Dropper Posts In Road Racing
 

Is this going to be a thing?
https://cyclingtips.com/2021/02/now-...n-road-racing/

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Not for me it isn't.

Why would you be "reaching" for a lever and taking your eyes off the road ahead? You'd just use the button on your handlebars, like people do on mountain bikes.

I did not understand it was hydraulic controlled from the handlebar. I thought height was controlled from a lever on the seat post.

Oh.

Yeah, they come in various types. There are even wireless electronic ones.

Di2 integrated battery and dropper all in one seatpost?

If folks like Canyon still have issues with aero seat masts and design/wear issues with a brand new 2020/2021 bike like TODAY, how in the world are they going to add all that into an aero seat mast which a ton of bikes have these days?

MTB folks have the luxury of round seat masts, which kinda works a LOT better for a dropper post.

I bet dropper posts become common in road racing. At least in races with big downhills. It will be a measurable advantage.

And aero dropper posts will be a nice, expensive, multiple-standard, high profit margin addition to the industry.

I won't move my saddle ever. For anything. When I drop it at a shop I wrap the post and clamp with blue tape and write do not move. The idea of moving it at will is clown car funny.

I can't think of a single race in the southeast that has a big downhill that would be worth the trouble and expense of this, so definitely don't think it'll be "common."

I guarantee it's coming to racing. Now that the top tube tuck is banned and everyone knows how much faster it is.

I'm guessing no one is paying you to finish rides faster or be able to stay with your team leader on mountain descents so you can pace him to the finish. And making a dropper post that returns to its setting exactly - not rocket science. Just good old engineering.

There's never really any reason to place a saddle higher than your preferred pedaling position, so droppers are generally set up to return to that position when fully extended. You don't "lose" your saddle adjustment when you actuate the post.

I don't imagine there will ever be a scenario where I'll have to worry about it.

Wireless, $800.
RockShox Reverb AXS Dropper Seatpost | Competitive Cyclist

3 years ago I got a mountain bike with my first dropper. I think it's great and I use it in ways I didn't think of before, like just lowering it a bit for a technical climb or dropping it all the way to get on or off the bike on a steep, slippery hill. I even lower it on road descents.

It would be nice on a road bike on a twisty descent but not worth the $$$ and the 150-200 grams for most people.

I've had two ISPs. A giant SL back in the day, and a fuji pro track bike. Both had issues. The giant ISP head slipped once the clear coat on the post wore away. I shimmed it with a piece of soda can and it worked, but really defeated any of the benefit of having an ISP. The fuji slipped dramatically from the time I got it. Like the head didn't fit at all. They replaced the frame set, but I sold it straight away as new. I'd love a new giant to build a super light climbing bike, but I've continued riding my TCR 2014s because I prefer having a normal seat post.

We're all roadies here, but damn! The purity of your roadieness is epic. Congrats! :P

It's really no trouble if you have a round post. It's only about $200 to get started with a good one. Cheaper than a nice aero handlebar. Super reliable.

I have one on my Trek Stache, and was kind of ignoring it for the first few months (my first MTB purchase in 30 years). Now that I'm coaching with the HS MTB team here, I drop it before pretty much any technical descent, and sometimes for really fast corners. Droppers are brilliant.

There were levers on seatposts years ago. Now, most have a thumb lever on the bar. My mtb has a small thumb lever that uses a standard Shimano shift cable to actuate the post. The cable is run internal through the frame and connects to the bottom of the post inside the seat tube so there has to be enough slack in the cable to pull the post out to attach the cable.

I think Rockshox has the hydraulic control model, supposed to be more reliable in muddy conditions.

Mine only drops 125mm but it seems enough for me. Some drop 200mm but XC pro racers use 80 or 85mm posts. They say it takes too much energy to drop more than that and then raise it back up and some of them don't use a dropper at all. XC courses aren't super technical yet.

Most are able to stop in any position within their range but some only have 3 positions.

When I lower the saddle on a road descent my mtb feels more like a motorcycle since I am no longer so high in the air.

On Sunday’s road ride, I had a junior on a mountain bike pass me when I was going 22 mph. Speed is not the point but what he did after he passed. He changed hand positions and dropped down and grabbed his fork. Now, he was in a perfect aero position with a flat back, turtled head and arms moved in. Now he started to put some distance between him and me.

It's a great position. I learned about it in like three frames of the 2021 Specialized Epic promo ad. Several of the juniors on the HS team do it, but all those who also race road just use IAB/puppy hands.

0:29 in this video:

I don't think I could do that. It would be nice to get aero when on the road on the mtb. I don't think I could run my bars as low as Nino Schurter, either. BTW, he doesn't use a dropper.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f152e71eae.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7e9ed8c74a.jpg

I did not read much of the comments, or the article, but sure. It is another tweak.

The new thing is swapping bikes as done in significant GT stages and the WC ITT. Moving a seat might be a little un-cool, but also could be quicker than a bike change.

The fastest position may not be the most powerful one depending on grade and wind. Choosing a more powerful/more aero position by the flip of a switch based on conditions to get max speed seems reasonable to me.

Electronic cranks coming up next. Press a button to make the cranks longer for descents when you drop your post!

Remember when Steve Hed was experimenting with heavier wheels for descents. He did a bike change with Floyd Landis during the tour at the top of a descent and then changed back at the bottom.

If it can be even remotely argued for then there will be a visionary somewhere that will try it. Bicycles having been the focus of tech innovation for over 150 years or so have seen just about everything. I am sure there is a patent somewhere already for a crank that will easily change lengths. Bet someone even sold something like it in the 80's.

It can be a thing. . . sure. . . for people who struggle with basic bike handling. Why not?

But I'm not moving my saddle position, ever.