Wolf Tooth Components has had a dropper post remote in their lineup for years, but up until now they didn't produce a post of their own to go with it. That's changed with the introduction of the Resolve, which the Minnesota-based company is touting as "the world's first self-bleeding dropper post," although there are other companies, including BikeYoke, who have made similar claims.
The Resolve's self-bleeding cartridge system is designed to prevent the dreaded saggy-post syndrome that can occur when air mixes with oil in a post that uses an internal floating piston (IFP). Granted, that issue isn't as common as it once was, but it can still occur, and can require a cartridge replacement or a full rebuild depending on the post.
Resolve Dropper Details• Self-bleeding cartridge
• Fully serviceable
• Travel amounts: 125, 160, 200mm (tested)
• 30.9 or 31.6mm diameters
• Weight: 563 grams (200mm drop, 31.6mm)
• Two year warranty
• MSRP: $379.95 USD
• More info:
wolftoothcomponents.com Wolf Tooth came up with their own
patented system for the Resolve, forgoing an IFP and creating a system where the air and oil aren't physically separated. The configuration allows it to self-bleed when the post is fully compressed – if the post does develop some squish from too much air mixing with the oil, lowering the seat all the way and waiting 20 seconds should be all that's required to firm it up.
Along with designing clever internals for the Resolve, Wolf Tooth also managed to give it the lowest stack height on the market (32mm from the bottom of the collar to the middle of the rails when the post is fully compressed). It also has a very low maximum insertion depth of 289mm for a post with 200mm of drop – that means less room is required inside the seat tube for riders to run a long travel dropper.
The Resolve is available in 31.6mm and 30.9mm diameters with either 125, 160, or 200mm of travel. The amount of drop can be adjusted internally in 5mm increments. It's a fairly involved process, but riders that purchase posts from Wolf Tooth's website will have the option to add up to seven spacers to customize the travel amount to their liking before it's shipped. The spacers will also be available aftermarket, and the procedure can be performed at home without too much fuss, although it's not as easy as it is with a OneUp or Trans-X post, for example.
Prices for the Resolve dropper post are as follows: 125mm: $349.95; 160mm: $364.95; 200mm: $379.95 USD.
INSTALLATIONI went with the 200mm, 31.6mm version of the Resolve. Installing it was quick and easy, and completely free of any issues – the fixed portion of the cable slots into the bottom of the post, and the other end runs to any compatible remote. In this case I went with Wolf Tooth's own
ReMote, which has a very smooth action and a large, grippy paddle to aim for when raising or lowering the post.
The seat clamp uses a fairly typical two-bolt configuration, and a 5mm Allen key is all that's needed to install or remove a seat. If you look at the very top of the post you can see one of the techniques Wolf Tooth used to lower the overall height – the top of the cartridge extends through a cutout in the top clamp.
Hash marks are etched into the post to make it easier to see the seat angle, and there are also height indicator marks at the back to make it easier to return it to the right position if it gets moved for some reason.
PERFORMANCEThe Resolve has seen regular use for most of the summer, and it even accompanied me to France for the
Stone King Rally (although it spent the first two days of the race sitting in a dark corner of an airport somewhere). The action is light and smooth, with a positive 'thwunk' that lets you know when full extension has been reached. The overall feel is very similar to that of BikeYoke's Revive dropper, another post that's highly regarded for its performance. There hasn't been a ton of mud or wet conditions in the Resolve's life so far, but it has seen more than its fair share of silty, dusty conditions, and it's still going up and down without a hitch.
What about the non-squish feature? Honestly, I've had very good luck with the latest batch of dropper posts that use a sealed cartridge system, including options from OneUp, Trans-X, and CrankBrothers. They're not totally identical in construction, but the basic concept is the same, and I haven't had any get saggy on me recently.
I can't say the same thing for the RockShox Reverb – I had one of the newest versions develop sag that didn't want to go away, even after using the Vent Valve system to fix it. With the BikeYoke Revive, I found myself needing to use the reset feature every so often, although the reset feature only takes a few seconds and quickly removes the sagginess.
As for the Wolf Tooth Resolve, I did have it develop 5mm or so of squish at full extension on several occasions, typically after the bike had been stored upside down or hung from a hook. Each time, I was able to lower the post and let it sit for 20 seconds or so to remove the play. Sometimes it took a couple of lowering sessions before it was solid again, but in all instances I was able to remove the play. Of course, it would be nice if the squish never developed at all, ever, but the fact that it's easily remedied is a welcome feature.
SERVICEThe Resolve is still operating just as smoothly as the day I received it, free of any stickiness or unwanted side-to-side play. That said, it is good to know that it's completely serviceable when the time comes. Wolf Tooth are proponents of the right to repair, which means they offer replacement parts and service instructions in order to allow the end user to take matters into their own hands. It's even possible to switch the lower portion out to convert it from a 31.6 diameter to 30.9 if a rider wanted to go that route.
There are instructional videos available for performing a basic service as well as adjusting the amount of travel. The post is covered by a two-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
COMPARISONThe Resolve is one of the lightest and most compact 200mm dropper posts currently on the market. The price is on the higher end of the spectrum, but it's not far off from other higher end options. At the end of the day, there are a lot of dropper posts on the market that do exactly what they're supposed to – it all comes down to figuring out which features mean the most to you.
Pros
+ Low stack height & insertion depth
+ Fully user serviceable
+ Self-bleeding cartridge works as claimed
+ Smooth action and a solid feel
Cons
- Self bleeding feature is clever & effective, but it'd be even better if the post never developed any squish at all.
- Travel adjustment procedure isn't as quick as on some other posts
Pinkbike's Take | The Resolve is an excellent addition to the dropper post market, with best-in-class numbers when it comes to weight and overall length. The short stack height and insertion depth mean that more riders will be able to reap the benefits of a longer travel dropper post, and the fact that it's fully user serviceable makes it even better. — Mike Kazimer |
My advice: never use a bike yoke (and maybe same goes for this wolf tooth). Ignorance is bliss on this.
**edit assembled in the US**
See below for PR guy quote on country of origin.
I would totally give this dropper a shot. Problem is my old (1st gen - 6 years?) Fox Transfer post keeps working with an original WT actuator and has never had any service. It goes up and down a little slower these days, but so do I.
Pretty over the constant service needed to keep it functioning. Was considering going back to BikeYoke for the smoother operation and 5mm more drop available. I used WolfTooth's calculator and it says I can run 195mm drop. 15mm more drop is reason enough. I have ran the numbers and this appears to be the most drop I can run on this bike.
One reason we produce and then assemble in-house in our own production in Taiwan is because it's too risky to ship critical and not easy to make hydraulic parts across the globe before assembly and before you can check proper function. Mistakes will happen and if they were detected only in Germany, it'd be way to late.
I'm sure you understand the challenges of a product like this and what it takes to make it a success. We are fans of the BikeYoke droppers and we are excited to add our own dropper post as another alternative in the premium dropper space.
Thanks for clarifying that. Did not expect anything else from your company.
Yes, I do understand the challenges of such an undertaking very well, especially the challenges of separating manufacturing and assembly so far from each other. That's why I can only say: Hats off!
That said, machining should be more than possible in North America.
For an extra $150 or more, I’d want either significantly less weight (Vecnum), or more travel (Oneup 240), or adjustable offset heads (9point .
This?
it is not significantly lighter, and doesn’t come in a dedicated 34.9 mm design, nor does it offer as much travel as the Oneup 240.
I am similar. On my Oneup 210 I had about 110 mm of post sticking out.
And yeah that auto bleeding feature is nice, like the button on the Bike Yoke but I prefer a dropper post like OneUp that just don't have any of those problem (I'm on the 3rd year on one of them, without doing anything except tighten it and put some grease).
My New bike came with a fox transfer and I only used it a few days before putting the "old" bike yoke back on.
After suffering the disappointment of a failed seat post mid race I wouldn't change away from the Bike Yoke now. Sure I can buy 2 one ups for the same price and change when one fails but that's not really sustainable and I prefer reliability.
I'm still surprised Sram hasn't released a longer AXS dropper yet
Bike Yoke Divine says you're a bit late to claim that title.
I like Wolftooth stuff and have a bunch of misc stuff from them - it's always been good. I had a first gen B Rad adaptor that had a pretty obvious design flaw in the form of major stress risers where the zip tie slots where machined in. When mine broke I got the new, much better version in a couple days, no drama - and that version is still rocking 3 or 4 years later.
From Bike Yoke "Auto-Reset-Function: Every full drop automatically bleeds the hydraulic circuit for suspension-free lock-out. "
Congrats on your own dropper though. Can't wait to get one and see how it works.
Furthermore, this is from 2018:
www.pinkbike.com/news/review-funns-150mm-up-down-dropper-post.html
Would be interesting to know what makes the Resolve (interesting name, too ;-)) the world's first self bleeding dropper.
www.pinkbike.com/photo/15821079
IMO the Brand-X XL 200mm is the one to get. Heaviest, but they sure are reliable (and cheapest). $135 with a lever.
have to do this every few rides on mine, although I wish it didn't happen it wouldn't put me off buying another one as it's been faultless apart from that.
But ya, have Brand X's on my kids and wife's bikes... other than being slower than OneUp and most others, have been dead reliable... and so cheap!
May be totally wrong on that though...
Also on board the Brand-X & PNW train here incidentally. My Brand-X post shit the bed when the brass keys randomly mulched the recesses in the body of the post where they sit, but my PNW has been spot on so far.
I’ve been lucky with my 200mm brand X & PNW so far… not had to faff with them at all. Unlike my old easton haven.
@pikabika Surely the doo-dah that stops and holds the post where you want it can be designed so that spring weight or air pressure are irrelevent to it’s grabbing & holding powers?
Lets keep the numbers simple… Say you were designing a post with 300mm insertion depth plus 200mm of up & down movement that’d give you room for a 500mm spring which you’d be compressing by less than half it’s length. The thingy that holds the seat at the correct height when you ain’t pressing the lever would have to be a slightly unorthodox design (sussed it!, i think…?) as you’ve got your super light and reliable coil running up through the entire internal length.
Cheers for feedback though, I’ve rather enjoyed scribbling designs whilst slurping my coffees today
I like that I can buy stuff to service it and that it is easy, but I wonder if this post is worth the $500 CDN I paid for it. A factory service is about $100 +shipping, so I am just doing what I can to maintain it so it doesn't crap out on me.
It has never failed to go up or down, replacement cartridges are $35 if you need them. Unless you need a super short stack, I don't see the value in this seatpost, especially now that you can get the Ascend X in 180 and 200mm drop. Was so impressed with the 150mm one I picked up a 200mm one on sale for the same price, or roughly what Wolftooth wants for their dropper remote.
Sending one of the "big name" seatposts back to the factory, with their long turn-around times, and getting charged half the price of a new dropper is nonsense. The user-replaceable cartridges are an improvement, but substantially adds to the lifetime cost of the seatpost.
If social media posts are any indication, Wolf Tooth is throwing is really focusing on customer support. You see them participating in this thread. You also see Sacki from BikeYoke posting. Fox, OneUp, and PNW? Crickets. Maybe they're lurking but keeping quiet because they don't offer anything to compete with this new wave of improved dropper posts. Hopefully they're taking notes.
When it does kick the bucket I’ll probably get a PNW Loam.
Also I can not see how it was hard to get spares. Unlike other brands we had everything in stock (almost) at all times, restaurant spare parts. Also all our distributors usually have all spares in stock.
Can you explain how it was hard to get spares, just for me to get an idea how we can improve?
Seriously, if someone can nail that without having to buy a frame with my post or only be 80mm...take my money.
No thanks
If its still got issues, your seat clamp being too tight could be a thing. Or it just needs a new IGUS bushing which they'll gladly get you. OneUp has been super legit for us for years on the V2's.
I get what everyone is saying about PNW and OneUp et al, being great value. I have owned both, and currently still own a OneUp. However, the BikeYoke is much smoother in operation, and the self-bleeding revive switch to me is more favorable than switching out (throwing out) an internal cartridge.
I really like these open bath self bleeding posts.
Wolftooth looks like a hit. Potentially BikeYoke performance, with insertion/stack even lower than OneUp. TO me it looks like they may just have created the best dropper on the market, if it performs.
"The parts of this dropper post are made in Taiwan,” explained Stafki. “We started this project with the intent of machining everything in-house. Then we started pricing out the final retail price based on cost and it quickly became too expensive for customers to justify. The only way to bring a dropper post like this to market with competitive pricing was to outsource manufacturing. It was designed here and is assembled and shipped from our Minnesota facility.”
I understand your view and pretty much look at most purchases the same way. Good on ya.
For me it's more about
1) not propping up shitty authoritarian governments in places with unenviable human rights. ie China, Vietnam.
2) maintaining local industrial capacity. We've outsourced everything. In the richest country in the world we were making freaking cloth masks at home early in the pandemic because they all came from Asia and they were (understandably) keeping them to themselves. Just maintaining a competent workforce and capacity is meaningful.
I have nothing against Taiwan, they're a progressive democracy. Just rather keep my money closer to home if possible. If I am buying Asian, I make a point to look for Japan, Taiwan, Korea. I try very hard not to buy from China or Vietnam. I can't avoid them altogether (my work requires me to have an iPhone and laptop that are made in China) but for discretionary purchases I try.
You'll love that bike. I have two sets of their wheels. I was on the waiting list for an Arrival frame for a long time but came across a used Guerrilla Gravity frame in the meantime that I loved a lot more than I thought I would. I think the geo is just a bit better for a tall guy. The low stack on the Arrival irks me a bit, but maybe that's just how it's meant to be ridden. Enjoy it!