The dropper post has defied sceptics and become a staple feature on all modern mountain and some gravel bikes. Although they all do the same thing, there are a lot of factors to consider when upgrading or buying your next dropper post – but fear not, as we've gone and done all the hard work for you. Read on to find out which dropper best is best for your riding style and needs.

Dropper posts have become a mainstay of almost all kinds of mountain bikes because of the flexibility they provide. In the extended position, a dropper post works like a regular seatpost and provides proper support so the rider can make efficient use of the right muscle groups. When compressed, however, a dropper post gets the saddle out of the way, opening up room to move around the bike when descending. Dropper posts are so effective that they're now commonplace on cross-country mountain bikes, where riders are sacrificing weight penalties for the performance benefits they offer.

How to choose the best dropper post for your mountain bike comes down to three main factors – travel, stack and insertion depth, all of which have a bearing on whether or not it'll work for your body's proportions. All of these are self-explanatory, with travel referring to how far the dropper post can drop and insertion length being how long the dropper is from its collar to the very end that goes into your bike frame. 

The longer the travel, the longer the insertion length and not all frames are the same, with some offering more space for long insertion lengths and others not so much due to pivots and bottle mounts getting in the way. 

Stack height refers to the distance between the saddle rail clamp and the top of the collar. The shorter the stack height is, the more travel you can choose. Another size aspect of dropper posts is the internal diameter of your seat tube. There are now four on the market, 27.2-, 30.9-, 31.6-, and 34.9mm. Pick the right diameter for your frame and you're all good. If you've gone slightly too small, a dropper post can be shimmed.

There's also the case of cable routing. Most, if not all modern mountain bikes come with internal cable routing for dropper posts known as 'stealth'. This is where the cable runs through the frame and attaches underneath the dropper. External cable routing is your only choice if your bike isn't internally cable routed, which is the case for several gravel bikes on the market.

The best dropper posts 2024

• Crankbrothers Highline 11
• OneUp Components V2 Dropper Post
• Fox Transfer
• Wolf Tooth Components Resolve
• e*thirteen Vario Infinite
• KS Lev Si
• Pro Tharsis
• PNW Components Loam Post
• Crankbrothers Highline 7
• Brand-X Ascend XL
• The best dropper post 2024

Crankbrothers Highline 11

£400

The Crankbrothers Highline 11 is the brand's top-end dropper post and it comes with cool materials in a bid to drop its weight without compromising the stellar performance that was established by the Highline 7. Those materials include a carbon fibre quill, or stanchion as well as titanium, used for its bolts and hardware, all of which provide a claimed weight saving of up to 100g compared to the Highline 7.

Coming in travel drops from 60mm up to 170mm, it's set to find a home on cross-country, trail, and enduro bikes with riders who prioritise weight savings and smooth action. But the Highline 11 isn't just about its lightweight, because it's easy to live with, too. It's mechanically actuated and it uses a handy quick-connect head, so saddles can be fitted with minimal faff.

As for internals, the dropper is kitted with Trelleborg sealant, a self-contained Internal Floating Piston (IFP) cartridge and it uses Igus LL-glide bearings and keys.

For our impressions on this dropper, make sure you read the Crankbrothers Highline 11 dropper post review.

OneUp Components V2 Dropper Post

£230

Although the OneUp Components dropper post is now in its third iteration, the V2 is still a staple in the dropper post marketplace. That's because it's relatively inexpensive but it comes littered with impressive numbers and measurements that's made it a firm favourite as an OEM product, and as a solid post-consumer upgrade.

It comes in a total of six travel options from 90mm up to 210mm and each travel can be adjusted down by 10 or 20mm, so a rider can fine-tune things to best suit their inseam. It's mechanically actuated and the 180mm travelled dropper tested measures 480mm in total length with a very short 33mm stack height and a 120mm insertion which makes it best in class (ignoring the new V3 dropper).

The V2 Dropper Post is well sorted with a premium aesthetic and it's cleverly designed, meaning that our tester could fit more travel than before without affecting their saddle height. In use, we found it to be incredibly smooth and consistent, and with a light lever throw.

With all of its travel options, this dropper is worth a deeper look. Our  OneUp Components V2 Dropper Post review will cover all the pros and cons to help your buying decision.

Fox Transfer

£400

Suspension and dropper posts go hand in hand, so it comes as no surprise that suspension giant, Fox, has brought its Kashima goodness to the dropper post game. Offering a solid choice of travel options from 100mm up to 200mm the Fox Transfer is found on a range of high-end mountain bikes and is praised for its reliability and is renowned for its Kashima stanchions.

Although our tester found that its cable tension needed to be spot on for the perfect actuation, it performed well during testing. However, it's slowly falling behind more modern posts, and it's not user friendly.

Make sure you take a look at the Fox Transfer dropper post review for more details.

Wolf Tooth Components Resolve

£380

Best known for its comprehensive range of high-end and beautifully crafted CNC-machined componentry, the Wolf Tooth Components Resolve dropper post is completely user-serviceable with readily available spares. Best of all, its outer sleeve can be replaced with sleeves of different diameters, meaning that it can be transferred to another bike, too.

Though, apart from its user serviceability, the Resolve has proven to be a strong performer both in its modern measurements, coming with one of the lowest stacks around, and its excellent self-bleeding mechanism. On top of that, it's smooth, reliable and it looks great. It's rather light, too, at 555g (200mm drop), which can be shimmed down by 5mm increments.

For more on this dropper, take a gander at our Wolf Tooth Components Resolve dropper post review.

e*thirteen Vario Infinite

£180

Like many droppers currently on the market, the e*thirteen Vario Infinite comes with adjustable travel done by unscrewing its collar and turning a plastic shim. It's mechanically actuated and uses an infinite travel gas spring. It's available in 30.9- and 31.6mm diameters and drops from 90mm up to 180mm with an insertion length of 288mm.

Installation is as simple as it gets and it's proven to be perfectly reliable with a smooth action. Its lever is excellent, too, with pre-installed grip tape and a good level of adjustment.

Check out the e*thirteen Vario Infinite dropper post review to learn more.

KS Lev Si

£210

Priced fairly, the KS Lev Si comes with plenty of drop and all of the functionality you would expect. It's well made, it's easily installed and our tester found it to be consistent through the test period.

It's a dropper that gets all of the performance of its pricier range mates but it uses materials and construction methods that make this Lev Si friendlier on the wallet. It took a little bit of fettling to get the post actuating quickly but after some time, it sped up and worked excellently.

For more on this dropper, check out the KS Lev Si dropper post review.

Pro Tharsis

£320

If it's lightweight that you're looking for, the Pro Tharsis dropper post weighs just 448g (100mm travel). This is another dropper that chases the grams as all bolts are titanium which Pro claims saves 15g over regular steel bolts.

In practice, the Tharsis' action is smooth in both directions and there's enough movement in its lever to adjust the speed of its return by pressing softer or harder onto it. What's cool is that this post uses an oval shape for its stanchion which boosts strength and eliminates sideways play.

If you enjoy cross-country mountain biking, we suggest giving our Pro Tharsis dropper post review a read.

PNW Components Loam Post

£188

The PNW Components Loam Post is the first dropper post to come with adjustable travel through the turning of a plastic shim. Although we found filling its adjustable air cartridge to be quite tricky, it's one of the segment's best thanks to its modern measurements, top build quality and good price.

While testing through all conditions, the Loam Post never missed a beat and showed no signs of slowing down on return. The PNW Loam Lever is also a cracking bit of kit.

To find out more about this dropper post, take a look at the PNW Components Loam Post ropper post review.

Crankbrothers Highline 7

£300

The Crankbrothers Highline 7 is a mid-range dropper post that gets many of the premium features of the Highline 11 – but at a more accessible price point. While it ditches the carbon and titanium bits, it gets everything that's important such as the Igus bearings and bushing, self-contained IFP and Trelleborg sealing.

Despite the fact it's not as light as its sibling, its performance is nearly identical with travel ranging from 125 up to 200mm. This post is ideal for those who are after longer drops and aren't too worried about gram counting.

Check out the Crankbrothers Highline 7 review for more information and testing notes.

Brand-X Ascend XL

£170

Brand-X's Ascend dropper post is a stable budget option that comes with extra long 170- and 200mm drops. The insertion depth is quite long but, for the money, few come as reliable and with such a well-damped return speed. It's a case of all killer, no filler as it's not the lightest but it works impressively well for what it is.

For everything you need to know and more, make sure you give the Brand-X Ascend XL dropper post review a browse.

The best dropper post 2024

PNW Components Loam Post

The PNW Components Loam Post is among the cheapest we've tested but also ticks many important boxes, coming with the expected range of travel options and three diameters.

Its numbers and measurements are great, too, so a Loam Post should fit almost everyone's bike. Its adjustable travel, as well as its interchangeable collar grip act as the icing on what's already a delicious bit of cake.

For a closer look at what we reckon is the best dropper post around, here's the PNW Components Loam Post review.

How to choose the best dropper posts for mountain biking

Are hydraulic dropper posts better?

Hydraulic dropper posts come with their own set of advantages in that they're smoother in their actuation. However, maintaining them is more involved and more complicated as they require regular bleeding just like hydraulic disc brakes.

Mechanical droppers are simpler as they rely on cable actuation. All this takes is a quick swap of the cable which is a similar task to changing a clear cable, but it's much easier as there's far less adjustment required once the cable is in place.

Simpler still are electronic dropper posts that come with no cables are hoses at all. They are more expensive, however, and they rely on batteries so regular charging is a must.

Are dropper seat posts worth it?

Dropper seat posts provide a huge range of benefits that almost any rider can take advantage of but they're not without three disadvantages. Firstly, they're more expensive than solid seat posts. They require at least annual servicing and lastly, they pose some weight gain.

However, the performance benefits they provide far outweigh the downsides. They offer the best of both worlds - an efficient and strong pedalling position and uninhibited movement over the bike when descending.

Before the invention of dropper seat posts, riders would manually drop their saddles before dropping into a descent but when that descent throws in a sudden climb, riders didn't have that easily accessible support of the saddle in its pedalling position. That's the one real problem that a dropper post solves, they negate any sacrifice made by having a saddle in a particular position in any riding scenario as the rider can place it wherever they like, whenever they like.

Are they worth it? Yes. All riders will find benefit in a dropper post, even gravel riders as they allow for a lower centre of gravity and thus more confidence when descending.

Can a dropper post be too long?

A dropper post can be too long in many ways. If you've got too much travel, you'll be placing the saddle in a position that's not ideal for pedalling which can lead to inefficient pedalling and at worst, injury. Yes, you can lower the post a little to get the perfect position but then you're not taking advantage of the post's full travel and it'll be hard to get the perfect position every time, especially mid-descent. This can also be caused by an insertion depth that's too long. As the bottom of a dropper post is obstructed by a pivot or bottle mount, it raises the saddle when at full extension.

There is a benefit to a long travel dropper post in that a rider can get their saddle well out of the way when descending, opening up as much room as possible over the bike. On the other hand, some riders prefer less travel as it allows them to better control the bike with the saddle between their knees, like many downhill athletes do.

Should you leave your dropper post up or down?

When storing or travelling with your bike, the dropper post must be down. This protects the valuable and delicate stanchion from being scratched or damaged. If the stanchion is damaged, it can ruin the dropper posts' seals and stop it from working as it should. 

It's a similar case if a dropper post's stanchion is misshaped through clamping it in a work stand too firmly or during a crash. If this happens, the dropper post will hit resistance as it moves through its travel and won't work properly. If in doubt, keep it down.

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