Dropper posts is that one upgrade that really changes how you ride your bike. Honestly, right now, I don't want to go out biking without one. It is simply one of the best bike innovations that have come out recently. It's not exactly new technology though but the ones we have today are damn good at what they do.
There are many kinds of droppers to choose from too. There are those hydraulicly controlled droppers like the Rockshox Reverb and there are those air based droppers like the one here. There are also mechanical type ones like the Fox DOSS and the cheaper but common ones we find here, the Tmars mechanical dropper.
Droppers are actuated by either a remote on the handlebars or a lever right on top of the post sitting below the saddle. I'd go with the remote actuated droppers anyday of the week.
To start off, I got this unit used. It was in pristine condition with scratches on the usual places the post body pretty much. Stanchions were clean and it did not let out in all of the months I've used it. In fact, I have only put air in to occasions into this thing and none was due to a defect or abnormal seal wear.
Honestly, I feel that this dropper is sort of an OE for a lot of other small albeit some, unknown brands out there. It looks similar to their posts which gave me the idea that it might just is.
Function
The dropper actuates fine albeit a little fast when actuating to fully extend. You can't control the speed to and fro and but your body weight when compressing the post pretty much get it up to hurry down. There are no squishy sounds too.
The mount can use the typical two rail design in most saddles today so no worries there. It can be adjusted too depending on how you want the angle of the saddle to be. No problems there.
At the most, the problems you probably encounter with a dropper like this is with the cable line. I used a cheap ass cable and housing and after a few months it required so much force to actuate the dropper because of dirt and rust inside.
But its a cheap problem that can be fixed easily. Just get yourself some teflon coated or better cables and housing, make sure that both ends are secure from entry of water or dirt and your good to go for months or years on end.
The dropper post is available in 30.9 and 31.6 sizes and I got here is the 31.6 one. It's only 100mm of I personally would want more but 100mm of travel is enough so far since I've adjusted the post just right in the length at least for me.
I have no actual weight on the unit but it is heavy. Probably around the 600-700 gram mark.
Aesthetics and Design
It pretty much is a dropper that looks like any other dropper out there. it's not like the ones rockshox, fox, marzocchi and Thomson are offering, far away from that but smaller taiwanese brands like Dabomb for example have droppers that look almost identical to this.
Anodizing on the red cap is solid but a few scrapes and scratches here and there. It won't kill it and it feels solid.
The worst thing that happened to this dropper was when It fell with the stanchion hitting straight on a sharp edged rock. There was no chip or dent on the stanchion even after that. I simply ran my fingers on it, rubbed it and it was okay after that.
Reliability
I have never had reliability issues with this unit. It simply works for more than a year of use and me not even cleaning up my bike with gunk on the stanchions and the out portion where the seals meet the world.
I would of course recommend cleaning the actuator of the post as when that portion gets clogged up with dirt, then there's potential trouble or worse complete malfunction of the post.
Price
Simply put, you cant beat the price of the dropper. for less than $200 this dropper is a very good option for those beginners looking forward on testing a dropper that will not cost them the earth. Secondhand models will probably cost half of that too in good condition.
Verdict
If your looking for a cheap but realible, somehow close to a set and forget system of a dropper (when setup right) get this. Although the DNM brand gets a bad rep for their fork and shock products their dropper post is surprisingly reliable and something that I'm not ashamed to sport on my alsmot carbon decked out bike.
It simply works and that is the only thing that matters to me. It's heavy yes and its not hydraulic yes but i don't really see the problem. For one, if your rig is a fullsus bike, you'd be needing a shock pump and that pretty much the only thing you need to to keep this post "alive".
If you can spend more a bit. then without a doubt the best option to get is the reverb. Good value for the money hydraulic post and I think it is offered in longer lenghts too.
If you want something really cheap though get the TMARs dropper post for less than $100. It's mechanical and has a 3 position pin design. haven't tried it.
If you want something in between that will jsut last just as long as both, but offers better performance overall and good value, then get this.
Length of use: 2 years
Condition: Tropical climate, mix of dry and very wet climate
Average use per ride: too many really I actuate it when I get off and when I get up the bike and numerous times in between.
DNM recently released a bunch of new designs. Well not really. Look at the dropper from Dabomb and it's practically the same thing. The units have hydraulic adjusts now but still cable actuated via remote. They look better than the old one I have.
There are many kinds of droppers to choose from too. There are those hydraulicly controlled droppers like the Rockshox Reverb and there are those air based droppers like the one here. There are also mechanical type ones like the Fox DOSS and the cheaper but common ones we find here, the Tmars mechanical dropper.
Droppers are actuated by either a remote on the handlebars or a lever right on top of the post sitting below the saddle. I'd go with the remote actuated droppers anyday of the week.
To start off, I got this unit used. It was in pristine condition with scratches on the usual places the post body pretty much. Stanchions were clean and it did not let out in all of the months I've used it. In fact, I have only put air in to occasions into this thing and none was due to a defect or abnormal seal wear.
Honestly, I feel that this dropper is sort of an OE for a lot of other small albeit some, unknown brands out there. It looks similar to their posts which gave me the idea that it might just is.
Function
The dropper actuates fine albeit a little fast when actuating to fully extend. You can't control the speed to and fro and but your body weight when compressing the post pretty much get it up to hurry down. There are no squishy sounds too.
The mount can use the typical two rail design in most saddles today so no worries there. It can be adjusted too depending on how you want the angle of the saddle to be. No problems there.
At the most, the problems you probably encounter with a dropper like this is with the cable line. I used a cheap ass cable and housing and after a few months it required so much force to actuate the dropper because of dirt and rust inside.
But its a cheap problem that can be fixed easily. Just get yourself some teflon coated or better cables and housing, make sure that both ends are secure from entry of water or dirt and your good to go for months or years on end.
The dropper post is available in 30.9 and 31.6 sizes and I got here is the 31.6 one. It's only 100mm of I personally would want more but 100mm of travel is enough so far since I've adjusted the post just right in the length at least for me.
I have no actual weight on the unit but it is heavy. Probably around the 600-700 gram mark.
Aesthetics and Design
It pretty much is a dropper that looks like any other dropper out there. it's not like the ones rockshox, fox, marzocchi and Thomson are offering, far away from that but smaller taiwanese brands like Dabomb for example have droppers that look almost identical to this.
Anodizing on the red cap is solid but a few scrapes and scratches here and there. It won't kill it and it feels solid.
The worst thing that happened to this dropper was when It fell with the stanchion hitting straight on a sharp edged rock. There was no chip or dent on the stanchion even after that. I simply ran my fingers on it, rubbed it and it was okay after that.
Reliability
I have never had reliability issues with this unit. It simply works for more than a year of use and me not even cleaning up my bike with gunk on the stanchions and the out portion where the seals meet the world.
I would of course recommend cleaning the actuator of the post as when that portion gets clogged up with dirt, then there's potential trouble or worse complete malfunction of the post.
Price
Simply put, you cant beat the price of the dropper. for less than $200 this dropper is a very good option for those beginners looking forward on testing a dropper that will not cost them the earth. Secondhand models will probably cost half of that too in good condition.
Verdict
If your looking for a cheap but realible, somehow close to a set and forget system of a dropper (when setup right) get this. Although the DNM brand gets a bad rep for their fork and shock products their dropper post is surprisingly reliable and something that I'm not ashamed to sport on my alsmot carbon decked out bike.
It simply works and that is the only thing that matters to me. It's heavy yes and its not hydraulic yes but i don't really see the problem. For one, if your rig is a fullsus bike, you'd be needing a shock pump and that pretty much the only thing you need to to keep this post "alive".
If you can spend more a bit. then without a doubt the best option to get is the reverb. Good value for the money hydraulic post and I think it is offered in longer lenghts too.
If you want something really cheap though get the TMARs dropper post for less than $100. It's mechanical and has a 3 position pin design. haven't tried it.
If you want something in between that will jsut last just as long as both, but offers better performance overall and good value, then get this.
Length of use: 2 years
Condition: Tropical climate, mix of dry and very wet climate
Average use per ride: too many really I actuate it when I get off and when I get up the bike and numerous times in between.
DNM recently released a bunch of new designs. Well not really. Look at the dropper from Dabomb and it's practically the same thing. The units have hydraulic adjusts now but still cable actuated via remote. They look better than the old one I have.
Comments
Post a Comment