Is it worth buying a dropper seatpost for your mountain bike? What real advantages does this component offer? Is it a necessary innovation or just a passing trend? To answer these questions, let's start with the basics: what exactly is a seatpost?
The seatpost is the bar that connects the bike frame to the saddle. Its main function is to allow the height of the seat to be adjusted to adapt the rider’s position according to their anatomy and riding style. In most road bikes and in many classic mountain bike models, this seatpost is fixed, which means that once adjusted, it cannot be changed while riding. Of course, there will always be someone with the skill to do it on the go... but it’s not highly recommended.
On the other hand, in the world of mountain biking, especially in disciplines such as trail, enduro or all mountain, the dropper seatpost has revolutionized the way cyclists interact with their bike on the trail. This type of seatpost allows you to raise or lower the saddle just by pressing a remote control on the handlebar, without having to stop. This ability to adjust saddle height in real time significantly improves control on technical descents, allows for a more aggressive and safer position, and makes transitions between climbs and descents easier.
Although road bikes don’t usually have dropper seatposts, there are specific gravel or adventure models where their use is already being explored, especially to improve maneuverability on mixed terrain.
In short, if you ride mountain bikes often and face varied terrain, a dropper seatpost can mean a big leap in comfort, safety, and performance. And although their use is not so common on the road, technological evolution could continue to broaden horizons for those who ride on asphalt as well.
What does a dropper seatpost offer us?
The dropper seatpost is an innovation that has been implemented in the world of enduro and downhill for several years now, and in recent years it has also been gradually finding its place in rally, cross country, and even MTB marathons. The dropper seatpost—or “tija pija,” as it is also known—allows us to modify the saddle height while riding. This lets us lower our body’s center of gravity on the bike. The main advantage of adjusting the saddle height on the go with a dropper post is that it offers us greater control of the bike, so we can tackle technical descents or rough and uneven terrain with more confidence and speed.
What disadvantages do dropper seatposts have?
Obviously, not everything is an advantage. When deciding whether it’s worth buying a dropper post, you also need to consider the main drawbacks, which are the following:
The price
Like any innovation or improvement we want to add to our bike, there is always the counterpoint or headache of the price. For these posts, we are looking at price ranges from €60 to €800.
The weight
For me, this is not a point you should obsess over if what you want (or need) is to gain safety and confidence on descents. But it’s true that many cyclists are obsessed with the gram. A dropper seatpost weighs between 300 and 400 grams more than a conventional post, although this will depend on the model we choose.
Maintenance
Depending on the type of dropper seatpost you buy, you’ll need to perform periodic checks. For example, with hydraulic posts, you’ll need to do maintenance similar to a fork: seals, oil changes, bleeding, etc. Without a doubt, this is an important point to keep in mind, because it means investing time and money that you may not be willing to spend.
Types of dropper seatposts
There are various types of dropper seatposts. If we look at their internal mechanism, we mainly have two types:
Mechanical seatposts
They work with a spring that returns the saddle to its original height. To operate it, it can be by cable or by a lever (located under the saddle). These posts are characterized by being very abrupt in their return and lacking intermediate positions when lowering the saddle (except for very specific models). However, their advantage is that they require virtually no maintenance, apart from cleaning dirt to ensure proper function. We also need to keep in mind that they are the most affordable dropper seatposts.
Hydraulic seatposts
They offer us much smoother and more precise operation. In fact, with this type of seatpost, thanks to their hydraulic circuit, we can have infinite heights or positions to set our saddle height at any time. We must not forget to perform proper maintenance depending on the terrain you ride on. It is recommended to inspect and replace the seals every 6 months or 1 year, or as soon as you start to notice that its performance is not optimal. As with mechanical seatposts, there are several ways to actuate its operation.
- By lever under the saddle.
- By remote control from the handlebar, either with internal or external cable routing, or, as some manufacturers are starting to introduce, wirelessly.
Some models of dropper seatposts with wireless connection are the RockShox Reverb AXS by SRAM or the Magura Vyron eLECT.
What should you consider when buying a dropper seatpost?
Besides the price, maintenance, or intended use, regarding the technical characteristics of the seatpost, you need to consider a number of elements before choosing one or another.
Seatpost diameter
The first thing we have to look at is the diameter of the seatpost already installed on our bike. That way, we’ll know what size we need. Depending on the model, there are several sizes: 27.2, 30.9, 31.6, 34.9 millimeters, etc.
Travel
Just as with suspension fork travel, depending on the type of mountain biking you enjoy, you’ll have to choose the travel of your seatpost. The travel is the depth, measured in millimeters, that you can lower or raise the seatpost to vary the saddle height while riding. The most common dropper seatposts offer travel ranging from 35 to 200 millimeters.
Height
You need to calculate whether the minimum insertion required by the seatpost you’re going to buy fits the measurements of your bike frame. Small sizes or frames with a lot of sloping could cause problems.
Cable routing
If you choose a seatpost whose remote control works with a cable, you’ll have to decide between internal or external cable routing. That is, whether you don’t mind if the remote control cables run outside the frame or if you prefer them inside. In the latter case, keep in mind that not all frames support internal cable routing.
Seatpost offset
Depending on your pedaling position on the bike and the geometry of the frame you have, you may or may not need a seatpost with offset.
About dropper seatposts
Let’s go to the two big questions that have brought us here: Should I buy a mountain bike with a dropper seatpost? Should I buy a dropper seatpost to upgrade my mountain bike? My answer to both: putting aside the price factor, if you even slightly enjoy mountain biking and going off the easy and quiet trails, the dropper seatpost will give you that extra confidence and security that will make your rides much more enjoyable. After all, that's what almost all bikers are looking for. Or not?