Meroca dropper seatpost - any good? Oh, and someone's nicked me bike!

[Cadence]

Short story long - my beloved "long range tourer" was stolen recently. I'd spent lots of time, money and enthusiasm building it up, and now it's gone! It was my fault. I left the back gate and conservatory door unlocked one night and it had gone when I got up. As it was the only item missing I assume it was "targeted" so I don't expect to see it again. Just in case it surfaces near you, this is what its latest iteration looked like after conversion to 48v. with hydraulic discs:-



The base bike was a Forme Winster to which I added new forks to fit disc brakes. I had fitted my oldest Yosepower 36v battery on the rack when it went, so at least they didn't get my 48v. downtube battery.
To ease my anger and frustration I decided to "build back better" to borrow an inept political phrase.
I've bought a new but shop-soiled Carerra Subway at a very good price (£230.00) and so the fun starts again!
Yosepower 250w. cassette kit (with battery I didn't need, but sod the expense!), KT controller, KT-LCD3 display, brake sensors, 48v. downtube battery slider bracket, mudguards, rack, kickstand, longer stem, grips, front and rear lights (yep I'd left them on the bike!), better saddle and lots of other stuff.
Just waiting for the controller, display and 48v. battery slider now and to fit the rack, but I've tested it with the Yosepower kit as supplied and it all works OK. It does remind me how limiting the stock Yose 250w. kit is though.



So .....
The Subway is better in many respects. At least I have hydraulic discs from the start. After 3x8 gears a 2x9 set-up is a bit strange but I'm sure I will get used to it. Don't use many of the gears with electric power anyway.
However, despite buying the same frame size I have discovered an unexpected, if slight, problem. The Forme had 700c wheels with 28 x 2.00 Schwalbe tyres which made getting a leg over the saddle when set at the correct height a bit tiresome. The Subway has 27.5" 650B wheels with 2" tyres so I was expecting it to be a bit easier to mount - but it isn't. The bottom bracket is just over an inch higher than the Forme and although I can get on and off ok, it does spoil the ride -particularly when tired.
My first thought was to swap the chainset to one with longer cranks (175mm) but this only gains 5mm pedal drop and they are eye-wateringly expensive. So how a about a dropper seatpost? I don't want to operate it mid-ride, just lower it to mount/dismount. I found lots of listings on Ali-Express for a Meroca post with a simple under-saddle lever:-

MEROCA Bicycle Dropper Seatpost 27.2/30.9mm/31.6mm Hydraulic Height Adjustable Road Bike Seat Post Mountain Bicycle Seat Tube - AliExpress 18

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Has anyone got one of these and if so, are they any good? I won't be jumping over rocks or logs and whizzing downhill on trails that need a "proper dropper" - just gentle cycling on roads and cycle tracks.
Sorry if I've bored anyone with this diatribe, but it makes me feel better to "get it out". Suffice to say it won't happen again as all my bikes are now locked together when at home and I've fitted some cheap (but good) alarms on them.

 

[Peter.Bridge]

I just ordered this one yesterday for my sister's Birthday present

Meroca Bicycle Seatpost Hand-operated Dropper Hydraulic Stroke 27.2/28.6/30.8/33.9mm Travel 100/125mm Mountain Bike Seatpost - AliExpress 18

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

a.aliexpress.com

Is that the same, but I think yours is a cheaper price

I looked at the internal cable routed ones, but wasn't keen on drilling her frame, and the external cable routed ones, but the collar was too big, so she wouldn't have been able to set the seat low enough

 

[Peter.Bridge]

Short story long - my beloved "long range tourer" was stolen recently. I'd spent lots of time, money and enthusiasm building it up, and now it's gone! It was my fault. I left the back gate and conservatory door unlocked one night and it had gone when I got up. As it was the only item missing I assume it was "targeted" so I don't expect to see it again.

That's really annoying, especially when you've got it "just right"

Interesting that it seems targeted ! Obviously someone else was impressed with it !

 

[chris_n]

I can never understand when people say they can't get on a bike with the saddle at the correct height unless they have a rack with a bag on top etc or they have a severe disability.
With a normal bike you tip the bike over, lift your leg behind and over the saddle then put your foot on the pedal on the far side of the bike and bring the bike upright. You are now in front of the saddle over the crossbar, when you are ready to start you put your starting pedal halfway between straight up and level to the front. You then stand on the pedal lifting yourself onto the seat at the same time as accelerating forwards with maximum force. Step through frames were invented to protect a woman's modesty if she was riding in a skirt.
Sure a dropper post helps when starting off on a steep, loose offroad track when you need to sit to prevent wheelspin (how I use mine) but when on asphalt I never use it apart from some of our silly steep descents.

 

[Cadence]

I can never understand when people say they can't get on a bike with the saddle at the correct height unless they have a rack with a bag on top etc or they have a severe disability.
With a normal bike you tip the bike over, lift your leg behind and over the saddle then put your foot on the pedal on the far side of the bike and bring the bike upright. You are now in front of the saddle over the crossbar, when you are ready to start you put your starting pedal halfway between straight up and level to the front. You then stand on the pedal lifting yourself onto the seat at the same time as accelerating forwards with maximum force. Step through frames were invented to protect a woman's modesty if she was riding in a skirt.
Sure a dropper post helps when starting off on a steep, loose offroad track when you need to sit to prevent wheelspin (how I use mine) but when on asphalt I never use it apart from some of our silly steep descents.

Unlike me, you probably don't have short legs in proportion to your overall height. If you did you would understand the predicament. It was never a problem in the past with normal road bikes, where the bottom bracket was lower and the chain stays sloped down towards it. You could be sure that if you cleared the top tube "stand over" height then saddle height wouldn't be an issue. The arrival of mountain bikes brought a general raising of bottom brackets for extra ground clearance. This meant that you had to set the saddle higher if you wanted to achieve the correct leg extension when the pedals are at the lowest point. Sloping top tubes have also muddied the waters somewhat. I expect to, and do, slope the bike to mount it, but with loaded panniers and the extra weight of battery and motor the increased angle I need over what might be "normal" for someone else gets to become tedious to the point of dangerous. I do know how to get on and off a bike!
I've long thought that manufacturers should quote stand over and BB height with sizing. "Medium" or "18 inch frame" are almost meaningless.
The late, great Sheldon Brown explains it all much better than I ever could:-

Revisionist Theory of Bicycle Sizing

Choosing the right size bicycle frame is more complicated than just measuring your inseam.

www.sheldonbrown.com

 

[Sturmey]

Unlike me, you probably don't have short legs in proportion to your overall height. If you did you would understand the predicament. It was never a problem in the past with normal road bikes, where the bottom bracket was lower and the chain stays sloped down towards it. You could be sure that if you cleared the top tube "stand over" height then saddle height wouldn't be an issue. The arrival of mountain bikes brought a general raising of bottom brackets for extra ground clearance. This meant that you had to set the saddle higher if you wanted to achieve the correct leg extension when the pedals are at the lowest point.............

I understand. I tend to fit a smaller wheel at the back for this reason. At present I have a 26 inch rear on the Carrera Vengence (normally 27.5) and doing similar (26) to another 700c hybrid. They often call this setup a 'Mullet'. An extra advantage to this setup is that 26 rear kits are more plentiful/better choice/cheaper.

PS. small wheel = lower pannier rack height possible

 

[chris_n]

Unlike me, you probably don't have short legs in proportion to your overall height. If you did you would understand the predicament. It was never a problem in the past with normal road bikes, where the bottom bracket was lower and the chain stays sloped down towards it. You could be sure that if you cleared the top tube "stand over" height then saddle height wouldn't be an issue. The arrival of mountain bikes brought a general raising of bottom brackets for extra ground clearance. This meant that you had to set the saddle higher if you wanted to achieve the correct leg extension when the pedals are at the lowest point. Sloping top tubes have also muddied the waters somewhat. I expect to, and do, slope the bike to mount it, but with loaded panniers and the extra weight of battery and motor the increased angle I need over what might be "normal" for someone else gets to become tedious to the point of dangerous. I do know how to get on and off a bike!
I've long thought that manufacturers should quote stand over and BB height with sizing. "Medium" or "18 inch frame" are almost meaningless.
The late, great Sheldon Brown explains it all much better than I ever could:-

Revisionist Theory of Bicycle Sizing

Choosing the right size bicycle frame is more complicated than just measuring your inseam.

www.sheldonbrown.com

Your post sort of illustrates my point, loaded (or even unloaded) panniers do make a substantial difference. I covered that in the first sentence when I mentioned racks and bags. My mate has a rack with a large bag behind and that is a pain to swing your leg over. Saddle height is same as mine but it is much harder to get on.

 

[Nealh]

Droppers are a case of follow the crowd, carried over form the mtbr's.
Another marketing tool for one to waste their money on when in reality they aren't needed.

 

[Nealh]

One doesn't need to swing a leg over a high saddle or rear panniers , esp the last episode must be a clown episode.

Straddle the top tube simply put a foot on a raised pedal , hold the brakes on and use leg power to raise one self in to the saddle at the same time of releasing the brakes and pushing off .

If one is too short in the leg then the bike frame is too large or saddle is too high. Mounting and riding a bike is an easy peasy affair , some how some inexperienced riders seem to make a chore of it.

 

[Kev_w]

I have a similar dropper post on an old Marin trail bike, I found I had to shorten the lever to get it to work when fitted but it works ok, though you'll likely have to assist it back up after a while but still doesn't drop of it's own accord. (my newer Whyte mtb has a lever dropper which is good till it fly's upwards at speed which can be painful)

I'm 5'11" with shorter legs and like my legs to come just short of straight when pedalling.

 

[Cadence]

One doesn't need to swing a leg over a high saddle or rear panniers , esp the last episode must be a clown episode.

Straddle the top tube simply put a foot on a raised pedal , hold the brakes on and use leg power to raise one self in to the saddle at the same time of releasing the brakes and pushing off .

If one is too short in the leg then the bike frame is too large or saddle is too high. Mounting and riding a bike is an easy peasy affair , some how some inexperienced riders seem to make a chore of it.

You just don't get it!How do you propose straddling the top tube without swinging a leg over the saddle? it's that or swing a leg over the handlebars! For someone with shorter legs it's the bottom bracket height that raises the saddle higher. This then becomes a problem getting on if you set the saddle to have the correct leg extension (leg straight when heel is on pedal at it's lowest point). A smaller sized bike won't work because the reach is then too short. BTW I've checked and the bottom bracket on the 16" framed Subway is the same height as the 18" model!
My 90's Claud Butler touring bike has a 21" frame with level top tube and 700c wheels. I have no problem getting on or off it because the bottom bracket is a full 2" lower than the Subway shown above.
Anyway, I didn't ask for, and don't need, any lessons on how to mount a bike, but if anyone has used one of those cheap Meroca dropper posts I'd be grateful for their opinion.