Components, Dropper Post, e*thirteen, TRS+ - February 17, 2017

e*thirteen TRS+ dropper post first look

Weight of post itself is 572 grams.

The dropper post market has finally heated up to the point where the supply is starting to meet the demand by consumers. Dominated by $450 hydraulic dropper options in years past, simpler and more affordable posts are finally being introduced. And we’re not talking about primitive posts with a decade-old design either. Riders want better engineering and ergonomics to match up with today’s bikes.

The TRS+ dropper post arrived from e*thirteen and we opened it with anticipation. These avid riders from Petaluma, Ca have introduced quite a few winners lately with their 9-46 11-speed cassette and their grippy TRS tire. They seem to focus on engineering first then ensure that they manufacture it with high quality processes and materials.

Lever paddle has a grippy material bonded to it.

What is it?

It is a 125 or 150mm dropper post with a fully mechanical design. Mechanical cable actuation, mechanical spring and a key to hold and release the post. Thus, it is an indexed dropper with 4 distinct seatpost height positions.

Cable routing is all internal so the frames need to be designed with internal routing. Seat retention is performed by the reliable and easily adjustable two-bolt design.

Seatpost slider seal is easy to clean and service.

The pitch

e*thirteen wanted something with a simple design, fully mechanical, that consumers could service on their own but would rarely have to. And for a reasonable price of $280. With some of the leading posts out there, you’re basically buying a second fork in terms of price and maintenance. The TRS+ post does away with the frills, but keeps the characteristics that riders want, after a few seasons of us all riding these things and getting to know a relatively new component.

A quality lever: Shifter style, adequate leverage on the arm itself, with a smooth pull (theres a bearing in there).

Fast extension: Spring actuated, does not weaken do to a change in pressure, stays consistent.

2-bolt heads are easy to adjust to get the perfect saddle tilt angle.

Minimal play: Something all posts designs struggle with, but quality control in manufacturing and some smart engineering landed us a winning design that keeps the saddle from too much wiggle even in the fully extended position.

Serviceability: T25 bolts on the head, no need for special tools anywhere else, take it apart and clean it after 200 hours or so and you’re good to go. No air cartridge, no hydraulics. Intuitive, simple, reliable.

Bottom of the post reveals internal cable routing attachment.

First Impressions

Burly – Everything about this post speaks quality and robustness. Clydesdales rejoice as this post looks like it was made to handle abuse by aggressive descenders.

Heavy – At 717 grams (with uncut cable housing), it’s no lightweight. This is for the 150mm drop 30.9 diameter model.

Indexed – It’s indexed as opposed to infinite in terms of drop positions. There’s 4 pre-defined saddle positions actuated by the lever. We haven’t used an indexed dropper post in a while so we’ll see how this one works out. We are pleased though that there are 4 positions as 3 simply isn’t enough these these as there’s always debate on where the middle position should be positioned.

Amazing lever – Finally, we’ll comment about this gem. It looks like a thing of beauty, better than most of the levers we’ve seen out there in the market. Size and position are perfect and the the paddle has a grippy material on the surface to aid traction with the glove. The action too is oh so smooth with 3 bearings inside. The barrel adjuster is best-of-breed as well with an easy to grab interface.