We all knew it was coming. Just surprised it took so long. I could see a post like that on a folding bike to avoid the quick release and accidentally twisting/readjusting the seat several times. If only that seat post didn't take longer than my entire bike takes to fold/unfold
The Cricket speaker might be useful to connect to your phone and provide voiced turn by turn GPS directions or voiced statistical ride information from a phone app during a ride. I agree with Seth - being forced to listen to others music while out in nature is inconsiderate.
I use a different bluetooth speaker mounted right in the same location and I couldn't care less if anyone else hears it as they pass by ether direction. They hear it for what... 30 seconds? Big deal, get over it.
@@davidsawyer7880 So, you don't actually ride a bike that makes any noise, right? You are a hiker? I mean, some people also just don't like the sight of anything other then nature either. What do you say to hikers who have to deal with your bike on the trails? I bet you tell them "Tough luck, deal with it"....
I've used that dropper post for 4 years now, and I love the thing! Mine doesn't have any sort of pneumatics in it like it looks like yours might, so I'm able to pull and push it up and down as fast as I want, although I agree, you at least still need a lull in terrain for it to be practical to take a hand off the bars. For as cheap as it is, it does the job REALLY well for me and one of the biggest points is it can be installed on a bike with front shifting without worry of it getting in the way.
I agree. I use one on my xc bike due to lack of cable routing options. Mine is spring loaded as well. It is easier than unlocking the collar since you can stay on the bike. But still definitely need a lull in terrain or when on a breather before tackling a tough section.
Judging by the commenter feedback, the wired version of the Exa Form might be a great product to check out in the future! The post itself seems like it would be plenty reliable, but a remote switch would make it way better IMO. As others have said, different applications besides trail riding also make more sense.
This is one of the funniest videos you have made. Me and my wife were cracking up over that dropper post, then following that up with some solid K-pop was brilliant.
The dropper post is really for bikepackers who go on rough terrain imo. They don't need to adjust on the fly, but would benefit a lot from dropping the seat for the descent without losing their perfect position they've honed in to ride 6-12 hours per day, 5-7 days/wk on
@@bindingcurve No I'm saying you would adjust it while stopped - I wouldn't mind having to stop for a sec before I'm gonna descend an entire mountain, but I would also be PISSED at myself if I coulsn't find my spot just right again.
@@hngldr there's another example for you. You're going down some trail. Then you got to climb immediately another one. You're saying that you prefer to stop and loose all your momentum for adjusting the hieght of the saddle? I don't get it.
So glad I found your videos, Seth! I'm an old, fat ex-bike commuter who you've inspired to ride again. Thank you so much for your easy charisma and thorough, informative channel.
My dad actually uses similar style dropper post on his e-bike (also lever in the front, it just goes up and down as quick as any normal dropper). He doesn't ride off road, but his legs flexibility is limited after endoprothesis of both hips. This style of dropper post allows him to lower the saddle when he gets on and off the bike and he said it was a gamechanger for him (prior to having one he had to lean the bike when he was mounting and it wasn't pleasant at all, now he can get on and off the bike almost as effortless as a healthy human does).
Any riding is good riding, I ride quite hard and have had a hip problem since birth (but that’s just because I’m a brainless 50 year old who’s never grown up), tell your dad good man, keep riding.
10:30 The fact that it only recorded 1 of the jumps is a testament to your skill, and familiarity with that trail. If you land smoothly, and minimize the impact, the thing doesn't pick up the end of the jump. Then either you jump again, and it stops looking for the end of the previous jump, or it times out, I am guessing.
The collars on the freeze grips look so rad! If only they stayed tight, I would buy a pair. Although I do wonder how easy it is to keep clear grips clean...
@@xfunker they use UV protected rubber, but even then I agree. They’ll yellow eventually, and if they move around that much there’s no way you could ride confidently.
Not gonna happen. I use a pair of bright blue ODI Longnecks on my Dirt Jumper and I've cleaned them twice within like 2 or 3 weeks already, after a few lines they look just as dirty as before the cleaning, tho some of that may stem from the fact that I've been using those grips for more than a year and they're starting to get a little sticky. I hope I can find a way to get rid of the stickyness, then the grips should stay clean for longer.
There are actually people, who have a use for the dropper post. As an example: Me. I own a slopeduro (ish) bike, and everytime i need to get to the dirtline, i have to put the seet Manualy up. Of course, this is a Luxus problem, but it would be way nicer, if i just pull the saddle up, ride up, slam it down, do My Tricks, pull it up again and ride home.
@@natecowie1104 Someone could give me this dropper post and I'd still go out and buy a decent one that doesn't require me to remove my hands from the bars.
@@David-ys4xb dropper posts are useful beyond MTBs, and people with sub-$1000 bikes might prefer this. Other dropper posts cost more than twice, and this affordable one is still better than quick release rigid posts.
@@sepg5084 Ok, spend $60-70 instead of saving $120 and buying a far superior dropper. Motherfuckers that cry about bills gladly spend hundreds on booze and cigarettes every month 🤣 You buying these things outta China and reselling then or something?
I could see that mech guard on mine, saving time on untangling a mess of long grass and weeds from the spinny bits. It might even have saved my mech last time I smashed it off: not a hit like you showed, but a rock that kicked up and got lodged in the chain as I put the power down. It might have deflected the rock rather than the mech trying (and failing) to eat it. Worth a try if it's cheap enough.
One of the funniest videos ever with the dropper post. It should come with a warning not to operate near other people for risking arrest of lewd behaviour! Laughed until I cried, nice one Seth.
I have this kind of dropper post mounted to my 2010 Lapierre Zesty 514 (pre-innercableroutingtimes) and it works absolutely fine. One short "sqsh" and it's down and an even shorter "fump" pushes it back up. Anyway I use it BEFORE I hit a downhill-trail in the flat and pop it back out for the uphill. Absolutely recommend these droppers for MTB without inner cable routing. 🙌🏾
The Cricket Speaker seems like an awesome concept/project. 1. Greater safety for riders compared to earbuds (so you can hopefully hear cars or other bikes coming). 2. Respect for other riders. Some individuals find it necessary to have a Bose surround system on their bike, sigh. 3. All of the above. Safer ride, while listening to motivating music and enjoying the rides with your community. Love your videos!
The dropper could work well on a DH style trail where you pop it up when you’re climbing and then slam it down when you’re taking a break at the top and then shred the downhill. Plus less cables, batteries, and money…🤑
I could see the dropper post being good for people who still have multiple chainrings and dont have as much room on their bars for a dropper lever, especially since a lot of entry level bikes are setup this way and the price point would also be appealing. Most of the droppers I saw when they were very first introduced operated this way.
Once again, thanks! K-Pop through the woods FTW! That dropper post action on the trail had me grinning. It’s almost time for you to make an 8-minute video of paint drying. It wouldn’t surprise me if you and your great videographer/editor could make one that pulls in a million views.
KPop and your dog dream scenes is what pushed me over the edge to subscribe 😆 always great content man, keep up the great work! Love the odd brand/solution product exploration review as like a normal person perspective - you rock!
I'm a novice MT bike rider, way out of shape and using it to try to get into shape and to get out of the house... but I watch ALL these videos like it was the latest marvel movie. Perfect mix of entertainment and information!
I’ve had the same dropper post on my yeti for about 2 years now and i love it. The slow drop speed is probably due to the lever not pulling the release enough, idk if that’s adjustable but besides that its pretty good quality for the price. Plus its relatively light.
Thanks for the review Seth! As you mentioned, the Cricket Speaker is an alternative to headphones and aims to provide a trail friendly option for those who can’t, or prefer not to, wear anything on their body to listen to music while they ride. Once installed, the speaker is un-noticeable as it becomes part of your bike and does not interfere with your riding. The speaker can be paused with a quick press on the speaker and does not require you to take your phone out to pause it. Thanks again!
In addition to really helping you dial in your suspension, the ShockWiz by SRAM provides all kinds of cool trail metrics, such as jump count, average jump time, longest jump time, total air time, dynamic sag %, and the number of deep compression events as well as letting you know if you are tending to pogo, pack the suspension, bottom out, bob, or bounce. Great device for suspension tuning, collecting and reviewing ride data, and learning in general. Seth should do a video on it.
I bought a similar lever-actuated dropper post... sort of as an experiment for my gravel bike. It was $100 and I have to say I actually really like it! The one I purchased is pretty snappy so I didn't have the same sloooooow moving action you did. Great content, as usual. thanks for the videos!
I actually have a dropper similar to the one you reviewed on my marlin 5. It works well but it definitely gets sketchy if you try to adjust it while riding. It definitely moves a lot faster than the one you got too. But if you know the trails you can plan ahead pretty well. I also still have a 3x up front so it saves me some space up by my bars. I don’t want a million cables lol.
Love to see that you’re still using the Mous case and mount! I bought a case and two mounts for both my bikes when I got an iPhone 13 in the summer after seeing your review of it. The case is definitely my favorite phone case I’ve ever owned (the ribbing on the sides makes grip so easy and comfy) and the mounts are awesome!!
These are my favorite videos 😂 Seth and Oscar together in the field with those faces are priceless 😂. And that dropper…oh boy lol. It makes me happy to know that Seth couldn’t keep a straight face when he was talking about the dropper! Hahaha
If you had that dropper post "shimmed" it probably is too tight and that's why it's so sluggish. Droppers are extremely sensitive to overtightening. I do not own or ever seen the product, but I think you've not done it justice
Agree. I suspected the same thing when I saw it go up. And if you ride to the bike park, drop the post for the pump track, then raise it again to ride back. Or ride a long climb, drop the seat at the top, then raise it again for another climb, it's not a bad idea. Lighter even. Not great for XC riding for sure, but I think there's something more to this dropper post than what we saw.
Your definitely correct but it truly is that slow 1 out of 10 move somewhat better and some just dont even work Yeah that dropper is hot garbage, but it's great for a fat bike rental that isn't important enough to spec out with a quality dropper although I did remove a frame braze-on to slam it all the way down
That dropper would be perfect for a dirt jumper that you ride to the jump line. No cables to deal with while you are spinning the bars during your back flips.
Yes, it's not great for XC riding, but if you're in a situation where you are rising.someplace, dropping the post at the bike park, then riding.back, it's a good compromise. Or if you have a long climb and a long descent. Ride up, drop the post before dropping in, raise it up before going uphill again.
Not quite the same but I used to have a Dirt Jumper that I put together from parts and had a long seatpost on it to ride to and from the dirt park a little more comfortably, and while the constant up and down would no longer be an issue with a dropper post, said dropper post is gonna add alot of weight, and in my experience riding a single speed Dirt Jumper over longer distances is still pretty exhausting even while sitting on a relatively tall seatpost. And given the fact that most dropper posts won't extend beyond 150mm u'd have to choose between still having the seat somewhat high while riding on the dirt or still having it too low to commute comfortably, so is it really worth the weight gain? My current Dirt Jumper, which is a little on the heavy side already, just has a BMX seat with just enough seat post on it to be tall enough to sit on without having the rear wheel rub on my backpack when I sit down during descents. But now that I also have a full-squish which turned out to be just as much fun to ride on dirt jumps I tend to ride on that while pushing my Dirt Jumper along next to me on my way to and from there. And believe it or not, I prefer that over riding the whole 4 and a half kilometers (just about 2.8 miles) on my Dirt Jumper.
That phone app is doing what Garmin has been doing for the past 2 years lol. My Edge 530 shows all the jumps, grit and flow. Has a total jump airtime number too. I for one would never put my phone on the handlebars.
The difference is that the garmin costs 220€ while the app is free. I totally understand that you wouldnt want to put your phone onto your bars especially in chunkier terrain but its a great and much cheaper way to track your rides
I picked up an even cheaper dropper off Aliexpress by curiosity (the one with the yellow lever, you know which one ;) ) for ~30$ !. I paired it with a modified fork lockout lever (because that is 1/3 of the price for a dropper lever) and managed to turn that into a descent dropper post with remote for way under 50$. So, yeah, not a great product by itself, but a cheap working solution if you are keen to tinker with it : )
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That's a legitimate hack my friend! You wouldn't by any chance want to make an instruction to explain how you did that and help out your fellow budget conscious riders?
When I first started biking derailleurs where protected by a metal cage. Then manufacturers stopped putting them on complete bikes, maybe to cut costs or maybe to sell more derailleurs..... I caught my derailleur on a rock/stump/other and fecked it. So I made my own derailleur guard out of a R&G motorcycle cotton reel / bobbin. It's worked really well, and been on the bike for past 18 months
Yeah but for some reason bikes from Walmart still come with deregular bash guards even though the bike would not survive riding down something gnarly enough to warrant having one in the beginning.
I've often wondered why some sort of rear derailleur protector wasn't standard on every bike intended for off road. I guess they're sort of like the "dork disks" that are universally despised as "uncool".
Brother Seth. In an addition to your Cannonbale Lefty fork video. “Try this!” Stand in front of the bike, facing the fork. Secure the front wheel between your legs. Hands on the grips. Now, holding with your legs, turn the bars/twisting motion. While attempting to compress the fork. The lefty fork compresses! Go get a standard friction fork, and try the same thing! Two stantion/friction forks cannot be compressed. The needle bearings on the lefty can compress through the travel with and cross loading created when turning or compression on berms. You lock out friction suspension forks everytime on every fork. Try it!
For trail audio I have 2 that I love. Nox Gear 39g clips to your shirt and is close enough for you to hear but not too loud for others. That and it has a cool Star Trek vibe when you tap it to toggle mute. The other is the Seni Pi. This one clips to your helmet straps and has a VERY near field speaker. It's part trick is that it can be paired with other Pis and offers open mic comms while riding. Really great for riding with my wife where we sometimes get separated by 50 yards or more. Works great for audiobooks and music with or without the intercom.
I have a similar dropper post, but mine was around $35. It works a lot faster than the one you have and on the trail it's really not as bad as you'd think once you get used to it :)
Seff’s dropper post faces, and the “Alright, bingo” when testing the derailleur guard…hardy har har! I have a Dakine Gripper bag, works great, and I put the inner stuff in a ziplock bag to keep small things from falling out and keep dust out.
I use one of those lever droppers on my DJ, it makes pedaling back to the start of the jumps way nicer. I didn't want another cable. Mine is a KS too, just the slightly better cer one with a 27.2mm post. I highly recommend it
The Geo derailleur guard might be a good product for a shop that rents mt bikes. Think of a bike tourist in an area with rocky terrain who rents a bike and beats the shit out of it.
That saddle post will be perfect for the every day bike that me and my wife share. It's too small for me, a bit too big for her and we keep on changing the settings, but we don't really do change them "on the trail". Thanks for the review.
That KS Exa Form actually has a version that has a lever that goes up to the handlebars, and from what I've seen, it's no slouch! It's pretty much a ball buster lol, maybe you can check that version out.
Tip for MTB hangtime app. Make it so you can put in your suspension info, mount the phone around the drink holder and get graphs/statistics on suspension from the phones sensors.
good alternative to the small speaker is bone conduction headphones. they dont go in your ears so you still hear everything, i had a pair from 2013 and they were great back then, and the tech is only getting better. plus they wont annoy other riders.
The Cricket Speaker is a good option for riders who can’t fit or don’t want one more thing on their head in addition to their helmet and sunglasses. It is a much better option than a huge bluetooth speaker blasting from a backpack. It can easily be stopped w a quick press on the speaker so my friends often don’t even know I’m listening to music.
Che, that sounds like a great option too, if you are ok with wearing the speaker. The Cricket Speaker provides a trail friendly option to those who prefer not to wear a speaker on their body.
I ran that dropper for 3 seasons and didn’t mind it and it never failed. It was best used for dedicated climbs then dedicated descents because doing it on a trail with a lot of sudden up and downs was a bit annoying. Just switched to a fox transfer post a month ago though.
I've been around the bicycle block for decades and constantly see (so called professional) recommendations that literally ruins bikes. And you Adam, "are not one of those"... Keep up the great work and keep those quality videos coming. I'll let you know if you hick-up to keep you on the narrow trail. Sincerely Dan aka Mr onZa
I've owned one of the Exaform dropper seat posts for over a year now. They're great for a VERY limited application: hardtail commuting. Exactly as you say, you have to have a flat and smooth section to use it. I typically use it once or twice on my 30 minute commute for the long descents. It's great for my eMtb commuter but I would never try to use it on a dedicated proper mountain bike.
I'd use that speaker. Having to use a bluetooth speaker and having it get tossed around in my jersey sucks - If I can hear it, works for me! LOVE the wooden puzzle! I can imagine the pieces feel pleasing to the touch plus the shapes of the puzzle pieces are so neat. Gotta look into the Dakine Gripper pouch. As a NICA coach, it's so important to have something reliable to carry essential items in case one (or more) of your student-athletes experience a mechanical. PLUS...it's a good to set a good example to be prepared as well. Thank you for the awesome review of these products.
I've seen a similar dropper that was as fast as a quality model. Worked great for the rider without the need for internal routing. Made me interested for anything that would get light duty trails, bunny hopping those 3 curbs on the commute etc.
I think it would be fun to see Seth make his own MTB products and test them, if nothing else just for fun. That could be hilarious and maybe lead to something cool! Does Seth like machining? Let's find out!
If I owned a bike rental shop I would probably put those derailleur guards on every bike... might consider the dropper post too for quick adjustment of seat heights.
Oh man, you took me back with the pocket protector reference! That was totally part of pop-culture when I was growing up but I haven't heard of one being referenced in probably 15 years! Good times.
That's so funny. I put the Brand-x no remote lever dropper on my fat bike yesterday and I couldn't get over how simple and nice it was. That was how Gravity Droppers (RIP to the original) were and had set notches. I thought the one handed thing would be annoying, but no problem.
The dropper would be awesome for a gravel bike, retro build gravel build, or XC bike, where I don't need to drop it on the fly. . I am definitely getting one! PS the Dakine bike strap is not weird.
Just got back from a bike trip with my hybrid bike. I have a dropper for me mountain bike and one thing that i love about it is when i stop to take a break or get a drink, i lower my seat to get both feet on the ground. I could see the dropper post working great on my hybrid when i just want to lower my seat on a flat road or trail to take a break or get a drink and not worry about being on my tippy toes.
I used to use a ks900 dropper, it uses the pull-up lever, it was super quick to operate, I found that you would coast along standing up and the just grab it and pull it up, it comes up quick and it becomes second nature pretty quickly. I would find myself using it absent mindedly, even on fast descents without it being sketchy. As long as your standing up it works great.
I can verify that KS post is actually great. I had the internally routed and handlebar mounted lever version of that exact same model (Exaform 900i) on my Giant Talon hardtail for 2 seasons. Rode about 2,000 km with no issues whatsoever, never even serviced it. Absolutely a steal for about $75 USD shipped with remote, cables and housing. Works just about as well as the low end trans-X posts I've used, for less money.
I’m really new to cycling having just got into it just to go to work and back. Just wanted to say I’m loving this channel. Not stopped watching for a few days. A quick question, I looked at gates belt drive bikes and was wondering why they’re not more popular with MTB people. I mean if derailleurs are expensive and the hangers are prone to getting smoked on trails… would a belt gearbox system not be better?
I think a better alternative to the Cricket speaker would be bone conduction headphones. They leave your ears totally free and clear so you're not impeded, but you can still listen to music / podcasts at a reasonable volume and not annoy those around you.
Dropper posts... 35 Years ago you HAD TO HAVE a "hite rite"! It was a spring attached to your seat post and to your quick release. Dropping, open the quick release and sit on your seat. Going up: Open the quick release and let the saddle rise. Did work quite well when you knew how to do it ;-)
Got a similar dropper post to start with (though an even cheaper one from AliExpress): sure, I only kept it for a few months, but it helped me really understand what the hype around dropper posts was about. It required to sit hard on it to lower it, and pull on the saddle when you pressed the lever to really bring it back up, so you needed to anticipate a bit to adjust it before you reached the big climb or downhill section, but being able to change seat height without even stopping was still a huge improvement, and it got me started on a search for a proper remote controlled dropper.
The shots of you adjusting the dropper had me literally laughing my ass off the sofa. Def one of the funniest things you've ever tested!!
Looked like there was a simultaneous ball grab there.. lol 😆
The fact he wore black shorts too
We all knew it was coming. Just surprised it took so long.
I could see a post like that on a folding bike to avoid the quick release and accidentally twisting/readjusting the seat several times. If only that seat post didn't take longer than my entire bike takes to fold/unfold
If Gunther would go mountain biking. Just look at that sultry expression at 4:35
My wife saw that over my shoulder and said “wtf are you watching”.
The Cricket speaker might be useful to connect to your phone and provide voiced turn by turn GPS directions or voiced statistical ride information from a phone app during a ride. I agree with Seth - being forced to listen to others music while out in nature is inconsiderate.
I use a different bluetooth speaker mounted right in the same location and I couldn't care less if anyone else hears it as they pass by ether direction. They hear it for what... 30 seconds? Big deal, get over it.
Music at the beach! Àhhhhhhhhhhh. 100% agree about being forced to listen to anything other then nature.
@@davidsawyer7880 So, you don't actually ride a bike that makes any noise, right? You are a hiker? I mean, some people also just don't like the sight of anything other then nature either. What do you say to hikers who have to deal with your bike on the trails? I bet you tell them "Tough luck, deal with it"....
@@marcuslinton310 there is a special place in hell for people like you
@@Jehty_ little extreme wouldn't you say
I've used that dropper post for 4 years now, and I love the thing! Mine doesn't have any sort of pneumatics in it like it looks like yours might, so I'm able to pull and push it up and down as fast as I want, although I agree, you at least still need a lull in terrain for it to be practical to take a hand off the bars. For as cheap as it is, it does the job REALLY well for me and one of the biggest points is it can be installed on a bike with front shifting without worry of it getting in the way.
I agree. I use one on my xc bike due to lack of cable routing options. Mine is spring loaded as well. It is easier than unlocking the collar since you can stay on the bike. But still definitely need a lull in terrain or when on a breather before tackling a tough section.
This video has so many magical moments, but most of all is the shot of Seth and Oscar in the field in slow motion 😂
Brought to you by kpop
Subscribed because of Oscar.
@@jamesowen33 Oscar is turning into a buff little cannon ball!
Oscar needs a kpop spin off channel. 😁
Judging by the commenter feedback, the wired version of the Exa Form might be a great product to check out in the future! The post itself seems like it would be plenty reliable, but a remote switch would make it way better IMO. As others have said, different applications besides trail riding also make more sense.
This is one of the funniest videos you have made. Me and my wife were cracking up over that dropper post, then following that up with some solid K-pop was brilliant.
The dropper post is really for bikepackers who go on rough terrain imo. They don't need to adjust on the fly, but would benefit a lot from dropping the seat for the descent without losing their perfect position they've honed in to ride 6-12 hours per day, 5-7 days/wk on
nope, these kind just suck. I will tweak the hight during the decent, and reaching down while on loose slippery gravel is a recipe for disaster.
@@bindingcurve No I'm saying you would adjust it while stopped - I wouldn't mind having to stop for a sec before I'm gonna descend an entire mountain, but I would also be PISSED at myself if I coulsn't find my spot just right again.
Agreed. It just has a different application than a regular dropper.
@@hngldr there's another example for you. You're going down some trail. Then you got to climb immediately another one. You're saying that you prefer to stop and loose all your momentum for adjusting the hieght of the saddle? I don't get it.
TransX makes a way better version for not much more. Also true to size.
So glad I found your videos, Seth! I'm an old, fat ex-bike commuter who you've inspired to ride again. Thank you so much for your easy charisma and thorough, informative channel.
My dad actually uses similar style dropper post on his e-bike (also lever in the front, it just goes up and down as quick as any normal dropper). He doesn't ride off road, but his legs flexibility is limited after endoprothesis of both hips. This style of dropper post allows him to lower the saddle when he gets on and off the bike and he said it was a gamechanger for him (prior to having one he had to lean the bike when he was mounting and it wasn't pleasant at all, now he can get on and off the bike almost as effortless as a healthy human does).
That's the reason why I guess that we will see droppers on a lot of non MTBs in the Future
It's way easier to get on and off
Any riding is good riding, I ride quite hard and have had a hip problem since birth (but that’s just because I’m a brainless 50 year old who’s never grown up), tell your dad good man, keep riding.
I figure it's the perfect gravel bike dropper. As someone on Path Less Pedaled noted, gravel biking rarely requires a quick change in post height.
@@Alex22M1 why would you use a dropper over a Dutch-style or woman-style bike?
I was thinking about this for my wife. She too has problems post-knee-replacement-ops getting her leg over the seat to get on/off her bike.
10:30 The fact that it only recorded 1 of the jumps is a testament to your skill, and familiarity with that trail. If you land smoothly, and minimize the impact, the thing doesn't pick up the end of the jump. Then either you jump again, and it stops looking for the end of the previous jump, or it times out, I am guessing.
I’ve always loved the product review videos. These are just like a shopping channel for mountain bike products 😅
The Berm Shopping Network! If I was a stay at home dad I would always have this channel on
@@crisnguyen571 lol salty about working?
They are all youtube is now i miss the old day of accual content and getting lost in there weird section of youtube
As if that's something we need... Yikes. My wallet.
"reach down in front of you and just yank on it" Words to live by! 😆
Sounds like the instructions for a good deal of internet content.
The collars on the freeze grips look so rad!
If only they stayed tight, I would buy a pair. Although I do wonder how easy it is to keep clear grips clean...
they are gonna turn yellow anyway from sun exposure
@@xfunker they use UV protected rubber, but even then I agree. They’ll yellow eventually, and if they move around that much there’s no way you could ride confidently.
As an afficionado of white grips... Impossible 😂
@@mitch7525 kinda defeats the point
Not gonna happen. I use a pair of bright blue ODI Longnecks on my Dirt Jumper and I've cleaned them twice within like 2 or 3 weeks already, after a few lines they look just as dirty as before the cleaning, tho some of that may stem from the fact that I've been using those grips for more than a year and they're starting to get a little sticky. I hope I can find a way to get rid of the stickyness, then the grips should stay clean for longer.
There are actually people, who have a use for the dropper post.
As an example: Me.
I own a slopeduro (ish) bike, and everytime i need to get to the dirtline, i have to put the seet Manualy up. Of course, this is a Luxus problem, but it would be way nicer, if i just pull the saddle up, ride up, slam it down, do My Tricks, pull it up again and ride home.
There are better droppers out there that don’t cost much more though. If it didn’t take like 5 seconds to raise or lower I think it would be a winner.
@@natecowie1104 I have one on a commuter and it's as fast as my pnw loam. Idk what is wrong with Seth's.
@@natecowie1104 Someone could give me this dropper post and I'd still go out and buy a decent one that doesn't require me to remove my hands from the bars.
@@David-ys4xb dropper posts are useful beyond MTBs, and people with sub-$1000 bikes might prefer this. Other dropper posts cost more than twice, and this affordable one is still better than quick release rigid posts.
@@sepg5084 Ok, spend $60-70 instead of saving $120 and buying a far superior dropper. Motherfuckers that cry about bills gladly spend hundreds on booze and cigarettes every month 🤣
You buying these things outta China and reselling then or something?
I could see that mech guard on mine, saving time on untangling a mess of long grass and weeds from the spinny bits. It might even have saved my mech last time I smashed it off: not a hit like you showed, but a rock that kicked up and got lodged in the chain as I put the power down. It might have deflected the rock rather than the mech trying (and failing) to eat it. Worth a try if it's cheap enough.
One of the funniest videos ever with the dropper post. It should come with a warning not to operate near other people for risking arrest of lewd behaviour! Laughed until I cried, nice one Seth.
You can't beat a Berm Peak Express product reviews👌
I have this kind of dropper post mounted to my 2010 Lapierre Zesty 514 (pre-innercableroutingtimes) and it works absolutely fine. One short "sqsh" and it's down and an even shorter "fump" pushes it back up. Anyway I use it BEFORE I hit a downhill-trail in the flat and pop it back out for the uphill. Absolutely recommend these droppers for MTB without inner cable routing. 🙌🏾
Seth's dropper post face was hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing.
The Cricket Speaker seems like an awesome concept/project.
1. Greater safety for riders compared to earbuds (so you can hopefully hear cars or other bikes coming).
2. Respect for other riders. Some individuals find it necessary to have a Bose surround system on their bike, sigh.
3. All of the above. Safer ride, while listening to motivating music and enjoying the rides with your community.
Love your videos!
Or just get ear buds with active noise cancelation.
They all have a pass-through or even sound enhancing modes.
The dropper could work well on a DH style trail where you pop it up when you’re climbing and then slam it down when you’re taking a break at the top and then shred the downhill. Plus less cables, batteries, and money…🤑
You had me rolling with the dropper seat post segment and the slow mo with your dog. Great video, keep up the great work!
I could see the dropper post being good for people who still have multiple chainrings and dont have as much room on their bars for a dropper lever, especially since a lot of entry level bikes are setup this way and the price point would also be appealing. Most of the droppers I saw when they were very first introduced operated this way.
i agree
Once again, thanks! K-Pop through the woods FTW! That dropper post action on the trail had me grinning.
It’s almost time for you to make an 8-minute video of paint drying. It wouldn’t surprise me if you and your great videographer/editor could make one that pulls in a million views.
KPop and your dog dream scenes is what pushed me over the edge to subscribe 😆 always great content man, keep up the great work! Love the odd brand/solution product exploration review as like a normal person perspective - you rock!
“Just when I thought I’ve seen everything, I didn’t” such a great gift for speech🤣. Great video man. Definitely entertaining 🤘🏻
wonder how long it takes for those grips to turn a nice yellow 🤣
Curious too and I live in a tropical country. Wonder how fast it would turn yellow for someone with sweaty hands.
Probably like a ride season.
@@1911Zoey
Depending on how much sun you get, I'd say 30 days.
About 30 seconds
I'm a novice MT bike rider, way out of shape and using it to try to get into shape and to get out of the house... but I watch ALL these videos like it was the latest marvel movie. Perfect mix of entertainment and information!
It's great that the best product reviewed was a puzzle.
We are honored that Seth liked our puzzle. He added a link to our amazon page in the video description above. Check it out.
Każdy prywatny biznes może odmówić udzielenia usługi kiedy środkiem płatniczym są np. groszówki
I’ve had the same dropper post on my yeti for about 2 years now and i love it. The slow drop speed is probably due to the lever not pulling the release enough, idk if that’s adjustable but besides that its pretty good quality for the price. Plus its relatively light.
Thanks for the review Seth! As you mentioned, the Cricket Speaker is an alternative to headphones and aims to provide a trail friendly option for those who can’t, or prefer not to, wear anything on their body to listen to music while they ride. Once installed, the speaker is un-noticeable as it becomes part of your bike and does not interfere with your riding. The speaker can be paused with a quick press on the speaker and does not require you to take your phone out to pause it. Thanks again!
In addition to really helping you dial in your suspension, the ShockWiz by SRAM provides all kinds of cool trail metrics, such as jump count, average jump time, longest jump time, total air time, dynamic sag %, and the number of deep compression events as well as letting you know if you are tending to pogo, pack the suspension, bottom out, bob, or bounce. Great device for suspension tuning, collecting and reviewing ride data, and learning in general. Seth should do a video on it.
The Exaform Dropper Post have a remote lever version which I use on my bike and they're not so bad and definitely not that slow too.
I used to watch your videos as they came out years ago, I was happy to see you in my recommended again. I loved this series
Best thing about lockon grips is how easy they are install and remove.
I bought a similar lever-actuated dropper post... sort of as an experiment for my gravel bike. It was $100 and I have to say I actually really like it! The one I purchased is pretty snappy so I didn't have the same sloooooow moving action you did. Great content, as usual. thanks for the videos!
You aren't allowed to use that seatpost within 300 feet of a school.
Watching you do that dropper post is the best laugh I've had in a while! Thanks for the smile today.
The dropper review had my whole family crack up in tears 😂 soooo good
I have the Full Send Puzzle and he’s right - it’s a beautiful puzzle. And those unique puzzle pieces are cool!
Thank you for the support!
I actually have a dropper similar to the one you reviewed on my marlin 5. It works well but it definitely gets sketchy if you try to adjust it while riding. It definitely moves a lot faster than the one you got too. But if you know the trails you can plan ahead pretty well. I also still have a 3x up front so it saves me some space up by my bars. I don’t want a million cables lol.
I remember having a dropper with the same actuation method as that one way back in 2013. Sadly, it broke, and wasn't repaired...
@@cjmpaja tragic times tragic times
Love to see that you’re still using the Mous case and mount! I bought a case and two mounts for both my bikes when I got an iPhone 13 in the summer after seeing your review of it. The case is definitely my favorite phone case I’ve ever owned (the ribbing on the sides makes grip so easy and comfy) and the mounts are awesome!!
These are my favorite videos 😂 Seth and Oscar together in the field with those faces are priceless 😂. And that dropper…oh boy lol. It makes me happy to know that Seth couldn’t keep a straight face when he was talking about the dropper! Hahaha
The dropper post scenes had me in tears! 🤣 thanks for all the bonus pupper footage!
If you had that dropper post "shimmed" it probably is too tight and that's why it's so sluggish. Droppers are extremely sensitive to overtightening. I do not own or ever seen the product, but I think you've not done it justice
Agree. I suspected the same thing when I saw it go up.
And if you ride to the bike park, drop the post for the pump track, then raise it again to ride back. Or ride a long climb, drop the seat at the top, then raise it again for another climb, it's not a bad idea. Lighter even. Not great for XC riding for sure, but I think there's something more to this dropper post than what we saw.
It might have just been the version I bought because it went the same speed in or out of the bike
Your definitely correct but it truly is that slow 1 out of 10 move somewhat better and some just dont even work Yeah that dropper is hot garbage, but it's great for a fat bike rental that isn't important enough to spec out with a quality dropper although I did remove a frame braze-on to slam it all the way down
By far the best YT Chanel for Mtb and by far the best man with great character.
That dropper would be perfect for a dirt jumper that you ride to the jump line. No cables to deal with while you are spinning the bars during your back flips.
Yes, it's not great for XC riding, but if you're in a situation where you are rising.someplace, dropping the post at the bike park, then riding.back, it's a good compromise. Or if you have a long climb and a long descent. Ride up, drop the post before dropping in, raise it up before going uphill again.
Not quite the same but I used to have a Dirt Jumper that I put together from parts and had a long seatpost on it to ride to and from the dirt park a little more comfortably, and while the constant up and down would no longer be an issue with a dropper post, said dropper post is gonna add alot of weight, and in my experience riding a single speed Dirt Jumper over longer distances is still pretty exhausting even while sitting on a relatively tall seatpost. And given the fact that most dropper posts won't extend beyond 150mm u'd have to choose between still having the seat somewhat high while riding on the dirt or still having it too low to commute comfortably, so is it really worth the weight gain?
My current Dirt Jumper, which is a little on the heavy side already, just has a BMX seat with just enough seat post on it to be tall enough to sit on without having the rear wheel rub on my backpack when I sit down during descents. But now that I also have a full-squish which turned out to be just as much fun to ride on dirt jumps I tend to ride on that while pushing my Dirt Jumper along next to me on my way to and from there. And believe it or not, I prefer that over riding the whole 4 and a half kilometers (just about 2.8 miles) on my Dirt Jumper.
I really don't see how this dropper is an advantage over a dirt cheap quick release seat post clamp.
OMFG that dropper post bit was HILARIOUS!! Your facial expression @5:07 and then that sigh of despair! PURE GOLD!! 🤣😂
That phone app is doing what Garmin has been doing for the past 2 years lol. My Edge 530 shows all the jumps, grit and flow. Has a total jump airtime number too.
I for one would never put my phone on the handlebars.
100%
The difference is that the garmin costs 220€ while the app is free. I totally understand that you wouldnt want to put your phone onto your bars especially in chunkier terrain but its a great and much cheaper way to track your rides
@@simonhaves9361 yes, and presumably the app still works if your phone is in your pocket or backpack too.
@@simonhaves9361 I take my Garmin and phone
I'm not a mountain biker but I love this channel. It is entertaining and honestly informative.
I picked up an even cheaper dropper off Aliexpress by curiosity (the one with the yellow lever, you know which one ;) ) for ~30$ !. I paired it with a modified fork lockout lever (because that is 1/3 of the price for a dropper lever) and managed to turn that into a descent dropper post with remote for way under 50$.
So, yeah, not a great product by itself, but a cheap working solution if you are keen to tinker with it : )
That's a legitimate hack my friend! You wouldn't by any chance want to make an instruction to explain how you did that and help out your fellow budget conscious riders?
Probably the Zoom brand, yes they're cheaper but they've less seatpost size compatibility
@@BrokeBkr Yes the Zoom one, all 100mm for 30.9 or 31.6 frames. But that would be the most common sizes for budget bike frames anyway...
@ Yes, doing that today, I'll post the tuto here tonight! : )
@@oliefix9753why did you lie?
Thank you for your awesome review. I hope you enjoy our puzzle!
When I first started biking derailleurs where protected by a metal cage. Then manufacturers stopped putting them on complete bikes, maybe to cut costs or maybe to sell more derailleurs.....
I caught my derailleur on a rock/stump/other and fecked it. So I made my own derailleur guard out of a R&G motorcycle cotton reel / bobbin. It's worked really well, and been on the bike for past 18 months
Yeah but for some reason bikes from Walmart still come with deregular bash guards even though the bike would not survive riding down something gnarly enough to warrant having one in the beginning.
I've often wondered why some sort of rear derailleur protector wasn't standard on every bike intended for off road. I guess they're sort of like the "dork disks" that are universally despised as "uncool".
We used those back in the 90s. But then it became a weight thing😅
Brother Seth. In an addition to your Cannonbale Lefty fork video. “Try this!”
Stand in front of the bike, facing the fork. Secure the front wheel between your legs. Hands on the grips. Now, holding with your legs, turn the bars/twisting motion. While attempting to compress the fork. The lefty fork compresses! Go get a standard friction fork, and try the same thing! Two stantion/friction forks cannot be compressed. The needle bearings on the lefty can compress through the travel with and cross loading created when turning or compression on berms. You lock out friction suspension forks everytime on every fork.
Try it!
I'm not really into puzzles but that one is pretty sick. Love how the pieces are shaped.
I'm glad that you are pumped about our puzzle. I made it for people like you that are not traditionally into puzzles.
Seth added a link to our amazon page in the video description above. Check it out.
For trail audio I have 2 that I love. Nox Gear 39g clips to your shirt and is close enough for you to hear but not too loud for others. That and it has a cool Star Trek vibe when you tap it to toggle mute. The other is the Seni Pi. This one clips to your helmet straps and has a VERY near field speaker. It's part trick is that it can be paired with other Pis and offers open mic comms while riding. Really great for riding with my wife where we sometimes get separated by 50 yards or more. Works great for audiobooks and music with or without the intercom.
I have a similar dropper post, but mine was around $35. It works a lot faster than the one you have and on the trail it's really not as bad as you'd think once you get used to it :)
6:54 this is why I got subscribed to this channel.. pure comedy with zero-bs on products..
That’s so funny! It looked like you had to pee really bad when you were messing with the dropper post Seth!😂
Seff’s dropper post faces, and the “Alright, bingo” when testing the derailleur guard…hardy har har! I have a Dakine Gripper bag, works great, and I put the inner stuff in a ziplock bag to keep small things from falling out and keep dust out.
We use those seat posts in our company to quickly change the height without tools. That for bikes who get driven by different people.
I use one of those lever droppers on my DJ, it makes pedaling back to the start of the jumps way nicer. I didn't want another cable. Mine is a KS too, just the slightly better cer one with a 27.2mm post. I highly recommend it
The Geo derailleur guard might be a good product for a shop that rents mt bikes. Think of a bike tourist in an area with rocky terrain who rents a bike and beats the shit out of it.
That saddle post will be perfect for the every day bike that me and my wife share.
It's too small for me, a bit too big for her and we keep on changing the settings, but we don't really do change them "on the trail".
Thanks for the review.
That KS Exa Form actually has a version that has a lever that goes up to the handlebars, and from what I've seen, it's no slouch! It's pretty much a ball buster lol, maybe you can check that version out.
That is the cheapest good dropper post tbh
I have it, it works well.
Tip for MTB hangtime app.
Make it so you can put in your suspension info, mount the phone around the drink holder and get graphs/statistics on suspension from the phones sensors.
The cricket speaker could be useful for turn by turn navigation for city or bike touring
Now that is thinking outside of the box!
Don’t even have a mountain bike but man, Seth you’re videos are so entertaining!!!
good alternative to the small speaker is bone conduction headphones. they dont go in your ears so you still hear everything, i had a pair from 2013 and they were great back then, and the tech is only getting better. plus they wont annoy other riders.
The Cricket Speaker is a good option for riders who can’t fit or don’t want one more thing on their head in addition to their helmet and sunglasses. It is a much better option than a huge bluetooth speaker blasting from a backpack. It can easily be stopped w a quick press on the speaker so my friends often don’t even know I’m listening to music.
You can get some great wearable speakers that just sit round your neck. 🤷🏼♂️
Che, that sounds like a great option too, if you are ok with wearing the speaker. The Cricket Speaker provides a trail friendly option to those who prefer not to wear a speaker on their body.
I ran that dropper for 3 seasons and didn’t mind it and it never failed. It was best used for dedicated climbs then dedicated descents because doing it on a trail with a lot of sudden up and downs was a bit annoying. Just switched to a fox transfer post a month ago though.
i love seth`s videos
I've been around the bicycle block for decades and constantly see (so called professional) recommendations that literally ruins bikes. And you Adam, "are not one of those"... Keep up the great work and keep those quality videos coming. I'll let you know if you hick-up to keep you on the narrow trail. Sincerely Dan aka Mr onZa
I've owned one of the Exaform dropper seat posts for over a year now. They're great for a VERY limited application: hardtail commuting. Exactly as you say, you have to have a flat and smooth section to use it. I typically use it once or twice on my 30 minute commute for the long descents. It's great for my eMtb commuter but I would never try to use it on a dedicated proper mountain bike.
for $20 bucks more you can get something soooo much better.
@M3PH what’s the better option?!
@@JJJinez look at the X-fusion manic dropper. The shortest version is about $80. It's not amazing but it at least has a remote
Dropper post thoughts was hilarious. Thanks for testing 😂
I'd use that speaker. Having to use a bluetooth speaker and having it get tossed around in my jersey sucks - If I can hear it, works for me! LOVE the wooden puzzle! I can imagine the pieces feel pleasing to the touch plus the shapes of the puzzle pieces are so neat. Gotta look into the Dakine Gripper pouch. As a NICA coach, it's so important to have something reliable to carry essential items in case one (or more) of your student-athletes experience a mechanical. PLUS...it's a good to set a good example to be prepared as well. Thank you for the awesome review of these products.
U didn’t need to give ur review on everything 😹
@@isaaccarmody4977 you really didn't need to post your opinion on her comments, but here we are.
Glad you love our puzzle. Seth added a link to our amazon page in the video description above. Check it out.
I've seen a similar dropper that was as fast as a quality model. Worked great for the rider without the need for internal routing. Made me interested for anything that would get light duty trails, bunny hopping those 3 curbs on the commute etc.
I think it would be fun to see Seth make his own MTB products and test them, if nothing else just for fun. That could be hilarious and maybe lead to something cool! Does Seth like machining? Let's find out!
Love these videos. The dropper post segment was fn hilarious. Thanks for the laugh!
If I owned a bike rental shop I would probably put those derailleur guards on every bike... might consider the dropper post too for quick adjustment of seat heights.
Loved the K-pop video montage with the dog!
the grip is tool free, but you'll need tools to remove the old grip, so what's the point?
Oh man, you took me back with the pocket protector reference! That was totally part of pop-culture when I was growing up but I haven't heard of one being referenced in probably 15 years! Good times.
I guess the dropper is better than the old school “adjustable” seat post clamp.
The editing on this video was fantastic! I had a great time watching
The dropper post is for dirt jump or dh bikes where you can raise it for the road portion of commuting to your jumps with no cables. 👍
That's so funny. I put the Brand-x no remote lever dropper on my fat bike yesterday and I couldn't get over how simple and nice it was. That was how Gravity Droppers (RIP to the original) were and had set notches. I thought the one handed thing would be annoying, but no problem.
i thought the freeze grips somehow cooled ur hand 😭
Me too haha
The dropper would be awesome for a gravel bike, retro build gravel build, or XC bike, where I don't need to drop it on the fly. . I am definitely getting one! PS the Dakine bike strap is not weird.
Your dropper post is faulty I have the same one and it is 100 times faster and easier.
Just got back from a bike trip with my hybrid bike. I have a dropper for me mountain bike and one thing that i love about it is when i stop to take a break or get a drink, i lower my seat to get both feet on the ground. I could see the dropper post working great on my hybrid when i just want to lower my seat on a flat road or trail to take a break or get a drink and not worry about being on my tippy toes.
Yeet
How did you comment an hour ago???
I used to use a ks900 dropper, it uses the pull-up lever, it was super quick to operate, I found that you would coast along standing up and the just grab it and pull it up, it comes up quick and it becomes second nature pretty quickly. I would find myself using it absent mindedly, even on fast descents without it being sketchy.
As long as your standing up it works great.
I can verify that KS post is actually great. I had the internally routed and handlebar mounted lever version of that exact same model (Exaform 900i) on my Giant Talon hardtail for 2 seasons. Rode about 2,000 km with no issues whatsoever, never even serviced it. Absolutely a steal for about $75 USD shipped with remote, cables and housing. Works just about as well as the low end trans-X posts I've used, for less money.
I’m really new to cycling having just got into it just to go to work and back. Just wanted to say I’m loving this channel. Not stopped watching for a few days.
A quick question, I looked at gates belt drive bikes and was wondering why they’re not more popular with MTB people. I mean if derailleurs are expensive and the hangers are prone to getting smoked on trails… would a belt gearbox system not be better?
I think a better alternative to the Cricket speaker would be bone conduction headphones. They leave your ears totally free and clear so you're not impeded, but you can still listen to music / podcasts at a reasonable volume and not annoy those around you.
Can't imagine the sound of those being all that great tho, I'd expect them to sound muffled compared to normal earphones.
@@DualDesertEagle Mine are pretty clear! Granted it is better for spoken word / podcast than for music, but I've never had an issue with clarity
Big shout to the guys making that puzzle to put it soon on eBay or Amazon!!!!
Our puzzle is available now. Seth added a link to our amazon page in the video description above. Check it out.
we need more honest videos like this
Dropper posts... 35 Years ago you HAD TO HAVE a "hite rite"! It was a spring attached to your seat post and to your quick release. Dropping, open the quick release and sit on your seat. Going up: Open the quick release and let the saddle rise. Did work quite well when you knew how to do it ;-)
This was an awesome video in so many ways 😂 Seth you are so creative and your honesty and humor were on point in the edit. Nice work
Got a similar dropper post to start with (though an even cheaper one from AliExpress): sure, I only kept it for a few months, but it helped me really understand what the hype around dropper posts was about. It required to sit hard on it to lower it, and pull on the saddle when you pressed the lever to really bring it back up, so you needed to anticipate a bit to adjust it before you reached the big climb or downhill section, but being able to change seat height without even stopping was still a huge improvement, and it got me started on a search for a proper remote controlled dropper.