Thomson Elite Covert Dropper Test

Thomson has been around a long time. It is a name that is synonymous with high quality made in the USA bike bling. Most of us have used their standard posts for the best in strength to weight ratios. With the advent of dropper posts in the last 5 years Thomson took their time bringing a dropper to market. What they have is called the Elite Dropper and we are testing the Covert version which is for internal cable routing.

"The Elite Dropper uses side mount actuation so we can keep all the critical dimensions of the Thomson Elite cradle, bolt and clamp geometry. One piece forged inner post for strength and reliability, no joint to loosen and fail. Actuation is by cam so rider gets smooth, variable speed and height without resorting to a complicated, damage prone hydraulic actuator; no bleeding required. 27.2, 30.9 and 31.6 diameters available."

Features

• The Elite Covert Dropper fixes the cable at the bottom of the post both 30.9 and 31.6 diameters available.
• Return speed is damped in the last 15mm of upward travel to be gentle on your “seating” area!
• 5 inches/125mm of infinite travel.
• 5mm of setback.
• 592 grams including remote lever, housing and cable. Passes EN fatigue and strength test.
• The smallest most ergonomic remote lever available. Short throw for quick height changes.
• You can put your Thomson post back on now.

"You want the increased control a dropper post gives you but you had to give up your Thomson post to have it. Not any longer, you can put your Thomson post back on the bike! Our cartridge based system is designed to have the longest service life in the industry. If repair is needed it is fast, affordable and simple. Every single component is the best available. Custom made Norglide bearing bushings, custom made Trelleborg O-Rings and seals, Thomson saddle clamps and fasteners, Motul Oil. This is the drop post good enough to be called a Thomson Elite.

Three new Droppers join the lineup in May of 2014. 30.9 and 31.6 Covert Dropper posts are built for bikes that utilize internal housing and cable routing for dropper posts. Housing and cable exits the bottom of the post and does not move when the post moves. 27.2 Elite Dropper features the external housing and cable installation and will let you re-build that aggressive hard tail you have been dreaming of."

Upon receiving the seatpost we where not shocked at all to find a beautiful piece that we mounted up fast with no issues. It was easy to set up and the trigger is very fast to engage the post and there is none of the slack you may be accustomed to using a KS or Rock Shox post. The Thomson Dropper currently only comes in a 125mm version but they are rumored to be working on a 150mm version right now. The post has infinite travel and has a damped 15mm of end travel to keep it easy on your underside.

Thomson did a wonderful job with their dropper post. It is a snap to install, has a great build quality and works for long periods with little to no service. We have been running the Thomson Covert Dropper for four months now and have had zero issues. In fact there is still no play in the post at all. Most droppers start to wiggle after a week or when brand new. This is not an issue with the Thomson.The Elite Dropper didn't even need any cable adjustements! The post has an infinite adjustment and operates very smoothly the whole way through its travel.

Conclusion

Overall we where very happy with the offering from Thomson. Their post is clean, simple, reliable, and made in the USA. The only issue we have is that it would be nice if the lever was a bit broader, it is a bit on the thin side. Also having a 150mm version will allow many more riders the ability to run a dropper from Thomson. There is not another dropper being made with the quality of The Thomson Elite series. Just put one next to any other dropper and you will see the difference.

The Elite Covert is a fantastic dropper post that we would highly reccomend to a friend. Dropper posts are still heavy and this is our only issue with this post. It is one of the heavier models on the market. One day soon we will have dropper posts that are below 400 grams. But for the current crop of dropper posts the Thomson is king both in durability and function.

Q&A With Thomson Components

1. Give us some background on Thomson and what drove you to begin making bicycle components?

Founder Ronnie Thomson was encouraged to make bicycle products by his daughter and accountant, both avid cyclists. In 1993, Ronnie’s daughter, a Carnegie Melon cycling team member, asked if she could bring a few friends to Georgia during the spring so they could ride in the warm weather. She showed up with ten friends. In between rides, they toured the factory, then making aerospace parts, and said, “Wow, they could manufacture bicycle parts here!”

The next year, 1994, two of her friends, Michael McGhee and Mark McJunkin, returned for a visit. While in Macon, they presented Ronnie with a written proposal to manufacture bike products. Following graduation that year, Ronnie hired them. Chris McGhee formerly worked with Gary Klein of Klien bikes, which sold out to Trek. Gary said the seat post was the forgotten component.

That same year, in the summer of 1994, Ronnie’s daughter set out to ride across America. She covered 120 miles per day, but she had to make seat adjustments to manage the painful ride she was experiencing. This, in turn, increased pressure on her knee, which caused an injury she could not overcome to finish the race. This experience gave impetus to design a brand new product. What we learned from the ride and Gary helped set the tone for the business plan and direction of the bike line. At this time, high quality bike components were an entirely new market.

Two years in development, the Thomson seat post was introduced at the 1996 Interbike show as a hot new patent pending cycling component, and continues to be a strong, reliable, and sought after product. Thomson maintains patents on the majority of its products. By 1997, the Thomson team was already developing their partner network and began selling internationally.

Brian Thomson returned to work at Thomson in 1998 after college and a short stint in the oil refinery business. Fresh from the Colorado school of Mines, he was given the responsibility to design additional seat post sizes.

After the initial success of the seat post, Thomson began thinking of how to build a better stem. In manufacturing, the tooling and machines must be in place before a product can be manufactured, and it can take as long to accomplish as the design of the product. The first Thomson Elite stem was introduced in 2001/2002. It is no longer in production because we made improvements and modifications that led to the X2 and X4 stems that followed in 2005/2006.

Thomson lost a great visionary and friend when Ronnie passed away in 2008. Brian stepped in as President. During this time we continued to pursue the patent for the collar that Ronnie began. Products are developed at Thomson when we detect that the industry does not meet a need. The collar was developed to provide excellent/even clamping without crushing the seat post.

Thomson experienced a rapid succession of new items beginning in 2012 with handle bars, dropper seat posts in 2013, and Covert and 27.2 droppers in 2014. Thomson realized the desire for riders to have a bike that fits and we introduced the Thomson titanium hard tail custom bike at Eurobike in 2014. And we have more products on the way. A third generation is being groomed in the business to continue the Thomson tradition of excellence. We want our customers to have the best ride of their lives.

 2. The dropper post scene literally seemed to explode about 4-5 years ago. What did Thomson think at the time and why did you guys seem to take your time before creating a dropper of your own?

We wanted to be certain this technology was here to stay. Prior to the dropper no product in our catalog moved. This, coupled with the high rate of failure in the industry, pushed us to be confident in our product prior to etching THOMSON on the side.

3. Where there certain features you guys wanted to make sure to include in the Thomson Dropper?

Thomson wanted to produce a solid post that could be utilized by riders of varying disciplines. We made sure to accommodate frames with the option for internal cable routing as well as external and infinite adjustability within the range of the stroke as well as the saddle angle.

4. How long did it take to get the post from idea to reality?

About two years. 

5. What would you say you where most concerned with when creating a post from scratch? (IE weight, reliability, function, Etc.)

Being a THOMSON, the post is held to high standards. Function and reliability were the critical issues the dropper market needed work on, so we addressed those issues. Aesthetics and minimal weight are secondary yet standard attributes to all THOMSON products.

7. How soon until we see a 150mm version of the Thomson Dropper?

We are hoping to have the 150mm available in time for spring.

8. What would you say the greatest three inventions for Mountain Biking have been in the last 20 years?

Disc Brakes, progressive suspension, and helmet technology/ safety gear in general...

9. Who is a better rider Ned Overend, or Eddy Merckx?

The single track guy in me tends to lean toward Overend, but where would the industry as a whole be without Merckx? They are both legends in their respective disciplines.

10. What do you think about all the standards that have flooded the MTB world over the past 4 years?

Just because something is deemed a standard does not necessarily make it so. I can think of several standards that have evolved over the years that do not necessarily provide any positive influence to the rider. Added standards often flood the market with options and make upgrading difficult on the end user.

11. Where do you see Mountain Biking ten years from now?

The advent of the eBike foreshadows the future of the sport in my opinion. I am not trying to sound prophetic, but I feel this is the biggest game changer, good or bad, the sport has seen since inception.

12. Any new products that Thomson may have on the horizon?

Thomson is working on several new dropper posts. A 100mm travel dropper will be available to consumers in November. We are working on a 150mm travel, and hope to release it in spring. Both the 100 and 150 will be available in 31.6 and 30.9 diameters with covert routing.  The 100mm will be available in external routing as well. We are also working on our static line. In the works are carbon fiber seat posts and forged aluminum set back seat posts. The forged aluminum set back seat post will feature a 25 mm offset taking place in the cradle as opposed to having a formed body like our current set back line. We hope to have these products available to consumers within 6 months.

13. Will we see a weight reduction in dropper posts over the next 5 years?

I would think so, as that is the natural progression of bicycle technology. As cx and even road riders adopt this tech, the desire for a lighter weight post grows increasingly greater.

14. Anything you would like our readers to know about the Cover Dropper or Thomson in general?

Our new web site is set to go live November 1st. In the meantime we can be reached at bikes@lhthomson.com