ENVE has released its first ever dropper seat post, the G-Series 40mm Dropper aimed squarely at gravel riding. The inverted design makes it stand out from the crowd; it elevates the cable-operated internals up and out of the seat tube, extending beyond the post’s rail clamp region, resulting in what ENVE claim is the lowest stack height on the market. It’s fairly lightweight too, with a claimed weight of 395g that can fall to a minimum of 345g after trimming.
ENVE G-Series 40mm Dropper Post for Gravel
The ENVE G-Series is an inverted dropper seat post designed around 27.2mm seat tubes, the most common seat tube diameter seen on gravel bikes. It offers 40mm of drop length (non-adjustable), and ships with two shims to allow fitment to 30.9mm and 31.6mm seat tubes, for those who want to run it on their XC mountain bike.
Untrimmed, the post is 350mm long, but can be trimmed down to a minimum of 220mm for those who don’t need any additional length to find their perfect saddle height. The minimum insertion length is 75mm. Importantly, the stack height is a mere 145mm, and is alleged to be the lowest stack height of any dropper seat post on the market.
Inverting the post positions the fully-sealed hydraulic cartridge and other internals north of the seat tube. ENVE package it all in a very compact fashion, with the head of the cartridge poking up through the saddle rail clamp for maximum clearance. The clamp itself is a regular 2-bolt design and is compatible with any saddle rail; alloy, steel, carbon or otherwise.
ENVE says the G-Series dropper post is very reliable, and can be serviced without the need for any special tools. It is also completely rebuildable with the purchase of a $115 USD rebuild kit. The seal and bushing service kit retails at $10 USD.
A secondary advantage to the inverted design is the resulting compatibility with saddle bags. Running a saddle bag on a traditional right-way-up dropper seat post would run the risk of the bag scratching the stanchion of the post thereby compromising the seal; with this inverted dropper, the saddle bag sits well clear of the stanchion.
Another consideration here is that the inverted orientation exposes the seal to debris picked up and flung off of the rear tire. Something like a trimmed down Postfender would go a long way to protecting the stanchion and seal, and could help improve the lifespan of the post. ENVE say the inverted design means that gravity keeps most water and debris away from the seal, rather than sat atop it.
ENVE Drop-Bar Lever
Your $325 USD gets you the ENVE G-Series Dropper Post only. It is compatible with any cable-operated remote lever on the market of course, but ENVE do sell their own drop-bar dedicated Dropper Lever. It will set you back an additional $65 USD.
The lever can be operated from the hoods or from the drops. There are two paddles, one facing rearward that can be pushed by the rider’s thumb when on the drops, and the other positioned forwards that can be pulled with the rider’s index finger when riding on the hoods.
