Jong-ish question of the day

[bagtagley]

I didn't have the energy to start a poll, but I'm curious how many people drop the seat when it comes time to decend. I raced XC for a few years, and could never get used to having that seat up my ass. It sucked because DH was really my strength, but it's difficult to reap the benefits when you've got something shoving you over the bars.

I now only XC for fun and race DH, so I don't hesitate to stop and dunk the seat at even the most gradual declines. I get gripes from some of the weenier people, but I just gripe back for having to wait for them at the bottom.

[snow_slider]

It really depends on which bike I'm riding and where I'm riding. For most of the stuff I ride, dropping the seat would be overkill. Besides, I don't have a quick release seat clamp on my Truth. I'm simply too lazy to get out a mini-tool and mess with it.

However, on my trips out to the GW National Forest, I definitely drop the saddle down for the descents. Since it's so much farther to get to those trails, I'd say I only drop the saddle about 10% or less of the time I ride.

[Crinkle]

depends on the descent. Steep and technical, its getting dropped. Smooth and fast, leave it.

[skiergirl]

I think I tend to ride with my seat on the higher side. But I only drop it when I'll be going down for greater distances (which doesn't happen much in the Midwest). Also think the quick-release makes a difference, I used to have one and was more willing to mess with my seat.

[bagtagley]

Quick release is nice, but lack of one is not enough to discourage. I used carry an allen wrench in the pocket of my riding shorts when I didn't have a quick release. It's screwed (the allen wrench) from being washed a thousand times.

To me the hassle of dismounting is well worth the reward. Besides, I've mashed my boys twice this week from downhilling w/ the seat up. If that isn't motivation, I don't know what is.

[altagirl]

Originally posted by Crinkle
depends on the descent. Steep and technical, its getting dropped. Smooth and fast, leave it.

I was going to say I always drop the seat for descents, but all the trails around here involve 45min to several hours of climbing and then you go back down the mountain. So I guess it depends on the descents, and I'd probably not be doing it as much if we had trails with gently rolling terrain around here. QR is definitely the way to go though.

[jayfrizzo]

Someone used to make a seatpost that you could raise and lower without stopping. Think it had a lever on the seatpost. Another company -- Cannondale? -- made one where the control was on your bars.

I just did a long search for it and turned up nil.


J-

[bagtagley]

Hurricane components promised one for a while, but they went out of business. There is a company making them, they had a booth at Interbike. I could find it if I looked, but they're asking something like $200, $250 with a handlebar mounted switch....too much for me.

[Innominatus]

You mean the Gravity Dropper?

http://www.gravitydropper.com/

Maybe it's time for somebody to start making those Hite Rite seatpost springs again. Those things were pretty common in the late 80s / early 90s.

[CantDog]

At least where I ride its all up and down singletrack, so it would destroy the flow to raise and drop the seat. I just try and find a position that does both pretty well, and that seems to work. If I'm going out to work on one particular thing, I'd set the post accordingly.

[powderboy]

I used to never drop my seat, but then when I really started descending fast, I realized how much better it is to drop the seat down.

Now, I pretty much drop it at the slight hint of a descent. With a QR, it's easy to move it around.

I find that if I don't drop it, I can't descend worth a crap because the seat is banging the boys or my shorts are getting caught on the seat.

Drop the seat, not your pants man!

[hev]

Originally posted by jayfrizzo
Someone used to make a seatpost that you could raise and lower without stopping. Think it had a lever on the seatpost. Another company -- Cannondale? -- made one where the control was on your bars.

I just did a long search for it and turned up nil.


J-

the power post. they sponsored technical trail sections at norba nationals and everything.... they didn't last.

I don't ever touch my seat on my bikes. Once it's where I like it, I don't move it.

[ak_powder_monkey]

I did once but it made me lose all my speed so I stoped dropping it, this was all during a 24 hour race, now I just keep it up and get behind it

[powderhound]

I would find a height you're comfortable with and leave it there

[bagtagley]

I knew I shoulda done a poll.

I wasn't looking for advice, I was just going for a concensus.

Seat droppers are pimps, seat hikers are simps.

[InspectorGadget]

Simp.

Quick release or not, I leave my seat at the same height.

[Mountainman]

Raise and Lower it. All of the trails around Bozeman are all up and then all down.

I don't think im not keeping my flow when i stop for 10 seconds to lower the seat.

[Big E]

I usually don't mess with it, but I tend to keep it on the low side, since I generally like going down more than going up. The occassional times where I've ridden long uphills (like riding up a ski slope) and then descending, then I'll fiddle with it.

So, pretty much the same answer as altagirl.

bag - fyi, allen wrenches really aren't that expensive.

[milkman]

High for the grind up, dropped all the way for the decent. I only ride the North Shore though, so the decents are pretty steep...

[m1e448]

i usually ride mine at the same height all the time not xc geek high , but not trials low. Occaisionally i'll do the qr change while riding to lower it a bit, but only if the trail is not to techinical before the descent, because i don't stop to lower it.

[schuss]

currently not dropping mine, but I don't do any extremo descents as of now. For short, steep, technical ones I just drop behind the seat.

[homerjay]

I set it and forget it, but then again I'm kind of an XC nerd.

[fondigley]

I keep it dropped at all times unless I have to ride up hill, and I haven't ridden uphill in about a year. Other words I raise it up if going up, but mainly just leave it where it is, mainly cause I am a lazy mo fo. Ya dig.