Dropper seat posts have surely and quickly become the top product to have on your mountain bike to get the most dynamic riding experience. The dropper post has increased the capability of our riding by being able to increase our dynamic positioning range on the trail. With a “dropper”, you are able to switch between saddle heights at the push of a lever on your handlebar. This means optimum saddle height for pedalling efficiency, to a dropped saddle height to increase your positioning range for trail demands just like that.
Many MTB component manufacturers have taken on the challenge to innovate the dropper post for more drop in less overall length, quick return speeds, and actuation reliability. However, I believe there is one prominent name in MTB that has improved more than most... Fox Racing Shox have been in the game of high performance suspension for not just mountain bikes, but all extreme terrain vehicles since 1978. Their MTB suspension products are class leading and I can confidently say this is now the case with their latest iteration of their dropper post line - the Fox Transfer.
Fox’s first foray into the dropper seat post world was the Fox DOSS in 2012. Dropper posts were still relatively new back then and very rarely (if ever) came stock on a bike brand new. This meant the DOSS was not without some functional issues like the paired remote and actuation reliability, but this is only in comparison to what came to replace the discontinued model in 2016. Fox revived the idea of a telescopic seatpost in their line up with the mechanically redesigned Transfer in 2016. This was a considerable step up for the MTB world we knew back then. The first generation transfer brought up to 175mm in seatpost drop, a better lever, and just a more consistent and reliable operation of the return itself. I had one of the first in Australia, and I loved it. Fox now builds on top of their robust design with a few thoughtful upgrades for 2021.
The 2021 Fox Transfer comes with a new look and a new family member - a 200mm drop option. Now available in drop options from 100mm to 200mm, the Transfer can accommodate the most drop for all frame sizes! Making this possible is the redesigned saddle clamp and collar assembly. The new saddle clamp has a wider range of adjustment and dramatically reduces the vertical stack measurement between the top limit of the dropper post stanchion and the saddle rails. By absorbing more of the clamp assembly underneath the mounted saddle, the 150mm version has achieved the same amount of drop as its first generation predecessor in 4 centimetres less overall length of the whole post! I tip my hat off to the boffins at Fox for this particular upgrade, as this may mean enough to get a bigger dropper post in the same seat tube. And when it comes to dropper posts, bigger is better.
I thoroughly enjoyed the reliability, look, and solid feel of the first generation Transfer. However, it’s biggest drop offering of (only) 175mm left more to be desired for a tall rider on bigger bike frames seeking to get that saddle as far out of the way as possible. I was really excited to hear of Fox’s newest and biggest 200mm Transfer coming to Pushys. Once it became a part of my bike, its improvements on the first generation reaffirmed a smart purchase to me. It is these very upgrades that made it effortless to integrate the increased drop quickly into my riding. The post sinks into itself more smoothly, returns faster, and its structural redesign makes the best use of compacting the most drop into a short chassis than not only its predecessor, but over many other options on the market. Well done, Fox - the 2021 200mm Transfer is right at home on my bike now, and will be on my next bike too!