Product Review OneUp Components Dropper Post and remote

Ah, the myriad of mountain bike dropper posts! We’re very spoilt for choice in this field but ultimately they all do the same thing yeah? Well, Yes and no. Read on to find out more on the sweet OneUp Components Dropper Post and remote available from Mountain Bikes Direct!
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Item: OneUp Components Dropper Post and remote
Purchased From: Mountain Bikes Direct (Click Here for the product page)
Purchase Price (approx): $264.95 for the post, $64.95 for the remote. Both come in several options for sizing and clamp preference.

Product outline: If you’ve used a dropper post then you know the drill. They turn a good bike into a great bike and make the capability of riding gravity trails more enjoyable by dropping the post and saddle out of the way so you can holler all the way down, flick the remote lever and pedal back up without needing to undo the quick release clamp like we did back in the day. This particular post is what we refer to as a stealth dropper post meaning the cable that actuates the system is connected to the bottom of the post and needs to run inside the seat tube of your frame and come out towards the front of your frame to join the bird nest of cables attached to your handlebars.
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Fitting: Fitting is a total breeze. Actually, it’s the easiest stealth dropper post I’ve ever fitted. For this review I’ve got the 31.6mm post with a 150mm drop. There’s a 30.9mm post too and both come in two drop sizes; either 150mm and 170mm. The remote I run is clamped into my SRAM components using the Matchmaker clamp. There’s a few options with the clamp you can choose so jump on Mountain Bikes Direct’s site and suss out your options.
What makes this so easy to fit? The cable ends are better positioned with the ball end of the cable attached to the bottom of the post meaning all you need to do is attached the ball end to the actuator on the base of the post, run your cable housing through your frame, slide the cable into it and set tighten your seat post clamp. You then set the length of the cable at the remote end, mark it so you can double check where you want to cut the outer then just undo the post clamp slide the post up with the cable attached enough so that when you cut the outer to length it doesn’t lop the end off the cable. Make the cut, slide the cable back in, clamp the seat post and slide the cable through the small cable clamp on the remote and pull the cable tight. You have a barrel adjuster to firm the cable feel on the remote so give that a few turns to take any small play out of the lever and double check it all. Be generous with any loop you may need to leave in the cable outer so it isn’t kicking or clamping the cable. Once you’re happy with the layout, cut the cable off at the remote end but leave enough hanging out to give you some extra length for perhaps a future build. Chuck a cable end on and you’re done!
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On the trail: OneUp Components are really kicking arse for me the last few years. I totally love the Every Day Carry tool that slides so snug into your steerer tube and the Ever Day Carry Pump that not only gives you a lightweight 100cc pump but offers more storage options for gear you need on the trail. The functionality of that stuff is setting the bar so it’s an obvious choice to give their dropper post a go. The first thing that appeals to me is the price, its relatively cheap compared with other known high end models, it is a simple cable design that is damn easy to fit, it has an amazing option of adjusting the drop height via the available shim system but above all else, the quality of this gear is a big plus for me.
The post has none of that wobble that you get when you hold the saddle and try to move it around. Tick! After giving the thing hell on a hardtail of mine for most of this year, it feels like new. The only adjustment I have had to make is to adjust the clamping of the cable to give the carbon remote a firm feel. You know how I said it makes a good bike into a great bike? That’s a proven gimmick on my setup; a 29er hardtail with 100mm travel forks. Why would you put a dropper on an XC hardtail you ask? Good bike made great, thats why.
There’s two points of contact when riding a bike with a dropper post; the saddle and the remote. The seatpost doesn’t have any bob and doesn’t feel like it’s sagging and nor does the lever. It is a very firm feel and the action of dropping the post is very relative to the remote feel. You push it in slowly and the post will drop slowly or you punch that lever hard and the post is down in a flash. The same goes for the return to full length feel although the raising action is a little slower than some other posts. That isn’t entirely bad though, it gave me confidence that the post is running smooth and accurate.
I’m not a lightweight on a bike and I have felt flex in rigid posts and some keyway movement in other dropper posts. This guy doesn’t have any of that feel and is super rigid in any position you run. The 150mm drop gives me effectively three options; all the way up for pedaling, all the way down for things that are way too steep for an XC bike and roughly two thirds of the way up for “just riding along”. That third position (we’ll refer to it as JRA) is so important to me and finding the right feel in a lever to get the post to stop at that point can be tedious. With the OneUp, it does drop pretty quickly so getting into the JRA position is best done by dropping it lower than the JRA position then creeping it up with a slow push on the lever. Once it’s there you can chew the fat with your pals about that last damn climb!
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Pros – Great quality and great finish, super cheap price for a top level dropper post, cool additional functions from an innovative company.

Cons – The remote lever feels a little plastic at first, it may bother some that there isn’t an external cable option, they are selling out everywhere!
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Summary: There isn’t a ton you can say about this post that isn’t positive: Its a neat finish, it works so well, it is so easy to fit and has some cool features that come across as new to most dropper post users. A good dropper post will always feel great but when they start to pack it in they feel terrible whereas a mediocre dropper post will feel terrible from the start. Comparatively, the OneUp dropper is priced the same as those mediocre feeling dropper posts but functions as good as the top level posts. The cable affixing to the post end and adjusting the length at the remote end is so neat and so obviously critical that all dropper posts with a cable should follow suit.
The shim needed to fit to change the drop height is sold separately but not entirely necessary if you want a 150mm drop as minimum. Another great point of this post is it is a bit shorter overall meaning it can fit into some frame that have a random curve in the seat tube and only requires 90mm of the seat post to be in the frame. In total, the 150mm version measures 410mm at full length plus the small fitting for the actuator, thats a big bonus if you’re limited to the length of post you can shove in your bike.
All in all, I’m so stoked I have this bolted into one of my bikes. Of all the posts I’ve used, this is easily one of my two favourite posts and I will prefer to buy this to stick in a future build for sure. Do your sums on a new bike or some new parts, put that post in your basket on Mountain Bikes Direct’s online store then spend the next hour finding something else to spend that spare $200 that you saved, thats the most blunt and obvious thing I can say about another awesome product from OneUp Components and as they so effectively say “Work less, Ride more”.
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Comments

This has made up my mind. Id been agonising over which post to buy as I want to get a longer one than my current 150 KS Lev. Was gonna go another KS but Im liking the price and by the sounds of it good quality. Win win indeed.
 
Better than a reverb B1? I was about to post a question on the forum when I saw this review. I'm sick of rebuilding and bleeding my A2 and was wondering if the B1 was better but this could be an option.
 
My B1 has been faultless (purchased before I knew anything about droppers) but if I were to do it again, I'd either get a BikeYoke or OneUp due to simpler design and way more user friendly / cost friendly to service.

OneUp currently wins bang for buck in my books.
 
Just ordered the 170mm from mountain bikes direct with a wolf tooth lever, think I read somewhere that I may need an extra grub screw or something to connect the cable up at the lever end? Has anyone done this that could shed some light on exactly what may be required?
 
Thanks wkkie, that about sums it up born again biker. ;)
I used the 150mm and measured it at just under 150mm; 148mm but that is close enough for me.
I haven't looked into parts availability but will check on those details soon.
Gtg don't list any parts for them yet but I expect to see them soon. I swear by the revive but damn these droppers are at a killer price point!
 
Just ordered the 170mm from mountain bikes direct with a wolf tooth lever, think I read somewhere that I may need an extra grub screw or something to connect the cable up at the lever end? Has anyone done this that could shed some light on exactly what may be required?
Wolftooth lever should come with a little bolt & washer to hold the cable, it's sort of obscured behind the lever arm.
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Better than a reverb B1? I was about to post a question on the forum when I saw this review. I'm sick of rebuilding and bleeding my A2 and was wondering if the B1 was better but this could be an option.
In all honesty, this post shits on any Reverb in every possible way. It's easy to fit, it looks bloody good, the drop and raise action is flawless, the lever feels better than the syringe type feel of the Reverb and it is half the price.
Look at it this way: The Reverb should be half the price it is and the OneUp is good enough to be double the price it is.
 
I've decided to upgrade to this dropper but I'm not sure which remote to get. The Oneup remote looks pretty good but the reviews for it are not nearly as glowing as the post.
The other option I am considering is the Wolf Tooth remote. The reviews are better for the Wolf Tooth but don't want to spend the extra on it if the Oneup remote is still good.
I plan on using a bar clamp regardless of which one I chose. Both of them are hinged so I don't have to remove my grips to install.
I'm curious to know what the feel of the leavers are like compared to a Shimano shifter as that is about the only thing I can think of as a reference?

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I've decided to upgrade to this dropper but I'm not sure which remote to get. The Oneup remote looks pretty good but the reviews for it are not nearly as glowing as the post.
The other option I am considering is the Wolf Tooth remote. The reviews are better for the Wolf Tooth but don't want to spend the extra on it if the Oneup remote is still good.
I plan on using a bar clamp regardless of which one I chose. Both of them are hinged so I don't have to remove my grips to install.
I'm curious to know what the feel of the leavers are like compared to a Shimano shifter as that is about the only thing I can think of as a reference?

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The Wolftooth is the Rolls Royce of dropper levers. If you can swallow the $30 price difference it's what I would go for.

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I've decided to upgrade to this dropper but I'm not sure which remote to get. The Oneup remote looks pretty good but the reviews for it are not nearly as glowing as the post.
The other option I am considering is the Wolf Tooth remote. The reviews are better for the Wolf Tooth but don't want to spend the extra on it if the Oneup remote is still good.
I plan on using a bar clamp regardless of which one I chose. Both of them are hinged so I don't have to remove my grips to install.
I'm curious to know what the feel of the leavers are like compared to a Shimano shifter as that is about the only thing I can think of as a reference?
The remote does feel a little less solid than others, particularly against the Bikeyoke remote. I have found I need to adjust the cable in the OneUp remote to keep the tension pretty regularly but the second bike I have a OneUp dropper post on has the Bikeyoke remote and it's bang on. Just make sure when you source a remote that it says you can feed the wire to it from the dropper and firm it up on the remote.
 
I am planning on getting the post and remote from Mountain Bikes Direct so the premium for the Wolf Tooth is only $16.

I have an Anthem so my original plan was to buy the Giant dropper. Then I had a chat with my LBS and they recommended the Brand X post. CRC are out of stock, and I can't be bothered going OS when I can get something local for not much more and have local support. The extra drop in the Oneup makes it almost a no brainer.

Thanks Dozer and Oddjob!

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Anyone know which Wolf Tooth remote lever variant (standard vs light action) best suits the One Up dropper?

Dozer, how does the BikeYoke lever feel with the One Up post? It's slightly cheaper than the Wolf Tooth it would seem.
 
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Anyone know which Wolf Tooth remote lever variant (stand vs light action) best suits the One Up dropper?

Dozer, how does the BikeYoke lever feel with the One Up post? It's slightly cheaper than the Wolf Tooth it would seem.
I asked Wolftooth and they said standard.

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Cheers Oddjob... still wrestling with the One Up vs another Revive on a new build - Revive for parts commonality on another bike. Thinking the price of the One Up is hard to beat.
 
I've decided to upgrade to this dropper but I'm not sure which remote to get. The Oneup remote looks pretty good but the reviews for it are not nearly as glowing as the post.
The other option I am considering is the Wolf Tooth remote. The reviews are better for the Wolf Tooth but don't want to spend the extra on it if the Oneup remote is still good.
I plan on using a bar clamp regardless of which one I chose. Both of them are hinged so I don't have to remove my grips to install.
I'm curious to know what the feel of the leavers are like compared to a Shimano shifter as that is about the only thing I can think of as a reference?

Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk
Pony up for the Wolftooth, over on MTBR a few people have been breaking their One Up remotes

http://forums.mtbr.com/components/oneup-dropper-post-1075456-3.html

Worth paying a bit extra for something that will be trouble free.
 
I am planning on getting the post and remote from Mountain Bikes Direct so the premium for the Wolf Tooth is only $16.

I have an Anthem so my original plan was to buy the Giant dropper. Then I had a chat with my LBS and they recommended the Brand X post. CRC are out of stock, and I can't be bothered going OS when I can get something local for not much more and have local support. The extra drop in the Oneup makes it almost a no brainer.

Thanks Dozer and Oddjob!
AHHHHH! No offence intended but the Giant dropper isn't as good as the OneUp and the BrandX? Holy smokes, that post is a roughy.
The OneUp is certainly the go. ;)
 
Dozer, how does the BikeYoke lever feel with the One Up post? It's slightly cheaper than the Wolf Tooth it would seem.
It's great, really firm feel and the lever action is very in time with the drop cycle. There's no wobble in th elever and it feels very direct, I love it.
 
I have been using the OneUp post for a couple of weeks now, with the Wolftooth remote, and it is pretty good, but found it is a little stiff to actuate when fully extended and weighted. If I unweight the seat a bit it is much better.
I can probably train myself to use it like this, but it was not something I had to do with the Lev, or Brand X, or Xfusion, or even Reverb.
Don’t know if I have a bit of a lemon or if it is normal.


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