Vital is no stranger to the OneUp family of droppers. Outside of our ongoing dropper post shootout (where it performed quite well), it has graced many of our test bikes and personal rigs. Now that frames are becoming lower-slung, there's more and more room for more and more drop. How much drop is enough? According to OneUp, the answer is "yes." To that end, meet the new 240mm dropper post.
Highlights
- 240mm drop
- Can be shimmed down by10mm or 20mm
- Shortest claimed collar and stack height
- Cable actuated design
- Replaceable cartridge
- Increased bushing overlap
- Improved cartridge cap on all models
- Two-year warranty
- Measured weight (size 240mm): 654g
- MSRP $229.50 (As tested)
- Remote: $59.50
- Replacement cartridge: $69.50
While we are testing the new 240mm dropper, OneUp has also launched a 90mm dropper to the line. The full family of OneUp droppers now runs as follows: 90mm, 120mm, 150mm, 180mm, 210mm, and 240mm. Accounting for each post's ability to be shimmed by 10-20mm, there are a lot of options for mountain bikers in the OneUp line.
OneUp states that the new 90mm (shimmable to 70mm) Dropper is the shortest dropper post on the market. It has the shortest total length, shortest insertion length, and shortest stack height. Riders in the small to extra-small frame category should be pretty excited about this one. Pricing on the 90mm post is slightly less than our test post at $199.50.
OneUp offers its Dropper Post Length Length Selector page to assist riders in determining how much post they can fit. We imagine now, more than ever, riders will be looking to maximize the drop for their bike.
Setup
We recently got our hands on the new OneUp 240mm dropper post and are thrilled to be testing this monster in the coming months. We appreciate the proverbial pushing of the envelope in terms of dropper length and OneUp has just “upped the ante” in a major way. Given the nature of a long-travel dropper, the OneUp 240 post targets taller riders and larger frames. Yes, it could be considered a niche product, but surely there are plenty of rangy riders looking to maximize every millimeter of dropper potential.
Prior to installation, we slapped this puppy on the scale. The naked post (30.9 diameter) weighs 654 grams. Our test post came with the standard handlebar mount remote which weighs 45.8 grams including the bar clamp and hardware. Shimano I-Spec and SRAM Matchmaker versions of the remote are available for those who value maximum handlebar cleanliness.
A seat post with this much drop will inherently have a long lower body. The insertable length is approximately 340mm. Riders who are interested in purchasing this post will need to be careful. There are obvious considerations in terms of frame size and seat tube design to accommodate this length of post. Another sneaky, yet critical, consideration is how your frame’s internal routing is laid out. Designs that route the housing through, or under, the bottom bracket have the best chance of fitting this monster. Other systems where the dropper cable exits the top of the down tube before entering the seat tube somewhere north of the bottom bracket are problematic. This could limit how deep the post can go into your seat tube…more on this shortly.
The bulk of the installation was beautifully uneventful. We routed the housing, attached the cable to the actuator, and cinched the other end in the remote. After a couple of quick turns of the barrel adjuster to dial in the cable tension, we were dialed.
Next, our large Canfield Lithium test bike threw us a bit of a curveball. As previously mentioned, the internal routing layout limited how far we could insert the post into the seat tube. We were very, very close to the ideal seat height, but we couldn’t insert the post any deeper into the frame as the actuator would be lower than the routing port in the seat tube. Luckily, OneUp included a set of their shim pins that allow you to reduce the travel by 10mm. This was a simple and straightforward process that took less than five minutes. As a result, our 240mm dropper post is running 230mm of drop.
Long Term Durability
We will be putting the new OneUp post through the wringer in the coming months. Will this ludicrous amount of drop translate to harder and more confident shredding? Perhaps. This is a lot of travel and the long upper could put a lot of torque on the bushings and internals. We will monitor for any bushing play or slop after many hours of heavy use. We will also consider whether or not riders that have space for such an enormous dropper should be on a larger frame. Stay tuned.
What's The Bottom Line?
Did OneUp just pull a mic drop? Is this checkmate or just a challenge for other brands to see how much drop they can bring? Either way, OneUp has upped the ante on how much travel a dropper post can deliver. Stay tuned for our long-term review later this year.
In the meantime, head to OneUpComponents.com to learn more about the new range.
View key specs, compare products, and rate the OneUp Dropper in the Vital MTB Product Guide.