Riding any remotely technical or steep terrain with your saddle at full ride height, pushing into your tummy does not make it easy or confidence inspiring – or fun.
So, how do you know a dropper will improve your riding?
The easiest way to see how a dropper post will improve your riding is to go out on a ride and try this…
Ride a familiar steep or rocky section of trail a few times with your saddle at its normal height. Then lower your saddle – just loosen the seat clamp and slide the post into the frame, making a note of its original position. Having the saddle out of the way allows you to position your body for better balance. You will find that this position is usually occupied by your saddle when it’s at full height.
The room to confidently move around on the bike changes everything. Suddenly even the most technical obstacles become rideable, and you will find your riding even more enjoyable. Being able to lower your saddle for sandy or dusty sweeping corners drops your center of gravity significantly too, allowing you to flow through them quickly and confidently.
The dropper post is being adopted by more riders outside of the core trail-riding scene. Marathon and XCO riders are taking advantage of the benefits that a dropper post offers too.
Catharine Pendrel, multiple World Champion, World Cup Winner and Olympic Medallist, says, ‘We can’t really use the weight argument any longer can we? Maja Wloszczowska rode to a Silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games on her hardtail with a dropper seat post. Julien Absalon resumed his winning ways at World Cups again in 2016 also sporting one. When it comes to performance, execution means more than grams.’
Check out the Rapidé Drop-R post here
