I never use my dropper. What gives?
07-04-21, 05:39 PM
#27
occasional marmot
Dropper use is a skill like any other. It's not just bolt-on-go-faster. Take the time to experiment with different levels on different terrain. Visit a pumptrack if you can. See what it's like dropping just a smidge over rougher terrain.
I've been mountain biking almost since the beginning and it probably took me a year of technical riding before regular and frequent height modulation became a habit. But I love it now, and couldn't go back.
I've been mountain biking almost since the beginning and it probably took me a year of technical riding before regular and frequent height modulation became a habit. But I love it now, and couldn't go back.
07-04-21, 06:33 PM
#28
Advanced Slacker
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 5,941
Bikes: Soma Fog Cutter, Surly Wednesday, Canfielld Tilt
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2640 Post(s)
Liked 2,367 Times
in
1,334 Posts
So that’s not the case here. I actually try to avoid riding my mountain bike until I’ve found trails I don’t think my gravel bike should be on.
Anyway, this discussion has led me down a rabbit hole.
My post is a USE Gravity Dropper Turbo from 2012. I got it used and have had it a year. It drops 4” and 1”. That 1” setting is really hard to get to too. Additionally, in order to lock a position, I have to pull out on the lever with my thumb. Push for down and pull for lock.
Anyway, this discussion has led me down a rabbit hole.
My post is a USE Gravity Dropper Turbo from 2012. I got it used and have had it a year. It drops 4” and 1”. That 1” setting is really hard to get to too. Additionally, in order to lock a position, I have to pull out on the lever with my thumb. Push for down and pull for lock.
The problem has nothing to do with the lever. I would guess is a problem with the switch pin spring. Look at part #358 on this parts diagram. It should push the pin in place when you release the lever.
While the GD Turbo is not infinite adjust, it should not be holding you back in terms of dropper usage. If you can't find a use for a dropper with a properly functioning GD Turbo, I don't think the PNW or other modern post is going to change that.
That said, the PNWs are really nice to use. If you get a new dropper, that is a solid choice. However, having owned a GD for 16 years and 2 PNWs for 1 year and 2 years, I can tell you that the GDs are MUCH better built to last. My 1 year old cascade (thinner inner post and single bushing) has already developed more play than my 16 year old GD, and the 2 year old Cascade (thicker inner post and twin bushings) is starting to get really rough and creaky.
Likes For Happy Feet:
07-05-21, 10:35 AM
#30
Disco Infiltrator
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Folsom CA
Posts: 13,562
Bikes: Stormchaser, Paramount, Timberjack, Expert TG, Samba tandem
Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3029 Post(s)
Liked 1,964 Times
in
1,278 Posts
Reading these posts, I came to realize that many (most?) posts are infinite adjustments within its range. Am I also correct to assume that new posts keep their position without having to pull back out on the lever? Push to drop or raise to where you want and let go to lock?
In fact my post is maybe a little too long for me barefoot and that lets me adjust the top end for different shoes, knee pain that day, etc.
__________________
Genesis 49:16-17
Genesis 49:16-17
Last edited by Darth Lefty; 07-05-21 at 10:38 AM.
07-10-21, 10:33 PM
#31
With a mighty wind
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 2,352
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 947 Post(s)
Liked 725 Times
in
423 Posts
This morning my wife and I were deciding where to go climb. I realized we were going to be near the upper trailhead of a ridiculous mess of singletrack.
So I threw my bike in and gave it a whirl. 5 miles and -3100 feet later, on the rockiest trail I’ve ever been on. I think I’m pretty happy with the new dropper.
There’s lots of times it’s nice to lower the post a little or a little more. The digital up or down of the old post was definitely the problem. Still getting used to it but my seat would have thrown me off the bike with it jacked skyward.
Ive certainly learned something here. Looking forward to more places to practice.
So I threw my bike in and gave it a whirl. 5 miles and -3100 feet later, on the rockiest trail I’ve ever been on. I think I’m pretty happy with the new dropper.
There’s lots of times it’s nice to lower the post a little or a little more. The digital up or down of the old post was definitely the problem. Still getting used to it but my seat would have thrown me off the bike with it jacked skyward.
Ive certainly learned something here. Looking forward to more places to practice.
Likes For rosefarts:
07-14-21, 09:47 AM
#32
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 16
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 12 Times
in
5 Posts
Going up and down local trails, I could definitely see the potential for casual use of a dropper. I suppose actively using it to its potential is simply practice.
08-04-21, 02:35 PM
#33
Junior Member
I just had my first experience with a dropper and wished I’d had one years ago. I think it would have saved me from some broken bones from going OTB a couple of years ago.
Likes For PGHNeil:
08-07-21, 01:11 AM
#34
Newbie
Took me quite a while, practice, memory to use mine correctly. I ride two different hard tails, one with a dropper, the other an XC race bike does not. It’s definitely something that I will be adding to the XC bike.
09-12-21, 10:41 AM
#35
Junior Member
I didn't use my dropper when I bought my more modern bike in 2018...until I started using it; now I use it all the time. Favorite component on the bike! Use it on drops; use it on turns; use it on descents. It helps so much to get lower on the bike above the saddle.
10-25-21, 02:33 PM
#36
Senior Member
Let’s start with a pic of my bike so we’re all on the same page.
That’s a 4” or 5” something capable dropper on a remote and it works perfectly. It’s on a not particularly light XC hard tail that’s nothing fancy but pretty reliable. The snowdrift was near the top of the Monarch Crest trail 2 days ago, the dropper didn’t get used in 30 miles of hits.
I got the dropper used not too long ago and have had time to put it through some rocks. Trouble is, I never seem to use it.
The reviews are in. Droppers revolutionized the sport. They’re even making inroads in gravel.
Makes me think I’m doing something wrong. I lean back and pinch my seat with my (less than) thunderous thighs. This gives me another connection point on my bikes to control it from. I lose this option dropped and it rarely seems like an advantage.
At this point the dropper seems to help get the bike into the back of the car and it’s a fun toy to show my kids. In terms of actual riding, I’m not really using it.
It seems to me that they wouldn’t be so popular if everyone rarely used them. Trying to maximize what I can do on this bike.
Is my thigh pinch a beginner/intermediate technique that I need to move beyond?
Is it the 80mm stem from the XC rig keeping me too far forward to really utilize it?
Do I just need to hit even rockier trails? (I am trying)
(FWIW, this bike is my first Mtn bike this century. My last, a Zaskar LE in about 1998, was a joke compared to this thing. So while I realize there are far better bikes for me out there, I’m currently very happy trying to maximize my skills on this bike)
That’s a 4” or 5” something capable dropper on a remote and it works perfectly. It’s on a not particularly light XC hard tail that’s nothing fancy but pretty reliable. The snowdrift was near the top of the Monarch Crest trail 2 days ago, the dropper didn’t get used in 30 miles of hits.
I got the dropper used not too long ago and have had time to put it through some rocks. Trouble is, I never seem to use it.
The reviews are in. Droppers revolutionized the sport. They’re even making inroads in gravel.
Makes me think I’m doing something wrong. I lean back and pinch my seat with my (less than) thunderous thighs. This gives me another connection point on my bikes to control it from. I lose this option dropped and it rarely seems like an advantage.
At this point the dropper seems to help get the bike into the back of the car and it’s a fun toy to show my kids. In terms of actual riding, I’m not really using it.
It seems to me that they wouldn’t be so popular if everyone rarely used them. Trying to maximize what I can do on this bike.
Is my thigh pinch a beginner/intermediate technique that I need to move beyond?
Is it the 80mm stem from the XC rig keeping me too far forward to really utilize it?
Do I just need to hit even rockier trails? (I am trying)
(FWIW, this bike is my first Mtn bike this century. My last, a Zaskar LE in about 1998, was a joke compared to this thing. So while I realize there are far better bikes for me out there, I’m currently very happy trying to maximize my skills on this bike)
