SDG Announces Their First Dropper Post

 Will anybody make a I-beam dropper please. I do believe SDG is our best chance

 @Camolloyd: gravity dropper had the i-beam head about 8 years ago:

m.pinkbike.com/news/gravity-dropper-turbo-preview-2010.html

 Certainly on our radar and eventually will offer one. I-Beam has so many benefits over railed that it'd certainly be an improvement over rails. We wanted to first introduce the Tellis and build a solid reputation first for durability, simplicity and industry's softest lever feel. After it's proven itself in the market, you can bet we plan on offering an I-Beam head and expanding our I-Beam saddle collection.

 @SDG-COMPONENTS: If the reliability is proven, I will drop my Fox Transfer for a Tellis I-beam in a heartbeat!!

 @IainJohnson: Some already have.....

 @SDG-COMPONENTS: heck yeah. That's what I'll be buying! always loved an I-beam on my DH bike and trail bike. Can't beat it imo.

 I used to have the KS Supernatural which was made for I-beams. Not sure if its still made.

 does a comfortable I-beam saddle exist?

 @sup3rc0w:

I think so. But it does seem optimal to sit on the padded flat bit

 @sup3rc0w:
This has always been my thought with I-beam, surely a significant amount of the comfort from a standard saddle comes from flex in the rails/saddle body

 @DC1988: Yes if you are riding a hartail I guess...

 @DC1988: We can (and have) design in a flex channel that offers plenty of compliance with the I-Beam system. Most people are familiar with our I-Fly 2.0 saddles which are race specific saddles that offer no compliance as they're purpose built to be super light and minimalist. However, it's fairly easy to design an I-Beam system that'll offer ample compliance, yet still have all the benefits of I-Beam (weight, easy adjustments, creak free, massive fore/aft adjustment, etc.).

 @SDG-COMPONENTS: Then please do so. The only reason I've never retained your saddles and posts is because the saddles are massively uncomfortable for marathon.

 ..or make at least i-beam adapter...

 @zokinjo: And completely negate the weight benefits of why someone's interested in an beam to begin with

 Yes! We need an I-Beam dropper! Only reason I don't run an I-Beam seat on my trail bike is that there is no droppers with I-Beam. All my other bikes runs I-Beam.

 Cheapest brand x I see on crc is $189 cdn and it's only 120mm. What one are you using that's under $150cdn for 150mm?

 You have to deal with CRC though...

 @employee7: The post is garbage? Or the lever?

 Agreed. Been using one for 2 years now, and it's been flawless.

 @Surfwashington: The lever is trash and the post worked fine for the 8 rides.

 @employee7: "my brand x was garbage so I bought a raceface"

lol

 @employee7: so instead of replacing the lever you bought a whole new post for ~10 times the prices of a better lever?

 @Dustfarter: I live in San Diego and have bought parts on monday and received them by friday. That's pretty impressive for overseas shipping. I did hear of issues in customs for larger items like frames and wheels but I've had nothing but positive experiences from CRC.

 @literally: I've got a brand x and it's been awesome 125mm for $135 with shipping! When there's a product that is relatively less expensive compared to it's competitors and out performs them as well it really makes you think how much of this stuff is just name brand BS. That and some people think if they pay the highest price for something they are getting the best.

 @employee7: Haha aye because the turbine is a great post. Mines lasted all of 10minutes before it failed!

 @employee7: hate to break it to you but its the same post with a different collar and lever

 @Abite: You are all correct. The dropper X is the best post ever. Please disregard my comment / experience with the lever being a complete dumpster fire. It is awesome. I don't know why anyone even makes another model at this point. The science is settled and the best dropper post is brand X. You hear that Sram, Fox, 9.8, bikeyoke, go home. The dropper wars are over and Brand X is standing on your tattered remains.

 @Abite: Hate to break it to you, but the only similarity the Tellis shares with Brand X would be that they are both cable actuated posts.

 I just got the one up 170 and it has been flawless thus far.. No play at all.

 @nvranka: my race face was absolute garbage! Lol bought a one up components 170 and it's been stellar.

 @onemind123: $138 CAD 2 weeks ago, comes on special pretty regularly. Never said it was 120mm, but the actuation is great, as good as my KS Lev.

 @SDG-COMPONENTS: I was talking about racefaces post not yours

 The BrandX post is fine, had one on my hardtail. I did have to upgrade the lever to a Wolftooth light action lever and ditch the cable/housing that came with it, though. It in no way is as nice as my Transfer or, especially, my BikeYoke but can't beat it for the price.

 @nvranka: No kidding!! My Yeti SB5c came with a raceface dropper and it crapped out after two rides! Leaking internal air seals due to very very poor design caused a 1/2" drop over 30min time period. Had to pump it up half way on every ride. The quality of the parts seemed really good, but after taking it apart and seeing the problem area, I couldn't believe they designed it that way! (I'm a Mech Engr. by the way). I will seriously be looking at this post along with PNW post and One up. By the way, replaced the Raceface with a RS Reverb. Flawless the last 2 years... 3rd Reverb owned without issues, just normal rebuilds every other season. But man do I hate the side to side movement and cost!

 @yeti951SD: Yeah its a decent dropper. I have one on my Kona. I bought a YT Jeffsy and the e13 one that it came with is trash, lateral play, top cap has play and it sticks. Only thing worng with the BX was the lever which CRC replaced free and quick. I am going to change out the e13 with BX dropper while i try and get ahold of a OneUp.

 @SDG-COMPONENTS: think he was referring to the raceface and the brand x...

 Had the Brand-X post for a year nos and it's still working great. Gotta admit the stock lever was garbage, replaced it with the KS Southpaw, absolutely no issue since then.

 That's good to hear! Want to replace the Gravity Dropper on my son's Devinci Troy with one. No issues with the G.D. in 6 months, but it weighs a ton and so does his bike! Not ideal weight for a 14 year old who just wants to keep up with his old dad but suffers with a 33 lb carbon trail bike!

 Drill a hole? I did that on my previous bike a few years ago and it's still working fine with its new owner.

 @onemind123: Same here on a Transition Bandit. The guy still rides it daily

 If I'd run a dropper, I'd still like to have the option to be able to raise it all the way up to XC height or slam it all the way down. That's 300mm difference, hence I'd use the seatpost clamp too to do that. The way internal routed cables enter the seattube, I don't think this is going to work. First, the drill is too high for the post to slam all the way down and more importantly, I expect the cable (outer) to wear too quicly sliding in and out through that port. For those happy with the limited range current droppers deliver this shouldn't be an issue. But yeah if you want to use the seatpost clamp too to go through the full range, external routed (with the cable outer connected to the collar, not the head) would be the way to go. Or wireless, of course.

 @vinay: I have a 150mm and it has zero limitations. Most of my riding crew feels the same. I can ride 90% of what I ride on my DH bike plus XC. This includes everything here in Colorado, Moab plus a few days at Whistler. Only limitation is the suspension compared to the DH bike and not the dropper. To say 'limited' is laughable unless you are looking to put one on a DJ. The idea of cable on the collar is a good one though for externally mounted.

 @bman33: If 150mm is sufficient, why would there still be people calling for 170mm travel? Apparently some people prefer more adjustment than you need. So as it is, what's available is great for you. But not everyone is you.

 @vinay: 170 is available. You are calling for more, close to 300mm in your example. I am not saying don't make one. However, I don't see currently available 150mm-170mm limited anyone. much lower that 170mm gets it into DJ range. I assume not many people are riding trail on a DJ's. I could be wrong.

 @vinay: You also say you just use your seat clamp vs. getting a dropper. How is that practical? Stop at every point on a trail with tech sections to get your tools out, lower, got thru it and then raise it back up?

 @bman33: Sorry for the confusion. I'm not calling for a 300mm dropper, nor do I claim a dropper seatpost with 150mm travel is useless. As it is, I'd probably prefer to be able to use a combination of dropper post and qr seatpost clamp. And I'd say this won't work nicely with internal routing. The cable guided to the collar would be ideal. For most of my riding, I prefer to have my saddle at knee height when cranks are horizontal. This is a few cm lower than shown in the picture of my bike (see my profile) where the saddle was such that my workstand can clamp the seatpost. I like to slam it all the way when getting of higher obstacles when I tuck my bike as deep as possible. Or when pumping sections. So for stuff like that (and if I'd have a dropper), I'd use the qr to set the post in the lowest position and have the flexibility to go 150mm (or how much travel it offers) higher on the fly. If I'd ride a marathon for instance (something I haven't done in well over a decade where you'd have longer non-technical sections I may do some more seated pedaling and I might set the qr so that I can get the saddle all the way up to XC height. The on the fly adjustment would allow me to drop it by 150mm for the technical sections. That should be enough though I think it would still scare me, not having had my saddle that high for a fair while. Anyway, that's how I'd combine dropper and qr lever.

The reason I currently don't use a dropper isn't because I don't see the point. I'm doing fine without though. Just leave the saddle low enough, stand up and ride. The height of my hips doesn't depend on saddle height. The height of my hips depends on how high I keep them. Other than that, my previous frame (DMR) took a 26.8mm seatpost. There are no dropper posts for that, simple as that. Finally, I only buy expensive stuff if I expect it to last me a good while. Judging by PB comments, the reliability of the current crop wasn't quite there and the latest releases were good reason to abandon something only two years old. Sure, "progress" needs early adopters but I don't care to contribute. Once they have something I really like with the reliability of a good suspension fork, I'll buy it. This SDG post claims to have the reliability sorted. Once that's proven to be true and they also have a model with an external cable then yes, I might get one.

 @bman33: ya, that's the dumbest shit I've ever heard of in this day and age!

 @bohns1: Alright, go ahead then. Explain how you'd raise and lower a dropper seatpost in the seattube with internal cable routing and how that'd be easier than a dropper with external routing. That was what this was about. Good luck.

 @vinay: Looking at your bike you probably need a 300mm dropper!... Seat tube looks tiny, more like a DJ bike than a trail bike... I'd imagine most people using droppers have bikes with seat tubes more appropriate for their height & style of riding... For instance my own bikes have seat tubes around 500mm length and I can use 170mm droppers with very little post showing out of the top. The only reason you'd need to raise and lower a dropper in the seat tube is because your bike is too small for the intended use?

 @buckley: No, I intentionally got a 400mm seattube. I want to have my saddle all the way slammed when practicing getting over large logs etc (bigger than wheelsize stuff). I also wanted the top tube so low because I like to still have my knee above the top tube with the cranks level. So I don't necessarily need to drop the outer foot when cornering while still enjoying the room to move around. I could go lower but I decided I wanted to be able to get the seatpost up to XC height just in case. A regular 400mm rigid post needs 100mm insertion so I can have 300mm exposed if need be, just enough for XC height. The original geometry was with a 440mm seattube but I had it changed intentionally because I decided a 400mm seattube should be sufficient. The bike is not small. It has still got a 460mm reach, I think.

I wouldn't need a full 300mm on the fly though. As I said, I would use the dropper in combination with the seatpost clamp for different type of rides. If I really expect to do a lot of seated pedaling (like a marathon race) I might consider one. As it is now, I don't do much seated pedaling let alone do I require it to raise on the fly. Maybe someday. But it really needs to be at least as reliable as a good suspension fork. It is just low on my list. Again, SDG is getting close, but I'd prefer external routing, which is what this thread was about.

 Maybe mud in single digit temperatures (C) with lots of lateral pressure on the saddle.

 That test rig was only built to compliment the 120+ test riders we had on the post globally and the massive number of hours logged internally. Considering the jig was made with 2x4s it has pretty terrible tolerances so in addition to the vertical pressure it's applying, it's also constantly applying lateral load with every cycle. Pairing this with having a seal head constantly submerged in mud, it's pretty reflective of what I found prematurely kills posts. For riding testing, the post was always stored compressed in a non-climate controlled shed which saw temperatures drop well below -20c on a consistent basis. I'm still on the same post & cartridge as day 1 which has seen every condition imaginable across coastal and interior BC. Additionally, while compressed it's seen multiple trips by plane, helicopter and consistently gone through +/- 1500m changes in elevation.

 don't forget to make 150,000 of them too.

 270 is anything but affordable. It's a seatpost after all.

 It is strange to me that a company that sells the benefits of the I-Beam saddle tech doesn't make a dropper specifically designed for I-Beam, and then wades into a crowded market without anything particularly noteworthy about the product. No offset head, not notably lightweight, not any different from other cartridge droppers, not any cheaper. I guess I'll never understand nor would I be particularly successful as a product designer/marketer where it seems like lately in this industry you simply replicate what everyone else is doing and then price it exactly the same as well.

 @colincolin: For a dropper it affordable. If it was a rigid seatpost, it qualifies as expensive.

 @PHeller: Trust, we definitely want to offer an I-Beam head, but for SDG to enter a market it'd never entered before and with another "standard", it'd be too much for us to tackle on our first project. The goal with the Tellis is to offer an I-Beam head later on as well as an expanded I-Beam saddle offering as the I-Beam has enough benefits to justify another standard. We rather wanted to focus on the key elements of durability, simplicity and softest lever feel in the industry.Once the Tellis proves it's place in the market, you can bet we're going to innovate on top of an already solid product.

 @PHeller: bc now they can sell more stuff to product managers.
Grips, saddles, seat post...who doesnt want to make more money?

 @clapforcanadaa: I honestly missed the light action of the lever as a feature. I always attributed the light action as a result of cable routing.

 Apparently, 1st world problems.

 what a joke, huh?

Perhaps those folks struggling with a thumb lever might be more comfortable on a road bike.

 Just do 15 minutes of "thumb squats" before each ride and you'll be fine. Oh and five minutes post ride cool down, then submerge your thumbs in cold water for five minutes and then make sure not to use them for the rest of the day. No problemo.

 @bikesoverbritches: thank you!
Ill try this for my index fingers too as they suffer from no bite point adjust option.

 Not necessarily a thumb pump, however, with the growing number of kids and girls getting on bikes and now droppers, they are having a hard time with some droppers being too hard to actuate.

 absolutely in enduro racing stages. Most "riders" wouldn't notice, but in racing scenario it is a real situation. Not often but it can happen on a long stage with climb sections.

 I've owned half a dozen Giant Droppers, every model too. I agree it is very good and has been reliable. It has been as good as my Fox Transfer except for one thing - stanchion wear. Most of mine had silver showing through the anodizing in a few months, even with taking the collar off regularly and cleaning and greasing everything.

 The top clamp and hardware is our own tooling so it's definitely not the same. Actuator is different as well. We took many off the shelf parts that worked fairly well and tweaked them to offer improvements (improved sealing capacity and additional seal at actuator for example) where need be. While we'd love to do a completely custom post, for us it made no sense as that would drive the cost through the roof and really offer no foreseeable benefits. We're not in the business of charging more money for a rebranded product, but rather offering something that improves on current offering abd backing it up with availability of spare parts, Simple service videos already available and top notch partners all over the globe.

 @SDG-COMPONENTS: I appreciate the reply. I have thought about what you have said, and I guess that's why its hard to judge a product just from the photos. I appreciate what you guys are doing, and I understand that its extremely expensive and time consuming to bring something brand new to the market. I hope it works out. I guess don't judge a book by its cover.

 @Svinyard gotta say my one up has been kick ass! Absolutely zero play as well 170mm.

 OneUp has always made a great product and I'm sure their dropper will be no exception. If you're looking for a longer drop post and worried about fitment theirs seems like a great choice. Our post is aimed at those that want an extremely simple post that just works with no BS. Furthermore, in the event that shit happens, we offer top tier partners all over the world with small parts already in stock. Us thinking that we're going to appeal to every customer would be a "massive fail".

 Full squid..

 We’ve got a full fitment chart on our website under “support” that’ll give you all the measurements of your wildest dreams. Send us a PM if you can’t find the exact measurements you’re after and we can sort you out.

 It is definitely not manufactured by Giant. We utilized some of the internals already utilized by other brands in the market and improved on what we found was lacking with improved sealing capacity, detailed service videos and the strongest global partners to support the sales and support.

 As stated before in the comments, we utilized internals already in the marketplace as there's several pretty good options. However we tweaked several pieces of assembly to improve reliability and functionality. Good thing looks can be deceiving!

 Yep, I just installed a 150mm giant contact, £109 all up. Looks extremely similar. In the UK a service for a more expensive post cost £70 to £100, so I'm going to see how it lasts.

 Strange they did not prioritize the 170mm, seems out of touch with the actual market demand in terms of aftermarket droppers.

Most people buying aftermarket droppers already own a 125 or 150.
Maybe just IMO, but I really think the vast majority of people buying new droppers want 170+mm travel with the shortest stack and overall insertion length possible.
Most people buying aftermarket droppers already own a 125 or 150.

 @KennyWatson: Exactly! I want a 170mm dropper which is 440mm or less and doesn't cost an arm and a leg!