The "Show off your bike" thread! (Vol 2)
Discussion
GravelBen said:
yellowjack said:
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only rider still without a dropper post. I've never tried one, and I'm avoiding doing so to keep myself from temptation. I figure I've managed without one for 30 years, give or take, so why would I need one now?
...
Modern MTB geometry is very much designed around droppers now, so if you buy a new bike you might feel more like you need one. ...
The steep seat tube angles common now give a great body position for steep climbing (and balance the longer reach), but without being able to drop the seat its much more awkwardly in the way for descending.
Not sure if that's a "steep" seat tube angle or not, really. It's a 2015 Giant Anthem 3 (27.5")
I love it, but it was bloody hard work pedaling it for over 4 hours to/from/around Canford Heath, Dorset. Probably more my fault for not riding regularly than the bike's fault, though...
yellowjack said:
Not sure if that's a "steep" seat tube angle or not, really. It's a 2015 Giant Anthem 3 (27.5")
Looking up the numbers, its a 73° seat tube angle - the current Anthem is 75.5° and many new bikes (especially longer travel ones) are around 76-77° to keep you in a good climbing position when sagged into the suspension travel.Geometry is always a combination of things working together - newer MTBs generally have slacker head tube angles (angling the front wheel further out in front of you) and longer reach (ie longer front end when standing) for more stability descending steep / fast / rough stuff. So they need a correspondingly steeper seat tube to avoid being too stretched out when seated and keep your weight centred on the bike for steep climbs.
Yours being a few years older has a steeper head tube angle and shorter reach, so it doesn't need such a steep seat tube to keep the front wheel weighted for climbing and it will be nice and agile for tight corners etc - with the compromise of less ability to descend steep nasty stuff and less high-speed stability compared to a newer design.
yellowjack said:
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only rider still without a dropper post. I've never tried one, and I'm avoiding doing so to keep myself from temptation. I figure I've managed without one for 30 years, give or take, so why would I need one now?
...
The internet says you have a 30.9 seat post...photo looks like you have a modest seat height, so how about a second hand one?...
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3588477/
That one comes with a lever too
yellowjack said:
Craikeybaby said:
Knowing what Hope prices are like, it wouldn't surprise me if you could get a BrandX dropper post for not much more than a pair of Hope brake discs...
Yeah, but "orange, dude"??? But I might look into a dropper post ahead of "bike tart" sideways "upgrades". I'm sure it would make more sense to spend money there instead of replacing rotors which are perfectly serviceable still.Then off to Halfords for a tin of rattle-can orange paint and some masking tape...
Two new Hope brake rotors (180mm and 160mm, orange) will cost me £89.48
One BrandX dropper seatpost with '2X' lever, 100mm travel will cost me £49.99
Going to check now, to see if my frame is good for internal dropper cable routing...
yellowjack said:
One BrandX dropper seatpost with '2X' lever, 100mm travel will cost me £49.99
A quick note of caution, you may find that you want more than 100mm of drop, especially based on your bike photo above.I've got 150mm on mine, which was as much as I could fit, but I often think having more would be better!
dirtbiker said:
yellowjack said:
One BrandX dropper seatpost with '2X' lever, 100mm travel will cost me £49.99
A quick note of caution, you may find that you want more than 100mm of drop, especially based on your bike photo above.I've got 150mm on mine, which was as much as I could fit, but I often think having more would be better!
Unless you are regularly doing bespoke MTB trails or steep technical terrain I don't think dropper posts are the game changer the internet says they are.
100mm drop is naff all, waste of time IMO.
The ideal with your bike would be to have it slammed as low as it will go then extend to be the perfect height for pedalling. Max insertion will be the issue with your frame although just through eyeballing it I'd say 150mm is where you want to be...
The ideal with your bike would be to have it slammed as low as it will go then extend to be the perfect height for pedalling. Max insertion will be the issue with your frame although just through eyeballing it I'd say 150mm is where you want to be...
dirtbiker said:
A quick note of caution, you may find that you want more than 100mm of drop, especially based on your bike photo above.
I've got 150mm on mine, which was as much as I could fit, but I often think having more would be better!
It depends on the bike, trails and riding style I guess. I would also recommend at least 150mm dropper for most people, but for someone riding XC trails and not hitting much in the way of jumps and drops etc, 100-125mm is probably fine.I've got 150mm on mine, which was as much as I could fit, but I often think having more would be better!
I find 150mm drop to be fine on my hardtail, but on my Reign 29 (~77° seat tube angle) with the original 150mm dropper the seat still felt a bit in the way at times on steep drops etc and leaning the bike over in hard cornering. Upgraded to a 210mm dropper (the longest I could fit) and its brilliant.
Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 20th April 12:55
Byronwww said:
dirtbiker said:
yellowjack said:
One BrandX dropper seatpost with '2X' lever, 100mm travel will cost me £49.99
A quick note of caution, you may find that you want more than 100mm of drop, especially based on your bike photo above.I've got 150mm on mine, which was as much as I could fit, but I often think having more would be better!
Unless you are regularly doing bespoke MTB trails or steep technical terrain I don't think dropper posts are the game changer the internet says they are.
Catastrophic Poo said:
GravelBen said:
. Upgraded to a 210mm dropper (the longest I could fit) and its brilliant.
The OneUp shimmable one per chance? 
PS your user name is excellent.
Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 20th April 23:22
GCH said:
Haha, probably not far off. They were on sale at chain reaction earlier this year for £40 (220) and £45 (203). Both cheaper than the Hope 180 bizarrely. As upgrades go I’ve got a pretty effective one for a decent price I think.
I think I paid £89 last time I bought a BrandX dropper post.GravelBen said:
Catastrophic Poo said:
GravelBen said:
. Upgraded to a 210mm dropper (the longest I could fit) and its brilliant.
The OneUp shimmable one per chance? PS your user name is excellent.
Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 20th April 23:22
trails said:
GravelBen said:
Catastrophic Poo said:
GravelBen said:
. Upgraded to a 210mm dropper (the longest I could fit) and its brilliant.
The OneUp shimmable one per chance? PS your user name is excellent.
Edited by GravelBen on Thursday 20th April 23:22
And the levers look pretty
I've had 3 OneUp's, a 180, a 210 and a 240.
Still got the 210 and 240 and they're going strong, love em. That said, my mate is running my old 180 and the cart gave up up back end of last year and had to be replaced at a cost of about £60.
I also run a PNW which is solid, just has slightly more insert depth.
Still got the 210 and 240 and they're going strong, love em. That said, my mate is running my old 180 and the cart gave up up back end of last year and had to be replaced at a cost of about £60.
I also run a PNW which is solid, just has slightly more insert depth.
Catastrophic Poo said:
I’m going to be ordering one shorty, but hear many good things about them.
And the levers look pretty
As per Bobbo's post I've got a 150 on my eeb, a 180 on my analogue and my wife has a 150 on her analogue, none of them have put a foot wrong.And the levers look pretty
I run Wolf Tooth levers on both bikes, and really rate them too
bobbo89 said:
I've had 3 OneUp's, a 180, a 210 and a 240.
Still got the 210 and 240 and they're going strong, love em. That said, my mate is running my old 180 and the cart gave up up back end of last year and had to be replaced at a cost of about £60.
I also run a PNW which is solid, just has slightly more insert depth.
I have BrandX on one bike, it is OK, but nowhere near as good as the KS on my other bike. However, the KS needed a full service, and new cartridge which would have cost more than a BrandX post, so I used man maths and bought a One Up post, and it is great.Still got the 210 and 240 and they're going strong, love em. That said, my mate is running my old 180 and the cart gave up up back end of last year and had to be replaced at a cost of about £60.
I also run a PNW which is solid, just has slightly more insert depth.
trails said:
As per Bobbo's post I've got a 150 on my eeb, a 180 on my analogue and my wife has a 150 on her analogue, none of them have put a foot wrong.
I run Wolf Tooth levers on both bikes, and really rate them too
I am also running Wolf Tooth levers on both bikes, I particularly like that you can get the parts separately to fit them to your brake levers, so that you don't need to buy a whole new lever when you switch brakes (unlike Shimano shifters). They have just announced a new "Pro" version, with more adjustability and a price drop on the standard version.I run Wolf Tooth levers on both bikes, and really rate them too
Craikeybaby said:
trails said:
As per Bobbo's post I've got a 150 on my eeb, a 180 on my analogue and my wife has a 150 on her analogue, none of them have put a foot wrong.
I run Wolf Tooth levers on both bikes, and really rate them too
I am also running Wolf Tooth levers on both bikes, I particularly like that you can get the parts separately to fit them to your brake levers, so that you don't need to buy a whole new lever when you switch brakes (unlike Shimano shifters). They have just announced a new "Pro" version, with more adjustability and a price drop on the standard version.I run Wolf Tooth levers on both bikes, and really rate them too
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