Thomson has long had a relationship with cyclocross athletes, such as several years ago, when Katie Compton was still riding with carbon fiber handlebars. While they have had plenty of dropper posts for mountain biking, cyclocross was limited to those who had a frame that accommodated a large seatpost diameter, such as the 31.6mm of the older Ridley X-Nights and X-Fire models.
The demand for dropper posts in more than just mountain bike applications is undeniable, however, and we've seen some interesting applications lately in cyclocross, including a dropper post mated with a SRAM RED left shifter at Gloucester.
Thomson has had the 27.2mm Elite Dropper Post in the works for some time, but unlike Specialized and a few other dropper post manufacturers, the company has not yet opted to use an internal routed system on this size despite having the option for the 30.9mm and 31.6mm model sizes they call the Covert Dropper Seatpost. In some ways, this can be a convenience as the internal routing of many cyclocross frames don't easily accommodate the internal routing of a dropper post.
While 2014 saw the 27.2mm models with the levers directly below the seat clamp, requiring riders to let go of their handlebars with one hand in order to actuate the seatpost, we saw the latest models at the Thomson booth at Interbike 2015, which were set up for an externally routed cable that allows for remote adjustment at the tops of the handlebars, or with a little ingenuity and a single chainring system, at the left shifter. Update: the model with the lever at the saddle has been discontinued by Thomson.
The seatposts are available now for $479. The folks at Thomson told us that the claimed weight is a notch over 600g with the newest rendition, and the dropper boasts 125mm of travel. More info: bikethomson.com
Thomson’s Dropper Posts at Interbike 2015. © A. Reimann / Cyclocross Magazine
