Magura Vyron MDS-V3 dropper seatpost review

Magura’s Vyron MDS-V3 feels like a premium bit of kit, with excellent ergonomics promising to rival the best wireless droppers.

Unfortunately, its delayed response and slow return speed let down its performance significantly.

Magura was the first brand to release a wireless dropper post, with the MDS-V3 being the third generation of this model.

Despite being first to the market, the Vyron has always struggled to gain dominance in the segment, battling against the best dropper posts, such as the RockShox Reverb AXS.

Magura says the new model has been built from scratch and now offers it with 125mm, 175mm, 150mm or 200mm of travel.

Magura Vyron MDS-V3 specifications

Each post features 25mm of travel adjustment, enabling you to find the correct saddle height whatever your frame. This means the 125mm post can be set to 100mm.

As you’d expect, the post is available in 30.9mm and 31.6mm-diameter options.

My 175mm, 31.6mm test post topped the scales at 718g, with the remote weighing 55g.

Compared to its wireless rivals, the Magura Vyron MDS-V3 is priced competitively at £499 / €579.90.

As with other wireless droppers, the Vyron uses Bluetooth connectivity to send a signal between the remote and the post.

This means it can be slid in and out of multiple bikes without worrying about rerouting internal cables.

The post uses a self-bleeding cartridge that should fend off the dropper sag that can occur when oil and air mix in the post.

Travel adjustment features on the underside of the post, with interchangeable immersion caps used to set the post to predefined lengths.

Unlike other wireless dropper posts, the Vyron uses a non-rechargeable CR2 battery to power the post, which Magura says should last for a year. The remote takes a CR2032 coin battery.

Magura says the post has an IP67 rating, meaning it can withstand short periods of immersion in water. This should cover all but bicycle bog snorkelling enthusiasts.

Magura Vyron MDS-V3 performance

Installation and setup

Setting up the Vyron is an easy process, with the post only needing to be slid into the frame and the remote mounted to the bars.

Before every ride, the post must be turned on via a button on the post head.

While this is one more step than most wireless droppers, it ensures the battery doesn’t get depleted when transporting your bike.

The post has an auto-off feature, which turns the dropper off if it has been stationary for a period of time.

The remote attaches neatly to the bars using the included C-clamp, but can be mounted directly to Magura’s brakes using its Shiftmix adaptor.

Mounting the saddle posed little fuss, with the sleek head sitting between the rails and clamping them with ease.

Adjusting saddle pitch was simple, and the post offers plenty of adjustment for steep or slack seat tube angles.

On the trail

The first thing I noticed when using the Vyron was the delay between pressing the lever and the dropper activating.

This was most noticeable when slamming the post to the bottom of its travel, and I found myself needing to be seated longer for the post to actuate, before standing up to tackle descents.

On trails with undulating terrain, this feels inefficient, and I was hesitant to drop the saddle on short linking descents, where I’d normally get the saddle out of the way.

I also found the return speed to be much slower than its rivals.

The ergonomics of the lever are among the best I’ve tested, with just enough resistance to know when you’ve summoned a drop.

It also feels like a quality bit of kit to use, with very little play between the top and bottom of the post.

I prefer the thinner head design over the more bulky RockShox Reverb AXS and KS Lev Circuit equivalents.

Magura Vyron MDS-V3 bottom line

Magura’s Vyron MDS-V3 has great ergonomics that deserve good function to match.

However, the delayed actuation and slow return speed make it a pain to use on undulating trails.