Drop Arrived

[rrward]

My Drop finally arrived the other day. Boy, howdy, that thing is huge. And heavy. I haven't ridden it yet because the streets in my town are still covered with ice, sand and all kinds of winter crud. I did spend a few hours sizing it and doing some modifications. I ordered my Drop in October with an expected delivery date of April. That was fine with me as winter had set in and I wasn't going to be riding it until late April or early May anyway.

Modifications:

• Replaced the QR seat post clamp with a hex bolt clamp.
• Replaced the seat post with a Kinekt 2.1 XL2 suspended seat post. If you are under 5'9" (175 cm) you are not going to be using a Kinekt seat post. Mine is sitting as low as it can go. On the other hand, if you are not a (what's the term) "extra husky fellow" and don't need the weight the Kinekt XL2 can support, there are other options that will fit shorter riders.
• Replaced the handlebars with mustache bars as I'm not a big fan of MTB handlebars.
• Added a handlebar extender.
• Added a bottle cage
• Added Left-side rear view mirror . Left-hand mirrors fit best between the throttle and the controller. The cable on the right side of the controller gets in the way and could be damaged by the mirror's clamp.
• Added a Spurcycle bell.
• Will be adding a Topeak Quicktrack adapter as soon as I can get longer screws. I went with the Topeak rack adapter because I already have a Topeak trunk bag that I really like. And good luck getting one if you need it. Mine came from the UK.

For those waiting for theirs:

• The shipping weight is 90 pounds (40 kg). That extra 25 pounds is all cardboard and foam. The box is very sturdy and very big. Dave has got to be 7-foot tall.
• The battery arrives around 10% charged.
• The tires are 15 or so PSI on arrival. You will need a pump. I highly recommend one of those battery powered ones.

I'll let you know when the roads clear up and I get to try it out.

 

[l3n]

Nice. I just got mine too and added some accessories myself. Will post soon!

 

[6zfshdb]

The Dost Drop is on my short list. I'm anxious to hear your first impressions.

I also use the Kinekt 2.1 XL2 and was glad to see you made yours fit. I'm 6' 2" and had some doubt if there would be enough seat tube clearance. I also prefer swept back handlebars and use Jones H bars on my other bikes. From your pics, it appears there is enough slack in the control cables to allow for the swap. I prefer a slightly higher stem as well. Is there enough cable slack to allow for a 4" stem riser?

I am not a fan of the thumb throttle and much prefer the twist type. This is something I would probably change if possible.

I'm also concerned about the seat tube to stem clearance. According to the specs, it is 3 inches less than my current bike. Do you have any problems getting on and off the step thru bike with the swept back bars? The second battery option would also add to this potential issue.

Any thoughts you have would be much appreciated.

 

[rrward]

The Dost Drop is on my short list. I'm anxious to hear your first impressions.

I also use the Kinekt 2.1 XL2 and was glad to see you made yours fit. I'm 6' 2" and had some doubt if there would be enough seat tube clearance. I also prefer swept back handlebars and use Jones H bars on my other bikes. From your pics, it appears there is enough slack in the control cables to allow for the swap. I prefer a slightly higher stem as well. Is there enough cable slack to allow for a 4" stem riser?

I am not a fan of the thumb throttle and much prefer the twist type. This is something I would probably change if possible.

I'm also concerned about the seat tube to stem clearance. According to the specs, it is 3 inches less than my current bike. Do you have any problems getting on and off the step thru bike with the swept back bars? The second battery option would also add to this potential issue.

Any thoughts you have would be much appreciated.

I was looking at the H bars. A bit pricey, but I wouldn't mind hearing a user's opinion of them. As for cable room, there is a lot of room in the main cable harness, though you will need to remove a zip tie to get the space needed to remove the components from the handlebars. But the harness is made of split-loom wrap and zip ties, so it's more than doable. There is also slack in the cable between the display and the controller that is spooled under the display. I had to let it out to use the bent bars I have. And yes, there is enough slack for a taller stem.

I can't really comment on getting in and out of the bike just yet. I haven't been on a bike in a while, so I'm still clumsy working with this one, and my last bike was a recumbent, so my bike-wrangling skills are a aimed in the wrong direction.

I'm thinking of getting a half-twist throttle myself.

 

[6zfshdb]

I was looking at the H bars. A bit pricey, but I wouldn't mind hearing a user's opinion of them. As for cable room, there is a lot of room in the main cable harness, though you will need to remove a zip tie to get the space needed to remove the components from the handlebars. But the harness is made of split-loom wrap and zip ties, so it's more than doable. There is also slack in the cable between the display and the controller that is spooled under the display. I had to let it out to use the bent bars I have. And yes, there is enough slack for a taller stem.

I can't really comment on getting in and out of the bike just yet. I haven't been on a bike in a while, so I'm still clumsy working with this one, and my last bike was a recumbent, so my bike-wrangling skills are a aimed in the wrong direction.

I'm thinking of getting a half-twist throttle myself.

Yes, the Jones H bars are a bit spendy but they offer a lot of extra mounting space. I was originally going to get a swept back bar and add a bar extender for all my gadgets but the Jones solved both issues.

My thumb cramps up after awhile when using a thumb throttle. I find the twist type much more comfortable. There are also a few "cruise control" devices available for the twist but I'm not aware of any for the thumb.

Making the switch isn't difficult as long as you can match the OEM wiring harness connector.

Please post any opinions you have after you get a few miles on the bike.

 

[rrward]

Yes, the Jones H bars are a bit spendy but they offer a lot of extra mounting space. I was originally going to get a swept back bar and add a bar extender for all my gadgets but the Jones solved both issues.

View attachment 84076

My thumb cramps up after awhile when using a thumb throttle. I find the twist type much more comfortable. There are also a few "cruise control" devices available for the twist but I'm not aware of any for the thumb.

Making the switch isn't difficult as long as you can match the OEM wiring harness connector.

Please post any opinions you have after you get a few miles on the bike.

Hmmm, a 4-inch riser below the stem... that's going to be tight, mostly on the front brake. You'll have to completely open up the cable harness, but it's just wrap and zip ties... The main issue I see is that the display mount straddles the stem and will get in the way of your bar bag. Although a few shims and flipping the mount front to back would allow you to mount it on the forward bow of the bars.