FIRST LOOK: Fox Transfer dropper post
Fox have burst back into the dropper post market with the Transfer. Available in 3 lengths of drop, and in two levels, they should find the mark for just about every rider.
Dropper posts are become a standard item on mountain bikes. If you look at bikes on the trail now, compared to 5 years ago, there would be a huge difference in the amount running droppers. And the people with them now would also have less issues with them! Dropper posts have even been used to win XCO World Cups, and Olympic medals.
A dropper post is under continual pressure, and add people landing onto them off drops, getting the design right for a sytem that works as reliably as we would like has taken some time. Most companies have settled on cable actuated hydraulic posts, and this is what major brands like KS use, as do Fox, Bontrager, Lapierre and other brands moving to produce their own models.
Fox already had dropper posts on the market, but they did have some reliability issues, like many manufacturers. The new Transfer has changed all that.
Transfer to the future
So what does the new Transfer offer? Well they come in Factory and Performance models, with either Kashima coats or black anodised finishes on the upper, respectively. The new lever can be used under the bar for 1x setups, and there is an above bar model to run on either the left or right for 2x/3x bikes.
Models are available for internal (stealth) routing, or external if your frame isn't from the dropper era, and they come in 30.9 or 31.6mm models, which sutis the majority of bikes, but not some hardtails.
The blow off valve is big news, as it increases reliability, stopping riders from blowing the seals out on heavy landings – which is a common service requirement for many posts.
With 100, 125 and 150mm drops, there should be a model so suit most riders, with Performance Series posts starting at $459.
We've set a tester up with a Factory post and will have a full review on performance, reliability and servicing in a coming issue.
