Dropper Post Madness

Seen on social media Sunday.

 The "dropper post". That thing mountain bikers came up with to make descents and cornering more stable and safe. If you are a mountain biker, well.....you know. I don't have to convince you of the benefits. 

But when it came to other disciplines of cycling, dropper posts were, well.....'that mountain biker thing', and many were not going to give that component a chance because....'mountain biking'. Really, what other reason is there?

Weight? Hmm..... maybe. I could see that, but if you wouldn't even try one just based upon that reason alone, well, why would you ever ride a time trial bike, aero wheel sets, or use wider tires? All weigh more than their traditional roadie counterparts do, (in the case of a time trial bike, it is a sum of the parts, but a "real road bike" still weighs less). 

So pushing off the dropper post just because it weighs more than a traditional post is taking the easy way out of thinking about this component. I mean, mountain bikers would never be using suspension if the weight argument wasn't quickly put aside due to the overwhelming benefits of suspension in many cases. 

The Otso Cycles Waheela S was one of several new gravel bikes outfitted with a dropper post in 2018.

 I tried a dropper post on a gravel bike in 2018. It was a component that was being pushed forward, yes- by mountain biking- but gravel folks were somewhat more open to trying that idea. Anyway, I gave it a go, and at that time, I said that the dropper post was an advantage on descents for gravel riders, and probably roadies too. It wasn't even close to a subjective opinion. I had demonstratively proven that a dropper post was a clear cut advantage on descents by my using it on a Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational that year. 

I was easily cruising away from my riding partners on descents due to the aero advantage lent by getting lower on the bike. This is why the UCI outlawed the "Super Tuck" as riders were using the position to get more aero and have more control over their bicycles. So, on one hand the advantage was clear, but on the other hand, why roadies didn't figure this out several years ago is a mystery to me. 

They used dropper posts, yes. Mavic even had them on their Service Course bikes at the tour one year. But they weren't there to make riders more secure on descents and more aero. They were there so riders of different leg lengths could be fitted more quickly. (What?!!) Talk about being in denial......

But now, all of a sudden, this dropper post thing seems all new and real because some guy won a "monument" of cycling with it. It would be high comedy for many of us out here who have known this for years if it wasn't so seemingly daft. But - there ya go! Roadies using dropper posts for what they were meant for.