It was a little over three years ago that Magura debuted the Vyron, the world's first wireless electronic dropper post. There were some who predicted it was the start of a new wave of wireless droppers, but that still hasn't panned out, although it looks like at least one major player will be joining the game in the near future.
Last season the Vyron received several revisions based on rider feedback, including a faster return speed, and a 25% reduction in response time between the wireless remote and the dropper itself. The remote also received a new plastic cover, one that hides all the unnecessary buttons and creates a larger target to aim for.
Last season the Vyron received several revisions based on rider feedback, including a faster return speed, and a 25% reduction in response time between the wireless remote and the dropper itself. The remote also received a new plastic cover, one that hides all the unnecessary buttons and creates a larger target to aim for.
Vyron eLECT Details
• Micro-USB rechargeable
• Charging time: 3 hours
• 30.9 or 31.6mm diamteter
• Travel options: 100, 125, 150mm (tested)
• Collar to base: 237mm
• Overall length: 445mm
• Weight: 595 grams w/ remote
• MSRP: $499 USD
• www.magura.com
• Micro-USB rechargeable
• Charging time: 3 hours
• 30.9 or 31.6mm diamteter
• Travel options: 100, 125, 150mm (tested)
• Collar to base: 237mm
• Overall length: 445mm
• Weight: 595 grams w/ remote
• MSRP: $499 USD
• www.magura.com
The Vyron is available with either 100, 125, or 150mm of travel, and retails for $499 USD.
The charging port and on / off switch are hidden behind a rubber cover.Design Features
Richard Cunningham put together a detailed First Look when the Vyron eLECT was first announced, but it's worth going over a few of the key points before diving into the installation and performance. Like the vast majority of dropper posts currently on the market, the Vyron is air sprung (the air pressure can be adjusted via a valve at the base of the post), with hydraulic internals. The difference between the Vyron and conventional posts is that there isn't a cable or hydraulic line connecting the post to a handlebar mounted remote. Instead, the post communicates with the remote wirelessly via ANT+, with the battery, receiver, and valve motor located at the top of the post, below and just behind the seat rails.
When a signal is received the motor opens up the hydraulic circuit, and the rider has .5 seconds to position the seat where they'd like before the circuit is closed. Battery life is said to be at least 400 cycles, or somewhere around one month of riding.
If the handlebar remote battery dies it's still possible to raise or lower the post by pushing the same button that's used to check the rechargeable battery level, and even if the battery in the post dies there should still be enough juice saved to raise or lower the seat once or twice in order to finish a ride.
The remote is held on by a rubber o-ring, and now has a cover that hides any unnecessary buttons.Installation
The Vyron is without a doubt the easiest to install dropper post on the market. There's no need to fuss with running housing through a frame, tiny pinch bolts, or anything more complicated than plugging a charger into a wall. Instead, once a CR2032 battery is installed in the remote, and the post has been charged and inflated, all that's left is to insert the post into the frame, securing the remote to the handlebar with a rubber o-ring, and that's it. It's a simple as can be – even someone who struggles with fixing a flat tire shouldn't have any trouble getting the Vyron up and running.
It's worth noting that the Vyron's seat clamp mechanism is offset forward by a few millimeters – you may need to slide your seat back a little bit from its typical position to accommodate.
Once it's installed, there's a tiny on / off switch hidden behind a rubber cover on the post, which is also where the micro USB charging port is located. Pushing on the remote will wake it up, and a green light flashes to indicate that it's communicating with the post.
Performance
The Vyron doesn't behave exactly like a 'normal' dropper post. On most droppers you push a remote lever of some sort, lower the seat to where you want it with your body weight, and then release the lever to lock it in place. That's not the case with Vyron.
Instead, you push and release the remote button, and then there's a .5 second window to lower the seat. What if you push the button, weight the seat, and then unweight it in less than .5 seconds? That's right, it starts to raise back up, which is my biggest gripe with the Vyron. It's simply not as easy or as intuitive to use as a 'standard' dropper post, especially if you're riding somewhere with terrain that requires raising and lowering your seat more than a couple times.
Ideally, the post's mechanism would open when you pushed a button, and close when you released it, but that's not what happens with the current configuration. Imagine being in a race scenario where you've raised your seat to quickly grind up a hill, and then need to drop it out of the way as soon as possible on the other side. With the Vyron, you need to spend extra time weighting the seat at the bottom of the post's travel in order to ensure that it's going to stay put when you stand up. Now, half a second may not seem like that much, but it feels like a lot longer out on the trail.
I adjusted my technique a little bit to accommodate the way the Vyron works, but it was still never as simple as using a conventional dropper, and I had a number of instances where I thought I'd waited long enough, and then realized I hadn't as I dropped into a steep line with my seatpost partially extended.
The remote works, and it's easy to locate without the need to look down, but I would have liked to see something more refined, something a little less plasticy and not held on by a rubber o-ring. The fact that the Vyron is electronic and wireless should open up all sorts of design potential – imagine a small push button integrated into the edge of a lock-on grip, or even a shifter style lever that just doesn't have any cable and housing attached to it. Instead, the remote seems like it was an afterthought, and it doesn't hold a candle to the numerous well-designed options that are available for non-wireless dropper posts.
Performance gripes aside, the post has survived all of the muddy rides I've subjected it to without any electrical issues, and the battery life has been impressively long. The return speed was quick enough for my liking, and there's a nice 'thunk' that lets you know when it's back to full extension. However, there were a few times when the post was hesitant to raise after the remote had been pushed. Those instances happened when it was cold and muddy out – the combination of those two environmental factors meant that I had to give my seat a slight tug to encourage it to raise up.
Pinkbike's Take
 | It's not that Magura have made a faulty product, it's that I don't think they took the concept far enough. The post itself is well made, holds a charge for an impressively long time, and it does work as intended, albeit with a few performance quirks. I could even see it being a useful component for a shop to have on hand in order to loan out to a dropper-curious customer. However, there are currently several simple, reliable, and much more affordable cable-actuated posts on the market that perform better than the Vyron. |
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150 Comments
By far the most appealing thing about this product.
Given the trend towards steeper seat angles, it's surprising there aren't more forward-offset posts on the market.
I agree with @loopie that seat position at proper pedal heights is everything. Would be cool to see something that adjusts fore/aft and rotates. As it is now I set my saddle with a slight nose-tilt up to accomdate descents and live with the compromised effect on climbing - would prefer the opposite for ascents.
As for me, I think Spesh's idea is great too, and I'd really like it to become the norm. When riding a fixed dropper I used to leave the saddle a bit under torqued so I could tilt it by hand when lowering it before the descents.
"On that same note, with the raised nose not hitting much drop at all, even with the effective 150mm drop at the rear it doesn’t seem quite enough. On the large Enduro I was riding it just didn’t feel like it was entirely out of the way at times. (singletrackworld.com/2018/01/review-this-specialized-command-wu-seatpost-drops-and-tilts-too-but-is-that-a-good-thing)
From what I experienced, even when you dropped the post down as low as it could go, the aggressive tilt of the saddle combined with the lack of drop meant the nose of the saddle stayed effectively at the same height as when the post was near it's maximum extension.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdV-QYtcoFk
Just re-read my reply and a bit exaggerated to say it stayed at effectively same height. Guess more my point was it didn't get out of the way enough for my liking - especially with short inseams. Too bad too b/c I was gunning for the Enduro as my next bike and the Wu post was a big selling feature but decided against it in the end (for more reason's than just the post).
(but Electrolux’ design department is one of the strongest in Sweden I believe)
Writing this has actually gotten me more wound up about just how bad the remote is and how frustrating it is that they persist with such a bit of junk.
“Alexa, grab Mikes front brake and engage his dropper post”
Yes they do take a little getting used to a different technique but once you've got it down it's no problem. If you're a full on racer then that 0.5s might make a difference. If you're a normal human it's absolutely fine.
The problems I have had have been reliability. Both posts have completely died twice. However, and it's a big however - Magura service & support is phenomenal. Send the post back to them and you have a new or repaired post with no questions asked couriered to you within 3 days. They've sorted every time so far in that time frame.
If you're looking to remove cable clutter from your bike or need to remove your post for travel or to switch between frames then this is the post to go to.
If it was a paid up service what was the cost?
Just trying to work out I'd it's worth it there so expensive. Prices have dropped so much for good droppers its getting to the point might as well buy a new 1 every couple of years and just chuck the old out unserviced in its life.
If you consider having multiple bikes and only one dropper, the price can be far lower than multiple shitty droppers.
The first company to bring an electronic dropper in gravel/CX seat post diameters (27mm-ish) will have an untapped market.
Also, does anyone know what ever happened to the KS LEV electronic dropper that was supposed to come out last year?
And it's so obvious that doesn't tend to happen anyway, unlike with low batteries. Having to remember to charge all one's various gadgets is a pain, and even worse when travelling. Adding more to that list has little appeal.
In 2019 they should be using a Li-ion.
Not sure why the wouldn't use Li-ion, though. There must be some engineering/convenience reason for it. Cost really isn't a factor anymore.
Just me.
If they would offer a service kit and some technical drawings of the internals it would be a great post. Unfortunately it won't hold pressure since day one even after two times sending it to Magura HQ. Now its my replacement post for the worst case.
Cable is cheap to replace , a cable actuated trigger is also cheap to replace in the event of a crash ( and its position in a much safer place under the bar) and the whole cable thing is extremely reliable...
This just isnt = fail
"Step right up folks, step right up here... for today and today only, for the low low price of $500, you can buy one of these droppers and I'll throw in my cobra venom elixir that will cure all your ailments, diseases, erectile disfunction and grow yourself a full head of hair too."
yawn
call me when you have 250
- 6'5" guy
It does provide a solution to those that may want to swop the dropper from bike to bike.
If you have ever tried to install / remove an internally routed dropper you will know what an advantage this is.
Sadly however, for anyone who races around trails with unknown drops / jumps / corners, that delay may well be too long for you. Sure, its just .5 seconds, but it can and will catch you out at some point. I'm not super quick, but for me it did require more planning, just at the point on the trail when you looking down a drop. That's not the time you want to be factoring in any delay. .5 seconds can actually be quite a few meters out on the trail.
People who cannot fit a Dropper but do want to try/have one.
And the lack of service information and parts is troubling.
That said, the mechanical operation of the post has been very smooth and sturdy, and Magura's customer service has been hassle free (apparent incredulity at the potential for their design to admit water aside...). I'm mostly just disappointed that with this new update, they haven't thought to improve on some major design weak points - sealing of electronic parts and the admittedly naff remote.
A $500 dropper better make me coffee in the morning as well.
An opportunity to address the problem has been missed. Unfortunately, for me, it's the fatal flaw in an otherwise well made component.
Not really a tough choice.
"But why?"
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