October 12, 2022 | By Zach Overholt
This has already been a big year for launches from Wolf Tooth Components, but it seems the brand has saved the best for last. Mini Dropper
Looking at its vast product catalog now, it’s hard to believe it started with a single chainring not long ago. From that chainring, it evolved to offer everything from bottle cages to complete bikes under the Otso brand.
This article was originally published on Bikerumor.
And now? Well, now you can add a dropper post to that list, too. It’s not just another dropper post; it’s obsessively engineered and will stand out against a sea of existing dropper posts.
Dropper posts are one of those true game-changers in mountain biking — an overused but accurate phrase. When utilized properly, they can change the way you ride — but they can also be annoying maintenance hogs, depending on the model.
For its Resolve dropper post, Wolf Tooth Components created a post that would never need manual bleeding or an expensive replacement cartridge.
Instead of relying on an internal floating piston (IFP), which can allow air to slip by the seal and mix with the oil, causing it to become squishy, the Resolve uses a proprietary needle and piston cartridge design that self-bleeds. The actuation of the dropper post routinely performs this self-bleeding procedure, keeping the post from going squishy in the long run.
Technically, the Wolf Tooth Components Resolve dropper can become squishy in extreme cases (more on that in the review), but the fix is to simply compress the post, wait 20-30 seconds, and extend the post. Do that a few times, and it’s back to normal.
While the Resolve technology is undoubtedly one reason to choose the Wolf Tooth Components dropper over others, it’s not the only reason. Claiming the shortest stack height on the market at 32 mm (the distance from the bottom of the post collar to the saddle rail clamp when compressed), the Resolve will allow many riders to run longer travel droppers.
The Resolve posts also have a short insertion length, meaning they’ll work better with frames with curved seat tubes or internal obstructions that cause longer dropper posts to bottom out.
Combined with three different stock dropper travel lengths and the ability to customize the travel of each post in 5mm increments, they can maximize the travel for your frame and seat post height.
The Resolve will come in 125mm, 160mm, and 200mm travel posts with minimum insertion depths of 90 mm, 100 mm, and 140 mm, respectively.
As mentioned, the rider can reduce the travel by 5mm increments. Wolf Tooth Components tells us that installing these spacers is pretty straightforward, but you can order your seat post with the preferred spacer configuration preinstalled (up to 10 spacers, which would reduce travel by 50 mm).
Not sure what travel you can safely use on your bike? WTC has a handy Dropper Post Calculator to make the process easier.
A big part of getting the stack height so low was the creation of a custom saddle clamp. The actual saddle rail clamp plates are so low profile that the air cap protrudes through the top. That cap also had to be designed to be shallow profile to clear the bottom of your saddle.
The two-bolt design offers a 23-degree saddle angle adjustment range and is compatible with round or oval saddle rails. Due to the design of the clamp, you will have to completely remove the top plate to fit the saddle initially — you can’t just loosen the bolts and slip the saddle in, as with some posts.
Naturally, the Resolve is a cable-actuated dropper post to take advantage of Wolf Tooth’s excellent ReMote dropper lever.
Meant for use with its ReMote Light Action lever, integrations are available for numerous brake levers from Shimano, SRAM, Magura, and Hope. The cabling is very easy to run, with the cable head sitting in a cradle at the bottom of the post and the end of the cable clamped at the lever.
Wolf Tooth Components claims that when it comes to grams per mm of travel, the Resolve is one of the lightest droppers on the market, saying it’s up to 26% lighter than other droppers of the same travel and size. Claimed weights are listed as 125 x 30.9 – 440g, 125 x 31.6 – 456g, 160 x 30.9 – 490g, 160 x 31.6 – 513g, 200 x 30.9 – 544g, and 200 x 31.6 – 563g.
On our scale, the 160 x 31.6mm model came in at 512 g, or 1 g less than claimed.
Wolf Tooth Components has made a big push recently with designing its products with “Right to Repair” in mind. That means you’ll be able to find all the replacement parts to fix your post should you have an issue rather than replace it. That includes the air filter — yes, the air filter.
While the air cartridge is fully sealed, the bottom of the post can’t be sealed for it to work correctly. To prevent it from pulling dust from inside the frame into the post, the Resolve has a patent-pending external air filter. Wolf Tooth Components mentions that it decided to make the filter externally accessible for easy replacement.
Additional details include claims that the post will continue to work in cold weather — we’re inclined to believe the brand, as it’s in Minnesota. You can also apparently swap diameters, meaning you can make an existing 30.9mm post into a 31.6mm diameter post and vice versa.
With all of the features and engineering that went into the Resolve, it’s somewhat surprising to see it priced at $350. Granted, that’s without the dropper lever, but still, it’s pretty impressive.
That pricing is a big part of why this post is designed and assembled in the USA, but the parts are manufactured in Taiwan. Initially, Wolf Tooth Components told us that it wanted to manufacture everything in-house, but the resulting price would be too high to be competitive. However, it’s quick to point out that the posts are still “designed here, assembled here, and shipped from here.”
It’s available in 30.9 or 31.6 diameters and 125mm, 160mm, and 200mm stock lengths. And Wolf Tooth Components can install additional travel spacers for no charge with the initial purchase.
Extras include ReMote Light Action levers, which start at $70, and even a Titanium Hardware Upgrade kit in black, gold, or oil slick for $13. Resolve Dropper Posts are available now.
Check Dropper Post Price at Wolf Tooth Components
We tested and reviewed the best men's flannel shirts of 2022. From wool to organic cotton, we found the perfect pick for any budget.
Tincture Dropper © Copyright 2022 GearJunkie, All Rights Reserved