Customer Review: Crank Brothers Highline Dropper Post

Written by Nathan Hall

Approximately a month ago I broke down and ordered myself a dropper post to augment my hardtail. After hours of research and switching between several posts, I finally settled on the Crank Brothers Highline 30.9, 125 mm dropper post. I was torn between the KS Lev Integra and the Crank Brothers Highline. Both are equally efficient posts however, the 3 year warranty on the Crank Brothers Highline and the included high end lever was its primary selling point. After reading many reviews questioning Crank Brothers product reliability, I felt I was taking a pretty big risk when choosing the Highline. To my surprise, it was apparent that Crank Brothers really doubled down and took their time in developing the Highline.

The Highline is a quality dropper post that performs well, is easy to install, and doesn't result in impotency like the Specialized Command Post. Fast droppers are great for shooting post ride beers into the air, but if that neat party trick comes at the cost of damaging the family jewels, I'll find a more reasonable option. While other reviews I've read say the speed of the dropper is too slow, I find its speed perfectly adequate to suite my needs.

Actuation of the Highline results in a chunky thud that does an excellent job in letting you know the post is fully up. The post features an infinitely adjustable reach, allowing you to stop the post in mid stroke to reach the desired height. Within a month I had crashed several times, hitting the dropper on various trailside items including rocks and logs. The resulting crashes have not put as much as a scratch on the Highline and functionality has been unaffected. To date there is no play in the post.

As far as sizing goes, I am 5'11'' and the 125mm works perfectly. Obviously seat tube heights vary from bike to bike and manufacturer to manufacturer but I believe the 160mm that is now available from Crank Brothers would have been overkill for my Diamondback Sync'r Pro. The 125mm size gives you approximately 5 inches to work with for climbing and descending.

Taking on more difficult terrain is a joy now that I don't have to stop and use a quick release to change seat height. In addition, the cable actuated lever is the most ergonomic one I've ever used, with infinite mounting options. The lever is aluminum and mounts on a 360 degree swivel allowing you to place it above the bar, below it, and change the angle from which it comes off the bar. The mount comes with a barrel adjuster to change the tension of the cable actuation if the dropper is refusing to respond as quickly as you like.

Installation was unbelievably easy, assuming you have internal routing for the cable. Crank Brothers provides you with clear instruction help walk you through the installation process. The only step that one really needs to triple check is cutting the cable to a reasonable length. Too short and you could perhaps rip the cable out of its housing, too long and you could have an annoying amount of cable albeit, that can easily be trimmed again.

In summary, The Crank Brothers Highline has improved the way I ride and if you're going to buy one, why not do it from Worldwide Cyclery? These guys have excellent customer service, know what they're talking about, and seem to have a genuine love for riding. They also send you funny personalized emails that always give me a laugh, so check Worldwide Cyclery out for all of you biking needs!