Easton EA70 AX Dropper seatpost is for gravel

Gravel bikes offer an exciting new way of riding because they help riders go pretty much wherever they want. Roads? Sure. Unpaved roads? Why not. Singletrack and trails? Of course! To make you and your bike ready for whatever surface you face, Easton has developed the EA70 AX dropper post.

Like high volume tires and disc brakes, dropper posts are a technology borrowed from mountain biking. And, like those earlier borrowed techs, they make gravel bikes more capable and more fun. Since dropper posts weren’t introduced until well into the 2000s, the EA70 AX might even move us past the “gravel bikes are just ’90s mountain bikes” argument. Maybe.

Adapted tech to make it Gravel specific

While dropper posts aren’t new, just borrowing the dropper post off your mountain bike probably won’t work. Easton’s done quite a bit of work to make the EA70 AX post work in a way that is ideal for use on a gravel bike.

That means a short, 50-mm drop (where some mountain bikes offer up to 200-mm travel). This keeps your seat in a familiar, comfortable position while still opening up more room for riding in rougher terrain. It’s not just for singletrack, either. A little lower seat height can also make descending on loose surfaces, like gravel roads, easier. You can keep your weight a bit lower, and move the bike around under you more easily.

Easton makes the EA70 AX in a 27.2mm diameter, which should fit most gravel frames. The post comes in either a 350mm or 400mm length, so it will be long enough to work with the dropped top-tube frame designs that are more common in gravel bikes. Easton’s post has a 0mm offset head, so you don’t have to adjust your saddle position compared to a fixed seatpost. As for weight, the extra fun of a dropper post weighs 400g for the 350mm length post.

One post to rule them all: EA70 AX and lever compatibility

Easton uses a cartridge design for the EA70 AX, which is both reliable and easy to service. The actuating cable attaches to the post from either direction as well. While this might sound like a small detail, it means the EA70 AX post works with any existing mechanical dropper post lever, or drop bar compatible shifter (like Shimano’s GRX shifter). Of course, Easton has its own drop-bar specific lever in the works, too. But for now, being able to use your dropper post with any third party lever means more freedom in how you set up your bike. Use the EA70 AX for gravel, bikepacking rigs, or even flat-bar cross and gravel rigs, no problem.

Of course, if you’re going to trust any gravel and road company to build your dropper post, Easton would make sense. The brand has not only put a huge effort into gravel, including supporting Canadian cyclocross national champion Michael van den Ham in his off-season off-road pursuits. Easton’s parent company, Fox, has produced dropper seat posts for years as part of its mountain bike line.

Easton even borrowed a mountain bike athlete from one of its affiliates to introduce the EA70 AX dropper seatpost. Race Face’s top-ranked Enduro World Series rider, Jesse Melamed has been going on gravel adventures around Squamish while he waits for the postponed race season to resume.

Watch Melamed take Easton’s EA70 AX dropper post for a test shred on the trails above Squamish. If you watch close, you can even catch a cameo from one of Canadian Cycling Magazine’s web editors…

Easton’s EA70 AX dropper seatpost has an MSRP of $240.00. It is available now through Easton.

Jesse Melamed – Easton Cycling: EA70 AX Dropper Seatpost