Dropper post?

[janbiker]

Is there anyone out there who has ridden the Epic or will ride the Epic with a dropper post? Can you tell something about the experience you had/reasoning behind using the dropper post? Would you recommend it?

 

Because I'm very average riding technical parts, I'm thinking of making life a little bit easier. And just to reply already: more skill classes are not an option (did my part there, but stil very hesitant going downhill), I don't mind the extra 500 grams (I carry much more extra on my body) and yes, I know the Epic is not very technical (finished twice, so I know).

 

 

[splat]

I haven't ever ridden an Epic (Specialized or other), but I strongly recommend a dropper post for ANY mountain bike.

 

I ride a Camber with a dropper and love it. I couldn't imagine riding MTB without one.

[janbiker]

Just to make it clear: the Epic I mentioned is the Cape Epic, not the bike . 

[WaldoZ]

I haven't done the Epic yet but I do Marathon races mostly... I have a 30mm dropper on my Epic and would recommend it to anyone that needs that little extra confidence on any type of downhill.

[Simon123]

why would you not?

[Grease_Monkey]

Besides from the extra maintenance cost and weight (which you don't care about), there are no downsides to dropper posts, even Julian Absalon rides with one! It will change the way you ride for the better and I can highly recommend one! You can move your weight around more and it will give you tons of extra confidence. My mom (age 50) was also very weary on techy bits and downhills, since fitting a dropper her confidence has skyrocketed!

 

I can understand why people riding the Epic don't ride with one, and I don't think you need one - but it is a very nice addition to any bike and will improve your riding. My suggestion would be to get it well before the Epic so you learn to ride with it and use it, as well as making sure you set it up in such a way that the lever is easy to reach. If you position it in such a way that you have to change your grip amd move your hand alot to use it, you will end up not using it at all. When you hit the rough stuff you want it to be easily in reach, much like a shifer lever. I have to also add, the under the bar 1x style remotes are best... positioning of the lever gets a bit tricky with a 2x set up (in my experience anyway).

[Cloudbase999]

Having completed the Epic on a hardtail, full-sus without dropper and then the same full-sus with a dropper, I reckon there's little to no chance that you'll regret fitting a dropper.

 

You're likely to be more relaxed on washed-out downhills, be more confident in the tricky tech sections and should definitely have more fun on the switchbacks.

 

Agree with Grease_Monkey that the under-the-bar trigger is much easier to work than the above-bar.

[mrcg]

I would agree with posters above, notably greasy. And I have not done the Epic with a dropper.

Remember the route always changes so you never can apply last year's knowledge to tomorrow's race. Also cos the drought has made descents more gnarly for sure. Not sure how much hectic single track there is this year, but doubt it will be that much......

If you are unsure about downhill sections, use tech to your advantage. However, you still need to apply the necessary skills. So apply the things you learnt in skills clinics. There's a ton to watch on youtube to improve skills.

The added weight should never be a concern, cos as you rightly pointed out, it's much easier to lose it form your own body. YES, easier!

[captain morgan]

100% get the dropper ... will make your epic more epic ... and your smiles riding mtb much bigger . Best upgrade to just about any mtb !

[SwissVan]

Fork...what next... discs on road bikes 

 

[SlowManiac]

I've done the Epic with a dropper and one without. I'd use the dropper, there is nothing that steep or gnarly but still nice even for very rough jeep track descents.

 

Totally agree that the 1x under bar setup is the best, especially if you don't know the trail it needs to be easy to activate.