Originally Posted by
seat_boy
I've been mountain biking since 1990, and my first few tries with a dropper really left me underwhelmed. Like you, I was so used to getting back over the seat, the dropper seemed like a detriment as I lost the seat as a reference point.
But, more dropper experience combined with a newer school bike (Ragley Marley hardtail with a slacker front end and a longer front center), has shown me the value of it. Rather than get way back--which stretches out my arms and reduces control--I just drop the seat and stay centered on the bike. It's a new technique of riding, but it really works well.
The dropper is also fun to use on bermed or fast corners. Dropping my center of gravity really let me hit the corner harder.
You and I are on the same page. I started in maybe 1992.
I quit for a while to race road and a while longer to climb rocks but when I came back the whole game had changed.
My next bike won’t be a full squish, rather a hardtail with more aggressive geometry and a longer travel fork. Like yours. It’ll probably be steel too.
I’m going for a good gravel ride this weekend, so it’ll be a bit before I get back on the MTB to test some things.