Out of curiosity did you do all the bigger options and the mcmoab chute? I did some of the larger steps with the post up and though it's perfectly doable you're in a lot less control when you do it, and you need to approach the features more cautiously. Seatpost down gives you more freedom to ride and more ability to react.

Or to put it another way, even when it's perfectly possible to ride a feature with the post up it's often better to do it down. Obviously if you're one of those rare riders that's happy to leave the post up all the time then a dropper is of no use to you, but you must be aware what a minority you're in.

Northwind – Member
"and half a kilo of unnecessary weight."

Silly nonsense, unless you intend to replace it with no seatpost at all.

Roughly, I wasn't talking exact weights. More like 350g but I couldn't be bothered to figure it out. Well done for pointing that out though, have a gold star.

TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR – Member
What do you mean by "Set your saddle at a decent height, get used to it" anyway? Seems like a bit of an odd statement.

Set your saddle at the correct height instead of pi**ing about with it, and when you get used to it you won't even think about putting it down for a decent. What's difficult to understand about that?

snowpaul – Member
Pointless. End of.

Recently rode cadair idris / snowdon last week – seat all the way up – maybe i AM JUST SLOW….

if it floats your boat then so be it….

paul

Pointless to you would be more appropriate if you want to post a statement like 'end of'.

You are pretty much saying everyone who doesn't like riding in your style hasn't got a valid opinion.

For me, it's far from pointless.

Oh, and I'd love to see anyone ride what we've ridden this weekend with the saddle up.

Set your saddle at the correct height instead of pi**ing about with it, and when you get used to it you won't even think about putting it down for a decent. What's difficult to understand about that?

Go on then smartarse – what's the correct height?

Northwind +1
They do make more sense on undulating terrain with short sections of DH/drops.

I have a gravity dropper multi turbo on my full suss. Just ordered another for my hartdail. Faultless reliability on the full sus so far.

The only point I would mark the dropper down is that the middle position is a bit hard to fine sometimes.

I use the middle position as much as the fully-down position (it's better on pedally downhills).

They make riding more fun – no question. That's the point isn't it?

TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR – Member
Go on then smartarse – what's the correct height?

I'm sure you have enough braincells to figure that out for yourself.

Flow's correct – apparently the Spesh DH World Cup team is going to be riding with there saddles up next year, they've proved there's no advantage to it.

(I have a new type i900 which after i'd swapped the crap cable it came with has been ace, and is very handy for riding undulating trails quickly)

Pointless. End of.

I'm sure you have enough braincells to figure that out for yourself

With these well constructed arguments I think i'll put my credit card away.

I can ride any trail on my hard tail – doesn't mean I don't chose to ride my full sus sometimes and have "more fun" 😉

fwiw I'm currently looking to get an uppy downy post, primarily for the Mega but I reckon it'll get a fair bit of use after too.

Sorry I though we were talking trail bikes/riding, not world cup DH courses 🙄

I rode a WC DH course on this at the weekend – my trail bike. I'd love to see you try it with the saddle that high – or the majority of my local 'trails' too.

Bought one for my Blood for the Mega, but already a firm convert.

I think most mortals would agree that you don't need to be a World Cup DH racer to be "trail riding" in places where having your saddle down a bit is a distinct advantage?

I musyt add – it didnt suit my riding and wasnt worth me buying it as it was on loan to me. If it suits you then great – try one and make your own mind up – i did and it didnt help.

Good night all !

I rode a WC DH course on this at the weekend – my trail bike. I'd love to see you try it with the saddle that high – or the majority of my local 'trails' too.

If you were riding a world cup DH course you wouldn't need a f**king adjustable seat post would you, you would have the saddle down. I would love to show you how to ride a bike on your local trails without one to, is that why you ride flats, because its to demanding for SPD's? :lol:. What do you think I do, ride on the flat all the time, you joker!

Tool – they are CB Mallets, so yes I rode the DH clipped in thanks.

I don't doubt some people are capable of riding with their saddle up 99.9% of the time, but with long legs, a large frame and short torso, it is totally impossible for me to get off the back and be in control, thus shoving your previous comments roughly in the same place as your head seems to be.

So because you feel the need to use one, you think that people who don't are wrong? You're the one who needs to pull your head out your ass.

Jebus. Kaesae, ro now flow?

No I'm not, but sometimes people get on my tits, sorry.

flow – Member
So because you feel the need to use one, you think that people who don't are wrong? You're the one who needs to pull your head out your ass

You started with "pointless, end of" or something similar if I remember correctly did you not?

I can't be arsed any more – night!

*goes to sleep smashing head against wall*

err

no that pointless . end of was me !!

sorry if it caused offence – it was intended to be banter !

out of interest whats your fav local trail in the peak then STR? Oh yes I have ridden the ft bill DH trail too…

snowpaul

You started with "pointless, end of" or something similar if I remember correctly did you not?

snowpaul – Member
Pointless. End of.

Nope

Ah, yes my bad – sorry about that one, but the argument remains.

One of my faves would be Stanage Edge – plenty of people could possibly ride with their saddle up, but with my body shape it's bloody hard at the very top (puts my COG waaay high) and as I said earlier I just can't get off the back.

I almost made the same mistake Went back and read the old post first, Arguing On Teh Internetz 101.

northwind- I ride most of KT with my seatpost slammed, it can't be ridden as fast otherwise and for me it just doesn't flow as well if not ridden flat out.
with your seat at full pedalling extension, you simply can't jump, manual, pump or hop properly and you can't corner as fast.

Me, now…….. 😀

STR – nice trail – causeway up and down the rock slabs? Yep thats fine with my lithe body = post up! I love the roman road / hagg farm/ shatton moor and even cavedale – now thats hard and prob the only place I would consider a dropy post in the peak- but thats just doable post up albeit prob slower than if it were dropped but i wouldnt want the weight to slow me on the ups- I used to race xc and come from a 'post up / good' background and my pride would take a hit if i dropped the post plus all the other whippets I ride with would rip me for doing so…

I reckon up / downy posts are rather like the riser bar arguement… some will accept some wont.

I actually love a thudbuster on my HT now thats an acquired taste !

snowpaul

This is me now 😉

We start from Fox House – Houndkirk – Redmires – Plantation – Burbage (shhh), but do all sorts in the area.

Love the Beast, Lockerbrook, Hagg Farm and Jacobs etc – not done Cavedale yet though for some reason, although mates have.

On topic – love my gravity dropper multi with remote, but as someone mentioned it can be tricky finding slight drops, but full drop is easy.

Back on arguement – I cannot ride anything technical with the saddle up my **** , whereas one of my riding friends can. I'm sure your body geommetry has something to do with it. I am 5'11" with long legs, long arms (I think) and short torso and everyone comments on my long seatpost.
My friensd is almost 6'2" and I find his saddle height about right for me, yet he is three inches taller. Anyway I'm loving my gravity dropper
and wouldn't go back.

If you go down that line you won't come back. Its as important (for me) as gears etc.

Gravity Dropper all the way.

Another one here for never dropping the seat. I just cant be arsed really.

Another one here for never dropping the seat. I just cant be arsed really.

Which is exactly why uppy downy seatposts are good. You don't have to be arsed. It is very very easy and no faff whatsoever.

People going on about them being pointless – did you say the same about disc brakes and suspension forks? Because I'm sure you could go mountain biking without them right?

Leaving the seat at a good pedalling position when descending is fine if you enjoy mincing slowly down smacking your balls into your saddle constantly. 😛

Loved my Gravity Dropper, for the first three rides, before I had to send it back to CRC for repairs. It doesn't look like I'll have it back anytime soon either. Would I buy again? No, I'm done with beta-testing but the idea is great and yes, although it is humanly possible to go down a hill with the seat up, why not harder, faster and higher if you can?

I have a bike with a curved seat tube so I can't drop a normal post by more than an inch.
I've now got a Joplin 3" with remote and it's enough to transform the handling of the bike and my playfulness on the descents. So much so that I hardly ride my other bike with the fixed seatpost any more.

So functionally, I think the idea is excellent. However, I've had a few technical issues.
1) Layback only seatpost isn't ideal.
2) My saddle has deformed slightly and started to push the release lever when riding. I had to fiddle with the cable tension and lever stop position and even file the top bolt down a little to sort this problem. It's probably worse because of the extreme seat angle on my bike though.

The Rockshox looks better thought out to me. But we'll see. I don't think I'd trust mine to last a winter in the peak district, but I can really enjoy it through the other 9 months.

I had 2 KS i900s which both went wrong in various ways and had to go back so I wouldn't have another of those until all their little problems have been sorted out.

I got an i900R last year. It went back twice under warranty, getting revised internals both times. It's been working fine for many months now so I'm reasonably convinced that the major problems at least are sorted. Sorted enough that I got another one for another bike, anyway.

I'm also wholly unconvinced at the need to spend £200 more than a QR when it's not inconvenient unless you ride nonstop or your mates are mindblowingly impatient.

They're not going to be to everyone's tastes but then again neither are front suspension, rear suspension, aluminium frames, multiple gears, etc.

However I find my uppy-downy seatposts great. Not having to faff with a QR is great. Not grinding mud and grit into my seat tube every time I drop my saddle is great. Being able to drop my saddle while on the move, so I only need to drop it for the bits of a trail where I really want it dropped is great. Being able to ride the rest of a trail with the saddle high enough that I can pedal comfortably whilst seated is great. Being able to adjust my saddle height in reaction to the changes in an unfamiliar trail is great. Not having think as much about it as I would if I had to stop and faff with a QR is great.

Pointless. End of.

Obviously not. 🙂 A wide range of views have been expressed on this thread. Hopefully mcinnes and anyone else who's been considering getting one will have gotten some idea of what benefits (and pitfalls) they bring and what sorts of riders think those benefits outweigh the pitfalls.

Yes it's true that people with a ride everything with the saddle up mentality probably won't appreciate it. Especially as a fair few of them are probably XC types who won't like the extra weight. Similarly people with hyperactive Gnar! glands never put their saddles high enough to require them. But amongst those who do drop their seatposts for the downhills and technical stuff I think there'll be a fair few who'd really appreciate an uppy-downy seatpost.

People going on about them being pointless – did you say the same about disc brakes and suspension forks? Because I'm sure you could go mountain biking without them right?

You should have seen the arguments that were going on about the merits of full suspension when I first found this place. Gordon Bennett, if you think this thread is full of opinions stated as fact, nonsense (on both sides of the argument) and general petty sniping, the threads about the efficiency of full sus, suspension bob and the like back in 2002 would turn your hair white! 🙂

My final comment would be that, for me, a lot of benefit in having an uppy-downy seatpost requires that it be one with a bar mounted remote. Dropping the post just as a trail changes from flowing to technical is a lot easier if you don't have to take a hand from the bars in order to perform a Michael Jackson-like crotch grap maneouvre…

KSi900 – I got an original in Nov 08 and it started to scratch about 10 months later. Sent back to France and got an newer revised one and it's much better. If you fancy one then get one and see what you think – you'll be able to sell it on no bother if you don't fancy it.

Most of the naysayers have never tried one/are not interested in lowering their post at all but I think they are well worth it. Perfect for my riding anyway.

Got mine from here and were excellent with the warranty replacement:

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/uppy-downy-seat-posts-experiences/page/2

sniff where did yours come from? I bought one from France but when it broke they never replied to my emails.

el_boufador

Which is exactly why uppy downy seatposts are good. You don't have to be arsed. It is very very easy and no faff whatsoever.

Its alot of money for a gimmick, don't get me wrong I can see the point in them but its what ever rubs your rhubarb.
grum
I have never minced my way down a hill banging my balls on my seat, its never caused me any bother and you have to admit they are bloody expensive. Disc brakes are great, suspension forks are great too you forgot to add in rear suspension which is immensely popular but not needed IMO.

They are expensive.

They are sometimes a pain

BUT they rock. If you like to ride your bike in an attacking position without faff they are for you. If you don't then the are not. Continue as you were and keep thinking that you can ride your bike down anything with the saddle up.