Full susp for £1k - £1.5k

JBA

Just pull the brake hose up through the clip a bit to get rid of the 'loop' on the fork leg.

This is the hose routing on my fork and my wife's fork:

JBA

danlightbulb wrote:

also rear gear issue (?). backpedalling is causing the gear to shift down off top cog.

This is quite common and can sometimes be solved by adjusting the chain line (assuming limit screw is set correctly). However, I wouldn't really worry about it as you very rarely need to backpeddle.

billycool

When you drop off the top of the hill you still want to be in a gear (if possible) that gives you power when you want it. If you drop a couple of gears and still spin out, you haven't planned ahead enough. You need to try and get the right gear selected before you need it, so drop a few more gears.

For me, the whole point of a dropper post is that I can pop it back up for a few pedal strokes when needed and drop it down again out of the way at a moments notice. Again, it comes down to looking further down the trail and planning ahead.

You have 1x, so right hand does gears and left hand does dropper. It just takes some practice.

danlightbulb

Yeah i get you, but when im going over bumpy ground and pedalling at the same time its hard to sit down and push the dropper down cos obviously i cant sit that low and pedal. I guess i tend to be in too low a gear in anticipation of upward sections, and was used to sitting down for all pedalling on my old bike, even when going downhill. id only stand for the rough stuff and cornering then id sit again.

tallpaul_s

Dropper posts are infinitely adjustable, you can set it to a height where it's still out the way a little but it's still high enough to sit and pedal on. You don't need to drop it fully every times the trail goes downhill at all, just drop it a little.

danlightbulb

Yeah i see. what would you say the criteria is for how far you lower the post. ive ridden all these trails on my HT for years with a fully up post so its not necessarily a hinderance. Do i just start by having it a couple inches lower?

apreading

If its not a hindrance then arguably you dont need to drop it at all...

Dropping it can make it easier to get behind the saddle or to move around the bike in general. It also stops it pushing you up when you go over obstacles. You only need to drop it enough to get it out of the way of what you want to do.

I am not good enough to advise on the best criteria and how far you should lower it - maybe just try a few options out and in time you will work out what feels right for you.

The easiest thing is to slam it when you arent worried about efficient pedalling but thats probably overkill and not the right way to use it.

steve_sordy

Drop by as little or as much as you need. There are no firm rules. You, your bike, your skills, the trails are all different. The dropper post is one of the best inventions to hit mtb in recent years.

apreading

steve_sordy wrote:

The dropper post is one of the best inventions to hit mtb in recent years.

+1000 there - love mine!

RichardSmart

T.B.H., I never bother dropping my seat - I can get round the black route at Glentress without my saddle getting in the way, so unless you're going to be doing downhill racing, you probably won't have to drop your saddle at all...

tallpaul_s

I dunno, things like leaning the bike under you I find very hard with the post at full height, it just gets in the way.

I think I'd struggle without a dropper now, I'd have to have the seat at a little lower than proper height if it was fixed.