FAIR Bicycle Launches the Drop Best UC

When the original drop best launched in 2021, FAIR bicycle already knew that the RockShox Reverb it was designed for, was no longer a market leading dropper. What they didn’t know though, was how many people actually wanted offset on their dropper. Fast forward one year, and FAIR bicycle knew that quite some riders wanted to fine tune their position. From the weekend rider right to the XC world cup pro. But on many different types of droppers, as well as rigid, proprietary posts (read: high end road bike seat posts). Also, and with GREAT satisfaction, the team noted that many riders used DROP BEST to keep their old steed up to speed with modified, more modern geometry. Which was the main reason why FAIR bicycle developed it in the first place. The other being to offer the possibility to fine tune your seating position on dropper equipped bikes.

So the team went to work. And a lot of work it was. After an initial analysis of the most popular posts, it was decided that it should be possible to make one main body which will be compatible with all posts using vertical mounting bolts.

Then, all these posts were purchased and professionally 3D scanned with the very kind help of Zurichs ZHAW School of Engineering. This led to an intense effort to design a part which would be compatible with all the different shapes of seatposts. Posts vary in the hardware they use (M5/M6/custom), in the width and length of the head, in the angle of the head relative to the sliding tube and a bunch of other factors. Then, the different seat tube angles of bikes had to be taken into account. The range of angle adjustment required by riders, the vertical and fore/aft clearance with the saddle/saddle rails. In 7, 7x9 and 7x10 mm flavor please. Plus, doubling all these variables: DROP BEST UC needed to be able to create forward AND rearward offset. Because that was a very popular feature among the first gen DROP BEST customers.

Many, many, many late night shifts followed by sleepless nights, DROP BEST UC was born, delivering on all the above requirements, while staying within of a couple of grams of the original design, yet still passing tests way above ISO MTB standards. And keeping the retail price very close to the original offering, despite being fully Swiss Made and including many more bespoke parts.

DROPPER POSTS ARE GREAT

Unless you want to adjust your seating position a little more. Some bikes have steep seat angles, some have slack ones. And some confuse with virtual, effective and actual seat angles. Some riders might want to experiment with crazy steep seat angles. Others possibly want to back off their new school geometry just a tad. Or they have a perfectly fine, older frame, which with a little slacker head angle and a tad steeper seat angle, will be right up to pace again. The long legged XC racer has her saddle maxed out all the way back, and is looking to unlock those free watts by moving further back. You might also just love a particular frame with a way slack actual seat angle, and need to adjust your saddle position at seat height.

In short, there are many situations where positive OR negative offset on a dropper post is very desirable. To set the virtual seat angle at seat height where the rider needs it. The DROP BEST UC saddle clamp addresses this for almost all bikes equipped with a dropper seatpost using vertical mounting bolts. At 27mm offset, it can alter the seat angle by 2° (example for 680mm seat height and 76° starting angle).

PROPRIETARY SEATPOSTS ARE GREAT

Unless you want to adjust your seating position a little more.

We all love the tricked out, every tube profile meticulously shaped, road bikes of modern days. And we love to make that older aero frame just perfect to be a flying commuter machine. Others simply want to optimize their road bike for the occasional TT race.

For the top crop of modern bikes, oftentimes seat posts are offered from the manufacturer with different offsets. But none of them offer positive offset. And older aero frame designs especially, have proprietary seat posts, but do not offer any offset options. Also, if you fancy building up a certain retro frame that does not fit you perfectly, you are stuck.

The DROP BEST UC saddle clamp addresses this for almost all bikes equipped with a seat post using vertical mounting bolts. At 27mm offset, it can set a rider’s saddle position just where he/she needs it. And may be the missing link to make your road machine ride just that little bit better.

FEATURES

SAFE.
High strength 7075 aluminum throughout. Strongest, 12.9 grade, US made fasteners. Swiss coatings for corrosion resistance.

EASY.
Totally independent angle and saddle position adjustment makes installation a breeze. Lower your post’s stack height with the included spacers or use them to achieve extreme saddle angles (some riders are into that :) See a detailed compatibility chart here. If you are unsure about the fit on your post, you can download and 3D print a dummie here. Compatible with all saddle rails: 7 mm round, 7x9 mm oval and 7x10 mm oval. No extra parts needed.

MODULAR.
DROP BEST UC is fully modular: Beyond the adjustability via its five spacers, you can make your DROP BEST UC work on almost all seatposts with vertical clamping bolts, just by purchasing an additional hardware kit: For posts using M6 bolts, M5 bolts, proprietary posts using one bolt installed upside down (e.g. many high end carbon road bikes/posts) and even for the popular Fox Transfer 2021 post as well as its Race Face derivatives.

LIGHTWEIGHT/HEAVYWEIGHT.
A stock set of saddle clamp parts weighs around 75 g. The DROP BEST UC assembly weighs 139 g*. That’s heavier. But at the top of that one hour climb, your correctly set seating position will make your DROP BEST UC equipped bike feel much lighter.

PRECISION.
Precision machined in Switzerland. High end coatings throughout.

FAIR TRADE.
Made as fair and eco as possible. From the CNC main parts to the bolts and the packing tape. In countries where everyone has health insurance, paid holidays and proper wages. FAIR bicycle informs as transparent as possible. Learn more here.

ECO-SENSIBLE & FULLY CIRCULAR.
This product and its packaging are manufactured only in countries with high environmental standards. Fully circular: All materials can continuously be recycled at their end of life. Including packaging. FAIR bicycle informs as transparent as possible. Learn more here.

INDEPENDENTLY ISO TESTED IN GERMANY.
Tested to ISO MTB standards and beyond. Test results here.

INTENDED USE.
On almost all bicycles coming with a seatpost using two vertical saddle clamp bolts.

*up to 174 g in its heaviest configuration

FAIR TRADE

At FAIR bicycle we believe anyone working anything should make a living from it. We only source and make our products in countries where fair wages and good worker rights exist and are enforced by the authorities. We publish as much proof of this as we can. Because talking is silver, proving is gold. It’s all here: fairbicycle.com/fairtrade.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Circular economy means that at the end of life of a product, all materials used in a product can be reintroduced into a circle. Either into a 100% recycling (not downcycling) material circle, or into a natural material circle, where materials biologically decompose and can regrow into a new product. For both circles the products have to be made from monomaterials or disassemblable into monomaterial parts. At FAIR bicycle we believe circular is the only way to the future. Therefore we do circular economy, almost down to the tiniest detail, like grease. From the products themselves to the packaging. It’s all here: fairbicycle.com/circulareconomy.

PERFORMANCE

NORMALIZED TIME GAIN – that is our definition of performance. Meaning we take into consideration everything that matters in a product’s application. Be it the pedalling efficiency of your seating position or the hassle free use of your cargo straps. Also, we try to throw in a good dose of bling and fun, as well as the great vibes coming from owning a fair and eco made bit of kit.