LIMOTEC EP1 dropper post first ride review – the first dropper post especially designed for e-bikes

Why do you need a battery on your dropper if there’s a huge one feeding your ebike’s motor? LIMOTEC asked themselves exactly this question and came up with an answer! The solution is the E1P, the first ever dropper post developed specifically for e-bikes. How does it fare against the other electric droppers currently available on the market?

In “The Lab” we usually present the latest products and put them through their paces for you. Some undergo long-term tests, while others stay with us only briefly. This time, we were attracted by a product that’s still in a prototype stage: the LIMOTEC E1P, which was designed as the first-ever ebike specific dropper post. Wireless, electronic dropper posts are still a rare sight, and most models only offer limited amounts of travel. One of the most popular models is RockShox’s Reverb AXS dropper post, while Magura recently launched their Vyron MDS-V3 model. Of course, there are also smaller brands that offer electronic droppers, like Italian manufacturer Switch with the WRLS. Given the ease of installation, electronic dropper posts are a popular choice amongst mechanics and bike manufacturers alike, making it easier to install the dropper, without having to thread the remote through the frame. Furthermore, electronic droppers ensure consistent response, simply because there’s no cable to wear or corrode over time.

All electronic dropper posts currently available on the market have one thing in common: they rely on a small, external battery. While RockShox employ their universal, rechargeable SRAM AXS battery, Magura use a standard CR2 battery. And that’s exactly what makes the LIMOTEC E1P so special, with a simple twin-core connector drawing power directly from the bike’s main battery. Although the system is far more complex than a simple external battery, it’s still less fiddly than routing a cable housing through the seat tube and down tube. The E1P dropper post works with 12V/2A power, which makes it compatible with most e-bike motor systems – at least according to the LIMOTEC. To install it, you’ll just have to connect a small plug to the lower section of the post. If you’re already holding the wire cutters and soldering iron, you should wait! For the time being, the LIMOTEC E1P dropper is only available as an OEM component. At some point next year, it should also become available as an aftermarket part. With a trade price of € 400, the LIMOTEC is significantly cheaper than the alternatives from Magura and RockShox’s. For 2025, LIMOTEC are also planning to launch a battery-powered aftermarket model, which allows you to use the dropper without having to switch on the motor. This comes in particularly handy when storing the bike in restricted spaces, for example in a bike garage in your van, where switching on the motor just to store the bike could be a real pain.

The LIMOTEC E1P comes in 4 versions with 125, 150, 170 and 200 mm of travel and three different diameters – 30.9, 31.6 and 34.9 mm. We tested the 31.6 mm version with 170 mm of travel, which tips our digital office scales at 722 g (without remote). For comparison’s sake, the RockShox Reverb AXS dropper weighs 702 g, meaning that the LIMOTEC might not be the optimal choice for weight weenies. If you like the idea of an electronic dropper that lets you adjust the travel infinitely, you might want to take a closer look at the LIMOTEC, because at 200 mm, it offers significantly more travel than most of its electric competitors, like the Rock Shox and Magura. Less exciting is the overall post length, which measures a whopping 535 mm on our 170 mm test model. In comparison, OneUp’s cable-operated equivalent has a total length of 470 mm, and even RockShox’s electronic dropper only measures 480 mm. The total post length (535 mm on a 170 mm dropper) is the distance from the top of the saddle rails to the bottom of the post, including the actuator for internally routed posts. The lack of a battery on the seat mount allows LIMOTEC to rely on a basic construction, similar to that of a cable-operated dropper, whereby the receiver is installed on the dropper’s collar.

Since most eMTBs have a rather shallow insertion depth, this could prevent you from using all of the available travel. This also means that you’ll have a major portion of the dropper sticking out of the frame. Even if you’re able to insert the post all the way into the frame, the long collar positions the saddle far up, restricting freedom of movement on the bike.

We tested a pre-production version of the LIMOTEC dropper on a Conway Xyron S, which relies on a Bosch Smart System motor. The remote was still a prototype, connecting to the dropper via radio signal, which means that you’ll have to change its batteries on a regular basis – our prototype draws its power from two LR44 button cells. For this test, we went through a shopping trolley full of batteries because our remote didn’t go into standby mode, draining the batteries overnight. The remote consists of two side buttons and a main button, offering excellent haptic feedback.

The two side buttons reveal one more innovation! The LIMOTEC E1P features a memory function, which allows you to program two more saddle positions alongside the fully extended position where the seatpost will stop when raising. This also works with a not fully retracted post; it is sufficient that it is below the saved position. This feature comes in handy especially when you’re taken by surprise by a technical climb and want to pedal with the saddle in the middle position. Moreover, this makes it easier to share the same bike with other family members, allowing your shorter loved ones to jump on the bike and ride without having to adjust the seat post from the collar – a bit like a driving position memory system of a car. Perfect saddle position at the touch of a button!

When using the remote for the first time, we immediately noticed the big main button, which is positioned very well. The two memory-function buttons are placed on the inside, where they are rather difficult to reach. Since this is just a prototype, we really hope that the production remote will be easier and more intuitive to use, which would come in handy especially when pushing your limits on the trail. Once we turned on the bike’s drive system, we were able to operate the dropper post, with the valve actuation motor announcing its presence with a loud clicking noise. Moreover, there’s a small delay between the moment you press the button and when the saddle actually drops. While the LIMOTEC has a shorter delay than the Magura Vyron, it can’t keep up with the butter-smooth performance of the RockShox Reverb AXS, which becomes particularly evident when the dropper is only partially extended. While it only takes some time and practice to get used to the delay of the RockShox dropper, the LIMOTEC makes it significantly harder, which is also due to its sluggish response. On the other hand, the extension speed is rather pleasant, with the dropper extending fast but not abruptly, meaning that you don’t hear the typical loud clunking noise when it reaches full extension. This makes the LIMOTEC the optimal choice for relaxed trail riders who don’t want to charge an additional battery. If you want a dropper to squeeze the last ounce of performance out of your eMTB, you’re better off looking for another long-travel dropper that doesn’t have any delay. The memory function makes it an interesting option for SUV ebikes.

Our conclusions about the LIMOTEC E1P dropper post

The LIMOTEC dropper post delivers a decent performance and convinces with useful details, drawing its power directly from the bike’s main battery, which makes it an interesting option for all those who don’t want an additional battery on their bike. Furthermore, the memory function also makes it an excellent choice for e-SUV bikes. The generous 200 mm travel also appeals to sporty riders, provided they can push it all the way into the frame.

More information at: limo-tec.com

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Words: Sebastian Dirscherl Photos: Antonia Feder