did dropper posts exist in 2004?

[development_cycle]

Thinking about getting one for my bike but thought I'd check being a retro nut, would there have been one back in the day? Or even just a year or two or three later than 2004? And if so were they any good or would it just be chucking money away?

 

[brocklanders023]

Re:

Can't remember any back then to be honest. Think Gravity Dropper were one of the first. :?

 

[hamster]

Products like the Hite-Rite existed way earlier, but of course they were not part of the post as such.

 

[development_cycle]

Re:

The bike is from 2004. I've googled and am surprised there doesn't seem to be a timeline of dropper posts, maybe that's something for on here?

I managed to find out that the Maverick Speedball/CB Joplin was around in 2006, so although I have no idea if that was it, they seem like a good place to start.

I guess I'm just looking for something affordable to try out on this bike. I probably will be buying a more modern bike in the nearish future so will possibly put a newer dropper on that but for now I'd like to try something older/cheaper. If anyone has any further info/advice etc to offer on the topic please reply here. Thanks

 

[one-eyed_jim]

You can use date-delimited Google searches to find likely candidates, then plug the results into the Wayback Machine to check specific dates.

Gravity Dropper was around in 2004:

https://web.archive.org/web/20040602044 ... opper.com/

The Powerpost is older - and weirder:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/361438303587

The Speedball was listed in late 2005:

https://web.archive.org/web/20051124234 ... onents.htm

 

[brocklanders023]

Re:

Just buy a cheap new one like the tmars or raleighs version. Joplins had a horrendous reputation for reliability so I would waste money on one of those.