The Original (and Simplest?) Dropper Post? The Hite-Rite

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sspomer
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sspomer
Edited Date/Time 4/7/2018 1:10pm

The crew at Nashbar fired over this video of them riding a 1980's seat post modifier that could be considered the first dropper post. and it's so simple in theory. it's called the Hite-Rite, invented by Joe Breeze and Josh Angell. I'd never seen or heard of this, maybe you have. Super interesting the simplicity. Figure out some kind of trigger hook-up and have at it! just watch that rebound, haha.



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Serge-W
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Serge-W 4/5/2018 3:20pm
4/5/2018 3:20pm
I remember when we were 14 years old that for quite a while we actually made fun of these hite-rites. "Why adjust your saddle on the fly?" little did we understand their future significance...
Fox
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Fox 4/5/2018 4:04pm
4/5/2018 4:04pm
Tomac used to race DH sometimes with a hite rite.
Big Bird
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Big Bird 4/5/2018 5:57pm
4/5/2018 5:57pm Edited Date/Time 4/5/2018 6:05pm
Yeah, I'm that old. Had them on the old fully rigid. I've got both travel versions in my parts collection. I also had what I'm pretty sure was the first real adjustable seat post. First I'd seen at least. It was a Price Point item that I saw in the back of a magazine. OG lever under the nose style. It started acting like a suspension post on the second ride and sure enough, in the next issue, it was labeled a suspension seat post.

And in terms of that rebound speed, they never worked that fast when I used one. There must have been zero grease in that frame. If anyone's tired of working for a living, just go test ride a specialized with their brand post. Smash yer nuts with one of theirs, sue for millions and live the leachy dream.

jrcd
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jrcd 4/5/2018 9:12pm
4/5/2018 9:12pm
In 1992 I put a hite rite on my used 1988 Rocky Mountain Avalanche with Syncros forks and rear u-brake. I loved it and even used it once in a while but didn't really get the point.
Tristan_Mayor 4/6/2018 2:49am
4/6/2018 2:49am
I used these in the 2005 and 6 Megavalanche races when no one else had anything similar. They're awesome.
Apart from the fact that they quickly wear the inside of your seat tube out if you use them a lot
mamath7
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mamath7 4/6/2018 4:46am
4/6/2018 4:46am
Tristan_Mayor wrote:
I used these in the 2005 and 6 Megavalanche races when no one else had anything similar. They're awesome. Apart from the fact that they quickly...
I used these in the 2005 and 6 Megavalanche races when no one else had anything similar. They're awesome.
Apart from the fact that they quickly wear the inside of your seat tube out if you use them a lot
Put some grease. Same with noisy disc.
Lankycrank
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Lankycrank 4/6/2018 6:50am
4/6/2018 6:50am
I had one on a '91 Stumpjumper... it did not work well at all.
AlexAtNashar
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AlexAtNashar 4/6/2018 6:55am
4/6/2018 6:55am Edited Date/Time 4/6/2018 7:05am
I'm from nashbar and have been messing around with the Hite Rite since we got that box of them. It's surprisingly effective -- took a little while to get everything just tight enough but not too tight. And yeah... the rear wheel would hit the Hite Rite before it bottomed out, but we could just flip it around. I'm surprised they didn't survive as a low-cost entry-level dropper option.
RipNshread
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RipNshread 4/6/2018 9:17am
4/6/2018 9:17am
There was a remote available for your Hite Rite in the day. As I remember it, it worked by opening and closing the seat collar QR. Had to be adjusted just right, and readjusted over and over so your post didn't slip. The Hite Rite spring also came in Ti. No one really wanted one back then...fork travel was at 63-80mm except for full DH forks at 100mm (wicked nuts!). Rear suspension was a tension disk, so going faster meant grinding the ups faster than everyone else...Did wear out the inside of the frame with repeated use and did require a nasty amount of grease in a place that contacts the body a lot especially during the back in the day required hike-a-bike sections. Thankfully frames had bolt on shoulder straps.
sspomer
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sspomer 4/6/2018 9:26am
4/6/2018 9:26am
loving all the history and stories around this!
anotherbikerguy 4/6/2018 8:33pm
4/6/2018 8:33pm
Spomer, you've gotta get Joe on The Inside Line. He knows more about the early history of mountain biking and cycling in general than anyone else I've ever met. Plus he's gone from pioneering downhill racer to framebuilder to company owner to overseeing a bicycling museum and the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Been loving the interviews with all the 90s-era MTB trailblazers but would love to listen to some in-depth chats with the folks who got things started in the 70s!
Stiksandstones
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Stiksandstones 4/6/2018 8:58pm
4/6/2018 8:58pm
Had all the models and sold them at the shop I worked at as a grom, was the greatest invention, until the hydraulic dropper....and one by.
Tristan_Mayor 4/7/2018 1:10pm
4/7/2018 1:10pm
Tristan_Mayor wrote:
I used these in the 2005 and 6 Megavalanche races when no one else had anything similar. They're awesome. Apart from the fact that they quickly...
I used these in the 2005 and 6 Megavalanche races when no one else had anything similar. They're awesome.
Apart from the fact that they quickly wear the inside of your seat tube out if you use them a lot
mamath7 wrote:
Put some grease. Same with noisy disc.
Mmm I'm not sure adding grease to a noisy disc brake would be a great idea
BetterRide.net 4/8/2018 5:20pm
4/8/2018 5:20pm
Had one on 98 Mongoose IBOC Pro. They worked alright, sometimes my seat would be slightly crooked.

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