XC Racing – Do I need a dropper post?

Spot the difference in the photo above?

I have bought a Trans-X dropper for £100 from Bike-Discount. This is the first major addition to my race bike for almost 2 seasons. As a gram counting weight weenie the idea of adding half a kilo of seatpost to my race bike makes me want to weep!  

 

One more messy remote cable up front. 

So what convinced me? The technical challenge of the National Championships at Hadleigh later this month is currently at the forefront of my mind. 3 years ago, when I last raced at Hadleigh, I wimped out on a couple of the steep rocky A-lines. Opting for a safety first strategy, having crashed and burned during my first visit to the 2012 Olympic venue a couple of years earlier. At the time I was happy with my choice, crossing the line 14^th in the Masters age category was a far better result than the previous DNF.

Taking the B-lines may only have cost me around 10 seconds a lap, which doesn’t sound much, but in a 6 lap race I was giving away over a minute. It definitely cost me a position on the day and it may have been a couple more. This year I will be racing in the more competitive Vet category and feel the need for every slight advantage I can get. My hope is that a lower seatpost will give me the confidence to take on those tougher sections and reclaim that vital minute compared to my rivals. The small amount of extra effort required to haul 500g around the course will be more than made up for by recovering a bit of lap time.  

Watch out for my race report at the end of the month.