Fox Reveals the Transfer SL Dropper Post
Suspension giants, Fox, set themselves a challenge; to produce the lightest dropper post on the market, and as of today, they've achieved just that. Adding an even more lightweight member to the Transfer dropper post family, it's the Transfer SL.
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Optimised for hardcore cross-country racers and gravel enthusiasts, Fox suspension has managed to shave a whopping 25% weight off of their flagship Transfer dropper post. However, they've made some radical changes to the iconic construction to achieve this, including two fixed positions.
There are two Transfer SL diameters on offer, each with two travel options: the Transfer SL 27.2 starts at 327g, providing 50mm or 70mm travel, and the Transfer SL 30.9/31.6 starts at 346g, providing 70mm and 100mm of travel. There's also a variety of levers available, optimised for flat bars, drop bars and 2x shifters.
To achieve such a low weight, Fox has opted for an internal cable-actuated dropper without a hydraulic damping system. So, where there would have been oil inside the seatpost, there's a hollow space. This design change actually makes the Transfer SL slightly faster to return than the Transfer due to the highly preloaded low rate spring and no speed decrease from hydraulic oil flowing. However, the lack of a hydraulic damping system results in a slightly louder movement as hardened steel balls engage in internal grooves within the upper post to lock the post in the two travel positions. And that's another significant difference between the Transfer SL and its burlier predecessor, a fixed two-position movement. What this means is that the Transfer SL seatpost can only be fully extended, or slammed down to the collar—hardly an issue for XC and gravel riders.
As to be expected with Fox suspension products, the Transfer SL is no cheap piece of kit with the Performance Elite model priced at £230, and the Factory model priced at £280, the extra £50 is for Ti hardware which saves you a massive 10g.
Could you use the Fox Transfer SL on an e-MTB? Yes, but that's a strange combination.