[arnea]

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!

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.

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.

 

[arnea]

@OnlyMotion is it correct that there must be 20-30cm of cable bunched at the bottom of the seattube to be able to remove and insert the seatpost?

 

[Suns_PSD]

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.

 

[Hurricane Jeff]

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!

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.

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.

 

[Harold]

Or no cable routing. lots of good reasons for wireless.

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.

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.

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.

 

[LVLBTY]

Great idea but, too expensive to retro an existing dropper and it adds yet another system that isn't combatable with existing bike electronics.

 

[smashysmashy]

bikes with no cable routing exist because of SRAM AXS. Nothing else, honestly.

Or they existed before droppers. Sure almost anything new will have routing. but 2, 5, 10 years ago...
Wireless is a great idea in theory. This one is not really wireless, just electric so you lose most of the advantages except some handlebar freedom.

 

[taikuodo]

And in the end, if it's successful, it might just be copied by someone in China..

 

[thebenskiii]

It’s certainly been an idea that’s been talked about, and sounds great, if it wasn’t $400
Sorry, but just no, and I don’t want a wired charge port, I’m happy to pull the post and charge
For that money, I’d just stump up for the AXS post, it’s an expensive way to save a cable to the lever …

 

[Hurricane Jeff]

I think the motivation behind this product and ideas that I’ve put out there is that you can run your current seatpost or use the seatpost of your liking.
The $400 CAD is around $278 USD, still maybe a little high, but I’ll consider it when it’s released.

 

[Suns_PSD]

$400 Canadian is around $278 US however.

 

[mikebikebend]

• Who here has a dropper seat post with an extra 5 cm/2" of space at the bottom?
• What product manager, when speccing out their build options, is choosing a 50 cm smaller dropper than would fit the bike? Putting in a 120 when a 175 would fit?

Because that's your audience for selling to existing customers who like their current seat post.

Having the radio inside the frame is why you need a wire/antenna.

I have never once heard anyone complain about propriety batteries for their AXS stuff.

I do like the remote, especially the clamshell clamp.

Not sure this is technically possible, but aftermarket remotes for AXS or Neo feels like a winning hand.

Working with a dropper manufacture on a collaborative effort could be viable.

Taking this wireless technology and applying it to other bike controls, shifting, remote lockouts..... maybe. But cobbled on will always have issues. Ideally integrated from the ground up.

No joy here in saying, "ugly baby." But I think you have some challenges in the commercial viability of this product.

That said, keep innovating and prove me wrong.

 

[slimat99]

$400 Canadian is around $278 US however.

I didn't even pay 200 for my 210 v2 and that was before the v3 came out. You've got to really hate cables to spend this much. That said, if routing was removed then you've got something but as is it seems like a hard sale. It's not like cables aren't reliable. Think I'm on year 3 on the same cable and housing. Yes it could be smoother but it's a dropper. It goes up and down. Who cares about anything more? E for me would mean moving to multiple bikes and even swapping for a shorty rigid with nose up saddle for DH. That interests me. Just ditching the cable doesn't.

 

[austin_bike]

Pretty pricey as an add on to an existing dropper.

I'm the wrong demographic for this because I believe that this adds additional complication and really does not solve any significant problem for me. Mechanical droppers work, practically every time, with little drama. Now I have a battery to contend with? I've done more than one ride where I turned on my Garmin only to find that I did not charge it last night and it is dead. I can ride without a Garmin and my ride is 0% compromised, however if I don't have a dropper for a ride, that is a serious limitation.

Those who have said that taking the post out to charge it is a good idea must live on a different planet than me. The charging port where it is tells me that I could charge it while I ride, so if it is dead at the start of the ride I could rig up a cable to my phone.

The AXS droppers use the same batteries as AXS derailleurs, so you can carry one spare, and swap in the event of a battery failure. And I don't even use electric shifting but I can see how some people really love it.

I do applaud the approach and the Canadian manufacturing. At <$200 this would be an interesting idea.

 

[Sloth Monster]

Pretty pricey as an add on to an existing dropper.

I'm the wrong demographic for this because I believe that this adds additional complication and really does not solve any significant problem for me. Mechanical droppers work, practically every time, with little drama. Now I have a battery to contend with? I've done more than one ride where I turned on my Garmin only to find that I did not charge it last night and it is dead. I can ride without a Garmin and my ride is 0% compromised, however if I don't have a dropper for a ride, that is a serious limitation.

Those who have said that taking the post out to charge it is a good idea must live on a different planet than me. The charging port where it is tells me that I could charge it while I ride, so if it is dead at the start of the ride I could rig up a cable to my phone.

The AXS droppers use the same batteries as AXS derailleurs, so you can carry one spare, and swap in the event of a battery failure. And I don't even use electric shifting but I can see how some people really love it.

I do applaud the approach and the Canadian manufacturing. At <$200 this would be an interesting idea.

if my garmin is dead at the trails i feel like turning home haha

 

[Suns_PSD]

OP, build remote electronic lock outs for commonly available air shocks. That's a winning hand player.

 

[OTBKid]

How do the batteries do in freezing weather?

You might be asking a Canadian

 

[Cerpss]

if my garmin is dead at the trails i feel like turning home haha

Just had my computer die a little over 10 miles/50% in on my ride last Sunday. I thought it had enough charge but -5F temps had a drastic effect on the battery. Seeing a blank screen the rest of the ride had me consider cutting it short

OP, build remote electronic lock outs for commonly available air shocks. That's a winning hand player.

I 2nd this. I've thought about how to do it, but I'm not electrically capable enough or have time to figure it out. With dual lockout, dropper, and brake lines the front of my bike is kind of a mess coming off my left bar. It would be nice to get rid of the lockout lines.

 

[acedeuce802]

I was thinking of DIY'ing something similar to OP, for the sole reason of also doing a shock lockout, and have it simply be: dropper up -> shock in the middle mode, dropper down -> shock open, push a button to fully lockout, then any use of the dropper resets shock to either open or middle. I personally don't see the need for electronic dropper otherwise, but it's a cool idea. To me, it's just added weight, less drop, more batteries to keep charged, for what benefit? Electronic shifting has the benefit of being precise, removing cable stretch because tension is critical, and AXS having the overload clutch. I don't see any benefits like that for a dropper.

 

[Sloth Monster]

See archer components? I think their idea was really an affordable solution to an existent problem.
Didn't end too well for them.
At the price this retrofit is offered, you could practically get a fox neo or for even less, an electric reverb