MTB Dropper Seat Post. 27.2 mm dropper seat post in a 26.8 mm seat tube
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- čas přidán 20. 11. 2019
- MTB dropper seat post. Vintage mountain bike update.
Today, I add a simple dropper seat post to mt 1997 Barracuda "Cuda Comp mountain bike. I couldn't find a dropper seat post for a 26.8 mm seat tube so I modified a 27.2 mm post and make it work. My vintage bike is now easier and safer to ride on the trails.
#bikehacks #dropperpost #vintagemtb
Instagram: / trailbreaker01
Music courtesy of the free CZcams Music Library and www.audionautix.com
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You won't hear anything negative from me lol.
Loved the creative thinking and your ability (skill) to pull off that modification. Totally worth the risk to keep that classic beast alive.
Great video!
Brewclymbr Thanks, Brother! I appreciate that 😁 But you know the CZcams safety police are GONNA have to let me know 😂. 👊🏻
Just wanted to say THANK YOU. I just did the same modification and it worked! I have an old 1999 KHS Comp ST and the mod worked perfectly., Its now got a dropper post!
Man, the thing I mostly need upgrade for my 2008 26" bike is a dropper and I needed this video to realize the small difference from those measures. Thanks!
Of course you are making it less resistant, but I'm not heavy at all, so I'm sure it will not fail.
Yay!! You did it. Massive props to you , I will never act my age! 50 years young and although I was a fairly accomplished bmxer back in the 80s, ive just got back into cycling mtb, I have a levo emtb and am currently practicing drop offs and small jumps, oh and if I find myself at the top of stairs around town, I just can't help myself, I've got to ride down them. But my goodness it's tough to bunnyhop and manual, because of the extra weight, I'm a small guy. I think I need to fatten up over the winter and build on my upper body strength. Happy trails!
Mike E Thanks, Brother!
Great stuff 👍💪💪
Awesome! I have a late 90's Santa Cruz that I can't bare to part with but I want a dropper so bad. I thought I was stuck with no 26.8 droppers avail but this mod is so easy and I can't believe I never thought of sanding it down. Who needs a lathe haha. Great work and well thought out. Let's keep these old bikes on the trails :)
Great video. thanks
Getting a machinist to do it on a lathe is the only suggestion i have, otherwise, this is awsome.
Old bikes are fun to ride sometimes !
I have an old DMR Trailstar frame that I love and that has a 26.8 seat tube, I did the same with an RSP dropper (aka Satori Sorata). I'm around 95kg and the modification hasn't been a problem at all, however the rest of the post is getting pretty tired, so going to do the same with whatever cheap 27.2 I get next.
Sweet!
Hey Dude, i just bought a shock absorbant seat post and it was the same size as yours. Well my bike is an old 1998 bike with a hair smaller seat down tube. Well like two hours with the palm sander i have it finally in. The entire tube besides about two inches are inside the down tube. So no worries about structural concerns i wouldnt think. Thanks for the video and now i have a shock absorber in the rear not just the front. :)
Killer!
sometimes i'm confused on why some manufacturer still use 26.8 seatpost on early 2000 bikes. I owned a '98 klein pulse xc bike with 31.6 and 2008 scott voltage ht trail bike with 26.8 seatpost. As trail bike is more relevant now for my riding style, finding a proper dropper post is a headache. I almost going to put it on sale until i saw this video. Thank you TB!
good stuff my friend. I have a bike I need to try this on.
Go for it! The bike is so much better to ride now!
Excellent!
I had been thinking about this and nice to see someone has done it, don't see it as unsafe with the post all the way in the you have the all the seat tube thickness backing it up and much less sketchy than the thin bit with holes in sticking out the top.
Think its likely good to thin it by feel going until it will wiggle in there as with an old frame it may not be 26.8 anymore if the post has gone in and out a few times.
Time to do one for my old DMR Trailstar.
Then ponder the old Santa Cruz Bullit with an annoying 28.6 seat tube likely a shim job.
There ae lots of 27.2mm optons a lot better than the one I tried. I just didn't wanna spend $$ in case it didn't work😀 My seat tube was very round and at 26.7mm internal for a 26.8 post. That post I shaved was really overbuilt and I didn't feel at all sketchy removing the metal I did. I went until it easily slid in and then lightly greased it so it wouldn't stick.
This is genius! My wife is riding Stiffee FR that she loves despite it's age, but is considering a new bike just because she wants a dropper.
Off to the garage now.....
Done!
Easy job, probably not as neat as yours but it'll do.
Thanks, Sam! It's a little clunky but makes the bike rideable again. Since it's just got a big spring inside there's always tension on the pin that holds the seat post in position. Any time you want to readjust the height you need to apply a little weight to the saddle then press the lever. There's a pretty good "click" to let you know it's in the position. After a short learning curve it's fine
Great very interesting
Thanks! I can deal with almost anything except a fixed dropper😀
I might do this to my gravel conversion!
It makes a huge difference. Even a crappy dropper is better than NO dropper!
Awesome video. I have a vintage '92 Stumpjumper and I'm going to do the same.
Thanks, Craig! Are you gonna try to add a dropper? Of everything, that is the biggest improvement by far! Even a shitty dropper is better than nothing😀
@@TrailBreaker Yes sir, I'm gonna try exactly what you did: 27.2 in a 26.8 seat tube. I'm 56 yr old and wont be doing any hardcore stuff. I know enough from back in the day that getting low and your weight back is much more stable. Cheers!
Nice
My mom still has a '99 Rocky Mountain Element and was wondering if we could put a dropper on it...well I think I'll try it out after watching your video!
If it's a 27.2 mm seat post it's easy since you can buy them. If 26.8 try my route!
Great hack!
Thanks! Even a crappy dropper is better that NO dropper😀
I just watched the video and I am going to try to do the same. Is the coat of black paint at the end necessary? Or did you do it just for looks? I was considering skipping the paint but I assume it is to prevent metal to metal seizing up??
Yeah, pretty much for looks. I did apply some anti-seize grease too
Obviously it’s a bad idea, but I probably do the same in my retro 26.8 mtb! The picture showing how much you took off of the aluminum wall is very useful. I think aluminum is better than iron, because the relative loss of resistance is smaller (in %, since aluminum is thicker). Thanks
Paulo Eduardo Gazola Thanks, Paulo! Yeah, once I drafted it out it seemed pretty safe. Plus tolerances are fairly fairly loose and there are no pressure issues with the coil spring. Time will tell but right now I’m not worried😁
I did it this week! Almost same dropper post, now called Tmars, with red parts. I’ve sanded it entirely by hand, with a pen to mark width with a paquimeter. After 4 hours of dedication, It inserts perfectly on the frame, with a great precision (variation less than 0.05mm). Now I will wait the world quarantine ends to test it on a trail. Thanks for the inspiration man!
I went beyond that: I've put a US$ 5 furniture piston (like this www.tradeindia.com/fp2153667/Up-Turning-Hydraulic-Cylinder-Piston-Gas-Spring-For-Furniture.html) inside the dropper, and now my nuts are far safe!
SOLVED - czcams.com/video/JzgwoBmJElk/video.html
cool just bought a 25.4 for my 26.8 Rocky Mountain at least i now know i can sand my old 27.2 RaceFace down if the 25.4 dont work out to my liking thanks
Yeah, not great but better than no dropper😊
Can we get an update on how the dropper is doing? I have a 1993 Kona Lava Dome I want to do this on.
Still works like in the beginning. Now, I’m not saying it’s great, since it’s a coil spring powered up-mid-down dropper, with a slight learning curve to work it (to change positions you need to apply a slight bit of pressure to the saddle for the pin to be able to release and be sure it clicks into the desired position before you release the lever). But, it does exactly what I NEEDED it to do which is get the saddle out of my way on steeper downs and cornering. Since this is on my single speed, I use the top and mid positions 95% of the time. This thing is dirt simple and overbuilt. Bringing away some AL is no big deal. Let me know if you do it!
so i got the same problem as this guy - a 26.8mm seat tube in diameter, any help?
i also want the dropper to have external wiring
Whats the size is your seat clamp.on that bike?
Whoa so thought you were going to be using a lathe LOL
Awesome video! Thanks. Has anyone tried this with a PNW Pine 27.2mm Dropper Post?
The answer is yes! 😂
czcams.com/users/shortsFEvRyMIFqE4?si=WZGGHkmCrbrBGts_
I noticed that the seat clamp does impede the seatpost returning to the up position. Did you have this trouble? Even when only torqued about 2Nm where you can actually still twist the seat a tad
No. Try a light grease inside like slickoleum or slick honey and use a carbon fiber paste between the post and the frame. That might help
@@TrailBreaker ordered slickoleum, and using the cf paste already.
@@dennischampney2416 Maybe disassemble the post and clean and wet sand the post with 600 or higher grit in case there are and burrs. Regrease and try again
@@TrailBreaker are you thinking the post we already sanded or the surface area of the keys? we used a Drill press and turned it like a lathe with centering adapters.
Awesome video per usual. I'm considering trying this but I can't find that particular dropper on eBay anymore. They do have it on their own website (i72.biz) but the website looks... shady...
Well, use your best judgement. I'd feel comfortable doing this to a "better" post now that I've proven it could be done
DAMN, warn me next time that we are going to do math. Just kidding, Great vid, or great hack.
pro mod steve Ha! Sorry Dude😁 Thanks!👊👍
Great video.. but what the?
Whats with the elevator music in the background lol
Is your dropper still going strong? Looking to do it to my old MTB as well.
Same as day 1👊🏻
@@TrailBreaker 💪💪💪💪💪
What's the worse thing that could happen ? Broken seat post would be less scary than breaking a crank or a pedal plus it's inside of a tube so it should be strong enough if it isn't your but may hit a tire and you'll have to finish the ride standing up
Thomas Fenlon This is really overbuilt and based on very sloppy tolerances. If it breaks it will be because it’s cheap and NOT because I sanded the paint off😊
@@TrailBreaker not worried but if it would it's usually not a ride ender ! I have total faith in your ability! keep killing it!
Looks good but you could have gone with the ORIGINAL dropper................Hite Rite. My buddy had one on his Mongoose IBOC Pro which was a great bike.
Don Novicki Hi Don! Yeah, I saw one of those in a video. Pretty cool for the time.
Hi what is the brand and model of that dropper post
i72 dropper I bought from Ebay. I don't see it currently available but you might be able to do what I did with another cheap post
Are you riding an old bike without a dropper?
Nope I blew up my gt y2k I drive sold it and purchased a new bike . I do wish I had my old 90's gt backwoods hard tail we used to have a blast together and even though wasn't a zaskar it was my first real MTN bike and went from old school no suspension to a Manitou 4 front fork. From cantilevers to v brakes and the old deore xt would shift no matter how dirty it was.
Thomas Fenlon that idrive was ahead of its time. 😊
@@TrailBreaker was a great bike but my stumpy is better! But also heavier lol
@@mountainlessmtb9940 It's funny but you'll notice in the bike magz that weight is thankfully becoming less an issue. Functionality usually costs us mere mortals some grams. Unless you're racing XC, ride the bike!
I am but I do want to get one and I also need a 27.2. Can you send me the link to what you got? Do you think its decent?
Using such beautiful derailleur as tensioner is a crime.
Marcin O lol it’s what I had at the time. I may upgrade to a legit one. Just ordered new continental Race King tires don’t probably should😊
That seat post looks flimsy. But that is not the issue of your modifications. But yes, now you can dump an unreasonable amount of money into this thing for our viewing pleasure.
s14tat Ha! It’s actually pretty stout for what it is😁 Yup...more to come👊🏻👍🏻 thanks!
@@TrailBreaker when you were demonstrating the post, it looked like it was willing wobbling around a lot
s14tat yeah , a little side-to-side but, as I said, expectations were pretty low and it does what I needed. 😊