OneUp V2 Dropper Post with OneUp Dropper Post Remote V2 review

OneUp, based out of Squamish in British Colombia, Canada, was founded by three former Race Face engineers committed to making products they wanted on their bikes at affordable prices.

• Best dropper posts
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Although OneUp was made famous by its innovate EDC steerer tube mounted tool, the company’s gone on to make even more products including chainrings, pedals, handlebars and large cassette sprockets before both Shimano and SRAM launched cassettes with super-wide ranges.

OneUp's latest dropper post is as innovative as the EDC tool thanks to the vast range of available diameters, travel options and low stack heights all sold for a rather bargainous price.

OneUp V2 Dropper Post details and specifications

Offered in four drops, from 120mm up to 210mm, and in three different seat tube sizes (30.9mm, 31.6mm and 34.9mm), it’s one of the most versatile posts on the market at the moment.

Not only can the designated travel be reduced by 10 or 20mm using shims, OneUp has also gone to town trying to make its overall height and stack height as short as possible.

This, it claims should help you get your saddle as low as possible, while still being able to raise to the same height as a shorter travel, longer post.

The seat clamp has a two-bolt design that uses 5mm Allen heads.

However, the post’s party piece has to be its height. The 210mm drop post has a maximum measured insertion depth of 311mm, including post actuator and cable ferrule.

The 210mm travel version's minimum possible length to the centre of the seat rails at full height, including cable ferrule, is 554mm – slightly longer than OneUp's claim of 540mm. RockShox' Reverb B1 Stealth 150mm travel post measured 520mm for comparison.

The OneUp's length from the collar to the centre of the seat rail with the post compressed is 35mm and the Reverb's is 60mm, based on 150mm travel.

While minimum insertion depths will be important for people with long legs, maximum frame insertion depths and overall length will be the figure worth the most attention for people with shorter legs looking to size up in post travel.

Be warned, though, that kinks in the seat tube or pivots that intersect the tube can greatly affect the maximum insertion depth of a post.

OneUp Dropper Post Lever V2 compatibility

The post is cable actuated with the cable clamped at the lever end. The OneUp V2 Dropper Post has sealed cartridge internals to help increase service intervals and reliability, and the cartridge is user-replaceable and costs £49.50 / $60. The cartridge can be serviced at home as well.

OneUp’s own Dropper Post Lever V2 is compatible with SRAM’s Matchmaker X system, Shimano’s I-spec-EV and II systems and can also be supplied with a 22.2mm bar clamp. The remote costs £42 / $49.

However, the post is compatible with any cable-clamping remote available from a host of brands and if you already own a cable-actuated post with a remote, it's highly likely the V2 Dropper Post will work with it.

OneUp V2 Dropper Post performance

From the get-go, the V2 Dropper Post has proven to be reliable and have an exceptionally smooth and consistent return speed.

It was easy to set up and fit to the bike, and because the cable is clamped at the lever end, cable length adjustment doesn’t have to be as precise as systems where the cable is clamped at the post end.

Also, the lever and post didn’t appear to be overly sensitive to cable tension, and worked well before any tuning, but finding a sweet-spot certainly helped with performance and reduced lever free-play before the post was activated.

I was particularly impressed with the post’s smooth action. Considering I had a 30.9mm diameter post with a 210mm drop – the thinnest diameter post and the longest travel option – it has remained reliable and flex-free. There’s no more fore/aft play than other droppers on the market, even after three months of total abuse.

There is a small amount of head twist but this doesn’t interfere with the post’s operation and can't be felt when you’re riding. It’s only noticeable if you twist the head on purpose when the post isn’t loaded with weight and is commonly seen across pretty much all other droppers on the market.

The post reliably extended and compressed time and time again with a push of the remote, but after several months there was a sticky section of travel as the very end of the post's shaft travelled past the seat clamp.

I initially thought it needed a service — there are full instructions and step-by-step guides on OneUp’s site — but the air spring actually needed returning to the correct pressure.

After re-inflating the spring, which took all-of five minutes and only required the saddle to be removed, the post returned to its normal, faultless operation.

The lever feels good and, despite me not fitting it with a SRAM Matchmaker, it was easy to get in the right place with the supplied clamp. A Matchmaker clamp is available, though.

The only criticism I could draw is that the remote doesn’t feel as weighty as RockShox' Reverb 1x. However, it hasn’t broken during the testing period and has survived plenty of muddy days without feeling notchy or stiff to operate.

The best thing about this post is how short it is. On my Orange long-term test bike I’ve gone from using a Reverb B1 150mm travel dropper (max insertion depth 310mm / min possible total length including post body and hose fittings at full height 520mm) to a 210mm travel OneUp.

The OneUp's total length is 554mm, an increase of 34mm in length for a travel increase of 60mm. Increasing dropper travel by 60mm is a big deal.

It allowed me to get the post further down on the descents while maintaining the same height with it extended. I was initially scared to jump 60mm in travel, and even persuaded OneUp to send me a shorter travel 170mm post in case the 210mm was too much, but it turns out I needn’t have worried and feel like I should have done this upgrade ages ago!

It’s so good having a post that can go to full height but also drop as low as it’ll go. The change is so drastic that when I ride bikes with shorter travel posts, even when they’re compressed, they feel like they’re kicking me in the backside.

To top it off, the OneUp V2 Dropper Post is relatively inexpensive, costing £221 all in. A Brand X 170mm dropper retails for £169.99 but the OneUp feels like it represents better performance for the cost.

OneUp V2 Dropper Post bottom line

Not only has the OneUp V2 Dropper Post let me extend travel by 60mm from a 150mm Reverb, it has proven to be exceptionally reliable, easy to install and has a silky-smooth operation.

The post on its own is truly worthy of its five-star rating. However, the lightweight remote didn't feel as solid as RockShox' Reverb 1x lever, but it didn't break or its performance reduce during the testing period, I just expected it to feel more robust for £42.

A substantial increase in post travel isn’t quite as revolutionary as the introduction of droppers in the first place, but it’s not quite far off, and I would recommend seriously investigating an upgrade to a OneUp V2 Dropper Post and Dropper Post Remote V2.