Less weight and fewer service intervals, with this new dropper post, from Fox.
Fox has simplified its Transfer dropper post, with a new SL derivative.
This product development is a reaction to demand from the XC riding community, for shorter and simpler droppers.
Fox’s solution is the new Transfer SL, which features an overall design simplification, to trim those grams. As an indication of how successfully Fox’s engineering team managed to lightweight this new SL dropper, it weighs 25% less than an equivalent Transfer.
Read more: the best dropper posts
No air sprung action
How have those grams been saved? The most significant development between Transfer and Transfer SL, is the reconfiguration of its return mechanics.
Where most Fox dropper posts use air, and allow for infinite adjustment, this SL is mechanically sprung and offers only two positions.
For XC mountain bikers, there is little requirement to use intermediate dropper post heights. Fox’s rider research indicated that XC mountain bikers are either riding with their seat fully deployed, or completely dropped.
The result is a lighter dropper post that offers less complexity, without air seals and the associated maintenance burden, over time.
Transfer SL doesn’t go beyond 100mm
Fox has structured the new SL dropper range in diameters and travel grades that will make sense to XC riders, instead of trail and enduro mountain bikers.
If you are on one of those ultralight hardtails with a 27.2mm seat post, there are 50- and 70mm Transfer SL drop options, at 327- and 338g.
For riders on frames with 30.9- or 31.6mm seat posts, which constitute the bulk of mountain bikes, there are 75- and 100mm travel Transfer SLs. The weight range here is between 342- and 359g.
Tall riders, on XL-size frames, are served by a 31.6mm version which is 430mm in length, offering 275mm of maximum insertion. This XL Transfer SL has 100mm of stroke and weighs 399g.
Without an air chamber of hydraulics, the new Fox dropper uses cable actuation, to trigger it into action. There are under and over-bar lever options, too.
Robust, light and reliable. For once, trail and enduro riders might be looking jealously upon the XC crowd’s latest telescopic toy.