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Review: Wolf Tooth ReMote LA is light at the lever

Attention to detail makes this small upgrade a winner

Wolf Tooth ReMote Light Action LA

Wolf Tooth ReMote Light Action LA

The dropper post lever may not seem like the most complex part of your mountain bike, but Wolf Tooth has found an impressive range of improvements to pack into it’s ReMote Light Action lever.

The small, but intelligent details added to the ReMote LA make a lever that will work better, last longer, and be easier to fix than the existing options that come with most dropper posts. Add the Minneapolis, Minn. company’s detailed machining work and aesthetic touches, and you have a part that works well and looks good.

Wolf Tooth ReMote Light Action LA

Wolf Tooth has made a name for itself by making well thought out improvements to simple components that improve the performance of those parts. The ReMote LA is an expansion of the companies existing line of after-market dropper post levers. The longer lever still sits tucked close to the bars, but offers a much lighter feel than the standard ReMote option. Wolf Tooth claims it requires roughly 30% less effort to actuate the ReMote LA than its other levers. Wolf Tooth ReMote Light Action LA

On the trail: Wolf Tooth’s ReMote LA in the wild

This claim bears out on the trail. The ReMote LA has a remarkably light feel, aided by the 21mm sealed ball bearing the lever pivots around, making it easy and quick to use when you need it most.

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In my experience, this adds to the functionality of the dropper post, not just the lever. Dropper posts are supposed to do more than sit at full extension or full compression. The ability to easily modulate the lever makes it simpler to reliably hit those intermediate post-heights that make you ride faster on technical climbs, rolling descents and other situations where mid-height is the best height.

Wolf Tooth ReMote Light Action LA

Construction and design of the ReMote LA hits the same high standard as other Wolf Tooth products. The aluminum paddle is machined with small grooves, ensuring reliable grip when the going gets wet. Through a wet West Coast fall, I’ve never felt myself hunting for traction when reaching for the ReMote LA.

One of the most interesting features of the ReMote LA is the use 0f a Delrin plastic axle as an engineered failure point. That way the lever breaks away in a hard crash instead of just breaking. Wolf Tooth offers replacement axles at a low cost, along with a host of other replacement parts.

As mentioned, some of the lever’s smooth action comes from the large sealed cartridge bearing it turns on. This bearing is replaceable, should you put the ReMote LA through enough adverse weather to wear it out.

There is also a range of lateral adjustment, to help position the bar for better ergonomics on the cluttered cockpit of a modern mountain bike. Finally, a barrel adjuster helps fine tune lever feel and make installation easier. Wolf Tooth ReMote Light Action LA

Installing the Wolf Tooth ReMote LA

Wolf Tooth’s dropper post lever attaches at the cable end, rather than the barrel end of the cable. This means it will work with any cable-actuated dropper post. It also makes the ReMote LA easy and quick to properly install.

I’ve tested the lever on several different dropper post models and designs over several months. Each time, it was simple to install and get working smoothly. How easy? In a “trial by fire” moment, my first experience with the ReMote LA was hurriedly attaching it to my bike in the parking lot before a big XC Marathon race, without a bike stand. Even pairing it with a very beat old post, in a rush, the ReMote was set up in minutes and worked flawlessly during the race and beyond.

Since then, I’ve used it on different bikes, different posts and for everything from everyday riding to XC and enduro racing. It was worked well in all of these scenarios. The way Wolf Tooth has designed the cable clamp on the lever doesn’t require crushing the cable, making it possible to switch posts between bikes without having to replace the cable. The lever I tested came with a bar clamp which, with a full hinge, was easy to move around on the bars and between bikes.

Wolf Tooth ReMote Light Action LA

Compatibility – this Wolf plays well with others

Wolf Tooth offers a wide range of mounting options for  ReMote LA, from Shimano, SRAM and Magura as well as bar clamp options. A full list is here, along with a fairly comprehensive list of what type of dropper posts the lever is compatible with. If the ReMote won’t work with your bar/dropper post combo, it’s likely one of Wolf Tooth’s other products will. There’s even options for hydro posts.

Replacement parts are easily ordered here. This includes the breakaway axle, as well as parts for different mounting options should you switch bikes and want to move your ReMote across to the new whip. With how well it works, and how well it is built, that is an entirely likely scenario.

Conclusions

Wolf Tooth’s ReMote LA works better than any stock dropper post lever I’ve tried, though some are getting close. It is easy to set up, widely compatible, and offers easy replacement parts. It’s also very nice to look at, with its wolf face and detailed machining. For a small part, it will help you get the most out of your quite-expensive dropper post. All these together, it’s easy to say that this is one upgrade that is clearly worth it. Add to all that that the ReMote is made just south of the border in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and you get to feel god about supporting North American production as well as have a high quality product.

Wolf Tooth’s ReMote Light Action starts at USD $60, with assorted mounting options available.