19 of the best dropper posts in 2024, and our buyer's guide

The best dropper posts are a good example of how fast and far mountain bike technology evolves. Fewer than 10 years ago, dropper seatposts were a relative rarity, but it's near impossible to find a mountain bike without one now.

A dropper post is a telescopic seatpost that, at the touch of a button, lowers your saddle out of the way, improving control and comfort in steep or technical terrain.

A dropper post is a must-have these days if you're riding anything remotely technical, opening up a far wider range of riding – without having to stop and manually move your post up and down when tackling steep trails.

Our expert team of testers have reviewed dozens of dropper posts, and this list represents the best of the best. Whether you're looking to fit a dropper post to your bike for the first time or upgrade your current dropper, you'll find something here.

For more information, read our full buyer's guide to dropper posts at the bottom of this article.

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Editor's note: We updated our best dropper post list on 29 October 2024 to include a 'How we tested dropper posts' section.

Which are the best dropper posts?

Crankbrothers Highline 7

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• £270 / $299 / €299 as tested
• Pros: Short stack height; quality construction; easy to install
• Cons: Very few

Crankbrothers has nailed the performance, reliability and ease of fitment with the Highline 7.

The post's construction screams quality and it was very simple to fit to our test bikes thanks to the cable's nipple attaching to the post end, with the lever clamping the cable at the other end.

The stack height – the distance from the bottom of the post's collar to the centre of the seat rails – was impressively short at 50mm, too.

Although the remote was £55 extra, we thought it was well worth it, thanks to its smooth action and adjustable angle.

• Read our full Crankbrothers Highline 7 dropper post review

Specs

Stroke length (*tested) | 100mm, 125mm*, 150mm, 170mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm Weight | 516g

OneUp V3 Dropper Post

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• £290 / $270 / €300 as tested (plus £44.99 / $44.99 / €49.99 for OneUp Dropper Post Remote V3)
• Pros: Lightweight; impressive performance and serviceability; low stack height
• Cons: Nothing yet to report

OneUp's latest dropper post offers incredible performance, with easy actuation and setup making for a post that's easy to live with.

At 488g, the post competes with some of the lightest droppers on the market and the replaceable air cartridge means easy servicing.

A lower stack height than on the previous generation enables you to drop the seat even lower.

• Read our full OneUp V3 Dropper Post review

Specs

Stroke length | 90mm, 120mm, 150mm, 180mm, 210mm, 240mm Diameters | 27.2mm, 30.9mm, 31.6mm, 34.9mm Weight | 488g

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OneUp V2 Dropper Post

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• £179 / $199 as tested (plus £42 for OneUp Dropper Post Remote V2)
• Pros: Great value for money; small stack height; compact design
• Cons: Spring pressure needed topping up during testing

The OneUp V2 dropper features an exceptionally compact post body, seal head and seat clamp. This enables OneUp to pack in 210mm of travel into a small overall package that beats the competition.

To boot, the V2 doesn't cost a fortune and we had no issues with it sticking or feeling lumpy during the testing period.

• Read our full OneUp V2 dropper post review

Specs

Stroke length | 120mm, 150mm, 180mm, 210mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm, 34.9mm Weight | 579g

RockShox Reverb AXS

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• £750 / $861 / €886 as tested
• Pros: Crisp actuation; fast drop; easy installation; good connectivity
• Cons: More stroke lengths would be welcome

RockShox's Reverb was one of the first electrically actuated dropper posts on the scene, and this latest iteration provides a fast, responsive and refined drop that is hard to match.

The ergonomics of the lever and fast return make using the dropper a pleasure, with our tester finding they dropped the post more often than usual with the Reverb.

It would be good to see longer stroke lengths for taller riders.

• Read our full RockShox Reverb AXS review

Specs

Stroke length | 100mm, 125mm, 150mm, 170mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm, 34.9mm Weight | 708g

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BikeYoke Divine

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• £270 / $289 / €300 as tested (plus from £45 / €45 for remote)
• Pros: Self-bleed reduces sponginess; small stack; good compatibility
• Cons: Not the fastest return speed

BikeYoke’s Divine is one of the best posts out there – the less sophisticated hydraulics make it a little cheaper, but more importantly, enables easy travel adjustment.

It still has the German brand’s auto-refresh mechanism, to ‘bleed’ itself and prevent sponginess, along with its super-slim collar.

The neat ability to twist the bottom activator out of the way of bottle bosses and other seat tube interruptions allows for maximum insertion. You can reduce the drop in 5mm increments using the included spacers.

Because of higher operating pressures, the longer Triggy Alpha remote is recommended to exert more leverage.

The return speed won’t be as fast as some riders prefer, but this is a top-quality, lightweight post that’s smooth, easy to service and totally reliable.

Specs

Stroke length | 125mm, 160mm, 185mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm Weight | 491g

Bontrager Line Elite

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• £300 / $330 / €350 / AU$440 as tested
• Pros: Fast and smooth action; dropper lever included; easy travel adjustment
• Cons: Not the shortest stack height

The Bontrager Line Elite is the higher-specced of two dropper seatposts from the brand, with the lower being the Bontrager Drop Line.

This model has Bontrager's MaxFlow cartridge, which makes for faster and smoother action.

The price includes a dropper lever, which works with Shimano I-spec and SRAM Matchmaker levers, but we found the lever to feel spongy when using it in testing.

This dropper post has a greater stack height than others at 62mm, providing less clearance when the post is dropped.

A nice touch is the adjustable travel height. You can change the travel by 10-30mm by placing a spacer underneath the post's collar.

Overall, the Bontrager Line Elite is hard to fault, performing without issue in testing and proving easy to install.

• Read our full Bontrager Line Elite dropper seatpost review

Specs

Stroke length | 100mm, 130mm, 150mm, 170mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm, 34.9mm Weight | 558g

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• £339 / $309 as tested
• Pros: Low stack height; good travel options; light actuation
• Cons: Not the lightest

Fox has updated its reliable Transfer dropper post, reducing weight and insertion depths, and adding a 200mm-travel option. It's also released a new 1x bar remote and has made the internals easier to service.

One of our favourite additions is the low-profile seat clamp, which keeps the stack height at a minimal 44mm and frees up plenty of space to move your body around on steep descents.

Installation and adjustment are very easy and the cam-operated actuator makes for a light feel.

The new 1x remote was smooth throughout testing and can be mounted either directly to the bar or to Shimano I-Spec or SRAM Matchmaker brake levers. The only downside is the lever isn't included and will cost an extra £75.

• Read our full Fox Transfer Performance Elite dropper post review

Specs

Stroke length | 100mm, 125mm, 150mm, 175mm, 200mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm Weight | 636g

• €427.93 as tested
• Pros: Long-travel options; easy travel adjustment; lightweight
• Cons: Pricey

The Vecnum NIVO is available in four lengths and the 212mm version we tested is one of the longest-travel seatposts available on the market. That amount of travel is liberating for tall folk on bikes with rider-forward geometry.

The TRAVELFIT system enables you to shorten the travel in 4mm steps to find the perfect fit for your frame and the overall package is surprisingly light.

However, it's a pricey option and we needed to up the pressure to the maximum allowed to get the post to reach full extension.

• Read the full Vecnum NIVO 212 TRAVELFIT dropper post review

Specs

Stroke length | 122mm, 152mm, 182mm, 212mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm, 34.9mm Weight | 530g

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• £209 / €169.99 as tested (inc. remote)
• Pros: Quick travel adjustment; good reliability; solid feel
• Cons: Stack height isn't the lowest

With a maximum drop of 150mm, the SP-T13B isn’t the best for taller riders but is internally adjustable in 5mm increments for perfect extension up to that height.

It has an excellent reliability record, which is unsurprising because there’s not much to go wrong with a sealed cartridge and an actuator that looks identical to the Ascend’s.

This post has a slightly more solid feel and smoother action, though. That's due in part to less side-to-side shaft play, but also the stiffer and more positive-feeling forged-alloy, sealed-bearing ‘Blaster’ remote.

The collar isn’t the shallowest and the height markings look naff, but this is a proven product with a quality remote for a bargain price.

Specs

Stroke length | 100mm, 125mm, 150mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm Weight | 583g

9Point8 Fall Line

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• £379 / $349 as tested
• Pros: Long-travel options; smooth action; good reputation for reliability
• Cons: Leakage issues with our sample

One of the longest posts on the market, the Fall Line is light and loaded with great features, but we’ve had irritating leakage issues with our samples.

The ‘DropLoc’ cable shuttle needs to be set up exactly right, but having the cable anchored at the lever end makes it easier, and once you’ve got it sorted the whole mechanism can be unscrewed for easy removal/refitting.

There’s a wide range of stroke lengths, with super-long 175mm and 200mm versions available for an extra £40. It’s both lightweight and short for its travel.

The saddle clamp features large titanium bolts for security and separate angle adjustment, and there’s a layback head option for £35.

Whether you choose the ‘universal’ remote or the sweetly-machined shifter-style ‘Digit’ unit seen here, the action is very smooth. Return speed can be altered and stop-point modulation is excellent.

The 9point8 post has a great reputation for reliability too, although we’ve had gradual pressure leakage problems.

Specs

Stroke length | 75mm, 100mm, 125mm, 150mm, 175mm, 200mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm Weight | 623g

Crankbrothers Highline 11 Dropper

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• £400 / $400 as tested (£69.99 / $69.99 for Highline Premium Remote)
• Pros: Fast actuation; consistent, quick return speed; quality feel
• Cons: Pricey; not the lightest considering materials used

The Highline 11 Dropper is quick and easy to set up and provides consistent dropping with quick return speeds.

A carbon quill is used alongside golden titanium hardware for the extra bling factor, though this had little impact on the post's feel when riding.

Despite its best efforts, the post isn't that competitive when it comes to weight savings, although it remained a good performer over a long test cycle.

• Read our full Crankbrothers Highline 11 Dropper review

Specs

Stroke length | 60mm, 80mm, 100mm, 125mm, 150mm, 170mm Diameters | 30.9, 31.6mm Weight | 537g

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Crankbrothers Highline XC/Gravel

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• £225 / $250 / €250 / AU$425 as tested
• Pros: Smooth action; dual-action lever works well; quick return speed
• Cons: Not the easiest to install

The Crankbrothers Highline dropper seatpost is designed for cross-country cycling and gravel riding, so it comes in a narrow 27.2mm diameter and with relatively short stroke lengths, at 60mm to 125mm.

There is a quick-connect system for the cable and, while this is straightforward, it's worth spending some time to get the installation right.

Despite using the post through a wet winter, the seatpost action remained smooth and we found using it on a Santa Cruz Stigmata made a brilliant bike even better.

One of the most ingenious aspects of the Crankbrothers dropper system is the dual-action dropper lever, which can be used with your forefingers when riding on the top of the bars or by your thumb on the drops. Unfortunately, it isn't included in the Highline's price and will need to be purchased separately for £49 / $50 / AU$125.

• Read our full Crankbrothers Highline XC/Gravel Dropper review

Specs

Stroke length | 60mm, 80mm, 100mm, 125mm Diameters | 27.2mm Weight | 450g

e*thirteen Vario Infinite

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• Price: £200 / $179 as tested
• Pros: Easy to adjust travel; reliable action; good remote
• Cons: Slow; developed some play

e*thirteen’s post offers 30mm of tool-free travel adjustment in 5mm increments, without needing to remove the post from the bike. It’s quick and easy to adjust, although we questioned how often you’d change your travel after the initial setup.

The post’s stanchion and head are forged as a single piece to add rigidity, although the post did develop some play during testing. e*thirteen says its gas-sprung cartridge is designed to reduce the force needed to drop the saddle. We found return speed a little slow though and it isn’t adjustable.

We really liked the Vario remote, which is sold separately for £50 and has an angle-adjustable paddle. It comes with a standard bar clamp and is also SRAM Matchmaker compatible.

• Read our full e*thirteen Vario Infinite review

Specs

Stroke length | 120mm to 150mm, 150mm to 180mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm Weight | 628g

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• £290 / AU$500 as tested
• Pros: Solid construction; positive-feeling return; nice actuation
• Cons: Cable mounted at post end

KS’s LEV is light, well-priced, flex-free, available in lots of options and more reliable than most of its rivals. It's been on the market for a while now, so we've had plenty of time to work out what it is – and isn't – good at.

Its large-diameter upper shaft means it flexes noticeably less than most posts when pedalling in longer lengths and on bikes with slack seat angles.

The low weight will appeal to XC/trail riders, and there’s even a 27.2mm version (100mm stroke) for hardtails and older frames. It’s got a smooth and easily controlled stroke with a solid top-out thunk that leaves no doubt that it has re-extended.

The way that the post extends if you pick the bike up by the saddle is a pet hate of some people. We do still occasionally get LEVs that need a nudge or pull to extend them too, but that’s less common than it used to be.

Our main criticism of the LEV is how the cable is mounted – it's clamped at the post end instead of the lever. This means accurate cable tension and length is needed to get it working well and it takes longer to set up than posts where the cable is clamped at the remote end.

• Read our full KS LEV Integra dropper post review

Specs

Stroke length | 100mm, 125mm, 150mm, 175mm Diameters | 27.2mm, 30.9mm, 31.6mm, 34.9mm Weight | 484g

PNW Loam

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• £197 as tested (plus £65 for the Loam Lever Gen 2)
• Pros: Great value for money; on-bike travel adjustment; reliable actuation
• Cons: Some sided-to-side play

PNW offers good value for money across its range of products and its Loam dropper post is no exception.

The Loam dropper comes with some nifty features, including customisable speed return and easy on-bike travel adjustment.

The 55mm stack height is reasonable and still leaves a decent amount of room to move around when the saddle is dropped.

There is noticeable side play when wiggling the saddle, which made the post feel less sturdy but did nothing to impact performance.

• Read our full PNW Loam dropper post review

Specs

Stroke length | 125mm, 150mm, 170mm, 200mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm, 34.9mm Weight | 553g

Tranz-X EDP01 Wireless Dropper Post

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• Price: $499 as tested
• Pros: Great value for money; quick return speed; easy installation
• Cons: Not much feedback from remote

Tranz-X's EDP01 is one of the cheapest electric dropper posts on the market, retailing for around half the price of the RockShox Reverb AXS.

The post isn't quite as fast as other electrically actuated droppers, but it is consistent and you aren't left waiting for the post to clamp into position.

We felt the remote let the post down a little, and that it would be nice to feel some positive feedback rather than relying on the noise of the servo in the post itself.

• Read our full Tranz-X EDP01 Wireless Dropper Post review

Specs

Stroke length | 150mm, 170mm, 200mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm Weight | 767g

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X-Fusion Manic

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• £240 as tested
• Pros: Decent value for money; good actuation; smooth drop
• Cons: Cable mounts at the post end

The latest Manic is proving to be an excellent, cost-effective post.

While the neat shifter-style remote wobbles a bit from new, it has plenty of leverage for such a light action.

The stroke is smooth and easily controlled in both directions, with reasonable return speed and an easily felt top-out clunk.

Setting the post up can be tricky, with the cable mounting at the post end. This also limits aftermarket remote upgrades.

• Read our full X-Fusion Manic review

Specs

Stroke length | 100mm, 125mm, 150mm, 170mm Diameters | 30.9mm, 31.6mm, 34.9mm Weight | 610g

How we tested dropper posts

Our testers spend hours putting dropper posts through their paces in real-world conditions out on the trails.

We run long test cycles on dropper posts to establish their reliability and how easy they are to maintain.

Ultimately, our dropper post reviews are based on the following criteria:

• Installation – and how easy the post is to set up.
• Actuation – and the amount of effort required to drop the post.
• Stack height – if this is too high, the saddle will be in the way when dropped.
• Value for money – are you getting a good deal?
• Features – such as travel adjustment.
• Maintenance – how easy is it to service and how often is this needed?

Why you can trust BikeRadar

BikeRadar has been an authority on bikes and cycling tech since its inception in 2007, delivering the world’s best riding advice.

We have experts testing all types of bikes, parts, clothing and accessories, from road, mountain and gravel bikes to commuting, bikepacking and electric bikes. 

Our reviews are always editorially independent – with no exceptions. Our reviewers comprehensively test all products in the real world, always reflecting on performance, value and the wider market when delivering their verdicts and review ratings.

We have more than 15,000 product reviews available at your fingertips, as well as expert buying, maintenance, training, skills, health and fitness advice. 

Our annual Bike of the Year test is an industry benchmark and the BikeRadar team consists of some of the most experienced riders and testers in the business.

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Dropper post buyer's guide: what to look for

What is a dropper seatpost?

A dropper post is a height-adjustable seatpost that enables you to lower your saddle quickly and easily on the fly by pushing a handlebar-mounted remote.

Why do mountain bikers use dropper seatposts?

Mountain biking is a dynamic sport, with riders moving all around the bike. Dropping your saddle down gives you much more space to get behind the seat on steep downhill sections, moving your weight back on the bike.

Dropper posts aren't just for getting rad on the descents – a tap of the remote lever pops your saddle back up to the correct height for efficient pedalling, without having to stop.

Having the ability to gain standover height is beneficial for nearly every type of mountain biking. In fact, even gravel and cyclocross riders are embracing the added control, where being able to switch quickly from grinding uphill to attacking a descent is essential.

How much travel do I need?

Travel refers to how much the post slides up and down, and it dictates just how far out of the way you'll be able to get your saddle while still having the best position for pedalling.

Less expensive posts often have less travel. The longer the travel, the stronger and more precise the internal mechanisms have to be.

The starting point for most dropper posts is 100mm. That amount of drop makes a noticeable difference, but we’ve found that longer-travel posts do a much better job of maximising the clearance while maintaining a proper seated pedalling height.

The typical amount of drop is around 125mm to 170mm of travel, which works well for most riders.

Longer-travel posts do exist, from 170mm up to 210mm, but they can be difficult to use for shorter riders or on certain bike frames. That said, longer-travel posts are becoming more and more common as technology improves and bike manufacturers design frames with shorter seat tubes.

To figure out how long a drop you can use, measure your existing seatpost from the saddle rail to the top of seat collar, then compare this to the length of the dropper post from the saddle rail to below the post's collar.

If the number is the same or less, you're in business. If the dropper post's length is longer, you'll have to use another option.

Fixed or infinite travel adjustment?

There are two travel styles for dropper posts: those that have fixed height settings where the post stops (20mm down, 75mm down, etc), and those that do not, often referred to as stepless or infinitely adjustable.

Stepless posts enable you to stop the saddle anywhere within the post’s travel range. The majority of posts on the market are stepless designs.

Dropper seatpost internal workings

All posts require some sort of spring to return the saddle to the fully upright position and a locking mechanism to hold it in place.

Early designs simply used coil springs and pins to do the job, but these were less refined and often returned the saddle back towards your bottom at an unnerving speed.

You can still find mechanically locking designs with an air spring, but most dropper posts now use a fully sealed hydraulic cartridge that contains both a pressurised charge and a mechanism that allows the adjustment.

There are a number of advantages to this, namely that the body of the post, which needs to cope with very heavy loads, doesn't also have to be airtight and so lower-friction seals can be used for a lighter action.

If something does go wrong with the post, it's also much quicker and easier to switch in a replacement cartridge rather than repairing the entire post.

Dropper seatpost remotes

On most droppers, lowering the saddle is done by a handlebar-mounted remote.

The remote lever commonly sits under the bar, taking the place of the front shifter paddles on bikes equipped with a single-ring drivetrain. On bikes with a front shifter, remotes that integrate into the lock-on grip collar or sit above the bar are available.

SRAM's Matchmaker and Shimano's I-Spec standards allow you to combine a dropper and brake lever on one mount to keep the handlebar tidy.

On bargain-priced dropper posts, the lever may be just under the saddle on the post's head. The obvious downside to this style is having to take a hand off the bar, something you don't want to do when riding into a section worthy of dropping the saddle.

Most remotes on the market use a cable to operate them but some, such as the RockShox Reverb, use a hydraulic system.

There are drawbacks and benefits to each. Cables are cheap and easy to replace if they fail, but over time they become stiffer to use as dirt enters them.

That isn't a problem for hydraulic units, but they are much harder to fix should you damage one in the field.

Cable routing

The overwhelming majority of dropper post cables are internally routed. This requires a hole in the frame to route the cable up through the seat tube – virtually every modern mountain bike, and the latest gravel bikes, have this option.

The other cable option is an external cable that either attaches at the dropper post's collar or up at the head where the saddle attaches.

The benefits of an internally routed cable include clean looks, better protection from dirt and debris, and zero cable movement when dropping the post. But, like any internally routed cable, set up can be tricky, and swapping cables and housing can be a chore.

The upsides to an externally routed cable are compatibility with any frame and a simpler setup. The negatives deal primarily with cables that attach to the seatpost head, because the cable can interfere with the bike's rear tyre or hit your leg if not routed carefully.

The final option does away with the cable completely – the RockShox Reverb AXS is an example of a dropper post that uses a wireless, electronic system. Removing the mechanical cable from the equation makes installation easy and also makes swapping the seatpost from bike to bike a reality, provided they share the same seatpost diameter.

Gravel dropper seatposts

Gravel bikes have started to adopt dropper seatposts to clear room for you to move around on technical descents.

They are usually a thinner diameter than on mountain bikes, with this leading to smaller travel drops, which is less of an issue with gravel bike geometry.

Some of the best gravel dropper posts will feature a small amount of suspension to smooth the ride when seated, such as RockShox's Reverb AXS XPLR.