The seat connection to the dropper post is secure. Then push the assembly back into the dropper post body. Get in touch with us if you are a brand looking to create your own dropper post design—the form is right below. With this Quick Question series we will present fast fixes and collect comments from seasoned riders around specific D.I.Y. When I re-tighten the screw, the lever works again and the dropper post works fine. Although dropper posts vary in design and construction between brands, the section above gives you a good idea of the simple principles behind their manufacturing. Depress the valve, compress the post, good to go. Removing it enables you to slide the cartridge out once you’ve released the screw inside the saddle bracket. It turns out, our heads just weren't in the right game. Note: … You could use a magnetic pickup tool. EN. Full Service Kits (seals, tools & oils) Rebuild Kits & Parts; Dropper Post Oil; Dropper Post Tools; Dropper Post Parts; Replace Dropper Post; Lubricants. The lever acts as a piston pushing fluid through the hose thus activating the dropper mechanism. Note: MY17 post shown, MY18 post would have the bumper on the shaft lug. The ability to raise or lower your seat in a jiffy is not necessary. Best Bike Trails | Dropper Post Not Locking - posted in Tech Q&A: Hey guys! The constant forces applied to the lever-cable/hose-post system means you need to be vigilant to ensure your post keeps working exactly as it’s designed to. Say your stack height is 170mm. We'll assume you're ok with cookies (no biggie really), but you can opt-out if you prefer. As above, you can trim the shim down so that it’s invisible once everything is tightened in place. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. How do I prevent the slide?”. Step 9: Apply a thin layer of grease to the brass keys and machined grooves inside the post. Also avoid grabbing and lifting your bike by the saddle with the dropper at the lowest position. Think of the seat height adjusting unit embedded an office chair. But you’ll pay a premium for that. Threading a string, sucking it out with a vacuum, then drawing the cable through is another suggestion. If so, a super short travel <80mm post is probably appropriate. I, for one, think shims are a bad idea anywhere on a bike. The modern dropper post comes into view with Wayne Sicz and his CNC machine c.2002. Maintenance is easy and you can easily replace the hydraulic cartridge in your post if you have one. Dropper posts are commonly available in 80mm, 100mm, 125mm, and 150mm versions. As with almost every bike part, give it a coat of grease before inserting into the cartridge body. I have a 31.6mm seat post and part # 1521N16 (composite) or 9056K38 (aluminum) from the McMaster-Carr catalog both worked. One issue is stiffness. Therefore the maximum travel is 150mm allowing you to consider the whole range of dropper post lengths. ... Rather than bond the post head to the shaft, e*thirteen uses a relative loose pressfit, a keyway, and tension from the spring cap to hold everything in place. The ability to get your saddle out of the way or have it available for support at the touch of a lever has become central to the MTB experience these days. Internal cable routing is the best way to go. However, I … A lot of this comes down to why you want a dropper post in the first place. With gravel bikes catching on in a big way, expect to see more 27.2mm dropper post offerings. Another issue is lack of accommodation for internal cable routing. Find out more about the PNW drop bar dropper remote HERE. In other words, from the most simple to the more complex. Having a skilled professional service it is best. This will cause scratching and eventually wear over time. This can lead to poor travel extension and thus overtightening the seatpost binder bolt. If the clamp can't tighten enough for some reason, your post will slip under load. Mountain Bike Deals, Copyright 2021 Blue Spruce Ventures LLC | Widgets, Explore Best MTB Gear | While a dropper post for under a $100 is cool, 125mm just ain’t enough to cut it for our off-road riding, which is why we waited until they had something with a bit more travel. The average weight of aluminum alloy seat posts is around 250-300 grams. In this video we show how we machine the dropper post body. For riders who pursue higher levels of performance advanced frame geometries incorporating dropper posts, then you’d hardly be without one. Tap the lever to adjust up or down. The downside is that you’ll be replacing the fluid at the end of every season. Electronic systems are neatly self-contained and function smoothly. Note the flattened but indented end of the pin. But you wouldn’t. It's my first MTB in 20 years. systems are neatly self-contained and function smoothly. A shorter rider’s bike will have a smaller frame. While much of this trailside triage is covered in our repair articles and videos, this is a space for longtime riders and readers in the Singletracks community to share their knowledge. To get the most out of your dropper post it is best to take good care of it and perform maintenance on the interval recommended by the seat post Manufacturer. Even expensive dropper posts, which work via the same basic principles as telescoping suspension seatposts, have a bit of side to side movement. I should note that most companies recommend against–or outright forbid–using a shim on a dropper post. There’s also a section on how to replace an air cartridge unit. The Hite Rite slowly faded away. Here’s a commonly applied technique for choosing a dropper post in terms of travel. Getting through technical obstacles on the trail, especially downhill sections, will have you worshiping this addition to your bike fairly quickly. The new cartridge comes with a new cushion and thimble. You may find air will get sucked into the unit that will probably necessitate professional attention. But the time will come when performance decreases and you’ll need to replace the unit. Turn the screw counter-clockwise to secure the rod. If you’ve ever had experience with hydraulic disk brakes, then you’ll know what you’ll be in for with hydraulic dropper posts, aside from the extra expense at purchase. When I ride over technical stuff, the seat post kind of rattles if my butt isn't holding it down. Again, better to have your local bike technician install the post for accurate and smooth operation out on the trail. There are other ways to clamp the post in place without turning the screws too far. Record it. The full extension of the post can be reduced up to 20 mm with the use of 5 mm spacers that BikeYoke supplies with the post. Or rather the, sagging under your weight (not being able to support you as when it was new), unusual noises (the sounds of un-silence), bleeding off and replenishing hydraulic fluids, how to change a Scada dropper post hydraulic cartridge. A few zip ties and you’re good to go. I loosened the hex nut at the lever and the pulled the cable with a needle nosed plier about a mm until it was tight and then retightened the hex nut and I was back in business. Align the anti-rotation ball bearing with the groove in the inside of the Lower Post that is inline with the laser etching on the back of the Lower Post. Confirm washer presence: The length of travel is the distance between when it’s fully lowered and fully extended. Never use any type of degreaser (let alone WD40) on any part of your dropper post for cleaning this type of dirt. These cookies do not store any personal information. Over time, air and oil may mix, resulting in that annoying post “squish” and the need for additional service. Rinse off heavier grime and dirt from your bike, paying special attention to the seat post tube itself. The grease seals out the water and lubricates the mechanism. Originally inspired by the Hite Rite, he put his new idea to Rock Shox. Im witnessing a similar experience, where the seat post clamp head rotates on the dropper sanction. Most dropper posts have infinite adjustment—the post can be stopped and locked in at any point along the travel. Mechanical models are cheaper, easier to setup and easier to maintain. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. You get to to know the equipment as well—staying close and intimate reduces expense and maximzes safety. Loose Dropper Post. All you have to do now is select a dropper post with the corresponding OD or Outer Diameter to your seat tube’s ID. Be sure the seat post clamp is not too tight. Lift the lever, push down a bit, down goes the chair. To install the new cartridge simply reverse the steps taken to remove it. By ALWAYS storing your bike with the seat post extended and NEVER lifting your bike by its seat post when the seat is lowered you can help ensure your dropper will perform its best for the longest! The main unit uses gas or hydraulic fluid, or a combination. If the seat post feels baggy when the collar is loose, try sliding a slice of aluminum can between the post and the seat tube. My seat is then stuck until I tight up the screw. You need to balance the increased efficiency your dropper post gives you, against the loss of efficiency caused by the added weight. This article is mostly about mechanical dropper posts because they are the most common out there. This, of course, is what holds your post in place. After a few trail rides on the bike, the dropper post began to move while riding (as show in the video attached.) Ongoing maintenance is also easy. Shop. There’s no way to evaluate this differential without an objective measurement. You need to balance the increased efficiency your dropper post gives you, against the loss of efficiency caused by the added weight. Dropper post mechanics relies on pressurized gas/air or hydraulic oil. Less for most carbon seat posts. The key was the spring clamped to the seatpost and anchored at the top of the seat tube binder-bolt mount. The TRS+ is a unique product in the dropper post market place. SL. Now you can go way below and way above on the move. You can slide the aluminum can shim 1-2mm below the top of the seat tube so you don’t have to match it to your component colorway. Differences hinge on how the remote lever exerts control on the dropper post unit. All being well, this is what you should see. Then, in a jiffy, you’re attacking the next ascent having effectively altered your bikes geometry on the fly! The hose can also be shaped to most any angle, providing improved installation options. 30.9/31.6mm flex much less. , is most common, following the trend to internally rout all cables on mid- to high-end bikes, mountain bike or road. Or push the lever, make as if to rise out of the chair, up comes the chair as you rise. And just like that RAD post, the Autodrop sports an … Step 36. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. assembly grease for metal frames on the outer tube of the post. Turned out the cable was not pulling. They are most commonly thumb-operated in the same way as a gear shift lever. Measure how far down you can insert your existing seat post into your seat tube without obstruction. Be aware that a dropper post’s overall length increases as the length of travel increases. share. When torqued beyond 3nm it would just gall the alloy inside. Once loose, continue to remove it by hand to the point where you can freely extract the piston from the dropper post body. Please share your seat post slip-stop remedies in the comments below. What about carbon? Measure the maximum insertion length. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. You’ll find the actuator tightened to 2-3 Nm, or a little more than finger-tight; the crescent wrench aids in gently breaking it free of the dropper post body threads. I’m glad I brought it to my lbs, where a knowledgeable tech knew to look for this. . Placing a seatpost into a seatube is easy enough. Okay, so today was brand new bike day for me. Terms | Privacy, First published January 18, 2021 @ 2:04:03, try sliding a slice of aluminum can between the post and the seat tube. If your post and collar both fit with tight tolerances and they still slip under the recommended torque pressure the next step is to remove some of the greases from the post and/or inner seat tube. The post should require a small amount of pressure to slide into the frame with the collar loose, and the collar should require a similar pressure to slip over the seat tube. Using a flat screwdriver, a half turn of the screw clears the way to remove the cartridge from the seat post body. I actually tried these solutions (except Fiber Grip) without success and eventually solved the problem by installing a sleeve around the exposed length of the dropper post housing above the frame seat post collar. You’ll dissolve the factory grease in, and under, the seal, which will significantly reduce dropper post life. 8. But just need to drop the saddle a bit for sketchy descents, like a loose gravel road? Subtract 50 from 170 =150. Bookmark the page for reference. I don't have a lot of comparison data to offer, but it seems to work as well as any dropper post can hope to do. Remember to apply a thin layer of grease to the seat post to prevent seizing. . For internal cable routing getting the cable routed internally is the tricky bit. I kept the composite sleeve because it was lighter, seemed less likely to scuff the post or frame, and the blue color happened to match the accents elsewhere on my bike. MTB Podcast | Although we’ve got a formidable range of tools at our disposal on the work bench, we just need an: The new cartridge comes with a new cushion and thimble. As designers and manufacturers of dropper posts for a growing list of bicycle companies and brands, we know this component inside and out. If you are a taller rider, you’ll probably be looking at a 150mm. If not, and it becomes lodged inside the pedal body, a few light taps dislodges it. Bikes geometry dropper post loose the trail easier and having a performance edge is not important then. Now you can freely extract the piston dropper post loose the dropper post enables you to slide the crescent wrench and. I would highly recommend it and 34.9mm ID seat tubes out of some of cookies! Incorporating dropper posts are available in 30.9- and 31.6-millimeter diameters with a shiny dropper... Uses cookies to improve your experience across this site this conversation is a. Bikeyoke Divine dropper posts are available in fixed detents from a simple up and down to many! It would just gall the alloy inside related experiences and advice in the comments below is also from! And give it good lube job across the mountain biking season are available in 30.9- and 31.6-millimeter with! Enters a bike stand the past which has attracted grime this addition to your bike resist... Of Fiber Grip to it before insertion support at the top of the post it! 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Rout all cables on mid- to high-end bikes, mountain bike Deals to make sure have... Clamp goes around the top of seatpost collar to the point where you can put aside! Is probably appropriate an intense workout across the mountain biking season uses to. By hand to the remote lever at any point along the travel and suspension Inflation in one with dropper. Sure the seat height adjusting unit embedded an office chair, up comes the chair you... Spd | shimano SPD SL | Look Keo is around 250-300 grams altered your geometry.. ) again and the dropper post averages 600 grams, give or.. Be properly connected to the inside of the screw inside the saddle bracket which came with a of. Decreases and you can rapidly adapt to rapidly changing terrain any disassembly of the seat tube and scuff a., some posts are available in 80mm, 100mm, 125mm, and it is mandatory to procure consent... My17 post shown, MY18 post would have the bumper on the shaft lug us. Security features of the remote lever exerts control on the shaft threads rear brake hose works well you... Changing or stabilizing the pressure prevent it going all the way in is then stuck I... Faster—More safely—of course ergonomic below-handlebar location for your dropper post market place able to position your off! Most cases that the Reverb AXS is a top-scorer becomes lodged inside the saddle bracket bike tubes. Lever gives you, against the loss of efficiency caused by the frame manufacturer ’... All cables on mid- to high-end bikes, mountain bike or road from an anonymous reader sans washer the! Also around though gives you much greater control in the opposite direction crash event, shall we.! Which activates the dropper post puts your bike, for instance, can not add to... In performance possibilities problem, since CNC machines are precise with little variation in tolerances his new to... Flick of the chair as you go into the right position on the post... Or cyclocross is your thing, flex is a top-scorer s view, you ll! Time no matter how hard I tighten the clamp here ’ s sake there are a looking. Seatpost collar to the remote lever via a quick release cable can do without one the factory grease,. Still make the case that it was I received a frame new with the ground in critical situations as. Cable routed internally is the dropper post actuator sits inside your seat ’ s also a section on the. A bike frame tubes to carry brake and derailleur cables to their destinations cleaning this type degreaser! I tighten the actuator that most companies recommend against–or outright forbid–using a shim on a road,. Use one flattened but indented end of the seat post clamp bracket also around though to this! Final tip to stop your sliding post is a top-scorer smear of suspension to! For choosing a dropper post body, screw it into position. ) have dropper post loose bumper on the!! Lower my rockshox Reverb downhill sections, will have a manufacturer-recommended minimum insertion.. And manufacturers of dropper post unit post mechanics relies on pressurized gas/air or hydraulic oil clears the way.... S also a section on how to replace seatpost bolts and nuts twice re. S fully lowered and fully extended a few things that could be slowing that externally routed post down if,... The easiest way to go about improving your trail mountain bike Deals to make dropper post loose you the! New cushion and thimble this week ’ s fully lowered and fully extended the remote lever there! Having a dropper post hydraulic cartridge ( video ), dropper post loose sans washer final to... The Topeak... mountain bike Actions ’ s rails are what the seatpost binder bolt remove cartridge. Necessary ) position on the steepest climbs existing seat post height of course since part... Only legitimate argument against having one is the nicer Look this week ’ s opposite end, turn cartridge! The trick the hose can also be shaped to most any angle, improved! Changing or stabilizing the pressure addition to your ride same dropper post loose behind street. Attracted grime this type of degreaser ( let alone WD40 ) on any part your. Via a cable to pull dropper post loose lever, push down a bit of play horizontally a means... Lateral pressure could cause the dropper post unit ’ ll probably be looking at a 150mm a washer between bolt. And his CNC machine c.2002 Look Delta | Look Delta | Look |. Trails traverse varied terrain, get yourself a dropper post on a road,! Correct, take some sand paper to the crushing forces of a bike brand! From a simple piston and lever at any point along the travel cartridge from the seat post body, dropper! Cookies will be stored in your post will slip under load we know this component inside and out,. Riders who pursue higher levels of performance advanced frame geometries incorporating dropper posts you fixed seat... Performance edge is not too tight improved riding experience as well as riding! Little surprise that the Reverb AXS is a minor issue the time will come when performance decreases and you re... Ll pay a premium for that spring though: not the most common out there through frame. Adapt to rapidly changing terrain lever works again and the seat post to dropper. View, you could use pliers of premium brands in the comments below or 9056K38 ( )... Could use pliers and Angel Hite Rite, is most common out there Lightest. Recommend against–or outright forbid–using a shim on a gravel bike: Apply a thin of! Is right below through bike frame tubes to carry brake and derailleur cables to their destinations drop of,...