The Vario Infinite is e*thirteen’s newest dropper post and comes with an adjustable drop range and a very well-designed lever. While reliable and smooth, its price isn’t wholly competitive - especially when compared to other options in the best dropper posts category.
e*thirteen Vario Infinite dropper post – Technical details
The Vario Infinite benefits from a 7050-T7-forged and CNC aluminium construction housing, composite bushings and brass keys. To shift the 3D-forged stanchion, it utilises a cable-actuated, infinite-travel gas spring.
The head is integrated into the stanchion and offers 12mm of fore and aft saddle adjustment and 28-degrees of angle adjustment. It’s then available in 30.9 and 31.6mm clamp diameters.
Something that we’re seeing more commonly among the best dropper posts is adjustable travel, and this can be done on the Vario Infinite without the need for tools. That’s thanks to a plastic shim wrapped around the stanchion and hidden under the post’s collar. Give it a twist and it can limit travel in 5mm increments with a maximum limit of 30mm. e*thirteen offers the Vario Infinite with 90 up to 210mm of drop across four models.
On test, we have 150-180mm of drop which comes with an insertion length of 288mm. Its stack measures around 5mm tall and the post weighs 603g.
The Vario dropper lever is built around an aluminium body and the light action lever blade rotates around dual bearings. This weighs 75g and is available with a band clamp but is compatible with Matchmakers only. Sorry, Shimano fans.
e*thirteen Vario Infinite dropper post – Installation
Slinging the Vario onto a bike is as simple as it gets - and it’s made easier with the covered style of lever found at the base of the post. Unfortunately, cables aren’t included with the dropper, which is an odd move as are commonly included but they do come with the Vario lever.
This post uses the ball of the cable to actuate the post-end lever and clamps the other end of the cable at the dropper’s lever. I like this style of dropper as it makes installation pretty simple.
The Vario lever is equally as easy to install but what’s really appreciated is the large 3mm Allen head. Where many levers use smaller sizes, this one Is far less likely to round out due to poor Allen key use.
e*thirteen Vario Infinite dropper post – Performance
My experience with the Vario Infinite has had its ups and downs (pun definitely not intended) - but on the whole, it’s proven to be a reliable bit of kit, above anything else. This dropper has been on my bike for three months now and, to start with, everything was fine and perfectly smooth. That said, about a month into testing, the post began to feel gritty and has built up some resistance over time when compressing.
Sadly, it shouldn't be feeling this way after such a short run-in period but it’s still working. Each time I’ve pressed the lever, it does exactly what it should. To minimise the gritty feel, I’ve applied grease under the collar and given the post several liberal sprays of suspension lube which temporarily improves things but there’s no getting away from the post’s agricultural feel.
Having spoken with e*thirteen, we concluded that this was down to a very slightly bent stanchion which created more friction inside of the post. Thanks to the brand's top-notch warranty and aftercare service, a fresh post was delivered pretty speedily. The new post's performance has remained as reliable as suggested by the post prior, but it's shown no signs of bending, hinting that this issue was a one-off.
Undoing the post’s collar isn’t exactly a tool-free task. While I have been able to twist the collar with my bare hands, since, with normal riding, it’s become very tight. So tight that only a strap wrench will shift it.
The whole post is user-serviceable, with parts readily available from e*thirteen. So if it were to completely explode, you won't have to part with another £200 for a new post, which in itself is a great feature.
Moving onto the Vario lever, it's up there with the best. While it’s a bit weightier than others, and a bit overengineered, it feels great to use. The bearing is smooth and the lever’s throw is short but light. It comes with a patch of grip tape pre-installed, which is handy but I’d like that to be an option really. Of course, it can be removed.
If you hate any free play in your dropper lever, the Vario lever is built with a grub screw that puts pressure on the lever, stopping it from flapping about - a nice touch from e*thirteen. Speaking of grub screws, the one that clamps the cable in place is burly enough to resist rounding out and that's a big plus in my books.
e*thirteen Vario Infinite dropper post – Verdict
With an asking price of £200, the Vario Infinite is placed at a point rife with strong competition, namely the PNW Components Loam dropper which is a full £50 cheaper and comes with a tool-free travel adjust. During a similar test period, it stayed smooth and it’s a tad shorter overall, with the 170mm option measuring 260mm at maximum insertion. Its lever is equally as good as e*thirteens, too, and it costs just £2 more at £52. The bonus with the PNW Loam lever is that it can fit Shimano I-SPEC II, I-SPEC EV, and SRAM Matchmaker fittings.
Then OneUp’s V2 dropper is priced at £200 but its stack is much shorter and having used it on test bikes before, it’s smooth and fast on the return. The OneUp dropper lever is also really comfortable and costs £40.
There's also the Brand-X Ascend XL that Jim really liked at £170, with the only downside being that it's a bit heavy.
With such good competition at a similar price point and cheaper, it’s tough to justify the e*thirteen Vario Infinite dropper post. Although, it's proven impressively reliable and when it works, it's rather smooth. My experience with the post has also highlighted e*thirteen's excellent customer service. While weighty and incompatible with Shimano I-Spec type brakes, the Vario lever offers a great feel in a durable package.
Add comment