If you race to be competitive and win, and you're 100% sure you're significantly faster with it, shouldn't you be telling demonstrating this to us with data rather than asking for thoughts?

 

Well I'm unquestionably faster on the downhills. But endurance xc racing is more than downhills, and you have to carry that weight penalty for 8+ hours and 14k+ feet. So there's a tradeoff.

 

I've thought about this one too, and for me, it depends on the course. For example, Leadville = no need for a dropper post so the 2/3 pound is worth it. I know it's not that easy to switch back and forth though, so I my plan is to leave it on until I'm doing a race where I don't need it. For training, riding for fun, and races with some downhill, I'll leave it on.

 

My carbon posts are much more comfortable than my dropper posts or Thomson aluminum posts. I have the exact same seat on a rigid bike with a niner RDO seatpost and a full suspension bike with a dropper. The flex in carbon is very noticeable and much more comfortable even though the other bike has suspension. Might be a factor for endurance races. I wouldn't have believed the difference, especially with shocks factoring in, but it's obvious when switching between bikes.

Another thought. How many times do you think you'd use the dropper over 120 miles? A percentage of those times will have you standing up at times you normally wouldn't in order to let the seat come back. Not sure of the significance, but standing up 100 additional times during a race (less than once per mile) has to take a decent amount of energy.

 

That's a good point on standing up to let post retract....though I suspect it might be fewer times than that per race. Obviously course dependent. In the mountains here courses tend to be up up up up up for a long time then down down down for a long time, not too much of a mix where you'd be constantly manipulating the post.

And for myself, at ~185lbs I'm a little weary of carbon seat posts to shed some more pounds and get some damping, despite having a carbon bike. Saw a guy at my last race biking out with his seat in his back pocket and a shattered post sticking out of the frame. That's a crappy way to end the day.

 

It totally depends on the course; last year at Breck I would have killed for a dropper post, PCP2P as well. It's OK to drop behind the saddle on fixed seatpost for a few seconds but if you're talking about technical descents lasting many minutes then a dropper is a no-brainer, even if there is a slight weight penalty; the energy saved by not having to suspend yourself off the back of the saddle plus the speed gained by increased confidence is well worth it.

 

It's OK to drop behind the saddle on fixed seatpost for a few seconds but if you're talking about technical descents lasting many minutes then a dropper is a no-brainer, even if there is a slight weight penalty; the energy saved by not having to suspend yourself off the back of the saddle plus the speed gained by increased confidence is well worth it.

Maybe it's just me, but I've never had to go behind the seat on any portion of any endurance racing course that I've participated in.

 

I'm still getting used to the dropper thing. Installed an internally routed KS figuring the extra complication to remove it would make me leave it on and use it more after having an externally routed Reverb that sat on my bench as I tended to run my carbon Niner more.

That said my limited experience so far would be right in line with sdcadbiker. Totally course dependent. Doubt it would be much benefit (for me) on XC style courses but mix in some tech sections, gnarly descents and I'd rather have the seat out of the way.

 

I find a dropper unlocks your leg's latent suspension travel. Having it up, it's like a lockout that increases pedaling performance (maximizes torque when seated). Having it slightly down gives some room for sag and minor bump absorption to pedal uninterrupted, so you can hover above the saddle for that split second that you expect the rear to buck over a bump. Down all the way lets you use your legs as a spring for maximizing bunnyhops and the ability to suck up big impacts without getting hung up and/or losing control. I dunno about this one, but maybe having different seating positions can offer relief similar to how having different hand positions can offer relief to overworked muscles.

It's no substitute for real suspension though, if the terrain is really that raw. You use up energy sucking up impacts, but a rear suspension system would save you from spending energy that way and as long as you use a pedaling technique that's friendly with the suspension, it shouldn't really be taking away any more energy in the better groomed sections. That adds more weight, and some have justified that the weight is worth it.

Maybe riding a frame that's 1250g over 900g could make for a difference in ride comfort. The 350g difference isn't that big (compared to a ~220g carbon post), is it? Look for some of those posts that are 40-60mm in travel if you merely just want the ability to fine tune your seat height for max torque while seated, while still getting the benefit of having it dropped a little in the undulating parts to get more pedal strokes in uninterrupted.

I'd say just race what you train on for the most part, and fine tune accordingly to the course. It's worth considering going without if the course is won on the climbs. Train with a variety of setups, on a variety of terrain. All that experience gained and preparation should make it easier to answer such questions. Practicing enough during training to make things subconscious makes things more efficient too, as turning off your brain saves considerable energy. The safe call is to ride what most you're comfortable on.

Consider a KS Lev (non integra) with some FlexRoute cable guides, so you can easily install and remove the dropper as needed, using zips.

 

I don't race to win so my advice might not matter.
I used the Specialized dropper on my epic last year and it was amazing. I find the epic and other race bikes don't really like going down. Being able to lower my saddle by 35 mm gave me much more confidence descending. Changes the bike and lets you charge. Another bonus is pedalling on flowy mostly down non-tech. Great rest for the legs.
Lastly...easier to get on and off the bike when you get used to using it properly. If I knew I wasn't going to burn matches on a steep climb, drop it, hop off the bike that much easier. Same for re-mounting. Just easier.
Finished a 106 miler with a decent time and had a few 75-95 mile training rides.
Weight penalty for the specialized was worth it for this back of the pack "racer"

 

Anyone mention the advantages of using a dropper in turns. If use correctly, you can pick up or save time through the turns.

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I find that I set my fixed seatposts to be about an inch lower than max height position to be most comfortable and versatile. The dropper basically enables me to have the fully extended position when I feel I need more torque. I like "infinite positions" since there's an optimum seat height for every situation. My biggest peeve is needing to set the position with my ass; would love to try out Shimano's motorized screw-drive dropper concept.

 

I did a 24 hour solo on a non-technical course with my dropper. Did the 10 seconds-1 min per lap I could put into some of the other guys on the downhill make a difference overall? Nope. But it was fun. Now on the technical 50 miler this weekend, it's a no brainer. Not only am I faster with it, it's safer.

 

Never.

Leave home.

Without it.

 

That rig is Badassery Team Dicky!

 

Yep^ Havent tried it on my single speed...Thats next. I would rather ride a hardtail with dropper than a full sus without.

 

^^^^This

 

Note that a significant amount of the weight comes from the remote and the housing. Remote can be 50g (closer to 100g if you use a modded shifter), and housing+fluid/cable another 75g.

Just some food for thought. I use my remote often enough to justify it, sometimes as often as my shifter, but that may not be the case for many others. There's some droppers that have levers on the post itself that may be worth considering. With how often I use it, going to something like that would be like switching to downtube shifters to save 100g. Can't expect singlespeeders to know much about that.

 

Just some food for thought. I use my remote often enough to justify it, sometimes as often as my shifter, but that may not be the case for many others. There's some droppers that have levers on the post itself that may be worth considering. With how often I use it, going to something like that would be like switching to downtube shifters to save 100g. Can't expect singlespeeders to know much about that.

I could definitely see myself crashing while trying to lower/raise the seat without the remote. I'm actually surprised the math worked out to a little over half a pound. Thought it'd be more

When I did an extensive dropper trial, I never used the lowest position. It just felt weird. A lifetime of liking to "brace" off the seat I guess.

But I did like the "first click" of lowering.

The thomson I have is infinitely adjustable through 125mm of travel (for $450 I thought it'd be able to give me a reacharound too, but oh well...). I definitely use the top ~50mm of travel more than dropping it all the way. Still allows you to pedal hard on the flatter sections of a descent, but gives enough room to throw the bike around more and get behind it if need be. Typically only put it all the way down for really steep/tech stuff, or by mistake.

 

I'm having a custom steel race bike built for NUE. Ox platinum 29+ SS. Putting stealth dropper routing.

In Michigan I have nothing like the downhills on the east and west coast. As a former BMX racer it will be awesome for both descending and cornering.

For me I am only worried about it breaking on me during ORAMM or SM100. That's a real thought I have. I won't break my Eriksen so it's tough to leave home.

 

Don't know if this advantage has been mentioned, but today at the True Grit 50 I started getting bad leg cramps at full extension, with about 5 miles to go. My dropped allowed me to lower my seat about 1 inch, which helped to keep the cramps under control. That allowed me to finish at near full power without stopping. As for the flat tire that put me deep in the pack early, that was just rider stupidity.

 

Dropper all the way. Safer, faster, funner descending. Tiny weight penalty, which really doesn't matter unless you are talking podium. All the races around here end on long downhills, and having the dropper makes a big difference at the end. I did a 40 miler which ended with a 7 mile downhill where I passed all sorts of guys that normally beat me cuz I had that seat slammed and was able to just let it rip.

 

It really depends on how tough the descents are, but I'm with El Train. Safer and funner goes a long way when the weight penalty is slight. When I moved from a dropper to no dropper recently, I was amazed at how much harder some trails I ride became. Such a huge difference.

 

I'm going with a Thomson covert elite on my custom steel 29+ SS I'll be racing in some NUE events and ORAMM. I think I can at least not lose times on the descent and if I can gain it was well worth it. On SS need any advantage I can.

Whenever I tell people I'm running a dropper they all say it's heavy. Since when did weight matter more than function? It serves a purpose of making the whole ride better. Then they load up a seat bag full of stuff. Lol. Grams baby.

To me it's a no brainer for the ORAMM race and Shenandoah and marji gesick. Maybe not the flatter or more fire road stuff.

I can't wait.

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I just ordered a Rockshox Reverb for my 29er HT. I've been getting better at descents this season, and I'm starting to feel a little trapped by the saddle, plus lowering slightly on climbs could be useful. Weight be darned.

More lipstick for the pig!

 

100% necessary for the sedona big friggin loop. that would have been murderous without, on a HT.

 

Is this really even a question? I wouldn't think of riding an endurance race/ ride without a dropper. I have a Lev Int. 125 and a Next SL carbon post for one of my bikes and I run the Lev with a gutted XX shifter. The difference in weight is 335 grams but this 3/4 lb. works very hard for you. The best use of droppers are when you have a good remote to run them, that's why I use gutted shifters. It's much more convenient to use them if the ergonomics of the remote are more natural and easy to use .
Lane, the ORAMM, Shenandoah and Marji Gesick are really rides and not races. They're only races if you win and there's nothing in the MG other than a belt buckle if you're under 12 hours. Are you really going to knock off all three of these this year? Good luck with that! I'll be at the MG riding with my bros from Blackrocks. Did you also say that there's no climbs/ descents in MI that warrant a dropper? LOL, that's funny. I guess you haven't ridden much in the UP.

 

Is this really even a question? I wouldn't think of riding an endurance race/ ride without a dropper. I have a Lev Int. 125 and a Next SL carbon post for my bike and I run the Lev with a gutted XX shifter. The difference in weight is 335 grams but this 3/4 lb. works very hard for you.
Lane, the ORAMM, Shenandoah and Marji Gesick are realty rides and not races. They're only races if you win and there's nothing in the MG other than a belt buckle if you're under 12 hours. Are you really going to knock off all three of these this year? Good luck with that! I'll be at the MG riding with my bros from Blackrocks.

So I'm thinking right with the dropper? The weight is worth the comfort level on descents?

I'm doing Mohican 100k and lumberjack also. Hoping to also do Big frog and tatanka 50. Looking for teammates for the x100 relay also. May switch Mohican for marathon nationals.

All SS. 29+
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Nice job. The NCT around Mesick/ Manistee is a good trail to ride and train on. It's not very difficult riding but it is pretty consistent in intensity if you can maintain a desired pace. I'd just ramp it up slowly on distance, time and then intensity. Gotta get the time in the saddle, then work on the climbing, lots of climbing and being efficient. Don't forget to rest and recover before you have to put out the bigger effort In a race.

 

So Julien Absalon just raced in Cairns with a 100mm KS Lev Integra post....

 

Only 65mm tho.

Julien Absalon bike BMC Fourstroke 01 with Shimano Di2 and dropper post 2016 - BikeRadar USA

The top Australian had a pretty nice dropper on a hardtail.

 

Caught me before I could edit after reading a more in-depth article.

 

I'm a drooper sleuth.

 

Little update after a few long races with dropper...

It's a no-brainer. Can't live without. Will never remove.

It just gives an ability to absolutely rail descents, either technical or flowy that would be significantly harder/slower with a rigid post. I'll drop it down anytime I'm tucking on a smooth descent (road or dirt) to get a little more aero as well.

Also increases smile factor, which is huge.