What Do Riders Think? Seven Dropper Posts Reviewed by Vital MTB Members

There's power in numbers, and collectively Vital MTB readers put in more trail miles and try out more products than our team of professional reviewers ever could. With over 3,000 reviews and 18,000 products in the Vital MTB Product Guide, it's a great place to find real-world opinions and compare product specs. Here are seven popular dropper posts with product impressions from riders just like you:

9point8 Fall Line Dropper Post

The Good	The Bad
Fantastic remote Easy to add air Seat clamp has separate seat rail clamping and angle adjustment Beautiful construction Smooth action Easy installation Reliable Home serviceable Amazing customer service	Leaks air for some A tad heavy

Key Impressions

"When the seatpost is not leaking air it is GREAT! The seat clamp is the best out of all the droppers. Once you get the angle set (tilt) of your seat you never have to worry about it. If you have to add air you can undo the two side bolts that adjust the forward / aft of the seat and flip it open to add air easily to the dropper. Maintenance of the post is easy enough with normal tools. The special grease they use is expensive but should last about four rebuilds." - jaredstokes

"It's easily the best looking and most well-engineered dropper post I've owned. I was concerned install would be difficult, but it was super easy. Cable installation, shortening, and adjusting is so much simpler and quicker compared to a hydraulic system. The digit lever works great. Actuation is quick with a short and light lever action. The post moves down with little pressure on the seat and comes up quickly." - VonR

"Amazing seatposts. Great range of sizes. Quality product, nice to see a company that really cares about their products. Pretty sure the guys who designed them are nuclear engineers or something like that? Super easy to service at home." - jim_fuller

The Good	The Bad
Mechanical design Fairly easy to service	Side to side play after long-term use Unreliable for some

Key Impressions

"The TRS+ dropper has been trouble free for me for over a year now. It has developed a tiny bit of side to side play, but nothing more than my buddy's FOX Transfer, and much less than my old RockShox Reverb. The four preset positions took one ride to get used to. I don't really miss infinite adjust! I love the fact that the post just has a simple spring design so it will never leave me stranded. It's simple and it just works. Great product." - covekid

"One of the biggest headaches with the post was the fact that it had developed a significant amount of lateral or side to side play. The top cap would come loose sometimes and a simple tightening of the 10mm allen key would solve the problem. This did the trick for the first few times but because the actual top cap is removable from the mast itself, instead of being one piece, the lateral play became permanent even after tightening the 10mm allen key." - marqueski12

Shop the e*thirteen TRS+ at Jenson USA, starting at $251.09

FOX Transfer Dropper Post

The Good	The Bad
Reliable performance Consistent Super smooth action throughout its travel Easy to place the post anywhere along its travel Has a loud top out "klunk" Twin bolt head is common, but never bettered Competitive weight, but not especially light Works in extreme temperatures (15 below freezing) No squeaking at the saddle clamp	Does not come with the lever assembly kit 1X remote lever assembly is a little small Sensitive to seatpost clamp pressure Seat wiggles The price The collar is not threaded/removable so service is a full strip down Cable clamps at the handlebar, limiting compatible levers

Key Impressions

"This dropper has seen plenty of use, through dry desert climate, to wet and muddy mountain regions and has yet to let me down in any scenario. The lever and cable have been precise and has not needed any maintenance or needed to be changed throughout the 6 months. I have zero complaints about the performance and have not seen any inconsistencies at either the top or bottom of the dropper range. I did notice that there is a little wiggle play in the saddle attachment with both dropper posts that I have used. It didn't affect the performance at all so I don't see it as a negative. If you want a consistent dropper post and are willing to spend the money. This FOX transfer is a top choice." - MTBcanuck

"All things considered, it’s probably the best external post I can buy." - yoondaman

"It looks great, but in terms of functionality is only average. I probably wouldn't get another." - Tristan Mayor

"This dropper works. All the time. Every time. Cold, hot, wet, dry, clean or dirty, it works. The only gripes I have. The seat clamp and bolting. It is rather tricky to get those bolts and clamp to work right. There is no clear direction on what way to bolt the clamp on. I also find I hit the post while tightening or loosening the bolts." - jaredstokes

Shop the FOX Transfer at Jenson USA, starting at $293.99

OneUp Components Dropper Post

The Good	The Bad
Low stack height and short insertion length Reliable Great value for money Easy to service Easy to install Spares are inexpensive Cable operated and clamps at the lever	Small amounts of play in post Not as smooth as some Doesn’t come with lever or shim (purchased separately)

Key Impressions

"Setup was easy, and the post was smooth out of the box. The cable clamps at the remote end, which helps with getting cable tension right. The actuation mechanism works by pushing on the housing rather than pulling on the cable. The post has the option to reduce the travel with shims (not included), but the post fit my bike at full length. My post has about 1mm of vertical sag and drops 1mm when sitting down. As long as this play and slipping don’t increase, I am not too concerned." - D(C)

"Been using the post hard for 8 months and had zero issues. The post has a nice quick action but not quite the nut-busting speeds of the Specialized posts. I’ve just recently serviced the post, which allows you to clean/re-grease the brass keys and wiper seals of the post. This process was very easy (10 minutes) using very basic tools and some Slickolium. There’s a nice manual of how to do this on OneUp's website. The service is almost like a lowers service on a fork and just keeps it running smooth. The cartridge itself which isn’t serviceable, I’ve had no issues with and not even had to go near it with a shock pump." - muddymurphy

Shop the OneUp Dropper at Jenson USA, starting at $199.99

PNW Components Cascade Dropper Post

The Good	The Bad
Goes up quick but not catastrophically quick Works consistently, even in the cold External routing on a 150mm post Price	Finish could be better Remote feels a little cheap

Key Impressions

"The PNW has been very consistent regardless of temperature. Speed wise, it's probably just a touch slower than a well bled Reverb, but that works for me being that I'd like to keep the family jewels intact. I don't notice any play at the seat clamp, and it hasn't sagged on me at all. One of the biggest reasons I went for this post was the [low] stack height. Ultimately I would say that the PNW Cascade is a great seatpost for a variety of reasons, and the biggest one is that I don't notice it when I'm riding. I can press the lever and the post goes where I want it without hesitation." - cmmahnke

Shop the PNW Components Cascade at Jenson USA, starting at $199

Race Face Turbine Dropper Post

The Good	The Bad
Low pressure suggesting longer service intervals Saddle stays locked in place when lifting bike from the saddle Plenty of setup and troubleshooting guidance When it works, it works simply and does what it should Short height allows longer travel post in some frames Smooth throughout with consistent brake	Lever sold separately Mandatory 2-3mm lever play for proper performance Inconsistent performance Unreliable Loses air Cable issues

Key Impressions

"The Race Face Turbine seatpost appears to be just another average seatpost in a sea of droppers. When looking into what makes the Turbine different, you’ll quickly see that it separates itself from the rest in a few unique ways. The braking system really does lock the post in its travel when adjusted correctly (make sure you have that 2-3mm of lever play). All and all, I’ve been quite satisfied with this post." - dirtworks911

"I have had this post for about one year. It seems to always have issues with the cable and even if not it won’t stay up or won’t fully extend or won’t stay down. I have done a service and re-lube but this last issue with not fully extending couldn’t be fixed so I sent it in for repair." - dmurphy48

"All is well for 3-4 weeks when friend #1's dropper starts loosing air pressure. A week or so later mine does also. So two of the four [Race Face] droppers we ordered had failed within a month. So began the constant journey of sending posts back and having them rebuilt until two of us gave up and went with another brand." - RPMarheine

"We had these dropper posts on a number of our rental bikes, and as a mechanic, after awhile I noticed a trend that we were doing maintenance on these droppers... like a lot! The Turbine dropper is air powered and cable actuated with a good braking mechanism. For whatever reason, this dropper was not consistent in holding the right amount of air pressure and it was annoying to have to check the pressure whenever something was wrong. I liked the dropper when it did what it was suppose to do, but with the mechanical upkeep I recommend considering other options." - MTBcanuck

Shop the Race Face Turbine at Jenson USA, starting at $189.99

RockShox Reverb B1 Dropper Post

The Good	The Bad
Smooth motion When new, the post is flawless Lever has a nice feeling with effortless initiation Tidy on the bars Goes up and down at an adequate (and adjustable) speed	Price Weight Hit or miss reliability, posts often sink into travel Original lever ergonomics Hydraulic lever, meaning installation is tricky Needs occasional bleed Tall-ish stack height

Key Impressions

"The major improvement I saw was very little, if any, involuntary compression when applying pressure on the post without hitting the lever. This was a HUGE difference from the A2 version which had up more than 5mm of compressive play right out of the box. I’ve only had the new B1 version Reverb Stealth on my bike for 3 months so (~75 hours of riding) this certainly isn’t a “long term” review. However, comparing the performance of the B1 to the A2, the B1 still performs as if it was just installed out of the box. That’s a lot different story with my experience on the A2. If you’re experiencing that spongy compression described previously and if your post has more than 150 hours on it, chances are your Reverb will need to be rebuilt. Sounds like a scary thing but given the proper tools and keeping your cool, anyone can service their Reverb at home." - dirtworks911

"When the Reverb works, it works. It does the job well and looks clean. However, the hydraulic actuator never made sense to me. It doesn’t provide many advantages considering the difficulties shortening the hose, etc brings with hydraulics. Plus if you snag one in the woods, or it starts to lose pressure, leak or get bubbles in, you can’t just spend five or ten bucks and throw a new cable in." - crazy_freerider

"I have owned the B1 version for two years and serviced it twice and the remote lever once. Overall the dropper works but needs service like suspension." - Serjo73

"Every Reverb I have had has always worked flawlessly. The price is a bit high but on par with other similar dropper posts. It does add weight to the bike but what dropper post doesn't! I like the fact that this post is hydraulic, it means it is a sealed unit with less chance of contaminants from the elements. I don't want to deal with cables that stretch and have to be replaced all the time. That being said, I love this post, it has changed the way I ride and I will not own a bike without one (except a DH bike)." - conlysm

Shop the RockShox Reverb at Jenson USA, starting at $299

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