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PNW Rainier Gen 3 Dropper Post [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.

Finding the right length dropper post can be a bit tricky with all of the different options available. PNW's Rainier dropper post allows you to change its travel on the fly, without any tools. Our friend, Erling, just installed a Rainier on their bike. See what they think!

Overview

I was in the market for a longer dropper post. My bike came with a 150mm dropper. I felt like I could use some more clearance and I didn’t like the way it looked having 2” of post sticking up above the frame when the seat was dropped all the way down.

My last two dropper posts have been Specialized 150mm command posts. I didn’t have any major complaints about the command post other than the travel and a small rattle it had developed. The command post is easy to service, didn’t break down on me and the return speed was “tunable” by adjusting the air pressure. I kept all the things I liked and didn’t like in mind when looking around for a replacement.

According to my measurements I had room for a 200mm dropper and maybe more if I considered an adjustable dropper post that could compensate if it was too long. After going down a wormhole I emerged with two choices, the one up V2 and the PNW Rainier gen 3. It seemed like both companies had issues with rattling in the past but had addressed those issues with current generation of droppers. Ultimately what swayed me was PNW’s reputation for great customer service.

My bike has 34.9mm seat tube diameter, which narrowed down my dropper post options. It turned out not to matter much because this size was not in stock anywhere, so I ended up getting a 31.6mm diameter seat post, using Problem Solvers 3.3mm Seat post Shim and Park Tool SAC-2 to keep things from sliding.
Installation was a breeze; the new post went in the opposite way my old post came out. I was able to save some money and reuse the specialized house brand lever that came on the bike. It has a nice big bearing and is working nice and smooth.

I think the adjustable seat post length is a really good idea. Especially if you are trying to max out the travel and get the seat at the perfect height. PNW markets the Rainer as being able to adjust on the trail, which is a pretty cool idea. I had enough room on my frame that I could run the post at full length. Technically you can adjust the travel on the trail by hand tightening/loosening the collar, but I would recommend tightening the collar with a strap wrench once you find your perfect height. The first few rides I only had it hand tight and I began losing travel over the course of the ride. At first I thought that the seat tube was sliding into the frame. But, it turned out the collar on the post had come loose and was allowing the adjusting shim to move thus shortening the travel. Now I know how the adjustment works.

Once I worked out the kink with the collar I haven’t had any issues. It has taken some adjustment to get use to the extra 50mm of travel. It reminds me of when I went from no dropper to a dropper.

It is very handy to have if you know you have a jump or drop coming and you want to be sure the seat is out of the way.

I am also adjusting to the return speed; it is a little slower than I am use to. I think the command post is one of the faster posts out there. I don’t really mind this because I haven’t had any uncomfortable situations as a result of misjudging the return speed.