Sunny Chico, California is the home of Paul Component Engineering. Paul Components has been making high-end, USA-made bike parts in Chico since 1989. Their products are full of precision machining, being made with aerospace-like tolerances. Their parts are not only beautifully engineered to work very well, but they are beautiful to look at as well and carry a high bling factor – their Dropper Trigger is no exception.
The Haro Saguaro 1 I am reviewing came spec’d with a TranzX Dropper. I did not like the stock lever it came with. It felt hard to push and strained when actuating the post. So, I reached out to Paul Components to review their version of a dropper lever, the Dropper Trigger. And, yeah, I got one in gold, ’cause well, it’s gold.
Outta The Box
The blingy beauty of the gold anodized Dropper Trigger caught my eye instantly upon opening the box. The machining is perfect with meticulous attention to detail. This is something I’ve come to expect from Paul Components and sets the brand apart from others. The Dropper Trigger weight is feathery at 40g.
Build Quality
After putting the Dropper Trigger prototypes through rigorous testing for over a year, the final version ends up with some unique features. The first is dual-stacked sealed cartridge bearings in the pivot. This eliminates any pivot slop, boasts super light trigger action, and provides a long serviceable life.
I can’t touch on the precision of bike parts that come from Paul Components enough. I mentioned earlier the aerospace-like tolerances that their components have. For example, the Dropper Trigger is machined in Chico, California from 6061 American aluminum to 0.0005″ tolerance.
There is also a pinch bolt and a cable head recess which allows you to run your dropper cable in either direction. The paddle is curved for ergonomics. The Dropper Trigger has a hinged clamp for easy installation on or removal from the handlebars. Finally, there is a nice barrel adjuster for a quick way to remove slack from the system or fine-tune the cable tension.
Operating the Lever and Final Thoughts
The installation went flawlessly, and the Paul Dropper Trigger operates the TranzX dropper smoothly with a very light actuation, thanks to the stacked sealed cartridge bearings.
I don’t think this needs to be a long-term review, as I feel that you either like a dropper lever or you don’t.
The Paul Dropper Trigger has been great on the Haro so far, and the ergonomic paddle shape feels flat and positive when engaging it with your thumb.
The build quality, attention to detail, and unique features ensure that this component will be as long-lived and serviceable as everything that comes from Paul Components.
The Paul Dropper Trigger comes in two clamp sizes, 22.2 (MTB) and 31.8 (drop bars). It comes in ten different anodized colors and retails for $97 ($137 for polished).
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