What are your thoughts on dropper remotes?

This might end up being more of a philisophical question, so bear with me. I’ve run a dropper on my bike for only about the past 4 years. Very shortly afterwards, I started questioning how we ever rode a mountain bike without one. I think it is one of the best advancements in mountain biking in… ever?

Anyways, I’ve only ever used the stock remote. It always worked, so why bother changing it? I recently rented a bike in Squamish that had a wolf tooth dropper remote and immediately it felt better and smoother than my stock remote. But, then I looked up the price and they’re about $100. It isn’t exactly a complicated mechanism, so I’m struggling to justify the upgrade. The stock remote makes the seat go up and down. Is it really worth the money for a new one that also makes the seat go up and down, albeit smoother?

What are your thoughts? Is it worth it to upgrade?

The dropper lever that came on my bike did its job. However I don’t regret spending money on the PNW lever I upgraded to. Yes it’s way smoother action but the adjustability is also a plus. Was able to get in into a lot more comfortable spot to reach with my thumb without moving my hand any on the grip.

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Currently using the OneUp lever which is a bit cheaper than the wolf tooth.

Agree with Lukas, worth it for the adjustability.

But also my previous lever wore out the dropper cable from friction at the pivot point. But the OneUp has a roller bearing so the cable doesn’t wear, plus it’s smoother.

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I’m on the same Wolftooth lever since 2018. It’s still working great after 3 different bikes

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I’m just happy to have a dropper! Stock lever works just fine for me (X-Fusion)

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I’ve also had to change the cable twice so far this season, which is really annoying. Once was a clean break exactly how you describe it… I’m not sure what was wrong the second time. Maybe the cable just came out of the bolt at the remote.

That OneUp looks like a good deal. I may not pull the trigger right away, but if I get another cable problem I’ll definitely replace the remote.

Thanks for the insight!

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Also if you go the OneUp route you could probably get it direct from @a.mart.

@TuffRider The wolf tooth remote is great, but the cost is pretty high for sure. I ran one for years and now run a OneUp like @Rolls.

The Current version of the OneUp lever is vastly better than the original version. I keep the bar mount levers in stock and also sell the adapter clamps to fit the different brake lever mounts. The bar clamp remote is $69 plus tax through Granite Suspension and come with a new cable and housing. I try and keep a couple in stock at all times.

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Good to know. I’ll let you know if I decide to go that route

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I have a OneUp v1 on my old bike, which I think is a similar shape to the current remote but plastic instead of aluminum and I love the feel of it. I’d totally consider one of those were I upgrading.

On my other bike I have the Shimano remote, which I like for the compactness, but the feel and action are pretty meh.