In our Tech Q&A series, we tackle readers’ cycling questions – from component upgrades to riding after injury – with help from the BikeRadar team and trusted industry experts. In this instalment, a reader seeks dropper-post advice for their steel-framed bike.
I have an older steel bike with a 27.2mm dropper post. Most in this size seem to top out at 100mm travel. Are there any longer-travel options?
Jill Sullivan
27.2mm dropper-post options are more limited compared to chunkier diameters, which are more common.
Many early 27.2mm droppers were limited to about 80mm of travel, with most contemporary options topping out at 100mm of drop.
That’s enough for many riders, but more travel is almost always welcome if you're riding technical terrain.
Fortunately, scratch about a bit and you’ll find a handful of 120- and 125mm-travel, 27.2mm-diameter droppers from reputable brands, including:
- 125mm travel: PNW Components Rainier, Crankbrothers Highline XC/Gravel
- 120mm travel: OneUp V3, KS Lev Ci/Lev/E20 i
An extra 25mm doesn’t sound like much – it certainly won’t feel as transformative as going for a dropper with 150mm travel or more – but it will make a noticeable difference on the trail.
Availability aside, your limiting factors are more likely to be insertion depth and cable routing.
Many older steel frames won’t have ports for internal routing, so externally routed posts can be a simpler and more practical option. Internal posts can still be used but will require frame modifications.
Many older frames, designed before droppers became ubiquitous, have bottle bosses or bends in the seat tube. These restrict how far a post can be inserted, which in turn limits how much drop you can realistically use.
