Magura Vyron eLect dropper post review
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Magura Vyron eLect dropper post review

Is Magura’s cable-free electric post the hassle-free experience it should be?

Our rating

2

450.00
549.00
386.00

Andy McCandlish / Immediate Media

Published: July 10, 2020 at 1:00 pm

Our review
The flimsy remote, high price and unintuitive functionality spoil what could have been a real success

Pros:

Fitting is a breeze; excellent quality post with 400 actuation battery life; easily charged with microUSB

Cons:

Actuation window of movement; remote is flimsy; rubber band attachment to bars could be better

There is no denying that the concept of a cable- and hose-free dropper post is an excellent one. If your frame doesn’t have routing for a dropper, you often remove your seatpost or you just want a really simple set-up, then Magura's Vyron eLect will appeal.

To fit, you simply attach the wireless remote with a rubber O-ring and drop the post in, that’s it – other than charging it with a Micro USB cable, which is required after every 400 actuations.

This is all great, but there are significant downsides too.

The remote manages to be simultaneously flimsy and clunky, and got gritty and sticky after only two rides.

It actually sports three buttons, only one of which is needed for the dropper. The other two are used for Magura suspension adjustment, which the majority of riders won’t need, so there's a snap-on cover that blanks them off and means you have one large platform to hit. A good idea, and it all worked, but felt a bit makeshift, compounded by the rubber band bar fitting that doesn't feel very solid.

Magura Vyron eLect dropper seatpost with wireless remote
Press the button and you open a set ‘window’ of time where the post can move. Andy McCandlish

On the trail I found it difficult to live with the contrived actuation; press the button and you open a one-second ‘window’ of time in which the post can move. This may not sound like a big deal, and you may get used to it, but it affected the way I rode.

The delay was a nuisance because once you’ve lowered your saddle to the desired position, you have to sit on it until the window closes or it’ll pop back up.

If you only occassionally have to adjust the seat, and have plenty of notice, then it isn’t much of a problem, but that's not the case on punchy, rapid-fire technical trails.

Compare this with the similarly wireless RockShox Reverb AXS, which holds the adjustment gate open as long as you keep the button pressed (more like a traditional cable or hydraulic driven post) and you know it is possible. So why not, here? I can only imagine it is related to battery life, but I would gladly trade other shortcomings for this ‘movement window’ option.

So while the concept is sound, I found the Vyron Elect to be too beset by niggles and poor hardware to recommend right now. I'd rather suffer the inconvenience and clutter of a cable for a punchier, more controllable post – at least until Magura addresses these issues.

Since Magura's Vyron was launched and we reviewed it back in 2018, dropper tech has moved forward considerably, championed by the ever-desirable RockShox Reverb AXS wireless electronic dropper post.

The constant performance progression has led to a readjustment of our scoring barometer and competition has never been tougher in the dropper post market.

How we tested

A selection of the latest seatposts were tested head to head to find out which ones rise to the top or fall by the wayside.

Other posts on test:

Product

Brand magura
Price 450.00 EUR,386.00 GBP,549.00 USD
Weight 582.0000, GRAM () - without remote

Features

br_remote Wireless remote control included
br_travel 125.0000
br_travel MILLIMETER
Features Sizes Available: 30.9, 31.6mm

Travel: 100, 125, 150mm

Length: 396, 421, 446mm