First Look: Race Face and Easton Launch New Dropper Posts

Easton counts among the most highly respected of the traditional, non-dropper seat post manufacturers. Always synonymous with quality and performance, in the pre-dropper era Easton would be the one you went for if you wanted to fit then forget all about that obscure component holding your saddle and just ride your bike. We always wondered when Easton would react to the explosion of the dropper post market, but one thing we were fairly certain of is that they would not rush the job and put their excellent reputation at risk. If the Easton name was to adorn a dropper post, it had better be a good one.

Easton was acquired earlier this year by Chris Tutton, majority owner of Race Face, and the resulting entity ("RFE Holdings" for Race Face Easton Holdings) was subsequently bought by Fox (the suspension company). There is of course some overlap in the product lines of Easton and Race Face, but the theme going forward is to leverage the respective strengths of each company while pooling resources and developing projects together where it makes sense to do so. The first such collaboration is being jointly launched today, in the form of a brand new dropper post - the Race Face Turbine or the Easton Haven, respectively. Check out the first images from the launch event that just wrapped up here at Crankworx Whistler, and read on to find out more about the newest player in the dropper post game.

As their names imply, the two versions of this new dropper fit right into the main "all-mountain" product line of each company - Turbine and Haven. Beyond cosmetics, the only difference between the 2 brands is the design of the remote lever. The basic thumb lever is a flippable design that will mount on either side of the handlebar and offers very flexible cable routing options. Both brands also offer a shifter-style remote that takes the place of the front derailleur shifter for the 1x crowd. The Race Face shifter-style remote comes in black and 5 other colors, while the Easton version comes in black only.

Race Face Turbine and Easton Have Dropper Post Highlights

Internal cable routing only
Infinitely adjustable within the stroke
2-bolt head design
Quick connect for easy, tool-free disconnection
Left- or right-mount universal thumb lever remote (included)
Remote operates via standard shifter cable and housing
Designed to function at below freezing temperatures - fat bike friendly
Front shifter style lever available (Black, Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Purple available on Turbine, black only on Haven)
Main body material: 7050 Alloy
Diameter: 30.9 or 31.6-mm
Length: 350, 375, 415, 440-mm
Travel: 100, 125, 150-mm
Weight: 495-grams (30.9x440x150 w/o lever)
Availability: November 2015
MSRP: $469 USD (all sizes, including standard thumb lever and hardware)
Optional MSRP 1x shifter-style lever: $59 USD

RFE set out to design a post that would address what they felt was one of the major shortcomings of other offerings on the market: reliability. They settled on a cable-actuated design that uses both mechanical and hydraulic locking technologies, inspired by hydro disc brakes. RFE claims that because the rider's weight is supported with a mechanical lock, a more solid connection is created with less potential for failure over time. The post features static seals and functions with relatively low air pressure, which is said offer more control and better reliability. RFE says this also makes the new dropper post suitable for winter riding - fat bikers rejoice.

Looking through the specs, we feel RFE have pretty much covered all the bases with the new Turbine/Haven dropper. There are 4 different overall seat post lengths available, 3 travel options, and the 2 major seat tube diameters. The post is infinitely adjustable within the travel, meaning you can stop it anywhere, which in our experience works really well on the trail. The cable-operated remote makes it easy to install and/or move the post between bikes if you need to do that regularly. They have not provided an externally routed cable option which means that if your frame doesn't provide for internal dropper post routing you are out of luck here, but we can hardly blame RFE for that when so many bikes now have the option. If you don't ride during winter, you might not care about the sub-freezing temperature performance claims, but it does point to a robust design that will benefit everybody in warmer climates too.

Completing the examination of the specs we find a competitive weight, well in line with or somewhat lighter than the main competition. Pricing-wise, MSRP is right up there with the most expensive options, but it would be a fair bet to see posts going for less than full retail fairly quickly.

Features aside, what everybody will want to know is whether or not RFE have reached their performance and reliability goals. Only time will tell of course, but the design seems sound on paper and we will be putting one through the wringer shortly to see how well it all translates to real-life performance. In the meantime, check out www.raceface.com or www.eastoncycling.com for more.