#dropper-post

Radar By: Travis Engel

Under the Hood: Reviewing Gravel Drop-Bar Dropper-Post Remotes from Crankbrothers, PRO, ENVE and Easton

MicroSHIFT, SRAM, and now Shimano all offer gravel brake levers with built-in dropper post remotes. And there are ways to hack most left shifters to work great as dropper remotes. But if you aren’t currently in the market for a new drivetrain, or if you run a front derailleur, there aren’t many good plug-and-play options that work from both the hoods and the drops. Travis Engel found just four of them, from ENVE, Crankbrothers, PRO, and Easton/Fox. It turns out they’re all very special in their own little ways.

Radar

Too Much of a Good Thing: A Long-Term Review of the 240mm OneUp V2 Dropper Post

The target audience for a 240mm dropper post is small. Or, rather, it’s tall. Like, 95th-percentile-North-American-male tall. That may be why it took nearly two decades for one to hit the mainstream market. The world of long droppers is still pretty new, which also means it’s still pretty misunderstood. And Travis Engel learned that he had misunderstood some things until he tested OneUp’s longest post.

Radar

Green or Red? Wolf Tooth Goes Full-Blown Holidaze with Limited Edition Dropper Lever

There’s a question you’ll inevitably hear while in Santa Fe: “Green or red?” and while this is referring to our chile color, it applies to the holidaze as well. Wolf Tooth just released two limited edition anodizing colors for its ReMote dropper levers just in time for the holidays. These are in stock and shipping today from Wolf Tooth, so act fast!

… oh and the answer to the above question is “x-mas”.

Reportage By: john watson & kyle klain

Big in All the Right Ways: a Review of the Kona Sutra LTD 29er Touring Bike

I’m going to nerd out here. Fair warning. When I see a bike like the Kona Sutra LTD hit the internet, I feel mixed emotions. Part of that has to do with my love of the now-dead “adventure” category Specialized launched a few years back, beginning with the AWOL. I had some good memories on that bike and it feels like eons ago. If you remember, this was around the time people started calling bicycle touring “bikepacking”.

The AWOL was a touring bike in the sense that it had rack mounts, clearances for, at the time, big tires and it came specced in both its Poler and Trans-Continental limited-edition build kits with racks and panniers. Sounds like a touring bike to me! While this isn’t an article about the AWOL, I can’t help but see the face-value similarities between it and the Sutra Unlimited, or LTD for short.

Now, the AWOL came out in 2014, and in these past six years, a lot has changed in the touring or bikepacking world for me but one thing remains constant: I love fat tire tourers, and the Sutra LTD really impressed me. It pulled at all the heartstrings…

Radar

Shimano’s PRO Lineup Update Features the Tharsis XC/Gravel Dropper

Today Shimano kicked out a bunch of new dirt-related goodies, ranging from stems, handlebars, MTB dropper and yes, a gravel/XC dropper post. The Tharsis 3Five is a 100mm dropper post weighing in at 415 grams, with three post diameters (27.2, 30.9, 31.6mm), internal routing, and a 2-bolt clamp design with an MSRP of $330. Head to PRO to see more!

Radar

Easton’s EA70 AX Dropper Post for Gravel Bikes

When riding singletrack on your gravel bike, a dropper post can certainly aid in the shredability factor of your ride. The problem is, there aren’t a lot of gravel-oriented droppers on the market. Easton has thrown their cap in the ring, announcing the EA70 AX dropper this morning. Its retail is $184.99 and the dropper offers 50mm of drop in both 350mm and 400mm lengths in a 27.2mm clamp diameter.

Note: buying this dropper will not guarantee skills like Jesse Melamed of the Rocky Mountain Race Face Enduro Team…

Radar

Is the DT Swiss D 232 One the Perfect Dropper Post for Bikepacking?

Ever since bikepacking really took off a few years ago, brands have been trying to design the perfect saddle pack for dropper posts. All the while, what we really needed was a new dropper post design. Then came along the DT Swiss D 232 dropper post. Its inverted design allows for you to use ANY saddle pack. There’s no need for brackets or anything special. Use your normal bikepacking saddle pack and the D 232’s inverted topper provides enough space to strap it with no issue.

It weighs a mere 369g, offers 60mm of travel, and yes, it comes in 27.2mm clamp. See more at DT Swiss.

Reportage By: john watson

Dust in the Wind: Six Months of Bliss on the Bice Biycles Wandrian 29er Gravel Bike

Back in the summer of 2011, Dario took off on a solo tour, from his home town to Rome and back. This tour totaled over 2072.7km and changed the way he looked at the world. Tours and long rides on a bike are like that. Those long hours pedaling can really bring out the creative juices. The endorphins, the sights, sounds, smells, and the people you meet on the road broaden your perspective. You’ll often hear of these experiences as being life-altering and for good reason.

While in Rome, Dario met the team at Associazione Ex-Lavanderia, a bicycle frame building school and when he returned home, be began welding. Many hours were spent perfecting the art and over the past few years, Dario has had many teachers to aid his torch. Mattia (Legor), Dario Pegoretti, Gianni Gilardi and Preda, Stucchi and Perego have all passed down their knowledge to Dario.

When the time was ready, he launched Bice Bicycles where Dario builds road, all-road, gravel, touring, and mountain bikes. I was set up with a review of his most interesting offering, the Wandrian, through Biciclista, the US distributor for Bice Bicycles and Ingrid Components.

Reportage By: john watson

The Gravel Antichrist: the Evil Chamois Hagar Gravel Bike Parties Hard

Now, I’m not a religious person, but I did grow up in a Christian church, so I am well aware of the characters, entities, and symbolism that exists in the Bible. Using the word “Antichrist” in the title of this review will ruffle some feathers, but hear me out. If we look at the phrase metaphorically, the Antichrist is opposition to the status quo, said to appear before the end of the world. Now, reading the reactions to this bike online, many would have you believe it is the harbinger of doom for the gravel world and ya know what? If that is the case, burn it down because the Chamois Hagar is exactly what the gravel world needs…

Radar

PNW Components Introduces the Redesigned Rainier Dropper Post with Adjustable Travel

Personally, I love the look of a dropper post, properly slammed to the seat tube. It creates a visually clean and simple aesthetic, even on very complex bikes. The problem is, most people fall between dropper sizes. For instance, you might be between a 200mm and 175mm dropper, resulting in excess post at the clamp, limiting your dropper travel. Well, PNW Components announced their new Rainier Dropper on their Instagram today. The new Rainier has adjustable travel, in 5mm increments to help gain most travel out of your dropper. Check out more information at PNW Components.

Features
-Tool-less Travel Adjust
-Shortened Overall Length
-Travel: 125, 150, 170 or 200mm
-Diameter: 30.9 or 31.6mm (34.9 coming soon)
-Internal cable routing
-3-year warranty!

Radar

Race Face’s New and Affordable Aeffect R Cranks and Dropper

Today Race Face announced two budget products, that look like appealing options for those building out a MTB. The new Aeffect R cranks ($129.99) are made from 7075 aluminum and weigh only 632 grams, while the new Aeffect Dropper ($199.99) is cable actuated and weighs 540 grams. The dropper does not come with a lever, but Race Face sells a compatible one for $39.99. Both product weights very based on spec. These new products, along with Race Face’s entire lineup are available for order from your local dealer, so hop over to Race Face to see more specs.