Introduced at Eurobike last year as a completely new item rather than a tweaked Kronolog, the Crank Brothers Highline dropper post starts shipping end of April. During that time, they made a few changes to improve user friendliness, and we got a complete inside look at how it all comes together…
The post comes apart into just four pieces, all without tools. Inside the post is a fully sealed hydraulic cartridge (silver) but you can adjust return speed by adjusting either a clocking mechanism on the bottom or keeping a little slack in the cable. Both methods simply limit the amount that the rotary valve is opened, which limits or frees up oil flow for slower or faster rebound.
Under the top collar is a round bushing, then two Igus bushings that slide in the keyed slots inside the post:
That prevents saddle rotation. To open it up and clean the post or lube it, you simply twist open the upper collar. Super simple.
They added a collar (silver ring) to the bottom to secure the cable attachment point to the bottom of the post. The original design simply popped into place and used the o-ring to hold it there. Now, the collar locks it into place.
The lever uses a ball joint mount, and everything is tightened by the single mounting bolt. Loosen it and you can rotate the ball to position the lever for best ergonomics. It works on the top, bottom, left and right equally well.
Retail is $350 and it should be available at end of April. What hasn’t changed is the impressive 3-year warranty.
