Cycling and mountain biking are full of luxuries and necessities, some you need and others you just “need.” The dropper post rides a fine line between need and “need.” You toss in wireless, and it’s a game changer. Personally, I didn’t think I needed it…until I tried one. Now I would not go back to riding off-road without a dropper post.
Do I Need A Dropper Post?
There are a number of benefits to using a dropper seatpost. Top on the list is the ability to lower the seatpost down, and out of the way, to allow you to lower your center of gravity into a corner. Other reasons could be when attacking technical sections of trail or heading out for a long downhill run. I have seen people do things as simple as lowering their post to stash their bike in the back of the car. It is nearly impossible nowadays to role up to a trail and no one has a dropper post. Overall, it is a good piece of equipment to toss into the ring of bike gear. Now the real question is wired or wireless.
Wired or Wireless Dropper Post?
So we decided we need a dropper post, right? Now, do you go wired or wireless? Cost aside, wireless is simply cool but it does go beyond that. When we looked at the differences between a wired and wireless post, all other benefits overshadowed the coolness factor.
Clean Cockpit and Less Rattles
Our favorite for sure. With a wireless dropper post, there is one less cable you have clogging up your cockpit and if you run a bike with a lockout you start to run into issues on where to put the lever. The Magura Vyron remote works amazingly well on bikes with lockouts.
Time and Curse Words
Another key item is setup, assuming your bike will handle an internal cable. Running an internal cable is never fun. Since the cable runs through the frame and into the bottom of the post, trying to get the cable cut to the right length is quite the pain, and darn near impossible without dropping a few “F Bombs.” All in all, this can ruin a perfectly good afternoon where you could be riding.
Easy Swap Out for XC Riders
Seriously, for all you XC riders out there, it is a simple switch back to a standard post. If you are going to a race that is not super technical and want to drop a few grams, swap out the post. No cable, no hydraulic hoses or anything. It’s 100% wireless. The post and remote weigh in at 595 grams. This move can easily save you 200 grams or more. You might appreciate it after 3 or 4 long climbs.
We do suggest you plan ahead though and order another saddle if this is the plan. Not sure about you, but I am not swapping saddles every couple of weeks, I have better things to do with my time. This also makes setup of the post and getting the same position on the bike a lot easier.
Another Bike?
Have a hardtail and full suspension race rig? The ability to swap the post back and forth is ideal, and hopefully they have close to the same geometry. With gravel growing at ridiculous speeds, bike manufacturers are starting to design frames to accept a larger size post which means you could toss a dropper on the gravel bike for more technical sections. Also don’t forget that fat bike this winter.
Wireless Is Great at 35,000 ft
I’m not playing with my post at 35,000 ft, but getting my mountain bike into my bike bag sure is a hell of a lot easier. It is hard enough to deal with brake cables, shifter cables and all the other crap you stuff in a bike bag, this just makes it one step easier for world travelers. Once again, a small piece of electrical tape and a Torx wrench and I am ready to go. Just give a good charge before you leave town.
Magura Vyron Wireless Seatpost Installation
We have talked a lot about droppers and wireless, but not necessarily about the Magura Vyron post.
The Vyron is, without a doubt, the easiest to install dropper post on the market. If you can charge your cell phone and put a regular seat on your bike, you are all set. Once a CR2032 battery is installed in the remote, and the post has been charged and inflated, all that’s left is inserting the post into the frame, securing the remote to the handlebar with a rubber o-ring, and that’s it. It’s as simple as can be – even the worst mechanics should not have a problem getting the Vyron up and running.
Programing and Pairing
Let’s face it, 75% of you are not going to read the instructions that Magura provides, but please do yourself (and us) a favor and watch this video if you are not going to read the instructions.
*Disclaimer: Under Bluestrongly suggests you read the instructions.
How Does the Magura Vyron Perform?
The Vyron doesn’t work like a “normal” dropper post. On most droppers you push a remote lever of some sort, lower the seat to where you want it with your body weight, and release the lever to lock it in place. The Magura has a slight window when this needs to be done and the process takes a tad longer. Instead, you push and release the button, and then there’s a half-second or half-pedal stroke window to lower the seat and hold it in place. At this point, the valve on the post closes and you are good to go. It takes a little getting used to, and stopping halfway down while trying to navigate the trail can be tricky.
What if you push the remote, weight the seat and then stand up in less than a half-second? That’s right, it pops back up and “surprises” you. On occasion, we did find it tough to be coming into a section where you want to drop the post and you don’t have that half-second to hold the post in place. This could be an issue for cross-country riders. Bike park bros, slope style riders and those chasing the downhill Stravas will have no problems, they’ll actually enjoy the fact that there is no cable to interfere with that barspin!
How Much is Enough?
Length matters, and for this reason Magura offers up the Vyron in three different drop lengths including 100mm, 125mm and 150mm. The over seatpost is offered in lengths of 396mm, 421mm and 446mm and 30.9 and 31.6 diameters. So if you can’t find a post to meet your needs, it might be time to grab a new frame!
Why the Delay?
Ideally, the post’s mechanism would open when you push the remote’s button, and close when you release it, but that’s not what happens with the current setup.
We spent some time talking to Eric Porter from Magura and he filled us in on why it was designed like this. The post was designed around battery life and with the delayed close on the post, the communication does not have to be constant, it only sends data to open the post when pushed. This saves a lot of drain on the batteries. There is no constant communication with the post and the “lever” or remote saying “I am closed.” It just automatically closes. It is kind of like sending text messages back and forth versus making a phone call.
Overall Thoughts on Our Magua Vyron Wireless Dropper Review
Wireless is the way to go and the technology is only going to get better, especially two or three years out when forks, shocks, seatpost and drivetrains will all be wireless. After all, we are almost there. There is competition now in the wireless market, and that can only mean good things for innovation and maybe even pricing.
The post retails for $549 and can be found at magurausa-shop.com or backcountry.com.
