

View attachment 2130302

Preliminary characteristics:

  • Compatibility: Works with most dropper posts—OneUp V2/V3, FOX Transfer, Bontrager Drop Line confirmed (more coming).
  • Quick Installation: We designed the charge port cable to be smooth and easy to route without snagging.
  • USB-C Fast Charging: External charging port; about 10 minutes gives you a full day of riding.
  • Battery Life: Around 50 hours or 2000 actuations per charge. Recharge with your phone, power bank or car USB port—no proprietary charger.
  • Weatherproof & Maintenance-Free: Built to handle the elements with zero upkeep.
  • In-tube battery: Compact unit hidden from the elements.
  • Price: ~400$CAD
We’d really appreciate your thoughts and feedback. Our goal is to make sure this truly works for riders before we finalize everything.

Bringing a high-tech product like this to life has been a tough but rewarding adventure and we’re proud of how far we’ve come. It may not be for everyone, but we’ve put everything we have into delivering the best experience possible.

Production is planned to start this spring. Don’t worry, we won’t miss the bike season!

If you want to make sure you don’t miss any updates, follow OnlyMotionco on Instagram.

Thanks for reading!
Click to expand...
Awesome! I've been talking about this for quite some time now, you can view my posts in the Dropper Forum. I emailed Archer a few years ago about this very thing, they never responded. The idea I had was a separate cable pulling motor of some sort that would use a small length of cable. This way, it wouldn't add any length to the dropper, but would need a space for it to be mounted.
Count me in, I'll definitely look into supporting this project.
 
#16 ·
Love the idea and understand the need for such pricing, but it wouldn't work for me for the following reasons:

1) Too expensive
2) Still relies on a cable that loops from the bottom of the post for several inches. Due to my frame routing, this is exactly the section of cable I want gone.

WIsh you luck with the launch though, it's good to see smaller players challenging the status quo with such ideas.
 
#19 ·
I like it and would definitely be willing to try it. Right now I have either AXS Reverbs or Fox Neos on all of my bikes with one exception where I have a OneUp V3. I have a literal drawer full of AXS Reverbs that I could use but wanted to try something different. There's little doubt in my mind that both the Reverbs and Neos perform better than the OneUp but it is fine. I just like to mix it up a bit every now and again. I have a silver PNW in the box waiting on my Frameworks Enduro bike to show up and would love to put this on it if compatible. I will buy it immediately if it works as well as the current electric dropper posts I have.
 
#24 ·
I'm also interested. I have a BY Revive, a OneUp V2, and a PNW Loam. Each bike requires a different cable length. How do you account for that?

As others have mentioned, cost and insertion depth are my limiting factors. All of my posts are slammed or very close to being slammed. I haven't bottomed out the posts so I'm hoping the frames' stated max insertion depth is due to cable routing and not a physical stop.
 
W
#28 ·
interesting idea for sure!

Looks like you could you have an option mount the actuator in the frame somewhere other than the seat tube, and then run short section of cable/housing to the dropper? Not for everybody, but I think more in line w/what Hurricane Jeff is talking about - example, I have a ton of unused space in my downtube, or maybe for bike like Harold's with a hard limit for a straight tube but room for a flexible connection. As prj71 mentions battery options may be an issue for people - maybe you could make adapters to allow it to be powered from a Di2 system or SRAM AXS battery?

Might be kind of a niche product, and I suspect you'll have a hard time getting it to a competitive pricepoint. 'cause at the end of the day a cable and lever is pretty damn cheap, light, and functional.

But I still think it's a cool innovation, good luck!
 
#30 ·
Atypesmith said:
I still beg to ask though. What’s the need when a well maintained cable dropper works so well. Much like a well tensioned 12sp Shimano rear derailleur

is this just for lazy people that can’t maintain a barrel adjuster tension
Click to expand...
bad cable routing is why this exists.

you could argue that bad cable routing is one reason why wireless shifting exists, too.
 
#33 ·
Current Reverb AXS user of a few years.

Removable battery >>>>>>>>>>>>>> charging on the bike. And how you integrate the charging plug into the frame is a huge wildcard, as a secondary issue. Sorry, that's janky.

Adding to insertion length is a major concern. Deal breaker, because, that means a significantly shorter dropper. People, generally, want longer droppers, not shorter droppers. We are not talking a couple of mm here.

Other mechanical dropper upgrades (e.g. OneUp v3) in the market don't help the marketability here. So, let's say I have a two or three year old Fox Transfer. It's overdue for service and is showing some wear. I am going to say that's the middle of the bell curve right there. People who are thinking of spending money on their dropper are doing so because the current has issues. The group of people who want to upgrade their old, outdated, in-need-of-maintenance dropper is really low.

So the upgrade options are:

1. Buy one of the new highly regarded droppers, (e.g. OneUp v3) grab a new 2025 Transfer $270 - 330
2. Add on your device at $400.
= $670 - $730

Or, buy an AXS for less, or a Neo for not much more.

That said, innovation is a mother...f...... and so is the market.

Sounds like you need to take your prototype controls, work with a dropper manufacturer, and make an integrated solution that is cost and feature competitive with other existing solutions.

Best success.
 
#64 · (Edited)
mikebikebend said:
Current Reverb AXS user of a few years.

Removable battery >>>>>>>>>>>>>> charging on the bike. And how you integrate the charging plug into the frame is a huge wildcard, as a secondary issue. Sorry, that's janky.

Adding to insertion length is a major concern. Deal breaker, because, that means a significantly shorter dropper. People, generally, want longer droppers, not shorter droppers. We are not talking a couple of mm here.

Other mechanical dropper upgrades (e.g. OneUp v3) in the market don't help the marketability here. So, let's say I have a two or three year old Fox Transfer. It's overdue for service and is showing some wear. I am going to say that's the middle of the bell curve right there. People who are thinking of spending money on their dropper are doing so because the current has issues. The group of people who want to upgrade their old, outdated, in-need-of-maintenance dropper is really low.

So the upgrade options are:

1. Buy one of the new highly regarded droppers, (e.g. OneUp v3) grab a new 2025 Transfer $270 - 330
2. Add on your device at $400.
= $670 - $730

Or, buy an AXS for less, or a Neo for not much more.

That said, innovation is a mother...f...... and so is the market.

Sounds like you need to take your prototype controls, work with a dropper manufacturer, and make an integrated solution that is cost and feature competitive with other existing solutions.

Best success.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the feedback! Just to clarify, the 400$ was in maple currency, sorry for the confusion.

OneUp V3 is $270 USD, and our add-on is $278 USD, making the total $548 USD. For reference, the AXS is $861 USD for very similar performance but 0.33lbs heavier. Kickstarter will start at $175USD.

Cheers,
 
S
#43 ·
I sincerely hope the OP finds success but can't imagine how this makes biking better in any way.
Do you see how OneUp builds the best dropper on the market by a wide margin,at a good price and then proceeds to sell them hand over first? That's a winning strategy.
You need to start with something people want or that makes their biking experience better. This doesn't accomplish any of that.
If you are targeting the market that just buys the most expensive thing made, they'll buy the Neo.
I don't say this to be mean, I say it to prevent you from sinking good money after bad.
 
#44 ·
OnlyMotion said:
Thanks for the kind words and thoughtful feedback—we really appreciate it!

You’re absolutely right about the charging cable being a trade-off. However, we’ve designed it to be incredibly easy to route—it’s a breeze compared to traditional cables. Reliability across all frame types and configurations was our top priority, which is why we chose a wired charging solution. While removing the post to charge is an option, we wanted to avoid the hassle of disassembly. That said, we’re always listening to feedback, so we appreciate the suggestion!

As for battery life, we think the current design 2,000 actuations should be plenty for most riders, we could be wrong. We also made the design modular, so a larger battery is possible, but it comes at the cost of post length. We had to strike a balance that works for most setups.

On pricing, we’re launching a Kickstarter campaign soon, and the price will be much lower during the campaign. The goal is to get your support to produce a larger quantity, which will help make the product more affordable. Just to clarify, this isn’t an R&D Kickstarter—our design is almost ready for production. We’ve bootstrapped this project for years, and scaling up to thousands of units requires significant resources.

Our primary audience is riders who love their current dropper post and want to upgrade it, as well as those looking for a budget-friendly electronic solution without the commitment of a full wireless system. Plus, not everyone loves external batteries or proprietary chargers. We’re also including features you won’t find elsewhere—more options mean more happy riders!

Reaction time is another great advantage over a mechanical dropper. It might seem like a small difference, but once you try it, you'll really feel the improvement—it makes you want to use your dropper more often.

Thanks again for the feedback—it’s great to hear different perspectives as we refine this project!
Cheers!
Click to expand...
arnea said:
How would you install this thing? If you install the motor first then attach the post then the motor must be able to move around 30cm back and forth (like you move normal dropper cable back and forth). If you attach cable to motor first then only option I can see is the motor dangling under the post which severely limits the insertion depth. Just cannot see how to make it work.
Click to expand...
My initial thought was to run a long length of cable attached to the dropper, then connect it to the pulling motor assembly, where ever that may be mounted. In retrospect, this idea has just been in my head and I have not worked on any drawings or prototypes.
 
#45 ·
smashysmashy said:
Or no cable routing. lots of good reasons for wireless.
Click to expand...
bikes with no cable routing exist because of SRAM AXS. Nothing else, honestly. maybe frames with no cable routing were a pipedream during development of wireless shifting/droppers, but bad cable routing has been a plague on bikes for a really long time. some manufacturers have done a decent job of addressing it on some bikes over the years, but riders themselves haven't valued it all that much, so bike manufacturers who have done a good job with it at times haven't always necessarily kept it going on all of their bikes.

bad cable routing on externally-routed frames isn't necessarily the same as bad routing on internally-routed frames, either.

I don't see "lots" of reasons for wireless. I see maybe a few. For me, none of them are compelling enough.

teK-- said:
This doesn't solve bad cable routing though. Often the problem is near the bottom of the post and where the cable bends towards front of the bike.
Click to expand...
If you run it without the cable it can. but even with the charge cable in there, it can be an improvement on tight bends around the bb. A mechanical cable doesn't like those tight bends and will have extra friction. If the space around the crank spindle is tight and/or if there's something limiting your ability to install a sleeve between the bb cups to keep that mech cable off of the rotating spindle, that's a problem. A charge cable doesn't give you those same problems.

Yes, it still has issues of its own.

even "good" routing for mech cables and hydro lines isn't perfect.
 
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