Review: MBAction - Fox Transfer Neo Dropper Seat Post

MBAction has reviewed the Fox Transfer Neo Seatpost. Here is what they had to say:

With over a decade of manufacturing cable-actuated dropper posts, Fox has now entered the wireless matrix. The Transfer Neo is chock full of new tech, including a wireless communication between lever and post that’s said to be 100 times faster than Blue Tooth, and 20-times faster than their competition – which we can deduce as being SRAM’s AXS Reverb. The wireless comm is something Fox created and is said to have virtually zero latency between lever and post-actuation. For those who want a specific speed, Fox claims it’s 26 milliseconds from lever press to post movement.

The most obvious variation on Fox’s wireless dropper is where the battery sits. Unlike the Reverb AXS, Fox opted to run the battery horizontally and at the post collar, versus up high and vertically. Why? Clearance, mostly. With the battery mounted statically down low, there’s virtually no potential tire clearance issues, which is something some riders have discovered with the AXS battery position. Another benefit of running the battery horizontally, that stack height is a relatively compact 47mm from the bottom of the controller to the center of the rails. This is a claimed 18mm improvement over other wireless droppers.

Battery life for the proprietary battery is a claimed 30-40 hours, which has checked out in our time using the Neo. It’s an impressively quick charge time on its included dock of approximately 1.25-1.5 hours from completely dead to full gas.

The post has a Schrader valve under the updated seat rail clamp, allowing for pressure adjustments, with a 325psi max. It does require removing the saddle and clamp, so hopefully the air chamber won’t need to be accessed too often.

Post actuation is triggered with a low-profile lever that’s compatible with MatchMaker, I-Spec, or on its own with a 22mm clamp. The lever is said to have 10mm more clearance than the competition and has a short mechanical throw that actuates the electronic communication. Compared to Fox’s cable-actuated lever, Neo’s remote has a six-fold reduction in throw. Powering the remote lever is a standard CR2032 battery that can be expected to last a year under regular use before needing to be replaced without the need of a tool. It’s a very tidy lever that was set up on our bike and never fussed with again.

If the remote lever’s battery happens to die, or if there’s some type of malfunction in communication, the dropper can be fully extended or fully dropped manually with the push of the post’s button. The same button is used to pair the system and turn the post on and off. The post battery can also be set up through Fox’s Ride app to “Shake to Wake” mode, where shaking or dropping the bike a few inches will turn the post on. If the post battery begins to die, a flashing red light signals that it’s time for a charge. Battery life for both lever and post is monitored through the Ride app, as well as the amount of actuations which is the baseline for service intervals. 8000 actuations is the number Fox states for the Neo to need service, which will need to be done by Fox at this time. When asked about this, Fox stated that the delicate wiring inside the post is something that they’d rather be responsible for.

We’ve had the Fox Transfer Neo on a bike for almost a month now, and it’s been fantastic. The actuation is as quick as it gets, leaving the impression that anything faster would have to read our minds. We have a 200mm drop version on a Pivot Firebird, and that amount of drop is ideal for both how that bike is intended to be ridden and our inseam.

Battery life has been on point with Fox’s claimed interval between needing to be charged, and the little red flashing light is a nice head’s up of when it’s time. It’s also possible to monitor battery life through Fox’s app, but phone time bites into ride time, so it’s great that there’s an on-bike indicator, too.

The horizontally mounted battery on the lower post is appreciated for keeping clearance and center of gravity low, though the rectangular battery does visually stick out a bit more than SRAM’s Reverb AXS battery location. It’s been the first thing people comment on out on the trail, too.

What’s never noticed is the low profile remote lever. It’s truly tucked out of the way, and has never been actuated by accident. We haven’t tried out the “Park Mode” setting through the app that essentially locks the dropper once completely dropped, but appreciate that feature as it’d be one heck of a surprise to have the post extend mid-huck!

As with literally every dropper post that’s come through the office, the Transfer Neo’s upper post does have a touch of pivotal play. It’s what is expected from dropper posts at this point, and isn’t an issue, but we’ll keep an eye on it for the long term review.