This review is admittedly down the rabbit hole. I’m reviewing the drop-bar dropper-post release lever from Shimano’s PRO line … because—well, you’ll see soon enough. I previously lauded Crank Bros. for their drop-bar dropper post lever. I liked the length and shape of the forward-facing lever and the size and angle of the rear-facing paddle. What I wasn’t as crazy about was the angle of entry for the cable and housing, but it wasn’t until I played around with the location of the lever on the bar that I realized how much the socket for the housing forces a bend in the housing and cable, restricting cable movement and the release of the post.
In building up a Time ADHX 45 (Dear Buddha, I swear that’s the name of the gravel bike. Can’t someone just name a bike “Billy”?) that I decided to try using the Shimano PRO gravel bike dropper-post lever. Here’s the thing: At first glance the lever is too short—you can only hook a single finger on it and the angle of the rear paddle is more flat, that is, parallel to the ground, than I’d prefer. But. The angle of entry for the cable and housing causes no binding. With less binding, a single finger can easily release the seatpost from the hood and when in the drop, it’s easy to get both my thumb and index finger on the lever, making that release simple as well.
I’ve encountered levers that were mounted at the bar top, meaning to release the dropper, your hands needed to be in a climbing position. That was flat-out terrible because with the terrain I ride, I move my hands to the drops before I need to drop the post. If I can’t lower my saddle from the drops, then I have to brake, move my hands (and sit up) and then lower the saddle. Just no. And after that, a bit more no. Further, with the riding I do, I still like two chainrings, so using a front STI for the dropper release isn’t an option. To me, the only position for the dropper-post lever is in the left hook of the bar.
At this point, my one knock against this tiny little doodad is that it goes for $75. I can’t figure why it’s so expensive, but they they all run at least $50. My earlier judgment against this thing was flat-out wrong. It’s the best I’ve used, by a longshot.
Final thought: Lordy, I’m tired of being wrong about Shimano components. The number of times I’ve knocked one of their new products only to be proven wrong is just embarrassing.