Originally Posted by PeteHski

By dropping your centre of gravity 6”, you improve cornering grip.

Your old-school butt-out-the-back descending technique is what modern mtb geometry and dropper posts have pretty much eliminated. Can’t say I miss those days, but I moved on and never looked back.

Having said this, just riding around mild flat-ish terrain doesn’t require a dropper. But once you start riding down steep descents it’s a whole lot better and way more convenient than messing with a QR.

Dropper posts are NOT Kool Aid! They are not some kind of fad.

Edit: I forgot to mention earlier, the taller you are, the more benefit you get from a dropper post. At 6’ 1” with long legs, my saddle was always much higher than I would prefer for even mild descents.