The KS Vantage dropper post offers a premium experience without the accompanying price tag, providing a fast returning and easily actuated drop with virtually zero play.
Easy-to-use travel adjustment enables you to set your preferred saddle height without sacrificing dropper insertion, meaning you can make sure your saddle is completely out of the way on descents.
The Vantage sits outside the top-flight KS Lev range, but features the brand’s TravelTune adjustable-travel technology that enables you to alter the overall length of the dropper.
110mm to 140mm-travel posts have an insert depth of 247mm, while the 140mm to 170mm post has an insert depth of 277mm.
The post is available in two diameters – 30.9 and 31.6mm – with my test post being the latter, with 140mm to 170mm of travel.
The Vantage is designed to work on bikes with internal cable routing and is priced competitively at £159.99.
KS Vantage specifications
The TravelTune technology enables you to adjust the post’s travel by 30mm in 1mm increments.
This is done by turning a bolt under the saddle, on the top of the post, with an Allen key. It gives the seatpost ranges of 110mm to 140mm, 140mm to 170mm and 180 to 210mm.
KS says this helps riders who share a bike or those who use the dropper on various bikes.
The brand says the 31.6mm-diameter post I tested has an insert depth of 277mm and weighs 613g.
On our scales, the post weighed in at 655g, with the remote 42g.
Precision keyways have been engineered into the interface of the upper and lower halves of the post to improve alignment and stability.
KS says this reduces friction and wear by providing a more secure connection that enables better sealing of the post to prevent water and grit ingress.
The Vantage also uses a self-purging hydraulic system, meaning you won’t need to worry about bleeding the post.
The dropper is sold without a lever, but I used it with KS’ budget-friendly Westy 2.0 remote, priced at £34.99.
KS Vantage performance
Installation and setup
I found the KS Vantage easy to set up, with little mechanical skill needed to hook the inner cable to the bottom of the post.
The cable then threads through the frame and connects to the Westy 2.0 lever. It is held taut using a hidden 2.5mm Allen key bolt on the underside that clamps the cable in place.
The saddle angle is easy to adjust using the in-line bolts, making it easy to find the right pitch for a comfortable climbing position.
Positioned on the top of the post, the TravelTune was difficult to adjust with the saddle in place, and I found altering the travel had to be done before installing the saddle.
The adjustment itself is easy and accurate, with each turn of the Allen key resulting in a 1mm increase or decrease in the post’s overall length.
On the trail
Out on the trails, I found the Vantage easy to actuate and quick to drop, enabling me to get the saddle out of the way quickly for downhill sections of trail.
The post returns to the seated position with good and consistent speed, which means you don’t stand on the pedals too long waiting to rest again.
This overall speed and accuracy gives the Vantage a premium feel and reduces fatigue on tired legs and cold thumbs.
The Vantage’s solid feel remained throughout the test period and there was virtually no rotational movement noticeable between the top and bottom portions of the post.
The dreaded dropper squish never developed, with the post retaining its box-fresh vigour up until the end of testing.
I was less of a fan of the KS Westy 2.0 remote, with the lever itself having a lot of vertical movement and feeling cheap.
The lever's shape also irritated me, with the sharp leading corner pressing against my thumb on rough descents.
How we tested | Dropper posts
For this test, Nick took to his local forest to use the posts on undulating terrain trails where droppers prove most useful and are actuated more often.
Weather ranged from dry and sunny to cold and frankly miserable days, where dropper post imperfections can quickly frustrate weary heads and remotes prove difficult to use in the cold.
The droppers were all used in a medium-sized enduro bike, with inner and outer cables replaced for each post to ensure accuracy and repeatability.
Each post was set to a saddle height with full leg extension, and the bars were cleaned before installing the remote to avoid slippage.
Droppers on test
- Magura Vyron MDS-V3
- X-Fusion Manic
- OneUp V3 Dropper Post
- Tranz-X EDP01
- PNW Loam Dropper Post
- Crankbrothers Highline 11 Dropper
- RockShox Reverb AXS
- KS Vantage
- KS Lev Circuit
KS Vantage bottom line
KS, the pioneer of modern dropper posts, has created a fast and accurate post that feels on a par with offerings that cost twice as much.
There’s very little negative to say about the post, and considering its price, it should be on anyone’s upgrade list.
The same cannot be said about the Westy 2.0 remote, so make sure you pair the Vantage with a more ergonomic lever.
Product
| Brand | ks |
| Price | 160.00 GBP |
| Weight | 655.0000, GRAM (170mm / 31.6mm) - plus 42 for remote |
Features
| br_seatpostDiameter | 31_6mm |
| br_remote | Not included |
| br_travel | 170.0000 |
| br_travel | MILLIMETER |
