In a market packed with dropper posts that mostly offer the same thing, DT Swiss introduced something different, the D232. We’ve been riding it for a few weeks and this is what we think…
We fell in love with dropper seatposts from the early days and most of our TREAD crew struggle to ride without a dropper. As we explained almost two years ago, it’s quite fine to ride mountain bikes without a dropper, but then your life is essentially incomplete. And nobody really wants that.
It’s pretty much accepted that any type of trail riding or gravity riding requires a dropper seatpost. And of course XCO racing. Nobody really rides XCO, they either practice it or race it. And these days, the XCO courses are hard to conquer without a dropper seatpost, no matter how skilled you are. That leaves just marathon racing/riding, which really is still the majority of the riding/racing in South Africa. And this is where the DT Swiss D232 dropper is essentially aimed – marathon/stage race riders (because almost all XCO racers will already have one).
With 100-120mm of fork travel – and rear travel on full-sus models – these bikes are generally ridden at a moderate to steady pace on relatively predictable terrain. A marathon racer doesn’t necessarily need a lot of seatpost drop because he/she isn’t going down super-steep gradients or off sheer drop-offs. But he/she does need some room to move over and around the bike and that’s why the 60mm of drop on the DT Swiss D232 is about spot on.
There’s a thumb-operated remote lever that’s secured to your handlebar and enables you to either drop the post or return it to its high position. It’s purely mechanical, so is simple to fit and (likely) low on maintenance. This lever is quite discreet, but large enough to find quickly and has a serrated surface for some grip. It fits on the top of the bar and you can choose either a left or right side orientation. There will soon be an under-bar two-stage lever option available in South Africa too.
The D232 comes in 400mm length, but it’s trimable and therefore can fit most bikes, even Extra Small full-suspension bikes (best to first check with the importer – details at the end). It’s available currently 27.2mm diameter, but the 30.9mm diameter is set to arrive later this year. The 27.2mm can be fitted to the 30.9mm diameter seattube with a shim.
What’s different? Well, if you hadn’t yet noticed from the images, the DT Swiss D232 dropper post is inverted, or as DT Swiss calls it, the Upsidedrop… The top part drops over the bottom part, the opposite of most dropper seatposts. Some that saw it, verbally pointed out that it’s upside down with looks that ranged from amusement to awe.
DT Swiss designed it this way so that there can be a simple, but easy-to-use saddle clamp, which has two long bolts, allowing for quite steep saddle angle adjustment. The weight is just 416g, which is near the lighter end of dropper seatposts and makes it viable if you’re a weight-conscious mountain biker – as many committed marathon/stage racers are…
A key factor of this design is that you can fit a standard saddle bag and it’s not affected during the telescopic movements. A more traditional dropper post isn’t really able to accommodate a saddle bag because the bit that fastens around the seatpost is always compromised.
The action is incredibly smooth and easy – the least amount of force we have experienced to activate both down and back up on a dropper post. It’s also silent – no top-up sound that you usually get with a dropper post, which is usually the signal that it’s at full top-up range. Unlike most dropper posts, there isn’t an incremental height option. It’s either up or down.
Is 60mm of drop enough? Considering the type of rider that would fit this dropper post, 60mm is sufficient. It gets the saddle out of the way and allows you move and manoeuvre freely to control where you’re shifting your bodyweight and body position when on steep roll-downs, small drop-offs, technical descents and high speed turns.
At R7500 the DT Swiss D232 at the top end in terms of price, but it is the only brand currently that offers the inverted design.
SUMMARY
With the D232, DT Swiss has delivered a dropper seatpost that’s simple, yet highly effective. The inverted design makes it attractive to those who like to use a saddle bag, making it suitable for marathons and stage races. Also ideal for those wanting to upgrade to a dropper post, but not wanting any kind of complexity.
COST: R7500
WEIGHT: 416g
LENGTH: 400mm
DROP: 60mm
DIAMETER: 27.2mm; 30.9mm
MORE: Find out more from the distributor, RBC, here.
