I just picked up a Fox Transfer, and figured I'd offer op some thoughts on it, since I hadn't seen much discussion on here. I've only got two rides on it so far, so I have nothing to say as far as long term durability goes, but I'll provide updates as I go.
I've been solidly pro-Thomson dropper for years now, and still own two. I've tried a few other things, but ruled them out for various reasons, with the other two I actually owned being the Reverb (shitty lever ergonomics) and the Lev (basically everything). My Thomson posts are 3 and 4 years old now, and have both needed a rebuild at around the 2 year mark, manifested by gradually decreasing return speeds, ultimately reaching the point where they didn't return through the last ~10mm of travel. I'd call a 2 year service interval on a dropper quite good though, and they've otherwise been fantastic. That said, I wanted to move to a 150mm travel post on my Megatrail, and took the opportunity to give the Fox a whirl. Thomson actually does make a 150mm post now, but seeing as they run nearly double what I paid for the Fox, I decided to see if I could get the job done for less.
Overall the fit and finish on the post is quite good, but it does have a little bit of side to side play in the seat. I don't think it's more than the average dropper, and I can't really feel it while riding, but both of my Thomsons are still completely rock solid with no play whatsoever, so by comparison it's a little disappointing. The one other thing that bears mentioning is that the cable attachment point on the internally routed post feels kind of flimsy. It's protected in the seat tube, so it's probably not a big deal, but I could definitely see it getting damaged if you dropped the post during installation. The Thomson part is much more robust (and replaceable, unlike the Fox).
Return speed on the Fox is a bit on the slow side. It's not as if I feel like I'm waiting ages for the post to come back up or anything, but it's definitely slower than average, and I'm finding it a little harder to get the post to stop at the right point mid-travel if I want to just raise it half way. A lot of that probably is just that I'm used to the faster Thomson return speed after years of just riding them, so time will tell if I get used to it.
The Fox also tops and bottoms out with a very audible clunk. This is again a departure from the Thomson, but I'm kind of it to it because there's no ambiguity whatsoever as to whether or not you've reached limit. Sometimes with the Thomson I'd actually let go of the lever a little early and now lower it all the way if I got caught off guard and tried to lower the post in a hurry, because there wasn't much feedback to let you know it was all the way down.
I like that the Fox (and Thomson Covert) run the cable with the head at the seatpost end, because it makes sizing the cable way easier for an internally routed post. The external Thomson routes the cable the other way, which does have the advantage of making it easier to use a modified shifter as a lever, and isn't an issue with the cable clamp at the seatpost head. One of my (many) complaints with the Lev is that getting the cable length just so, especially on the Integra version, is a lengthy exercise in trial and error. Also, the Fox seat clamp is a solid two bolt design, more or less indistinguishable from the tried and true Thomson. This is a good thing.
I've got the 1x style lever on it, and have actually been using that for a while, previously on a Thomson Covert. It works fine, but the lever sits further out from the bar than I'd like, so reaching back for it requires a bit more thumb movement than would be ideal. It's still way better than a Reverb or the front shifter compatible KS lever, but there's room for improvement. The cable routing from the lever also kind of sucks. Rather than sending the cable parallel to the bar, it comes forward at roughly a 45 degree angle, which makes a big ass, pointless loop of cable on the front of the bike. I cut a little section of V brake noodle to put between the lever and the housing to take care of that bend, which works pretty well, but it's annoying to have to resort to those kinds of shenanigans.
Overall, the post seems really good, and thus far I'd say its the best thing I've tried this side of a Thomson, and at a much better price. As long as it holds up, it seems like a winner.
I've been solidly pro-Thomson dropper for years now, and still own two. I've tried a few other things, but ruled them out for various reasons, with the other two I actually owned being the Reverb (shitty lever ergonomics) and the Lev (basically everything). My Thomson posts are 3 and 4 years old now, and have both needed a rebuild at around the 2 year mark, manifested by gradually decreasing return speeds, ultimately reaching the point where they didn't return through the last ~10mm of travel. I'd call a 2 year service interval on a dropper quite good though, and they've otherwise been fantastic. That said, I wanted to move to a 150mm travel post on my Megatrail, and took the opportunity to give the Fox a whirl. Thomson actually does make a 150mm post now, but seeing as they run nearly double what I paid for the Fox, I decided to see if I could get the job done for less.
Overall the fit and finish on the post is quite good, but it does have a little bit of side to side play in the seat. I don't think it's more than the average dropper, and I can't really feel it while riding, but both of my Thomsons are still completely rock solid with no play whatsoever, so by comparison it's a little disappointing. The one other thing that bears mentioning is that the cable attachment point on the internally routed post feels kind of flimsy. It's protected in the seat tube, so it's probably not a big deal, but I could definitely see it getting damaged if you dropped the post during installation. The Thomson part is much more robust (and replaceable, unlike the Fox).
Return speed on the Fox is a bit on the slow side. It's not as if I feel like I'm waiting ages for the post to come back up or anything, but it's definitely slower than average, and I'm finding it a little harder to get the post to stop at the right point mid-travel if I want to just raise it half way. A lot of that probably is just that I'm used to the faster Thomson return speed after years of just riding them, so time will tell if I get used to it.
The Fox also tops and bottoms out with a very audible clunk. This is again a departure from the Thomson, but I'm kind of it to it because there's no ambiguity whatsoever as to whether or not you've reached limit. Sometimes with the Thomson I'd actually let go of the lever a little early and now lower it all the way if I got caught off guard and tried to lower the post in a hurry, because there wasn't much feedback to let you know it was all the way down.
I like that the Fox (and Thomson Covert) run the cable with the head at the seatpost end, because it makes sizing the cable way easier for an internally routed post. The external Thomson routes the cable the other way, which does have the advantage of making it easier to use a modified shifter as a lever, and isn't an issue with the cable clamp at the seatpost head. One of my (many) complaints with the Lev is that getting the cable length just so, especially on the Integra version, is a lengthy exercise in trial and error. Also, the Fox seat clamp is a solid two bolt design, more or less indistinguishable from the tried and true Thomson. This is a good thing.
I've got the 1x style lever on it, and have actually been using that for a while, previously on a Thomson Covert. It works fine, but the lever sits further out from the bar than I'd like, so reaching back for it requires a bit more thumb movement than would be ideal. It's still way better than a Reverb or the front shifter compatible KS lever, but there's room for improvement. The cable routing from the lever also kind of sucks. Rather than sending the cable parallel to the bar, it comes forward at roughly a 45 degree angle, which makes a big ass, pointless loop of cable on the front of the bike. I cut a little section of V brake noodle to put between the lever and the housing to take care of that bend, which works pretty well, but it's annoying to have to resort to those kinds of shenanigans.
Overall, the post seems really good, and thus far I'd say its the best thing I've tried this side of a Thomson, and at a much better price. As long as it holds up, it seems like a winner.
