ICE Lift V8 Delux dropper seatpost review

The biggest complaints about dropper seatposts are that they’re expensive, awkward to maintain and often won’t fit in frames designed for skinny 27.2mm posts. The new ICE Lift V8 Delux provides a basic answer to all of those problems.

It’s well under half the price of most of the competition, and that’s because it uses a simple ‘locking pin and hole’ height setting system rather than complex hydraulics. This limits you to 45mm (1.8in) and 90mm (3.5in) drop positions, which might not be enough for some. There’s a fair amount of back and forth rock and twist when you’re in the saddle, but this hasn’t got worse over time. It generally needs a bump from your behind and a firm press of the thumb remote to release it too.

The new angled and rotating exit point makes the cable less likely to rub rear wheels and frames than the old straight cable release. It’s all easy to unscrew, clean and regrease if it gets grubby under the rubber gaiter, and you can slow down the savagely fast default return speed using an Allen key adjuster in the base.

At 353g the ICE Lift is no heavier than the RockShox Reverb and friends either. You can order it with a 30.9 or 31.6mm shim if your frame doesn’t take a 27.2mm post, but check that your bike is warrantied for a shimmed post to avoid your bargain dropper turning out to be an expensive frame breaker.