If you look at bikes that are designed for jumping around, you’ll notice the saddle
is way low.
On a mountain bike though, you need your saddle at a certain height to pedal efficiently for
long distances.
On the other hand, dropping your saddle a little can give you superpowers on really
technical sections.
On steep descents, a low saddle keeps your weight towards the rear wheel, instead of
dangerously over the bars.
So, it’s a good idea to adjust your saddle height based on the trail you’re about to
ride.
Lowering it an inch or so will reduce your pedaling efficiency slightly, but also give
you some gains in other areas.
If you like to have your cake and eat it to, you can get a dropper seat post, which lets
you adjust your saddle height on the fly.
On both my Sync’r Pro and my Mission 2, I have a KS Lev Integra dropper post, which
is the integrated version of the normal KS Lev.
If you push the switch, the seat post moves freely up and down.
If you release it, the seat post locks into place.
This is similar to an office chair, except a little more refined.
So what do I mean when I say this post is integrated?
Well, some bikes come dropper ready, which means they have a port to run a release cable
inside the frame.
If your bike is dropper ready, you can install pretty much any integrated dropper post, like
the Rock Shox Reverb Stealth, or this KS Lev Integra.
If your bike isn’t dropper ready, then you can get a normal dropper post and hook the
cable up on the outside.
This is usually more economical, and easier to install anyway.
Once you get accustomed to having a dropper post, you’ll use it all the time.
For mountain bikers who have never tried riding with the saddle down low, the benefits may
not be immediately obvious.
If you fall into that category, I encourage you to drop your saddle and try jumping around
a bit.
You may find that you can do things you couldn’t before, like maneuvering on to and over pretty
big stuff.
Once you install your dropper post, you can extend it all the way up and adjust it to
your full ride height just like a normal seat post.
This way, you can drop it for technical sections, and then pop it back up to your perfect ride
height at the flip of a switch.
The KS Lev on my Mission has 120mm of travel.
On my Sync’r Pro, I purposely bought a 150mm KS Lev since the frame goes lower.
Both posts are installed as low as possible, which luckily puts them at my perfect ride
height when fully extended.
When choosing a post, I was trying to decide between the Rockshox Stealth and the KS Integra.
The reason I chose the KS came down to reliability and simplicity, as it uses a cable release
as opposed to the hydraulic release on the Rockshox.
Sure enough, I took a spill at Grapefruit trails that ripped the cable right out of
my dropper post.
The repair was easy.
If I had the hydraulic release, it would have been significantly more involved to fix.
Overall I’m happy with my decision to get the KS Lev.
Like most dropper posts you need to keep it clean and make sure it has plenty of air pressure.
If I slam it all the way down and leave it overnight, it doesn’t pop up at first without
sitting down on it or giving it a good bonk.
I’d say this is not really an issue.
The seat clamp is pretty basic, but it allows for micro adjustments to the angle of your
saddle just like a good seat post should.
The release on the bottom of the post is designed so you can disconnect it quickly for service,
instead of needing to undo the cable.
I’ll also mention that this post comes with a cleverly designed switch, which actually
integrates with ODI grips.
Although I appreciate the ingenuity, I don’t like using this switch at all, and it constantly
rubs on my hand while riding.
For a few extra bucks, you can get their Southpaw lever, which is way better, and should come
standard in my opinion.
Now it’s worth noting that I had a different dropper post on my Trek, one that was equally
as reliable and priced much lower than the KS.
This was the DNM dropper post, and it’s still going strong to this day.
The only reason I didn’t get the integrated version of this post for my new bike, is that
it’s not available in 150mm.
So is a dropper post right for you?
If you’re an XC rider then I guess it depends on how technical the terrain you’re riding
is.
A dropper post does come with a small weight tradeoff.
Then again I’m more concerned with adding inches to my bunnyhops than losing grams off
my bike.
Give me a super light bike with a high saddle, and I won’t be able to do much besides pedal
real fast.
Give me an all mountain beast with a dropper post, and you’ll see why geometry trumps
weight when it comes to bike control.
Of course, the benefits are more obvious to someone who rides technical singletrack, downhill,
or freeride.
Although most XC riders seem to prefer a normal seat post, I’m starting to see of few of
them running droppers out on the trails.
It seems more and more people are discovering the wonders of adjusting their saddle on the
fly.
Thanks for riding with me today, and I’ll see you next time.