I'm planning to buy a dropper post. I don't do big downhills but most of the time when I ride a descent offtrack, I stand on the pedal and lean a bit backward to better control the bike in case there are obstacles ahead.

Also, another reason I want a dropper, is to get off the bike easier. When I ride long distances such as above 75km, I sometimes generate a little cramp when getting off the bike as my saddle height is high. So, with a dropper, before I get off, I can push the saddle down and does not need to raise my leg to high to get off.

However, before I proceed, I have some questions.

1/ What if I sit on the saddle while riding, and the dropper fails, the saddle is pushed down? Is there a hack to make it extend in case of failure?

2/ Similar scenario as above, what if I push down the saddle, and it doesn't extend in a ride? Any way to raise it so that I don't come back home with a lower saddle?

3/ What are the tips while riding in muddy areas where muds can be on the dropper?

4/ I see they recommend friction grease to maintain the seatpost tube. Can I use a very thin layer of lithium grease? I dont have friction grease.

5/ Which is the cheapest, under $90 dropper post with at least 120mm travel and 400mm minimum of total length you know?

Cheap cheap cheap but I want it to do a lot and I don't want to maintain it properly with what they recommend.

Buy a good dropper post, install and maintain it correctly and it will be less likely to fail. If you are just looking for a bargain you will get something that may even resemble a dropper post and may even work for a bit but don't expect much out of it.

Keep in mind though a dropper is a moving part and may have issue at some point, If you are worried about it, a dropper might not be for you. If you are having trouble getting off the bike lean the bike over as much as possible. Or potentially your bike is not a great fit for you and maybe you need to either get a new one that fits or better yet go see a fitter and get a dynamic fit (like say Retül) If you are having pains and cramps that could be from a poor fit. It could be other things as well but a fitter could help with that.

The KS Lev line has gotten generally good reviews, Crank Bros Highline is great as well. My friend got a FOX post and has been loving it but it is not going to be a super cheap post. Just keep in mind you may need a remote for the post you buy which gives you options for mounting.

Find the PNW dropper best suited to your bike. Buy that one. They are moderately priced, and work extremely well. They make posts with up to 200mm of travel if your frame can accommodate.

last time I looked, PNW had a refurbs on their site. Not $90, but close

1. it depends on the post but most of the time no.
2. it depends on the post some you can just physically pull back up
Most of time if they fail you are going to be stuck either with the post up, the post down, or it has a weak return to fully extended. The weak return is usually fixable during the ride by just pulling it the rest of they way up by hand.
3. don't worry about it , just clean it occasionally.
4. the friction grease is to keep the post from sliding down into the frame, lithium grease would do the opposite. You can't clamp down super tight on a dropper post.
5. been a while since Iooked but I don't think there are any. Do you need an externally routed or internally routed post?

I bought a mtn bike with a dropper post a couple of months ago. I never use it. I think it's primarily for fast and fairly technical descents, which I do not do. More weight, more expense,increased possibility of mechanical problems. No benefit for me. I have no trouble descending.

The time I want a dropper most is on very steep descents. But everything near here is either rocky or has big roots. I have gone over the bars when I hit a root on a descent, bruised my shin bone. There is one descent near here where someone I was riding with went over the bars twice, fortunately without injury. Young people. First time he ended up 6' up a tree, hugging it. Second time was at the bottom and he landed on his feet on the road at the end of the trail. Fortunately no traffic, that would have been hard to explain to his parents. Although I guess they are familiar with the fact that he's an idiot. When I travel down to Raystown with its flow trails, I would never think about lowering my seat.