X-Fusion dropper posts

Has anyone here got any time on these? I run a Lev on my other bike but need a 27.2 for the hardtail (and don't have $500 for a Thomson). They are cheap at MEC @ $199. Do they function well and are they reliable or should I not waste my time/money?

Thanks

Has anyone here got any time on these? I run a Lev on my other bike but need a 27.2 for the hardtail (and don't have $500 for a Thomson). They are cheap at MEC @ $199. Do they function well and are they reliable or should I not waste my time/money?

Thanks

I have one.

Like you, I needed something in 27.2 (and I knew I was going to get a new frame so I didn't want to spend too much).

For the price, I'm fine with it. It goes up and down and the lever, while looking kinda wonky, is actually pretty good as you can trigger it in any direction which is handy (pun!).

The saddle attachment could be improved, it creaks and there's a bit of play. I don't notice the play when on the bike.

Apparently the air spring needs to be charged from time to time but I haven't had to yet. But I only have a handful of rides on it. You do have to lube the seal once in a while (I used a drop of Triflo and it works perfect again).

At first I was bummed about the cable attaching to the seat and it's sort of sensitive to how you secure the cable. Too tight and it'll hold the seat down. I did that accidentally but it turned out that it stops right at a good middle height. I have to stand up and give the saddle a tug to raise it to climbing height but I'm cool with that.

My only real complaint is that you can pull the saddle up when manhandling the bike around but I learned to deal.

Recap: ok for the price

Let me preface this by saying I get deals on X Fusion stuff.

However, if it were junk, I wouldn't even touch it. This is my 100% honest opinion.

I have been on an X Fusion Strate (the internally routed one) for over a year now. I sent it in over the winter to get rebuilt. It operated fine but there was about a cm of vertical play which was caused by a bad seal.

One part I really love is the remote as its very simple and works in a 360 degree fashion. Also, the Canadian Distributor is a great guy who offers quick turn around on repairs.

Not sure which model they have at MEC.

Had one… went back for warrany 3 times in 3 months… wouldn't recommend it against Rockshox or Thomson… But I may have been unlucky and got a lemon. Your experience may vary.

I have heard A LOT of complaints about X-Fusion droppers, just my anecdotal experience. I ponyed up a few more bucks for a Reverb and I'm happy with that. If you go that route, don't pay retail for a Reverb, there are many deals to be had at online stores (around C$300 before tax).

look for a used gravity dropper. cheap, light, reliable, rebuildable

i was in the same boat as you with the 456's 27.2 post size.
i bought one and ran it a bit before i swapped frames. i had it on the bike for a number of rides, it works as designed, i has the 2 bolt head, no issues with saddle retention. i did have to add a bit of air to it to get it to extend faster. i think it was low from the factory.
i looked at it this way … 200 bux for a dropper, with the return policy of MEC, how could i go wrong?

i sold it to a good friend a few months ago, and i would of heard if it went tits up. i may of been in the minority, but it was a good post.

It seems to work a lot better if you don't use the remote and use the under the seat lever. However, I use the remote. But it's finicky and usually won't go all the way back up unless I manually pull it up (which would be easier with the under the seat lever.) But the reality is it usually drops without issue when needed and in that case it's just that much better to have on the bars.

All this said I think I will get something different next time around. Either Gravity Dropper (in a 2"/4" multi-drop) or maybe the Fox DOSS since the lever has dedicated mid point drop switch and would work well on my 1x10 cockpit.

Mrs. WH has one on her Tracer 275. She has been using it for about 4 months now. She rides that bike about 3 times per week, mostly on Burke and Eagle, so lots of uppy-downy action. Just asked her specifically about it yesterday, as she's been silent on it (which is usually a good thing).

She said, yeah… it's great. It goes up, it goes down. I asked about the remote, and she likes it better than her KS i950 remote on her other bike, as it suits her smaller fingers and is lighter touch in any direction. I thought it was a bit hokey when I installed it, but I felt it yesterday and it felt great.

That said, there is a minor amount (less than a 1/4") sag when you sit on the seat at full extension, but then it's firm. She's set her seat height to reflect this and said it does not bother her.

Also bought at MEC due to price, and features, and good return/warranty policy.

Thanks for all of the advice. I'll probably take the risk with MEC and their return/warranty policy.

Regarding the remote, I'm planning to use a modified Shimano Ispec front shifter, so hopefully that will address some of the concerns posted here. I'll report back when installed and ridden!

Thanks for all of the advice. I'll probably take the risk with MEC and their return/warranty policy.

Regarding the remote, I'm planning to use a modified Shimano Ispec front shifter, so hopefully that will address some of the concerns posted here. I'll report back when installed and ridden!

Smart idea… I did the shifter mod on my Thomson dropper and it worked great.. Just couldn't get over the crappy extra shifter on the bars… so switched over to a KS Southpaw remote. Should work on most cable actuated droppers:

Thanks for all of the advice. I'll probably take the risk with MEC and their return/warranty policy.

Regarding the remote, I'm planning to use a modified Shimano Ispec front shifter, so hopefully that will address some of the concerns posted here. I'll report back when installed and ridden!

The ones at MEC are a newer design and don't accept the under-the-seat lever anyways, it's remote only.

In my experience at least, the lever itself causes no issues (and I like it but that's a personal thing). The problem seems to be either under-servicing or cable routing.

I had one, pretty cheap and worked well for 6 months. After 6 months it locked up, sent it off, got a new one. First ride on the new one and it basically puked all of it's fluid out of the seal and down onto the bike. I got that one replaced as well, but my faith was broken after that so I sold it.

That said, for $200 and with MEC's warranty, it's probably not a bad purchase.

Mine works OK (HILO 125) reliability has been good after a couple seasons. The air cylinder is too progressive though.
I'm not really heavy (150lbs), so if I run higher pressure I can't get the post all the way down. Run less pressure and the post doesn't have enough oomph at the top of the stroke to pull the cable through the various bends and tie straps.
This actually works OK for me since I don't need the last half or inch of stroke.
I started out with the under the saddle lever but didn't like having to pull a hand off the bars in the middle of a technical climb with an unexpected drop into a downhill.