Silky smooth remote is sold separately

One Up Dropper Post V2 has upped the ante and added two extra lengths (180 and 210mm) to the range and some tweaks to the internals and remote lever.

>>> Best dropper posts in 2020

One Up claimed its original dropper post (now known as the V1) was the shortest, long-travel dropper post on the market. What this meant was it had the lowest ride height and shortest insert depth, allowing you to squeeze a longer dropper post in your frame. The new V2 continues this theme.

To keep things simple and limit set-up hassles, the One Up Dropper Post V2 is cable operated. It’s routed from the bottom up, which means the cable nipple is held in an insert at the bottom of the post and is then anchored at the remote. One Up actually sells the remote separately (so the price above doesn’t include it) which means you can run a compatible third-party remote if you choose. One Up’s remote offers four different options (two Shimano, one SRAM and a stock bar mount) and they are all £42. The remote is nicely machined, has a textured paddle to enhance grip and runs on a silky-smooth cartridge bearing.

The post itself also uses a cartridge design, but in the sealed, hydraulic sense of the word. This is more reliable and easily replaceable should you have a problem – One Up sells spares for £60 a pop.

Although there are four lengths offered, each once is adjustable in 10-20mm jumps by inserting some small guide rods into holes machined in the side of the shaft. This is actually about a 10-15 minute job and is something you can do at home – the parts and instructions are included in the box.

Another simple set-up feature is the saddle clamp, which has slots that allow the upper clamp to just slide in and out without having to totally dismantle everything. I actually found the One Up Dropper Post V2 one of the easiest posts I’ve had to install, and I’ve fitted most models on the market.

Initially the V2 didn’t return to full extension and on the first ride I had to manually pull it, but it bedded in and is now working as intended. I noticed there is quite a lot of lever travel for it to activate, so you may struggle if you have small hands and it also doesn’t feel the smoothest when it’s going up and down, but again, it has started to feel a little smoother with use.

One of the things I sometimes notice with longer 170mm droppers is there’s quite lot of flex in the shaft, but that’s not been the case here – with One Up’s increased bushing overlap there’s minimal fore/aft play.

In an ideal world you want to run the longest dropper you can, but often the limiting factor is the lack of space between the frame and the seat and also in the frame itself, especially if you have an interrupted seat tube or any suspension hardware in the way. I ride a large frame and my current post is a 160mm drop, but i managed to get a 180mm drop One Up post in there. And that extra 20mm has made a world of difference – the saddle is a lot lower for jumps or riding steep stuff. I can also put the saddle up to my ideal climbing position without have to extend the post and I can get all of it in the frame, so it looks way cleaner. If I didn’t have enough space with One Up’s design, I could also tweak the travel, which makes it one of the most versatile I’ve tested. It’s also lightweight for post with this much drop, the quality and finish are top notch and it is fantastic value for money. This is one of the longest droppers I’ve tested, but it’s one of the best and easily deserves top marks.