The PNW Components line of DROPPER POSTS have been designed with ease of service and simplicity in mind. Let's break down the construction of the posts so you get a better idea of what's inside:

1. Spring Preload: Many droppers offer adjustable air preload, which is a fantastic feature that reduces weight and allows for finite adjustment for how quickly your saddle returns when you press the remote lever. When manufacturing a dropper post with air preload, tolerances have to be super tight so air doesn't leak out which not only increases cost due to ultra-high precision machining, but they also require more maintenance because the seal can get sticky quickly with such a small amount of gap between the moving shaft and the lower section of the post. For these reasons, we've chosen a spring for preload.

We feel that while springs may be a tad heavier than air systems, they provide consistent performance, reduce required maintenance and in return save you time and money. 

2. Sealed Damping Cartridge: To control the return rate of the saddle, our posts use a lightweight sealed cartridge with 2-stages of damping. The first is air and second is hydraulic fluid. This combination provides a nice, consistent rate of return, allowing you to focus on having fun on the trail, not checking the air pressure of your seat post every few months. 

An additional benefit of this sealed cartridge system is that if at any point the cartridge needs to be replaced, swapping is incredibly easy. Simply remove the nut at the bottom of the post, pull the post apart, swap the cartridge, button it back up and you're off riding again. No dealing with an open bath of fluid, no need to replace seals and no hassle when you'd rather be riding.

3. "Spin-Stop" Technology: The number one question we receive is whether there is play in the head of the saddle. Our answer is always no, to which we get a very puzzled look. Our post uses a keyed slider system where the inner portion of the lower post has machined slots and the stanchion portion has brass keys that fit into the slots. By using this simple design, the post is able to move freely vertically, but unable to spin. Pretty cool!

We have kept the design of our dropper posts simple with you as the rider in mind. We hate finicky parts, whether they're forks, shocks or seat posts and prefer to spend our time riding rather than servicing. We hope you appreciate this added design effort, too!