What started as a DIY endeavor on Mt Tamalpais in the Bay Area, mountain biking technology has evolved in leaps and bounds over the last few decades. Concepts like full suspension. Tubeless tires. 29 inch rims. Carbon frames. But one part is specific to mountain biking – the Dropper Post. The question that so many riders ask us is “Do I need a dropper post?”
Why Is It Useful
To answer the question if you need one, let’s explain what they’re used for. For tricky descents, having a seat extended and in the way can be debilitating for finding the right balance on your bike. You can of course stop and manually lower it for those sections, but as anyone who has ridden their mountain bike in rolling terrain, this can be time consuming. Or you could instead set it at mid-level but then climbing AND descending are not optimal.
What Is A Dropper Post
Having a quick way to adjust the seat height helps especially if you’re a racer. In comes the dropper post. The first one known as the Hite-Rite was simple without a handlebar cable and remote but they got the job done. Modern ones now included a trigger that sits on the handlebar and allows you to lower or raise your seat all with the press of a button.
Seat all the way down using the dropper post lever
Huh? How Is that Possible?
Think of it like an office chair. While you’re sitting on it, you can press the handle below and it lowers to the bottom quickly. Release the weight of your body and press it again, and it raises up to the height of your bum. That’s exactly how a seat dropper works on a mountain bike.
So, back to the question – Do I need a dropper post?
We would get rid of our suspension before the dropper. Technique can help you absorb the bumps and rolls on an unpredictable trail. While a seat dropper is a key tool to ensure you can have the correct body position while attacking the descent or pedaling up a long ascent.
