The OneUp Components Dropper Post V3 is the third and latest version of the Canadian brand’s popular dropper post. With a maximum suspension travel of 240 mm and comparatively compact dimensions, many small detail improvements promise to raise the bar even higher. Can OneUp deliver?
Price: €299.99 | Manufacturer’s website
When mountain bikers think of Canada, they usually think of endless laps of Whistler, lonely singletrack, bears and long dropper posts. The latter is largely thanks to Canadian brand OneUp Components and their popular dropper post named best buy in our dropper post comparison test, which is now in its third generation. If you’re expecting a 270 mm long version, you’re unfortunately out of luck. As with the OneUp Dropper Post V2.1, the maximum travel is a maximum of 240 mm. You can choose between 210, 180, 150, 120 and the very short 90 mm. As with the V2.1, the stroke can be reduced by up to 20 mm in 10 mm increments. What also remains unchanged is that it is cable-operated and is available in diameters of 30.9, 31.6 or 34.9 mm. In contrast, the price has increased from €270 to €300.
| Travel | 90mm | 120mm | 150mm | 180mm | 210mm | 240mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| overall length | 295mm | 350mm | 415mm | 480mm | 545mm | 610mm |
| Weight (for 30.9 mm diameter) |
325g | 370g | 415g | 460g | 515g | 610g |
The new OneUp Components Dropper Post V3 in detail
The tested seat post offers 240mm of travel and a diameter of 31.6mm, which works out to 611g according to our digital scales. For comparison, the V2 of the same length and diameter weighs 57g more and weighs 668g. The other variants also saved around 60 g, some even up to 70 g. At the same time, OneUp has managed to shorten the overall length of their dropper seatposts by up to 10mm depending on the version (although some versions have grown). The stack height, i.e. the height of the collar and the seat clamp, has also shrunk minimally on all V3 seat posts. For the 30.9 and 31.6 mm diameter droppers it is now only 30 mm and for the 34.9 mm version it is 25 mm. For comparison, the FOX Transfer seatpost has a stack height of 40mm and the wireless RockShox Reverb AXS measures a whopping 60mm. This makes the OneUp seat post one of the lightest and most compact on the market. Attention, weight darlings: With the titanium screw set for €17.99 you can save another 10 g.
OneUp has completely redesigned the internal parts to reduce weight. Instead of the old air spring, a sealed gas cartridge is now used. However, this also means that you can no longer adjust the stiffness of the spring using air pressure as before. However, according to OneUp, operating the remote lever requires 75% less force and the cartridge is now fully recyclable.
But wait, there’s more! A new SKF seal promises longer maintenance intervals. Thanks to this, according to OneUp’s service manual, you can shred for 20 hours longer before needing minor maintenance. Instead of 100 hours, you now have 120 hours of driving time available. A small service simply consists of dismantling and cleaning the Vario seat post. A major service also includes replacement of all seals and bushings and is due every 350 hours.
The developers didn’t stop at the guides and bushings either. For the V3, OneUp sources its sockets from the renowned brand IGUS. To better absorb lateral forces, the longer seat posts with a travel of 180 mm or more were equipped with a second bushing. The revised guides are also intended to help counteract these forces and reduce lateral play. To achieve this, the developers have doubled the number of guide pins from three to six. When it comes to the remote lever, OneUp sticks with its very ergonomic and rightly popular Remote V3.
The new OneUp Dropper Components Post V3 on the trail
When we saw the long seat post, we initially wondered whether the 240 mm model would even fit on our enduro bike. However, installation was easy and confirmed to fit. Thanks to its short stack height and the maximum insertion depth of just 337 mm, it makes extremely efficient use of the existing insertion depth and offers 40 mm more spring travel than the previously installed FOX Transfer. When we hit the trails, we immediately noticed the increased freedom of movement on the first descent. Even compared to a long 200mm seat post, the greater freedom of movement offers a noticeable advantage.
The dropper seatpost extension offers a good compromise between speed and control. This makes it easy to catch the saddle halfway up without having to worry about fertility. Nevertheless, the seat post pops out quickly enough so that you don’t have to stand and wait for the saddle. However, it is not as fast as some other dropper seatposts on the market, such as the Fox Transfer. The OneUp Dropper Post is undeterred by sub-zero temperatures and expands just as quickly as in the warm workshop. During our test rides, we tried to push the Vario seat post to its limits. We dropped onto the saddle and tested whether it would slip or get stuck. While other models failed, the Dropper Post V3 remained powerful.
OneUp also promises to deliver in the workshop, where we put another one of your claims to the test. Can you disassemble it in less than ten minutes? Yes you can! No special tools are required; All you need is a 2 and 5 mm Allen key and a 14 mm open-end wrench. In no time, the individual parts will be in front of you and you can easily clean and re-grease everything before reassembling it. Installing the small dowel pins to reduce the suspension travel is also easy, even for less technically experienced drivers 😉
Our conclusion about the OneUp Components Dropper Post V3
OneUp has managed to raise the bar even further with the Dropper Post V3. While its appearance has remained largely unchanged, OneUp has made many significant improvements to the internal parts of the dropper seatpost. In addition, they were able to combine long travel with a compact stack height and short overall length, ensuring the highest level of freedom of movement and compatibility. At 300 euros, it’s no longer the bargain it used to be, but it’s still pretty cheap.
Tops
- long travel
- compact dimensions
- extremely light
Flops
- still no 270 mm variant 😉
For more information visit OneUp.com
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Words: Sebastian Dirscherl Photos: Jan Richter
