The Wolftooth dropper lever for your mountain or gravel bike – With a slight change from the regular pace, we have a tech review on the widely praised Wolftooth dropper lever. Uber quality, engineered and made in the USA – Just from the photos, you can tell this company cares about quality and manufacture. We installed one on a Kona Process 153 and gave it the run down for a few weeks.
Straight off the bat is a solid feature list:
- High-traction lever: A machined surface ensures that control is not lost- even in the worst of conditions.
- Machined components: Beautifully machined precision components from 6061 aluminium to stay durable and serviceable.
- Flexibility: Works with dropper posts that have the barrel end of the cable at the remote and those that have the barrel end at the post. If the barrel is normally at the remote, simply clip the barrel off and the cable will be pinched down at both the post and the remote (no barrel needed) Easy install and adjustment either way.
- Large-diameter ball-bearing pivot: The ReMote uses a massive 21mm sealed cartridge bearing for smooth operation and modulation.
- Cable-kind clamp: A precision-machined cable path and custom clamping screw with captive washer won’t damage cables like more common set screws. As an added bonus, cables can be cut to length and crimped prior to securing.
- Low-profile lever: The ReMote lever sits close to the bar, minimizing the distance the thumb must be removed from the grip while reducing the likelihood of knee contact in technical terrain and adds a bit of extra length to overcome stiff dropper internals.
- Easy ergonomic adjustment: Easy angle plus fore and aft adjustment is achieved through a single bolt. Making setup fast.
- Integrated cable adjustment: The ReMote solidly-mounted barrel adjuster makes on-the-fly adjustments quick and easy while eliminating the rattles caused by common inline cable adjusters.
- Breakaway axle pivot: Crashes are bad- but expensive crashes are worse. That’s why the ReMote features an engineered failure point, allowing the lever to break away from its base in the event of a crash. Replacement axles are inexpensive and readily available here.
- Broad compatibility: The ReMote has been tested and is recommended for use with many cable-actuated dropper posts. And now there is a version for hydraulic as well. See link below.
- Made in the USA: Wherever the capabilities exist, Wolf Tooth is committed to domestic manufacturing. From lever to packaging, 65% or more of each ReMote is made in the USA.
IN USE:
Here’s what we have to say about it
After a few weeks of riding the ReMote replaced our Rock Shock dropper. We found:-
- Ergonomics: since the shape and actuation mimic the shifter lever actuation iy gives a great natural feel – the ergonomics are great. the design for on bar adjustability means you can really dial in the setup for your hand size and ride style.
- The feel of the lever is noticeable, the lever is definitely smoother, maybe due in part to the bearing design and the throw is slightly shorter but barely noticeable.
- Adjustment is easy and only required one small adjustment on the trail to get the finger position ultra dialled, then a small barrel adjustment for cable tension and nothing more.
- We were really impressed by the ease of install and the grippy texture on the actual lever blade, which definitely helped on rough terrain.
- Only one crash so far, but luckily no damage partly due to the lever’s low profile – it tucks itself away, other designs tend to stick out. Replacement small parts are a plus, just in case. But, no signs of wear after a few uses. Lack of durability seems like it won’t be much of an issue.
- Price is definitely worth it due to the fact that it’s a quality product made with quality parts in the USA. And, it looks cool!
Some FAQ.
What mounting options are available?
– a ton, from band clamps 22.2 and 31.8 , Shimano IS-AB, IS II, Sram Matchmaker and Magura brake.
Is there a light touch version?
– Yes is a longer lever armed version of the current remote that is optimal for dropper posts with a harder pull or for riders that just prefer a really light actuation feel. It reduces the force to actuate a dropper by nearly a third vs the standard ReMote.
https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/collections/dropper-post-levers/products/remote-light-action
It is cable, but what about rockshock reverb?
– Yes – they make a special one, right here for you. done and done. It’s called the Sustain and gets rid of the front end hydraulic replacing it with cable. A fuss-free solution with less maintenance. The full kit of parts here:
https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/collections/dropper-post-levers/products/remote-sustain-for-rockshox-reverb
The one we installed and tested was the ReMote 22.2 Clamp $69.95. Check out all the levers here https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/collections/dropper-post-levers