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SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition

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Dropper posts are one of the best things to happen to mountain bikes since the disc brake – until they stop working. Even the best dropper posts can be subject to performance anxiety on occasion, which is why when it came time for SDG to introduce their own dropper post, durability was high on the list of features. Combined with the ability to service the post and a low cost of entry, the SDG Tellis seems like it has a lot going for it if the claims hold up to be true.

SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition

To keep the internals as simple as possible, the Tellis uses a sealed cartridge system that is user replaceable for just $44.99. Otherwise, there aren’t that many additional parts – though you can purchase and replace just about everything on the dropper to make it completely user serviceable. According to SDG’s Devyn Pelley, all that’s needed to rebuild the post is a strap wrench, set of allen keys, and a vice.

SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition
Devyn Pelley in his natural testing element.

SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition

One of their biggest design goals was to ensure that the seat post was durable, no matter what the conditions. That meant in addition to sending out over 120 different seat posts to riders all over the world for testing over the span of two years, SDG’s Chief Tester Devyn Pelley took things into his own hands. Using a reciprocating linear actuator motor, Devyn set up a dropper post to cycle for six months straight. To ensure that the test was truly torturous, Devyn added a “vat” that contained mud and grit to subject the main seal to a constant barrage of contaminants. All the while, Devyn was testing other posts on his bike in his home trails in Kamloops, BC. SDG claims the Tellis is tested down to -20°C (-4°F) to ensure cold weather performance.

SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition

Other parts of the post were selected with durability in mind as well like the 3D forged head which is one piece with the upper shaft to eliminate the potential failure point of a bonded head. While it’s a bit disappointing to not see an I-Beam compatible version of the saddle, SDG wanted their first dropper to be compatible with anyone’s saddles, not just theirs. That’s why it uses a standard two bolt micro adjust clamp that is compatible with round and oval metal & carbon saddle rails.

SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition

That green cap on the end is meant to be there – don’t try to pull it off thinking it’s just a protective element. This is where the housing seats into the bottom of the post, with the cable head anchoring into the actuation lever.

SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition

That puts the skinny end of the cable up at the lever, where it’s clamped into the Tellis remote via a small grub screw. The lever is fairly well designed with a 1x style paddle, but lacks any ability for adjustment save for rotating the entire lever on the bar. However, what it lacks in adjustability, it makes up for in its light weight (36g) and extremely light touch for actuation.

SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition

SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition SDG Tellis dropper is durable, affordable, & serviceable to drop competition

Currently available in 125mm or 150mm travels, all Tellis models feature infinite stops within the travel range. Both travels are also offered in 30.9 or 31.6mm diameters with claimed weights of 510-573g. Our 31.6mm/125mm dropper post came in at a total of 650g for the entire assembly including uncut Jagwire LEX-SL housing & cable. Now for the best part – the price. AT just $269.99 which includes the lever and Jagwire LEX-SL housing and a stainless cable, the Tellis will be competitive on price alone. And if the durability claims prove to be true, it looks like the Tellis will be worth a look.

Specs

  • Travel: 125 & 150mm (100mm & 170mm coming late summer)
  • Diameter: 30.9 & 31.6mm
  • Rail Compatibility: 7x7mm & 7x9mm C/F
  • Routing: Internal Only
  • Total Lengths: 417mm & 467mm
  • Weight: 552g (30.9x150mm), 534g (31.6x125mm), 36g (Lever), 80g (Housing & Cable)
  • Warranty: Two Years
  • MSRP: $269.99 USD *Includes Lever and Jagwire LEX-SL Housing & Stainless Cable
  • Replacement Cartridge: $44.99 USD

sdgcomponents.com

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13 Comments
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Padrote
Padrote
6 years ago

Wait a couple years until there’s 1000 of them in production on actual customer bikes and then tell me it’s durable 🙂

Billbo
Billbo
6 years ago

This thing looks awfully similar to all the other re-branded JD Components posts out there. Not that a better seal isn’t a worthwhile improvement. Costs quite a bit more, though.

SDG Devyn
6 years ago
Reply to  Billbo

Definitely not a re-branded JD post. Although many of the internals are already used in other posts on the market as we found some pretty good existing options. We tweaked these existing options to improve durability and simplicity. Tooling a post from the ground up really made no sense to us as the cost would skyrocket and improvements would be marginal. With the Tellis, the price is very competitive to other branded posts, but we also offer detailed service instructions, top notch global partners to support it and readiliy available small parts. The Tellis is extremely durable, but as nothing is perfect and shit happens we wanted to ensure you’re fully supported.

Blair O'Malley
Blair O'Malley
6 years ago

Looks just like Giants’s seat post

boom
boom
6 years ago
Reply to  Blair O'Malley

and Bontrager’s

SDG Devyn
6 years ago
Reply to  boom

Good thing looks are deceiving! We did utilize many internal parts already in the marketplace as there were pretty good options, but tweaked some of the components to improve on their durability and simplicity. It’s definitely not an off the shelf re-branded piece as some components on this are custom tooled and we’ve improved on the sealing capacity which we found was lacking with some of the open market pieces utilized.

Motarded450
Motarded450
6 years ago
Reply to  boom

I was thinking it looks more like the PostModern brand that Cannondale uses

LarsV
LarsV
6 years ago

hmmmm…. The price of a replacement cartridge is allready mentioned in the introduction promotion text?! That does not reasure me on the durability…

SDG Devyn
6 years ago
Reply to  LarsV

Ha, we struggled with including that info the release, but ultimately wanted to include to show customers we were prepared should anything happen. Nothing is perfect (yet) and shit does happen, so we wanted to be prepared with all small parts being available from the get go. So many times products launch without small parts availability and to us, having parts to support a product is as important as selling the product itself.

LarsB
LarsB
6 years ago

A bit disapointing to not see a i-beam version since that would really make sense to me and would really set them apart from the competition (other than gravity dropper) Love the iban offer of durability vs weight. An option would of course for them to supply some kind of compatible adapter.

SDG Devyn
6 years ago
Reply to  LarsB

I hear you Lars, we would have absolutely loved to offer an I-Beam from the get go. However we felt that us offering a dropper post was already a huge shift from the products we’re known for, so offering an I-Beam head dropper post was too big of an undertaking. By releasing the railed version first people will have positive real world experience on it and will make it much easier to sell people on the I-Beam version when the post is proven itself in the market. The adapter is an option, but it kills the weight and creak free benefits of I-Beam, so unfortunately not as strong of a story there.

JJ
JJ
6 years ago

So when I-beam version will be out Devyn?

SDG Devyn
6 years ago
Reply to  JJ

We’ll definitely be doing one with an I-Beam head as well eventually. The only reason we didn’t do the I-Beam head from the get go is that a dropper post is already a huge shift from the products we’re known for, so we wanted to release this as a traditional railed setup and help SDG gain credibility in the dropper market. Then we’ll definitely be releasing an I-Beam head version as well as an expanded collection of I-Beam saddles with flex channels. As for exact timeline, adding the I-Beam head is the easiest part so by the time we can add more I-Beam saddle choices it’ll likely be spring 2019. There’s too many benefits to I-Beam for us to not offer one up!

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