This year's three Innovation of the Year nominees couldn't be more different from each another, but they all share one important factor: they either provide a solution to a problem not yet solved, or they present a beneficial technical improvement by way of novel use of materials, technology or mechanical means. It also just so happens that one of the nominees is incredibly simple, another introduces technology from a different industry into the cycling world, and the third takes system integration to a new level.
The Huck Norris tire insert, Robot Bike Co's R160, and Eightpins' dropper post all hope to solve very different problems, or at least make our lives easier, but the question that needs to be answered is this: when it comes to the gear we might be using in the near future, which of those three products will (hopefully) have the largest impact?
Here's a list of things I'd give up before my dropper seat post: disc brakes; my big toes; my dog. Okay, some obvious hyperbole there but, aside from some salty holdouts who claim that they'd rather tall-post it 24/7, pushing a little button to make our seats nearly disappear has changed how a lot of us ride mountain bikes. I might even argue that dropper posts are one of the main reasons, along with smarter geometry, as to why so many people are on mid-travel bikes these days; they've simply made it more fun to ride everything and everywhere on a bike that can become extremely capable, up or down the hill, in a split second.
However, these saviors of speed, style, and safety have also been about as reliable as your local crackhead. But while Sketchy Steve might break into your truck for the $1.35 in the cupholder, at least he won't leave you twenty kilometers into the bush with a seat that's stuck down by five inches. The funny thing is that some dropper posts will last for three years without a hint of trouble, while the same model on your buddy's bike lasted three rides - there's so much inconsistency, and all of the major players are guilty of this.
The folks at Eightpins believe that system integration is the answer, and I'm inclined to agree with these Austrians that appear to be a whole lot smarter than some people out there designing bike components. Their idea is to have the frame and dropper post designed together to allow for larger, more robust internal parts and pieces, aka the bits that seem to die all too soon on our current droppers.
This system integration approach could also mean better seals, way more travel and, hopefully, fewer rides being turned into hikes. It should also be noted that with a simple shim and different seat collar, a traditional dropper can still be used in a bike that comes with the Eightpins seat post.
Here's how it works: rather than using the more typical double-tube design, the Eightpins dropper is integrated into the frame. This layout allowed them to employ an oversized 33mm post diameter, and to offer up to 220mm of drop due to the increased strength of the design.
A thru-axle runs through the frame and affixes the lower portion of the unit in place near the bottom of the seat tube, while a dust wiper occupies the spot where a seat collar would normally sit. The post is cable actuated, and it relies on mechanical internals that let it be stopped every 6mm as it's raised or lowered. An air spring raises the post upwards.
A thru-axle runs through the frame and affixes the lower portion of the unit in place near the bottom of the seat tube, while a dust wiper occupies the spot where a seat collar would normally sit. The post is cable actuated, and it relies on mechanical internals that let it be stopped every 6mm as it's raised or lowered. An air spring raises the post upwards.
There will be four different travel options, with either 150, 180, 200, or 220mm of drop. The maximum drop a rider can use will depend on their seat tube length; since the post needs to go somewhere when the seat is in the fully lowered position, a post with 220mm of drop probably won't work on a small-sized frame. And don't forget that it won't work on designs that feature an interrupted or bent seat tube.
As of right now, the Eightpins dropper only fits Liteville frames, but the company is in talks with other brands. A few things will need to happen in order for this system to become the norm, including frame manufacturers bumping up the size of their seat tubes, and they'll have to make a concession for the post's lower axle mount. Major bike brands would also need to be open to not spec'ing something from Fox, RockShox, KS, Thomson, or any other established player. Basically, the long-running joke of a standard seat tube diameter would need to actually happen, which means that companies would need to *gasp* communicate with each other. However, there seems to be about as much disclosure between bike companies as there is between the US and North Korea, so that'd have to change.
Pinkbike’s Take:
 | There's clearly a load of ifs and buts here, but a larger and fully integrated dropper seat post represents our best chance at improving this now essential component. The Eightpins dropper is hopefully just the first look at a design that will eventually become accepted as the norm. - Mike Levy |
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
-
About Us
Contacts FAQ Terms of Use Privacy Policy Sign Up! Sitemap -
Advertise
Advertising -
Cool Features
Submit a Story Product Photos Videos Privacy Request -
RSS
Pinkbike RSS Pinkbike Twitter Pinkbike Facebook Pinkbike Youtube Pinkbike Instagram
Newsletter Signup
Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv65 0.059219
www.liteville.com/en
But for most people, knowing that they have a 5 year warranty, and a 10 year crash replacement that is TRANSFERRABLE to a new owner if you decided to sell it, is good enough to get people oogling. On top of that, Liteville gives you their blessing and provides instructions on how to properly drill out their seat tube on earlier generation frames so you could run an internal dropper. Any other company would tell you to get ****** and to kiss your warranty good bye.
Also I have no hate for Santa Cruz, but you would be surprised how many of their frames have seized linkage bolts out of the box (atleast for the 2015/16 season), this does not really effect the end consumer if the dealer catches it, but I always thought this was fairly questionable.
The ball bearings for life is pretty sick, Santa Cruz does this to be pro-active about having to replace frames. If the bearings seize in the carbon frame, the forces that the suspension members experience changes quite a bit, so they can end up cracking due to the different loads. Pretty cool how much engineering goes into the laying of the fibres.
The lifetime warranty is nice, and a few other companies offer this, (such as Kona, but not for their carbon frames), but I think a crash replacement is very valuable. Warranty does not cover failure from exceeding the number of stress cycles a product has, but a crash replacement would.
Lastly, Liteviles are made in Taiwan, but that has little to do with the quality of Aluminum. The most experienced craftsman are all in Asia.
Zee Germans at Syntace already failed with procore. You are overthinking it guys.
"And don't forget that it won't work on designs that feature an interrupted or bent seat tube."
Like most modern mountain bikes.
@mikekazimer - by no means I am criticizing the choice of Pinkbike with this award. But super long travel seat posts are like gearing range recently - it's like megapixels in cameras. We're back at how many gears does your bike have. You of all should see through that
You for one, obviously.
I now own a dropper post and yes I love it but I do feel like comparing them to running your post high 24/7 is unrealistic.There are other options.
So thats almost every full-sus bike made today...
1) Create industry standard for bottom brackets
2) Create industry standard for tire sizes
3) Create industry standard for seat tube size
4) Try to live long enough to see any of the above
Not that there has really been a big year in innovation with a load of bs "standards" and incremental improvement if this is the best we can come up with it is a pretty sad state in the mtb world.
On the other Hand, i´ve been asking myself the same question like someone above:
How to adjust your individual saddle height?
Not quite, but is this still close enough for a cigar?
www.pinkbike.com/news/all-about-unno-2016.html
Besides, unless your riding a first gen reverb, you've probably had little to no issues with your dropper post. I've ridden 4 years with zero rebuilds on my fox doss. This includes mounted on my fat bike all winter long.
Second, more proprietary components and new "standards" are the last thing this industry and sport needs. Getting the industry to agree on anything is like herding cats, and it wouldn't last more than a season.
Third, droppers are not essential for speed, safety or style, as Levy insists. They contribute to all 3 but are not paramount.
Finally, those who choose not to go this route aren't just salty hold-outs. They're Hite-Rite devotees.
One of the great things about bikes is how modular they are. Being able to choose all of the components is part of the joy of building a bike.
More integration is like the proliferation of "standards", tying end users into fewer companies products.
I come for the bikes, I stay for the writing.
Dropper posts are completely overrated. In over 90% of MTB videos we see the guys stand on the top of the hill, tune on their GoPros and high-five each other. It wouldn't take them long to also drop their seat post and put it back up at the bottom.
Dropper posts are convenient I agree, but I have been on MTBs for 25 years and believe me, you don't want to go back to cantilever brakes on a rainy day in the Alps.
Many of my rides have climbs interrupted by short but fast descents that are far more fun with a dropper, followed by climbs with a ledge drop into a short descent, followed by climbs with a longer fast slalom run. And throw in a couple puff rock gardens both up and down with singe good ledges. And that's just the first four miles. Having to stop and manually adjust the seat or have the seat at a poor climbing height or more in the way than it needs to be would suck on those trails.
Allot of the usefulness depends on the terrain.
I also couldnt find anything saying pinkbike was strictly MTB only, so I dont think I am on the wrong website.
On the other hand, if you're being serious then my original comment still stands.
"There was a video on the front page only a few weeks ago of a bmxer riding a one shot line through a city."
and my comments still stand too ;P