Dropper posts are hands down one of the most useful pieces of technology on our bikes! However, even as we approach 2025, I still find some dropper posts leave me wanting more. Some are too slow, some are too fast, some are sticky, and some like to play the game “are we going to work this ride” a bit more frequently than others. But there are also a few dropper posts out there that absolutely nail it!
In 2025 bike companies have 3 options for choosing what dropper posts to spec on their bikes. They can choose one already on the market, they can spec one they make themselves to meet a price point, or they can let you choose (ARI and Propain). Do I blame companies for speccing an in house brand that might save them a bit of money over a more high performance dropper post? No and if anything I actually appreciate it because they are able to bring the bike price down, as opposed to going with a slightly higher quality post that you still will end up upgrading due to personal preference and raising the overall bike price.
I tested a lot of dropper posts as part of our “Awesome MTB Trail Bike Buyers Guide” and here are my quick thoughts as well as a video of the each one operating that you can check out here:
(Some of the below links are affiliate links so they help support what we do)
Giant Trance Connect Switch: An OEM post by Giant Bicycles, this was a pretty decent stock post. Went up and went down when I wanted it too at a decent speed, however it does have a slight "budget friendly" feel to it than some non in-house brand dropper posts. I could see myself upgrading this after a year or so.
Bike Yoke Revive: Hands down the best dropper post ever! Feel free to stop reading this article if that is what you want to know because I can't recomend this post enough. It has the best speed and smoothest actuation both up and down, while also having a very high quality feel. Plus it comes with a presure release valve if your dropper ever starts to sag. I couldn't tell you anything about who Bike Yoke is, where they are from, or what country they are even located in. All I can tell you is buy this dropper post and keep it for years to come! https://alnk.to/btoyZAD
Fox Transfer Performance / Raceface Turbine R / Fax Factory : Im grouping these two posts as they both feel somewhat similar. While having a bit more of a high performance feel than some of the in-house brand posts, they did still leave something to be desired. They both felt a bit stickier at times and were very seat collar torque dependent on how they performed. While I wouldn't rush to upgrade these, I also wouldn't spec them myself on a custom build. https://alnk.to/3ycsQTT
Cannondale Down Low Dropper post: An in house brand for Cannondale, this also feels like a more price point post, where the overall bike build meets an awesome price point, but this was one of the sacrifices. I do appreciate that for $3999 for the Habit LT you get an awesome bike with a solid build, but this would be one of the upgrades I would make when I could!
PNW Loam Dropper Post: A solid bang for buck option brands are choosing to go with that meets a price point but also has a slightly higher quality feel, the PNW Loam post is awesome! With that being said, I still would prefer the Bike Yoke over this if I was choosing a post for myself! https://alnk.to/3cmWTiW
The New Fox Transfer Dropper Post: Fox, what are you doing and why was this not always the post you guys had on the market? The new Transfer dropper post feels like a huge upgrade! Much quicker and smoother accuation wise, the new Transfer post is one of my favorities! I do still think I lean towards Bike Yoke for personal bikes just do to associating Fox with their older posts, but I have a feeling the more time I spend on the new one, the more i will trust it for my personal bike! https://www.jensonusa.com/Fox-Transfer-Factory-Dropper-Seatpost
Bike Yoke, enough said!
Happy Trails!
-Mo Awesome
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