External dropper posts are not just for older mountain bikes with no internal routing, adding an external dropper post to your bike can open up new avenues for off-road fun, city safety, and even ease of winter maintenance. Pro mountain bike riders, dirt-curious roadies, cat6 commuters, and bike moms in line for morning drop-off can all agree that external dropper posts are pretty sweet.
WINTER IN THE CASCADES
We’re not saying we have the harshest winters around (looking at you Alaska, ahem, Minnesota) but when it comes to wintertime, it gets soggy-doggy here in the PNW. Thankfully at lower elevations that doesn’t keep us from getting out for wet weather riding. All that rain and muck takes a toll on our components. Cables get downright nasty, and when they're worn out, externally routed droppers are a breeze to maintain. We've actually had pro riders choose external droppers over internal for when they're racing in nasty conditions and cables get gunked up frequently.
DIRT DAWGS
Some people think external dropper posts are just for "old" bikes with no internal routing, but they can be pretty rad for so many different types of bikes. For riders straddling the line between road & gravel rides, or gravel & singletrack, an external Coast Suspension Dropper or a Pine Dropper, is a total game changer on more technical routes. 5 minutes or so spent swapping seat posts, and placing a couple of zip ties or velcro straps along the top tube, and there’s so much more room for opportunity to tackle new terrain. When it's time to switch back to the traditional seatpost, you're back to road-ready in no time.
SAFETY DANCE
Commuter and cargo bike riders can dramatically benefit from riding with an externally routed dropper post. Many of these bikes do not come equipped with internal routing capabilities but are expected to haul heavy loads through busy streets. Adding a suspension dropper to a commuter opens a whole new world. Add a Coast Suspension Dropper and suddenly you can have two feet flat on the ground at stop lights, and roll confidently with extra cushion over pot-holes and poorly maintained city streets. Add a dropper post to a cargo bike and feel safe and confident to stop and go while pushing a heavy load or hauling extra precious cargo, like kiddos and doggos.
HOW TO INSTALL AN EXTERNAL COAST DROPPER WITH A LOAM LEVER
Is it really that easy to install an externally routed dropper post? Truly it's not bad, even for the mechanically not-so-inclined, follow along and we'll show you.
HOW TO MAINTAIN AN
EXTERNAL DROPPER POST
Curious about the maintenance of an externally routed dropper? We got you. If you're not so curious, and your local mechanic deals with all that – cheers to that too.