Dropper post. OneUp vs Brand X vs X-Fusion

DJ_m

Squid
Hi All,
looking to upgrade my seat post to a dropper post. Am at the lower to mid end of pricing. I have internal routing on my Specialized Rockhopper.

X Fusion Manic - my son has this post on his Rocky Mountain hardtail and not had any issues with it, although he’s only 10. Comes with a cable and alloy lever and can get it delivered for $310. Think I am restricted to 125mm of drop on this one although struggling to find a diagram with measurements.

Brand-X - Can get this delivered for $255. Comes with a lever and cable. Mostly decent reviews. Can only go 125mm drop for my frame.

OneUp - The most expensive as the post does not come with a lever so about $400 all up. Can get a 150mm drop in my frame with this model.

Any thoughts on the above three? I’m an old beginner so don’t think I desperately need the extra drop... I just get a bit jealous riding behind my son when riding trails downhill. Have mostly been riding at Red Hill and Lysterfield on the green and Blue trails. Have no desire to ride big jumps, drops etc. I want something that will last and is serviceable.
 

blacksp20

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Can only comment on the One Up out of the 3 mentioned. I’ve only had mine a few months but I quite like it and the extra drop will make a difference. Having the saddle as low as possible when descending gives you so much more room to move around uninhibited. One up are user serviceable and replacement cartridges are reasonably priced. Bonus is that if you buy the next length dropper, you can decrease the drop in 10mm increments so you may find you can get a bit more than 150mm.
I bought mine direct from the One Up international site and it was cheaper than buying locally.
 

leitch

Feelin' a bit rrranty
@moorey will confirm but I believe the X-Fusion and Brand-X are the same post, so go the cheaper one.

Everyone will say “get the longest drop you can” but to be honest, for cruising Lysterfield and the blues/greens around on the Rockhopper the 125 will be enough (and noticeably better than no drop) and the extra inch isn’t really worth the 60% extra cost.

As your boy gets bigger and faster (and if you get more advanced alongside him) that might change, but by that point you’ll be wanting a new bike anyway so the dropper length will be a moot point.
 
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moorey

call me Mia
Nope. AFAIK. Bx/Tx are same as RF aeffect and some lower end 5” PNW, and a few other various rebadged droppers.
I’ve got numerous bx/tx, and one manic, all work fine, but the manic isn’t same post.
 

Nambra

Definitely should have gone to specsavers
The OneUp V2 comes with travel adjust pins that allow you to decrease drop by 10mm or 20mm which is handy if you don’t need the full length - say on a hardtail that has a relatively long seat tube.

The other benefit of the OneUp is that it has the lowest stack height of any seat post; if the post is inserted fully into the seat tube, the distance from the collar to the saddle rail clamp is only 33mm (other posts are typically 60-70mm). Regardless of how much travel the post has, the OneUp will get your saddle the lowest on the bike and out of the way when you’re on a steep section and need to get your bum behind the saddle and over the back wheel.
 

komdotkom

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I've got the One Up V2 and the X-Fusion and the X-Fusion is by far the nicer post from a user point of view. The downside is that it's not adjustable and requires cartridges every couple of years to keep it going but the action is smoother and lighter, I'm running a Wolf Tooth lever on both and the One Up's action is sticky and would be better with a longer lever on the remote.
OneUp is completely user serviceable though which is nice and the super short stack height allows me to run a 210mm post which is amazing although it now makes 150mm posts feel inadequate.
 

leitch

Feelin' a bit rrranty
Nope. AFAIK. Bx/Tx are same as RF aeffect and some lower end 5” PNW, and a few other various rebadged droppers.
I’ve got numerous bx/tx, and one manic, all work fine, but the manic isn’t same post.
Ah there you go, knew a bunch of brands' posts were white-labelled B-X posts but thought X-Fusion was one of them.

All the same, given the context I say buy the cheapest one :)
 

caad9

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I've got the Brand-X with a Wolf Tooth lever.
Came from a Reverb Stealth on my prior bike and I honestly prefer the Brand-X/Wolftooth combo
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
I've got the One Up V2 and the X-Fusion and the X-Fusion is by far the nicer post from a user point of view. The downside is that it's not adjustable and requires cartridges every couple of years to keep it going but the action is smoother and lighter, I'm running a Wolf Tooth lever on both and the One Up's action is sticky and would be better with a longer lever on the remote.
OneUp is completely user serviceable though which is nice and the super short stack height allows me to run a 210mm post which is amazing although it now makes 150mm posts feel inadequate.
Id agree with that. I went the One up so I could fit a 150 in the Trance, but the Manic was a much nicer post to use. The One up is hard on my mildly messed up left thumb and has less finesse - harder to put up part way, it tends to come up with a bang!
 

DJ_m

Squid
Thanks guys,
Based on the above comments I think I'll go with the X-Fusion Manic. At least I have cross-compatible parts with my son's bike. I've also got first-hand experience with the post and know that it does go up and down nicely. I don't think I'm going to hugely miss that 25mm and it will be a whole lot better than the current fixed post which frequently kicks me in the gonads.
Whilst I hope my riding improves, I'm 50yrs old so don't anticipate I'll be doing any downhill races.
 

DJ_m

Squid
Well this was a b'day present for me from my wife... looks like I'm too late as she has already made a purchase.. my first option which was the OneUp 150mm with an ethirteen vario lever.
All I'll need is a cable and I've read that not all cables are equal. True? Looking at some of the above replies regarding the OneUp not being as smooth, does anyone think a particular type/brand of cable would be best?
 

wkkie

It's Not Easy Being Green
The smoothness is the action of the post itself. I think the cable would have very little to do with the action.

I've found that the OneUp is very sensitive to the pressure of the seat post clamp. To much and it'll have the post running rough, to little and it'll fall down.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
The smoothness is the action of the post itself. I think the cable would have very little to do with the action.

I've found that the OneUp is very sensitive to the pressure of the seat post clamp. To much and it'll have the post running rough, to little and it'll fall down.
It’s less sensitive than the Manic to be fair... I’m planning on using the Manic in my alloy Orange build, in the carbon trance i had to leave the collar almost loose to avoid binding the post...
 

rowdyflat

chez le médecin
Everyone will say “get the longest drop you can” but to be honest,
I disagree also unless you are very tall or riding down vertical rocky stuff 75-125 mm is plenty .
Mostly I use only 50 mm. on big drops followed by a climb cos you cant pedal.
 

moorey

call me Mia
I disagree also unless you are very tall or riding down vertical rocky stuff 75-125 mm is plenty .
Mostly I use only 50 mm. on big drops followed by a climb cos you cant pedal.
Disagree. I’m only 5’8”. I can rarely use a dropper with more than 150, but I definitely would if I could. Even just fast single track descents and corners....get it out of the way as much as possible.

What you mean you can’t pedal?
 

DJ_m

Squid
Well I have the 150mm OneUp on the way. A little concerned about some of the comments relating to the post clamp affecting the movement of the post. Surely the post sits in a sheath that is strong enough to not allow pressure to affect the actual post?
 

leitch

Feelin' a bit rrranty
Well I have the 150mm OneUp on the way. A little concerned about some of the comments relating to the post clamp affecting the movement of the post. Surely the post sits in a sheath that is strong enough to not allow pressure to affect the actual post?
Wouldn't be too worried about it, just keep it in mind. I haven't had a OneUp but my old Specialized Command IRCC was a bit sensitive to it too. You don't need to crank the shit out of the seat collar, and if you find that the post is returning slowly/not all the way up, or not feeling nice and smooth in its action, just check how tight the collar is before you start stressing about having a dud. :)
 
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Labcanary

One potato, two potato, click
Well I have the 150mm OneUp on the way. A little concerned about some of the comments relating to the post clamp affecting the movement of the post. Surely the post sits in a sheath that is strong enough to not allow pressure to affect the actual post?
If you have a torque wrench, tighten the seatpost collar up to spec. If you don't, or if you have a binding issue when it's tightened, you'll have to do the dance of having it tight enough that the seatpost won't move in the frame but loose enough that it actuates properly.
Worst case you might need to claim warranty. From my understanding Oneup had a number of warranty claims from this issue (the V1 I bought my husband was one of these).
I like the travel adjustment of the Oneup dropper but if I had to choose again I'd probably go BrandX or PNW. For what it's worth, some of the other internal droppers on the market are able to be adjusted with the V1 travel adjust shims.
 
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