Thomson dropper post

eric_draven

thinking about buying a dropper post,after 25 years of riding and not having one,anyone tried a Thomson and what do you think of it

stubs

I did a bit of research on dropper posts and for reliability and operation it all comes down to a Reverb or a KS Lev anything else just isnt in the same ballpark.

Saying that I went and bought a Giant post because it cost buttons off fleabay. It works fine but I still look at it and think Wish I had bought the Reverb.

rockmonkeysc

Thompson is supposed to be the best 27.5 post but for anything else I would buy a Reverb or KS post.

paul.skibum

I have a Lev - its good. The dropper concept is a great addition to your riding.

Where I used to ride I either never needed to drop the post or knew that I went up for a long time and then went down for a long time so the dropper never really would have worried me - just stop and lower the post the old fashioned way before a prolonged descent.

For trail centres and similar man made trails they come into their own as there is a tendancy for needing to drop the post a fair way for some sections and bring it back up fast for a spot of pedalling or find that enduro/bit down bit up position - fot that kind of stuff not having to stop to drop and raise you post is great or you can avoid the compromise position which inhibits the fun of either up or down.

I know nothing of the Thomson except what I read which was all decent enough. Went for the Lev as I got a deal on it and liked the cable driven actuation.

.blitz

Have had one for about 8 months I think it's a great bit of kit. Thomson have taken a simple (some might say primitive) design and refined it to aircraft standards. Don't be put off by the cable operation this is Thomson not canti brakes from the 1990s. The remote has a decent sized paddle but the clamp itself is no bigger than a lock ring and takes up hardly any space on the bars. The action is really nice the more you push the lever the faster the post moves and it's easy to position it wherever you want it. Also makes a most excellent sound when it moves.

The post itself and the clamp is a work of art and of course there's no play in it despite frequent intense neglect. There's a rotating cable guide that magically takes care of that awful loop of cable that afflicts some other designs. The guide directs the cable back towards the bars and providing you secure it to the top tube firmly but not solidly it works perfectly.

On the trails although it's useful to drop the saddle completely there are many times when it just needs lowering a bit to maintain your centre of gravity. The same way as having a high saddle keeps you balanced on the climbs, lowering it works just as well on the descents. Mild descents where maybe you wouldn't bother lowering a fixed post become a lot more entertaining and after a while altering the saddle height becomes second nature because the Thomson is so unobtrusive.

Highly recommended if you buy one I don't think you'll be disappointed.

eric_draven

thanks for your response Blitz,i never really thought of getting one until i rode with some guys i hadn't seen for a long time the other night,and they were all using them,i was thinking from breaking away from the old school method,i can drop and raise a seatpost while moving,but droppers do make it look so easy

.blitz

eric draven wrote:

i can drop and raise a seatpost while moving,but droppers do make it look so easy

Same for most folks I imagine. Maybe if your riding is a big climb followed by a big descent there's not much point but for undulating non-flowy kind of terrain I use mine as much as I change gear.

andrewthomas197

Hello,

I have had a Thomson for a while now and have to say it's one of the best purchases I have made in a while. I was quite resistant to the whole idea until I tried a friends bike at a trail centre and the penny dropped. I used to raise and lower the saddle manually but then got bored of doing that and then the seat post clamp stiffens up so I stopped all together but the ability to raise and lower the post definitely makes a difference to your riding.

I am lucky enough to live in South Wales so have an abundance of centres to choose from to ride and it makes a difference at everyone I ride.

As far as the Thomson seat post itself, what can I say other than a work of art, it all just works. The bar remote is tiny but works really well, the infinite positioning of the post is nice and the post stops where you want it, and the clamp system is as mentioned previously is superb.

All in all I would thoroughly recommend it.

All the best.