FIRST IMPRESSIONS REVIEW
The 9Point8 Fall Line Dropper (An Inch Is Everything)
Bike Fit
Fit is a constant compromise between climbing and descending - confidence, control, and comfort - speed when the sport surface is fast and flowy versus salvation when it's jagged and janky. Our dynamic body movements and unstable positions as our suspension compresses and rebounds over terrain, tend to result in colouring over the lines of bike fit.
When it comes to mountain biking, personal preference and human adaptability often override the norms of power and comfort more common in the worlds of road and gravel bike fit. Max saddle drop, bar width, stem length, seat angle and Reach preferences, and now crank length, can vary wildly between two riders with exactly the same proportions.
To explain my passion for 9Point8's off-set head Fall Line Dropper post I need to dip into a discussion that's going to be road and gravel-bike-focused for a moment.
With a stock-length 140mm Manitou Mattoc, my El Roy is a different bike with the 25mm rear saddle offset of the 9Point8 Fall Line post. The previous 78° static seat tube angle, which gets steeper with sag, is now in my happy range.
The 25mm offset is much less necessary with some significant over-forking, though having a range of adjustment is still appreciated. The Arrival A170's Zeb is only 2cm taller than the maximum allowed under Marin's warranty.
As dropper posts are becoming ever more popular with gravel riders, and as road riders start to investigate the potential for safer and more aerodynamic body positions for descending, an ever-increasing number of riders are going to have to choose between good bike fit and the performance advantages of an uppy-downy post. Often these will be riders with proportionally long femurs riding stock, as opposed to custom, frames.
As someone who fits that description, I usually rely on an offset seat post on road and commuter bikes to achieve an optimum fit. Aside from the steepest pitches, I've also found lackluster results producing power on mountain bikes within the super steep seat tube angle (SSSTA) trend that is increasingly common, with 78-80°+ STAs becoming the norm. For me, there are many bikes where an offset-head dropper post has the potential to be experience-changing.
Offset aside, I enjoy the independent fore-aft and tilt adjustments of the Fall Line head unit. It makes it especially quick to dial in fit when changing fork lengths on the El Roy.
One challenge of this design feature is accommodating different saddle rail sizes and shapes. 9Point8 accomplishes this by producing different clamps that can be swapped out.
The folks at 9Point8 are an unapologetic pack of nerds (which I mean in an entirely complimentary way) which means of course there's a graphic to accompany this feature.
This is a conversation that has been coming up for a few years now. Any time I can bend the ear of a dropper post-manufacturer I'm told either that they don't see a demand or in the case of the ever-honest Sacki of BikeYoke that their posts won't pass ISO and EN testing with an offset head. I wish it wasn't the case, as the 27.2 BikeYoke Revive Gravel Dropper is a lovely option. Just currently only for riders that don't require an offset head.
Every time I see my friend, fellow fit fanatic, and owner of many an offset-head-seatpost, Morgan Taylor we seem to spend most of our time commiserating about being left behind by modern bike fit - mountain & gravel. They prefer an even more rearward position relative to the bottom bracket than I do, and in both our cases, talking regularly to other thoughtful cyclists, we're certainly far from being alone.
Fall Line droppers are available in versions with adjustable max stroke from 75-150mm and 175-200mm travel and their lighter-weight Fall Line R with between 75, 100, 125, or 150mm of stroke. But most importantly, all of their posts are designed to be used with a straight or 25mm rearward offset saddle clamp.
The 9Point8 Digit 2.0 remote is made in house but honestly and obviously, inspired by Wolf Tooth’s ReMote. WTC made the Digit 1.0.
It unmistakeably shares elements of the design and construction of the Wolf Tooth ReMote.
In use, 9point8’s significant increase in lever support and more robust construction remind me more of the ReMote Pro.
The One(Up) To Beat
This piece is an introduction to a review of the 175mm travel 9Point8 Fall Line dropper post and I can already say that when an inch of offset is everything, this is the best dropper post on the market.
It's not the best post for the least amount of money. That's going to be an X-Fusion Manic or PNW Rainier Gen 3. It's not beautifully smooth like the BikeYoke Revive, AKA Manitou Jack, and it has nothing on the cold-weather performance or shortest stack height in the business of a Wolf Tooth Resolve. The remote action is excellent, but nothing rivals the Reverb AXS when it comes to light engagement, at this point.
I'd be remiss here in not mentioning the OneUp V2, which is still the post-to-beat for most riders when it comes to maximum drop, minimum insertion height, durability, longevity, smoothness, and product support. There are riders that put in enough miles to eat OneUp posts. They'd be better served by options like the BikeYoke or Wolf Tooth. I know a few of them, but that's not the norm.
The set up is simple with the cable now being tensioned at the remote. 9Point8 posts are still at their smoothest action-wise when there's a little bit of play in the cable.
I still had to trim the head off my cable and use the set screws to capture the cable at the post end as well. The head on my Weldtite 1.1mm stainless cable is just that much taller than a Shimano unit.
Fun future content? It's been years since I opened up a 9Point8 dropper, but the plan is to get inside it as part of my review process.
The Fall Line isn't Wintek-cartridge simple and with a high degree of CanCon and small batch production, it isn't inexpensive. But it's smooth, it's been faultless, and it's much easier to set up now that 9Point8 is using a remote that captures cable as opposed to the cable head. The Digit 2.0 Remote is also one of the nicest I've used. It's stiffer and much more robust feeling than the inspiring Wolf Tooth ReMote, and rivals the new ReMote Pro in these regards as well.
Foreshadowing some upcoming content. Lately, it's been musical forks, chez Major.
When the Arrival A130 swapped for the Manitou Mattoc Pro off my Marinster Truck, well, the rest is likely self-evident.
A good dropper post goes up or down at the push of a button and stays where I tell it. There are a lot of good dropper posts on the market these days. Beyond the ones I've already mentioned I've had great experiences with the Crankbrothers Highline lineup and I know plenty of riders who swear by Fox-Race Face's posts as well.
The best dropper is going to depend on any individual's ordering of criteria. There's no silver bullet option. With no space constraints, no lowest-cost considerations, and opening my own wallet, the Revive/Jack post has the combination of longevity, customer support, and proven performance over many years that make it the standard to argue against for my personal bikes.
The saddle clamping assembly is tall. The seal head area is tall. The cable actuation system is tall. The Fall Line isn't winning any competitions for maximum drop over minimum dimensions. That said, it's the current grand champion of dropper posts with an offset saddle position, and it's been a solid performer besides that.
In the future, months down the trail, I'll have more to say about the Fall Line dropper as an option in general. That's compared to a plethora of other dropper posts I've ridden and serviced. But it's the clear winner today on any bike where an offset saddle is ideal.
While 25mm might not seem like much to folks who don't need it, anyone who's dreaming of pedaling their dropper-equipped gravel, road, or mountain bike from a perch that's posterior to their current position will want to check out 9point8's made-to-order dropper post options.
The 175mm travel unit I'm riding runs 500 CAD for the post with a 25mm offset head, and for those seeking more drop the 200mm version is the same. The Digit 2.0 Remote adds 80 CAD at the time of purchase including a 22.2mm clamp.
Height - Steve Buscemi-ish
Wait - Patiently
Ape Index - T-Rex
Age - The same as DOS
Favourite Trail(s) every week - Pipeline (thank you Ken!) to Lower Crippler (thank you Andy!)
Favourite Song(s) this week - I'm Your Man. Nick Cave (covering Leonard Cohen)
Favourite Colour - Cosmic Lilac
Bar Width - It depends
Reach & Stack & ETT - It depends
Crank Length - 175mm except when it's 170mm
Wheel Size - Hot For Mullets
Comments
kcy4130
9 months, 1 week ago
Is it only for rearward offset? Can it be forward? Several years ago a fwd offset dropper would have allowed me to keep a bike that liked aside from it's 71 or something sta that made it a wheelie machine on any incline.
Reply
Andrew Major
9 months, 1 week ago
Their Fall Line R dropper has the option of a 25mm forward offset head.
They specify them as front and rear offset only. The Fall Line only having a rear option and the R version having both.
I haven’t tried turning the post around and examining why that may be. I’ll find out.
Reply
Vik Banerjee
9 months, 1 week ago
This comment has been removed.
Andrew Major
9 months, 1 week ago
So the offset head is not reversible only because of saddle angle.
You can run the forward offset head with any of their posts. It’s just not a stock Fall Line option, but it works with Fall Line or Fall Line R.
Appreciate the question. I’ll include the info in my follow up as well.
Reply
UFO
9 months ago
My former Balfa 2step FR could have used a forward offset seatpost head. Seated climbing on that thing sucked hard
Reply
the prophet
9 months, 1 week ago
I've got a few 9point8 droppers and love them, especially the offset clamp in this age of near 90 degree STAs. If you're a weight weiner, the R line is hard to beat.
The only issue I run into is with bending saddle rails. The clamps just don't have enough length to support the rails. The rail clamp length on a OneUp post is 10mm longer and this makes all the difference.
I've bent 3 saddles and broken a carbon rail SQLabs on 9point8 posts. Never a problem on a OneUp.
You just need to run a saddle with robust rails, Ergon saddles have been solid so far.
Reply
Andrew Major
9 months, 1 week ago
Great info, thanks. This would likely also be solved by running an oval-rail saddle like my BikeYoke Sagma, which additionally has replaceable rails so I’ll add installing that to my to-do list.
Do you service your own posts, have a shop do them, send them back to 9point8?
Reply
Endur-Bro
9 months ago
I serviced my Fall Line myself after ordering the service kit and tools from 9.8
Also dropped the stroke during the service.
Reply
Andy Eunson
9 months, 1 week ago
I’m thinking about this. My back is stiff right now which is not something I’ve experienced in some years. My Fuel EX has a stupid steep 78° seat tube angle. I think the more upright position is harder on the lower back than my Chameleon which is closer to 73° static. So much garbage analysis or lack thereof from manufacturers on this topic. All I read is:"this is better". Why is steeper better? "Yes" no reasons provided. My analysis is that steep seat tube angles puts a riders centre of mass which is near the belly button in front of the rear contact patch so one doesn’t loop out on steeper climbs. The real answer is longer rear centre for bigger sizes. But different length rear centre costs more to build and design so a manufacturer may lose sales from a higher cost. And every one else is doing it. And magazine writers will often call it progressive geometry. Who says? Just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s better.
Road and gravel bikes need a different fit. You want to have a balanced position where while on the drops or hoods, you’re not leaning on the bars hard. You should be able to take your hands off the bars and hold that position without pedalling harder or engaging core muscles to hold yourself there. A mountain bike fit will be more upright so a further forward saddle position is desired. But too steep a seat angle and you’re balanced when sitting bolt upright. That may be comfortable but it’s not efficient. There is a pseudo myth about needing to put weight on the front wheel to keep from looping out on steep climbs. I say pseudo myth because it’s partly true but what a rider is doing is putting the centre of mass ahead of the rear axle. No one pushes down on the bars during a steep climb. Pretty much everyone will pull back on the bars and lean over. The lean puts the weight a bit forward and allows better pulling back to offset the hard pedalling. Watch World Cup xc. Hard climbs see the riders forearms are parallel to the ground from pulling back. No one climbs a hard trail sitting bolt upright. No one.
Oh. The 9point8 I had on my Bronson a while back had a rebadged Wolftooth remote. Maybe 9point8 are simply making their own copy now?
Reply
Andrew Major
9 months, 1 week ago
Digit 1.0 was made by Wolf Tooth & Digit 2.0 is their own iteration. I did a poor job of capturing the difference but it’s quite neat how the pieces slot together. I’ll do better in the main review or maybe I’ll write a piece called ‘All The Things Drew-Bob Could Have Explained Better In 2023 Part 1’ and submit it!
I’m not telling folks what position works for them. But at the same time I’m a bit tired of folks telling me all the changes I need to make so a super steep seat tube angle (SSSTA) will work for me. I don’t see the benefit.
On the gravel front, people - bike fitters - are telling folks that the current trend towards steeper STAs doesn’t work for them. And if those folks want a dropper - 9point8 is it!
———
What this post does for me is open up a bunch of bikes that I wouldn’t have previously said yes to reviewing due to their SSSTAs. It’s a 30.9, so as much as I hate then super thin shims, I can also run it on 31.6 frames and, of course, 34.9 frames with a properly thick shim.
It’s a tool for other reviews as much as a post I’m reviewing. And in that regard it’s awesome. It’s also awesome as an option for folks who’ve dropped the cash on a SSSTA bike and can’t get a comfortable pedaling position on it. I know a few.
———
The big question for me becomes frame sizing. There are some bikes where the 25mm offset suggests I’d be better on a medium frame than a large because of how the effective top tube grows and how long the Reach is now on many mediums.
I, personally, think on bikes that are going to be pedaled seated under 100% meat-power, if you’re going to size off of just one number the effective top tube is still more valuable than Reach.
Reply
UFO
9 months ago
Agreed on ETT, with the caveat that actual STA also needs to factor in to a degree due to the ETT growing more as the saddle goes up on a slacker actual STA.
As an averaged proportioned rider, as long as the actual STA is reasonable'ish, standard saddle rail adjustment is enough for me to 'take up the slack'
Reply
Mike Ferrentino
9 months, 1 week ago
My pet hypothesis on ultra steep seat angles is that it works better for long travel bikes that sag a couple inches (and therefore slacken a couple degrees) into their travel. Going steeper helps reclaim some lost biomechanics, and also pushes rider weight forward toward the front of bikes that are generally trending longer and slacker.
So, for several years bikethink has been pushing into this steeper seat angle realm, and it is possible that we are reaching "peak seat angle". And yes, longer rear centers help reposition the body-blob displacement - but I am not sure that realization would have taken hold in the marketplace without us going super steep (with short rear centers) first.
As to the biomechanics, I hear you loud and clear. Wrapping up a month on a 78-degree seat angle right now; my lower back and hips are telling me they are not stoked on this arrangement. On super steep grunt climbs, I notice the benefits of the seat angle, but only then. On long grinding mid-grade climbs, or any distance pedaling hard tempo on rolling or flat terrain, the steeper seat angles are not working for me.
Reply
Andy Eunson
9 months, 1 week ago
Makes sense. And I don’t think we want road bike seat angles either. I think a steeper seat tube angle than road bikes are typically is better for mountain bikes. And absolutely one needs to take rear sag into account.
The other thing with every bike having the same rear centre is that it changes the front rear balance as frame size increases. If you do a percentage calculation of a small frame versus an xl when the chainstay length is the same, the weight distribution will be different. So then which will work better? I don’t know.
Reply
Andrew Major
9 months, 1 week ago
Absolutely. It’s all part of the greater mountain bicycle industry’s goal to compute bike geometry down to a single universal construct. One number. 42.
I hear people talk about Jeff Jones or Stooge and complaining those brands only make one frame size and I don’t see small manufacturers trying to optimize their return on investment with a one-size-fits-most approach, I see visionaries twenty years ahead of the game.
Anyway, it’s rad how there’s always plucky little rebels making offset seat posts or low normal derailleurs to suite the handful of folks who need them.
Reply
Fabricio Fracchia
9 months, 1 week ago
What I like most of the 9point8 dropper is when you raise the dropper post, the fork switch to a Zeb. That looks amazing for me :).
Aside of the joke, it's nice to see brands that still have an open mind for developing parts and with good quality.
Reply
Andrew Major
9 months, 1 week ago
I actually prefer having the offset post on my Marinster Truck with the Zeb installed too!
I do more often ride that bike with a shorter travel fork, but I’ve been working on a piece called game of forks about my Arrival experiences and El Roy has been assisting.
Reply
Velocipedestrian
9 months, 1 week ago
I'd prefer the inverse - lower the post for Zeb mode, raise it for Mattoc.
Reply
Andrew Major
9 months, 1 week ago
Maybe I’m misunderstanding, but I’m not raising or lowering the post. I move the saddle rearward more on the shorter travel setup to try and maintain a similar saddle position relative the BB.
I end up with a longer riding position with the shorter travel rig, but that seems to make sense on the trails.
Reply
BadNudes
9 months, 1 week ago
I think they're just poking fun because of the flip-flopping fork photos in a seatpost review ;)
Imagine a seatpost that bumped up your fork travel/stiffness when dropped...
Reply
Andrew Major
9 months, 1 week ago
Hahaha. That went right over my head. Thanks!
Yes, certainly it’s a bit bizarre my photo with the Zeb has the post up.
Reply
Cr4w
9 months, 1 week ago
TBH I'm surprised how steep the ESTA on some modern hardtails have gotten. I generally like steep ESTA but on my hardtail anything over about 75-76 was just too much. It's cool that this is an option though, for those people that want it. I'm surprised there aren't more layback head options for the common posts?
Reply
Vik Banerjee
9 months, 1 week ago
I just bought a fresh 9point8 offset head dropper plus an extra offset head. I now have 3 of them in the fleet. The only dropper equipped bike I don't want/need an offset head on was custom built. They are a game changer for me. I get a little twitchy that 9point8 is the only company making a quality 1" rear offset dropper. If they stop making it that will be painful.
Reply
Andrew Major
9 months, 1 week ago
I think they’ll remain sole-owners of the long-travel offset post head dropper market. It’s just hard to imagine another brand putting in the effort for what’s perceived as a very small number of weirdos who want their effective saddle position more rearward.
What a difference it’s made on the Marin though! I wouldn’t run a different post with the stock 140mm fork and I’d even have to think hard before committing with the 170mm Zeb over-forking.
In general though, I don’t see how RockShox, Fox, and even BikeYoke can push forward with gravel bike spec without having a rear offset head option. A lot of gravel rigs have fairly steep STAs now and once you’re at the extreme of saddle rail adjustment what’s you shop going to do? Credit you the dropper and swap in an offset fixed post? Sell you a different bike with a slacker STA? Let you leave with a sub-par bicycle fit and then have one of your gravel groupies notice?
Every shop selling and fitting gravel bikes should have the Fall Line R in stock.
Reply
SixZeroSixOne
9 months ago
> Every shop selling and fitting gravel bikes should have the Fall Line R in stock.
Doesn't seem to be available in 27.2mm diameter...
Reply
Andrew Major
9 months ago
This is a great point. I always forget how prevalent 27.2 still is with gravel.
Reply
Cooper Quinn
9 months, 1 week ago
10/10 doctors recommend putting a dropper on your gravel bike.
Reply
Brian Tuulos
9 months, 1 week ago
A long travel hardtail with 78* static STA is just dumb. That's a design fail by marin. No wonder it needs a corrective band aid.
Most bikes have reasonable enough seat angles these days that the normal amount of saddle fore-aft adjust should be enough.
Reply
Andrew Major
9 months, 1 week ago
Brian, your comment is missing a “for me” at the end.
As in “Most bikes have reasonable enough seat angles these days that the normal amount of saddle fore-aft adjust should be enough, for me.”
As noted above, there are a fair few bikes that are steeper than I’d prefer even with my saddle pushed back. I’m not alone in this regard.
But, also, as I learned after I wrote that the SSSTA on the El Roy is too steep, there are riders who genuinely prefer 78+ STAs on hardtails. Unsagged? Unsagged! Which means around a degree steeper on most seated climbs. I was surprised, but also not surprised- humans being human and all.
If setback posts were commanding massive sales we’d probably see more companies making them, or STAs getting slacker. But I’m certain 9point8 will sell a fair few setback posts to folks who don’t prefer the STAs on most bikes these days.
Reply
Brian Tuulos
9 months, 1 week ago
The for me, goes without saying. I'm obviously speaking as an individual. That said, this bike is an extreme example of excessively steep STA. I can't think of another bike so radical. Even a 80 STA enduro bike, when climbing, will have a slacker STA.
I've drawn this in cad, Most saddles have up to 15mm of fore-aft slide each direction, which equals a change of 1.8* degree effective STA change, per direction, given an average height.
Lets round down to 1.5 degree. So a typical bike with a 76* STA, has the ability to change from 74.5 - 77.5 just via saddle adjust. Notwithstanding an extreme starting frame geo like your case, a non layback post should accommodate most folks.
Reminds me of the ol raceface XY layback post from back in the day.
Reply
mk.ultra
9 months, 1 week ago
What grips are those? Push ons?
Reply
Andrew Major
9 months, 1 week ago
The grips on the Arrival are Wolf Tooth lock-ons.
The grips on the El Roy are Chromag Wax push-ons.
Reply
Suns_PSD
9 months ago
Put me firmly in the 'loves these steep STA's' category.
For my body type, which is pretty average for the record, A steep sta finally makes both seated and standing reach to the bars feel normal. With old slack STA's if seated reach to the bars felt normal, then while standing I felt like I was hanging way over the front of the bike with entirely too much weight on the hands. Inversely, if standing reach was correct, then seated fit was entirely too stretched out.
Steep STA's also climb infinitely better.
It certainly makes sense on the big travel bikes when used appropriately and soon I'll be testing this on my new Smuggler that will see a bit less aggressive terrain.
Reply
Andrew Major
9 months ago
9point8 also makes a forward offset head version of this seat post, so if you're finding any of your bikes aren't SSST-Angled enough for your liking there's an option.
The point, at least from a mountain biking perspective, isn't to say that one fit is right or wrong, just that since most brands end up marching towards a uniformed geometry chart it's good to have options for folks that fit bikes a different way, or prefer their bikes fit then a different way.
It seems to me that there are lots and lots of options for bikes with super steep seat tube angles, but even more neutral options are becoming less common. If steep is 78-80° now and slack is the old school 71-72° I'm happy with something around the middle of the two as a starting point and then use my saddle rails from there.
The reason I love this post is it makes those 78-80° bikes more enjoyable for me.
-------
I'll note those are all full suspension numbers. It's my belief that for the same application, a hardtail should have a -2° STA and HTA compared to an FS bike. The rule of -2° if you will.
Reply
Please log in to leave a comment.