REVIEW
Wolf Tooth's Resolve Dropper Post
From Minnesota, With Gloves
The Resolve is an unapologetically premium dropper post. Ultra smooth. Fully serviceable. Well supported with all the individual components sold separately, as part of Wolf Tooth's Right To Repair policy. It has the lowest above-the-seal-head stack height of any post on the market, and it's the only post that's sniffing around OneUp's hegemony as the shortest dropper with the longest travel.
Of the ways Wolf Tooth's Resolve sets itself apart from its competition in the premium dropper post market, cold weather performance is the most obvious. Thanks to its design and the use of Red Line LikeWater 0W suspension fluid, performance is more consistent than any dropper post I've used.
Apart from being quite delightful to work on, cold weather performance is a standout feature of the Wolf Tooth Resolve.
That's not going to matter to every mountain biker, but if it does this is the dropper post. Photo: Steve & Megs
Even if I never regularly rode in the cold, this is the smoothest dropper post I've used at any temperature, even compared to other very slick options like a freshly serviced Revive or Transfer.
Now, you might be thinking that if it goes up and down and stays where it's told, a dropper post has done its job. I agree. There are plenty of options that come in at half the price of the Resolve. But for folks who like nice things, and have the budget, it's worthy of consideration in terms of performance, design, and manufacturing quality.
I've used the Resolve with a Wolf Tooth Light Action ReMote, my old Fox DOSS remote, and the new more adjustable ReMote Pro.
Same spot as above, about a month later. That tiny sign is the builder politely asking folks not to braid or modify the trail.
Expansively Serviceable
The Resolve dropper self-purges any air in the system every time it telescopes, and performance has been very consistent. There have been two times after driving on the back of my rack that the post has been very spongey. In both cases, it was just a matter of cycling the post through its travel a couple of times and it was back to rock solid.
I'm intimately familiar with the rebuild process at this point. This post started out at 200mm of travel and I've also run it at 185mm and 175mm before arriving at the current 170mm drop position. The Resolve is not as fast and easy to work on as BikeYoke's but a fully teardown service is easy enough thanks to Wolf Tooth's excellent instructions.
For a more complete look inside, please check out my previous Teardown & First Impressions submission.
The unique 'cradle' head design has dropped pivoting inserts in lieu of a lower clamp. Wolf Tooth includes the only uncommon tool required, to remove the head unit, with every post.
This makes for the shortest clamp stack height on the market, and the shortest dropper post for a given travel when measured from the bottom of the seal head to the center of the rails.
Manufacturing quality is excellent. I love the full serviceability. It is more intensive that just lubing some seals, replacing worn keys, and swapping out a Wintek cartridge.
Travel adjustment happens 5mm at a time. I never managed to do it without losing significant amounts of oil. I had plenty of room for the 200mm drop on my frame, I just prefer the saddle to only travel around 170-180mm.
Post diameter can be swapped between 30.9 and 31.6 by just buying a readily available outer tube. They also make four different sizes of keyway anti-rotational pins to keep the post tight over years of ownership.
Being from Minnesota, cold weather performance is a key consideration. Red Line LikeWater 0W suspension fluid, coupled with the Resolve design lets Wolf Tooth fill the niche of best cold weather dropper post.
Knock, Knock
If there's one factor with the Wolf Tooth Resolve that's going to be polarizing, it's the obvious knock at both full extension and bottom out. This is something I really liked about my original Fox DOSS post. While it's loud in the shop, out on the trail I welcome the obvious indication that my post is fully up or down.
It is a bit of a head trip going back and forth between the Resolve and the all-but-silent Revive/Manitou Jack I'm running on my other bikes right now, or my daughter's OneUp V2 for that matter. I'm not here to tell you whether you prefer a post that audibly articulates its position or one that comparatively whispers, just to note that the Resolve is the former.
The Wolf Tooth audibly tops out on return and knocks when it bottoms out. This is by design and while I imagine most riders will appreciate it or be indifferent, it will surely bother some riders.
The post continues to impress me with its smooth action. I'm looking forward to following up on this review down the trail when it's actually due for a full service and a bump up to the next size of keyways.
At 530 CAD | 380 USD without a remote, the Resolve isn't going to be for every rider. For comparison's sake, two other favourite posts these days are a OneUp V2 dropper that runs 300 CAD | 230 USD and the BikeYoke Revive which bolts on at the same price as the Wolf Tooth comparing similar travel options.
For that investment, plus routine service as required, the owner is getting a dropper post that they could very well have forever. Most riders I know have settled out in the 160-200mm dropper post range, depending on height, and the Resolve has the small parts support to keep things smooth and tight.
There are certainly great dropper posts that are less expensive, but for those interested in the unique lowest-stack-height design, full serviceability, and smooth performance at any temperature there's more information at Wolf Tooth Components.
Comments
Skooks
1 year, 1 month ago
This does sound like a nice piece of kit but compared to a one up post, the $230 premium, more complicated service, and likely more expensive replacement parts, the numbers just don't add up. I guess I'm a member of the "if it goes up and down and stays where it's told, a dropper post has done its job" club.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
The Resolve is a significantly more sophisticated and serviceable piece of kit, in the same vein as the Revive but this is why I specifically mentioned the OneUp V2. Folks who are happy enough with their OneUp and who aren’t concerned with improved cold-weather performance are less likely to appreciate the value.
There are less expensive posts, but the OneUp seems to occupy a sweet spot in support, quality, performance, and price.
Folks in the position of looking for a smoother, nicer, more rebuildable option over min-maxing price are likely to appreciate the Wolf Tooth. It also has the potential to be a long term value winner but I’ll follow up in a year or two.
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Vik Banerjee
1 year, 1 month ago
If WT offered a ~1" setback head they'd have my attention and probably my money at some point as my current droppers age.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
I've brought it up with a number of brands. Especially with set-back being so key with fitting road and gravel bikes where the dropper post market is growing (and with those posts often sharing heads with the mountain bike models). I'm trying!
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Vik Banerjee
1 year, 1 month ago
Thank you.
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rotorburn
1 year, 1 month ago
I like the OneUp, but I was coming from terrible experiences with Reverbs (I'm still mad), and an arguably even worse experience with a 9Point8.
The OneUp does a few things well: cheap, very easy to service, available parts in Squamish and good friendly support, etc.
What I find it doesn't do so well is the finer points of the engineering side. My biggest issue is that the brass keys jostle around in the aluminum pocket, which is just bare aluminum. That wears down the aluminum (to an oxide, probably) mixed in with slickoleum, creating what looks to me like a grinding paste that then rubs on the outside tube and on the bushings and generally creates havoc.
I've had to epoxy the keys in place a couple times, which helps, but that's pretty heavy handed. Now I'm dealing with wear on the outer tube. You can rotate the tube to have it wear on new keyways, but this whole situation kind of rubs me the wrong way (groan).
I think I'd be happy to pay the money for the Wolf Tooth version, but I'd love one that requires less maintenance. At least the one-up maintenance is like a 7 minute job.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
Just a quick note on maintenance. It’s not going to take you any longer to do the basic keyway and seal clean you’re doing on your OneUp on a Wolf Tooth or BikeYoke post.
The cartridges are sealed.
The only thing that’s more time and tool intensive is changing the travel.
The difference is that the cartridges on these posts are rebuildable. How often does it need to be done? I’d add it to my yearly maintenance plans. Most people will likely stretch it longer. Parts are available separately if the interval gets stretched too far.
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mk.ultra
1 year, 1 month ago
I love my Brand-X Ascend XL.
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HollyBoni
1 year, 1 month ago
I was thinking the same when I bought my OneUp, but now it's starting to drive me mad with it's rough actuation, tons of slop (even with the largest diameter keys), creaking, and constantly pushing out grease past the seal. And when the cartridge goes, I'll have to buy a new one.
Personally i'm kind of kicking myself in the balls for not paying a bit more up front.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
How many years, how many hours? I find the cartridges generally outlast the acceptable-performance chassis life (play, seal, etc) but the posts run quite well for quite a long time - actually working on a piece about it.
It’s at the point that a Revive or, I suspect, this Resolve, would he getting a full overhaul that a OneUp is rather getting replaced. It’s too bad there isn’t a middle ground, but building true serviceability into a product does add cost.
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HollyBoni
1 year, 1 month ago
I just checked and I ordered the post at the end of November in 2021. Not sure how many hours I have on it. Most of the symptoms started when the post was new or after just a few months.
I just don't get why this post gets sooooo many super positive reviews. In some aspects the random rebranded stock dropper that came on my bike was better than the OneUp.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
The shop I wrench at part time sells a lot of OneUp posts compared to everything else. The price point is good enough, and there’s the appeal of everyone locally wanting the most travel they can fit in their frames.
And, this is absolutely not meant as an insult, for the number of hours most folks put on their mountain bikes a year the OneUp V2 is perfect. It’s a multi-year purchase that’s easy to maintain. It then gets replaced when, down the trail, the chassis and cartridge wear out.
Lots of “I’ve had this post for years without issues!” and it also helps that OneUp’s customer service is generally excellent.
There are folks to whom I always strongly recommend the Revive, generally with less travel, and now would also recommend the Resolve. That’s because the cost difference is easily going to be covered by their experiences.
For those that prefer a Wintek cartridge arrangement rather than a rebuildable cartridge I’ve found the Crankbrother’s chassis life to be very good as well.
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HollyBoni
1 year, 1 month ago
Yeah I was drawn to the travel, and all the positive reviews. I have a cm or maybe a bit more post showing from the frame, so i'm sure I could easily fit a 200mm dropper from other manufacturers and not really notice the reduction in travel. And yeah the price of something like a Revive seemed high, but looking at it now it's not that bad if we factor in that it's fully serviceable, but now I spent all that coin on the OneUp... I'm just getting so fed up with everything creaking and needing constant attention on my bike, i've been thinking about buying a cheap used hardtail. :)
In terms of play and just overall smoothness, what do you think is better? The Revive/Jack or the Resolve? It looks like the Resolve uses less keys (4 vs 6?), do you think that's an issue?
Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
It's hard not to think that the Resolve is going to be fantastic long term. I'm not worried about the number of keyways, it's remained tight thus far, there are multiple keyways options when the time comes and an outer tube is readily available if/when I get there as well. That said, this is the only one I've seen and they're still relatively new to the market.
I've worked on plenty of Revive/Jack posts in a variety of states. I've seen a couple with issues that BikeYoke customer service was helpful with resolving, but by and large they're a high-quality product with excellent longevity. Not perfect - what is? - but easy to recommend for the best possible result assuming a rider isn't trying to maximize drop in the shortest package.
So yeah, in your particular case, I'd recommend a Revive/Jack over anything else just based on product history. But if you needed the dimensions of the Wolf Tooth in order to run a 200mm dropper I'd think it would be a great choice based on my experience thus far and with other Wolf Tooth products.
Hope that helps!
TristanC
1 year, 1 month ago
> If there's one factor with the Wolf Tooth Resolve that's going to be polarizing, it's the obvious knock at both full extension and bottom out. This is something I really liked about my original Fox DOSS post. While it's loud in the shop, out on the trail I welcome the obvious indication that my post is fully up or down.
> > It is a bit of a head trip going back and forth between the Resolve and the all-but-silent Revive/Manitou Jack I'm running on my other bikes right now, or my daughter's OneUp V2 for that matter.
Is a Revive knocking not normal? I have two and they both make big, solid clunks at both the bottom and the top of the stroke.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
I’m not trying to say that it isn’t obvious when the Revive is fully extended or compressed, and all things are relative I suppose, but the only post I’ve ridden that’s as obviously there-there as the Wolf Tooth is the original Fox DOSS.
The Revives that I’ve ridden recently (Manitou Jack / Revive 185 / Revive 80mm gravel) are all very smooth and comparatively mute. It’s possible that if your posts are older the ones I’m on have update top/bottom bumpers - running improvements are common in living products.
If you have a chance to try some friends Revive/Jack posts I’d be curious what you experience.
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FlipSide
1 year, 1 month ago
" the only post I’ve ridden that’s as obviously there-there as the Wolf Tooth is the original Fox DOSS. "
I understand you never had the pleasure of riding a Gravity Dropper post and appreciate its brutally undamped coil-sprung return action?
Agricultural tech, but ready for the zombie apocalypse (except maybe for the flimsy remote). :)
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
I have hundreds and hundreds of hours on Gravity Dropper posts, actually. Most of them with a Fox DOSS remote hooked up. I loved and hated the GD co-equally and don’t think of it as a modern dropper the way I can talk about a DOSS or even a first-gen Reverb but rather something from a parallel evolution.
I certainly wouldn’t compare it in an article to any current dropper, knock or otherwise, but to your point I also could have - in talking about the knock - referenced my hours on the e13 TRS+. Which also was an evolutionary dead end.
Here’s a couple proof of life shots of the GD + DOSS remote:
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FlipSide
1 year, 1 month ago
Ah! Very cool!
I agree the GD has its place in the history of dropper posts, but is probably out of place in a discussion related to modern droppers. :)
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mk.ultra
1 year, 1 month ago
What breed is this doggo?
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
That’s Mischa. The breed is Kelpie or Australian Kelpie. Best trail dog ever. Great personality too. She’s sadly no longer with us but I have some great stories.
She was my friend Mr Lungtastic’s dog.
psyguy
1 year, 1 month ago
My bike came with an ethirteen post which I ended up replacing with a OneUp for more drop. The ethirteen found a new home on my fat bike. The coil spring of that post has been perfect for freezing temp usage.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
Old TRS+ post then? Have one kicking around. It’s too bad they didn’t do a next gen. A heavier spring rate and a head like the Wolf Tooth instead of their silly brass key and I think it would have been a hit with a lot more riders.
psyguy
1 year, 1 month ago
Post is from 2018. At first it didn't like going to full extension, but once I opened it up I discovered a part that wasn't fully screwed in. Once that was snugged up it's been snappy and bomber ever since with no love given to it. It's the only ethirteen part that came on that bike (Jeffsy) that's lasted. Considering how simple and mechanical that post is, I don't think it'll die any time soon. The saddle does wiggle, but that doesn't bother me and I actually like the bit of movement. On my trail bike I have an SQ Labs active saddle with the elastomer removed, so I like some movement there. I think I actually learned about removing the elastomer from you. It was one of the writers for this site. Definitely the way to go with that saddle.
Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
Two comments on the TRS+. First, stay on top of keeping the head unit tight (6mm or 8mm hex key on top depending on the generation). Play in the shaft is fine, play in the head can go badly.
Also, if you want the return to be a little more positive you can pull the spring and stretch it out a bit. I did this with the post I reviewed and a next generation version that I had.
-
Most likely that was from a piece about SQLab saddles that I wrote. I still do that to this day including with the newest Infinergy 60X I'm riding right now.
papa44
1 year, 1 month ago
I get a solid knock out of my revive too, I even emailed Sacki about it thinking I had an issue and he reassured me it’s normal. Maybe they updated them?
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
Quite possible. I had rebuilt a number of Revive posts but it’s only more recent examples that I have the kind of hours on to be putting together comparisons.
Again, I don’t find it at all on the Wolf Tooth, but it is significantly more obvious than the Revive, comparatively.
If you check out my Revive/Jack teardown photos you will notice the rubber bumpers. The 27.2 ‘gravel’ Revive is also significantly more damped at each end even though it jumps through its 80mm travel.
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TristanC
1 year, 1 month ago
From your teardown:
I've only serviced mine once, but I don't recall seeing that annular bumper on the left, just the foam ring on the right. I miscounted, I actually have three Revives - all 185mm - early 2019 (ø31.6mm), early 2020 (ø30.9mm), and late 2022 (ø30.9mm). The late 2022 came straight from BikeYoke, so I assume that has all the up-to-date parts, but it clunks like the rest.
Not that I mind it! I appreciate the solid "BONK" that lets me know when it's all the way down or all the way up. I only don't like it when I'm trying to quietly work on my bike in the basement.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
Thought about this a lot on my ride yesterday (on the Jack/Revive) and the post is positive - I can feel it bottom/top - and I want to be sure I’m not coming across as saying it’s vague. That would drive me nuts.
It’s just that the bottom and top feel/sound significantly more damped than the Wolf Tooth.
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Chad K
1 year, 1 month ago
I feel that this has been discussed enough now, but I'm just going to second what Andrew is saying. Revive and Resolve both have audible knocks when putting the post fully up/down at high shaft speeds. The Resolve is notably louder and makes more noise at full extension/drop at slower shaft movements speeds than the Revive
Briain
1 year, 1 month ago
You really are putting out reviews when I'm looking at buying components. Your Hayes Dominion review convinced me to get a set, they really are great. I was curious about the difference in head and collar height between this a oneup and the revive. I've been trying to get the saddle a little lower. Currently running a 170mm reverb but is about 10mm up from the collar
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
The OneUp is absolutely shorter below the seal head, for folks with a kink in their seat tube, and the Wolf Tooth has the shortest stack (seal head and clamp) by a little bit for folks with straight seat tubes trying to maximize drop. It’s really close but I’ve communicated with a couple riders who, price aside, chose one or the other based on millimetres above or below.
Ye olde measure thrice, buy once.
I promise I’m not trying to help you lighten your wallet. No time table for these things - I submit something when I have thoughts to share. As with my three-year revisit to the Dominions, I’m looking forward to hitting back on this post down the trail when it desperately needs keyway inserts and I can talk more about longevity in regards to seals and anodizing.
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Velocipedestrian
1 year, 1 month ago
>OneUp is absolutely shorter below the seal head, for folks with a kink in their seat tube, and the Wolf Tooth has the shortest stack (seal head and clamp) by a little bit for folks with straight seat tubes trying to maximize drop.
I like the competition for shortest length taking different approaches, as the dropper market evolves (R'n'Ds) we all stand to win.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
At the very least shorter riders wanting to run the longest post they can before their tire hits their seat all win! Hahaha.
I suspect that fit most riders the above/below stack vs. insertion depth is just academic?
I probably should have mentioned the Wolf Tooth post is among the lightest in the market comparing max travel to comparables. It’s just not something I really care about.
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Velocipedestrian
1 year, 1 month ago
I was disappointed to go back to 180mm on the Rifty, but the 210s longer insertion hit the seat tube kink even shimmed to 190mm.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
I’m happy around 170mm so not a concern for me, but yes the Rifty would do well with a straighter seat tube. Especially the smaller sizes.
Velocipedestrian
1 year, 1 month ago
Reply to Andrew?
The 27.5 Rifty has a straighter seat tube. I was half tempted to go that way and mullet.
Briain
1 year, 1 month ago
No that's good to know. I'm looking for the shortest above the seal head measurement. I didn't realize the reverb was so big till it was parked beside a oneup dropper. I don't mind paying for a dropper if it saves me money in the long run on maintenance. The reverbs are fine as long as you accept it's gonna need a full strip down once a year usually as it starts to cool down
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Offrhodes42
1 year, 1 month ago
I went the Reverb AXS route this winter, but if for some reason I go back to a cable actuated post the Wolf Tooth is at the top of the list. I have become a huge fan of their chainrings, headsets, levers, and my son likes their silicone grips. Our family is on the edge of fanboy status.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
I quite like the Reverb AXS performance wise. I do think they would have done well to have their revive function external like the, well, Revive or automatic like the Wolf Tooth.
With a lubed housing, ReMote Pro, or ReMote Light Action, or my DOSS remote the Resolve is so smooth and light to actuate but the AXS is still notable lighter.
I’m just really not down with more batteries in my life. It’s enough work remember to charge or replace the ones I already deal with.
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Endur-Bro
1 year, 1 month ago
Nothing like hopping on my road bike to realize the Di2 battery is either inside the house or worse; dead from sitting on the bike all winter.
I would be less than happy to drive to the trailhead only to find out my AXS batteries are at home.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
I probably shouldn't enjoy it as much as I do (I know, I'm a bad person) but every time a friend's AXS derailleur or dropper dies on the trail I can't help but laugh (and laugh, and laugh). Especially as most my friends seem to run one or the other, so swapping a battery long enough to set seat height or get in a preferred gear isn't an option.
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Timer
1 year, 1 month ago
Regarding the cold weather performance, I'm wondering if this comes with any disadvantages in really hot weather?
Hard to test on the shore, I admit. But there might be some second hand info to be gained.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
Hadn’t really considered it. If I notice anything weird I’ll certainly report back. If the post gets faster than I like I’d just run less air and it’s hard to imagine the fluid getting too thin - need someone to leave a bike on their roof rack in Phoenix and then report back.
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Peter
1 year, 1 month ago
If anything is a good indication it is the original Reverb. It was shit in cold and warm equally. If we follow the analogy the WT post should be ok in the warm :D
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
Hahaha. I’m always surprised that RockShox didn’t change the name at some point - even Reverb-2, or Reverb-Plus.
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Velocipedestrian
1 year, 1 month ago
The reverberation of a room is measured as the RT60 - the time it takes a single loud sound to decay by 60dB. There are plenty of silly names Sram could pinch from audio theory for the next version.
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pedalhound
1 year, 1 month ago
If they ever make one that is 220+ I will look at them...gotta get closer to OneUp for the collar to bottom of post too!
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
It’s interesting to me how many of my friends have tried 240mm posts and gone back to 200mm (or lowered them to the min 220mm but never seem to have them bottomed).
Not saying there isn’t a market for the longest droppers, just that OneUp might be more than satisfying demand with their solid option.
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BarryW
1 year, 1 month ago
I love my 210mm OneUp dropper and use full drop all the time.
In fact I'm not 100% sure I couldn't get a 240 shimmed down to 230 or 220 to fit, but that seems to be chasing something that I could probably not worry about.
I have noticed that occasionally, and mostly when dead tired it feels like a lot to stand if I sneak a quick rest while the seat it fully dropped. But I love being able to flat foot easily, sitting on my seat when I come to a stop. My 5'6" wife also really likes her 170mm drop on her bike and pretty much always goes full up or full drop.
I'm 5'11" for reference, riding a 480mm reach size large frame.
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
Certainly not saying there aren’t riders well served by posts >200mm. Leg length, seat tube angle, terrain, bike setup, straight up personal preference.
But this also came up with Manitou only doing the Jack to 185mm when BikeYoke does a 213mm Revive. The percentage of folks seeking longer droppers is small enough that the market is likely more than well served with existing options and I can appreciate when companies would focus on <200mm.
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Stephen Rhylle Villafranca
1 year, 1 month ago
looks neat but I bought my bikeyoke revive for 280 USD brand new, pretty hard to beat that
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Andrew Major
1 year, 1 month ago
Revive is a great, similarly premium, post. There are advantages either way and, other than the Resolve’s notably better cold weather performance, you really go wrong.
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