Last summer I wrote a column deriding the lack of innovation in dropper seatpost with the inflammatory title ‘All Dropper Seatposts Suck’. The premise for my argument was that this technology — arguably the most significant innovation in mountain biking in the last decade — has been around long enough that manufacturers should have moved past reliability being a key selling point. Â
I put forth the notion that the next generation of dropper seatposts will focus on refinements such as improved lever ergonomics, a reduction in weight, and will include functionalities heretofore unknown to mountain bikers.
In my opinion, the critical feature that will separate the industry leaders from followers will be the development of dropper seatposts that can drop at the push of a button, not the push of a button that also requires the rider to compress the post.
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I’m certainly not Nostradamus, but even I can get it right once in a blue moon. And if I’m thinking about it, the odds are good that engineers are already hard at work turning concepts into products.
Patents held by Shimano and Trek demonstrate that the next generation of dropper seatposts is on the horizon. Here’s a look at two early contenders.
Shimano goes electric
Trek develops a mechanical solution for 'oh crap!' moments
The obvious question is ‘when will they become available?’
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