FIRST RIDE REVIEW

THE NEW FOX TRANSFER NEO DROPPER

LONGER DROP, LOWER STACK AND FASTER ACTUATION

Words and Photos by Cole Gregg

Earlier this year Fox Dropped the all-new Transfer post with some much needed updates. Today Fox expands on that Transfer product line with their first wireless electronic dropper, dubbed “Transfer Neo”. The Transfer Neo dropper features the same updates the analog Transfer post received, but with some interesting new tech allowing for wireless operation. This flagship dropper post lands at $859 USD, $1149 CAD and €1100.00 EUR (ex VAT).

ABOUT THE NEW TRANSFER NEO

What Is Neo: Neo is the name for the new wireless protocol developed in-house by Fox’s mechatronics team. Neo’s wireless protocol has a latency of just 26 milliseconds – 100x faster than Bluetooth – making it the undisputed king of speed when it comes to wireless dropper posts.

To achieve this, Fox has essentially taken a Bluetooth-like signal and stripped it down to the bare bones. Think of a production car vs a race car. They only have what is absolutely needed within the signal to complete the task at hand. Neo does not need to transmit audio or video files, just simply produce an on/off signal as fast as possible. This stripped down ultra-low latency signal allows for incredibly fast micro adjustment to saddle height. Easier micro-tuning than even a cable-operated dropper? You bet.

Battery Life: With a 30 – 40 hour battery life, you are likely to get more than a few rides off a single charge, unless you’re going for your next triple Everest attempt. For some, charging may be a weekly habit, and for others it’ll be a monthly one. The battery charges on a specific dock with a USB-C cable included with the post. Charge times are around the 1.5 hour mark. The lever utilizes a commonly found CR2032 battery, which is expected to last around 12 months of consistent use. If your lever does happen to die while out on a ride, there is a button on the battery module on the post that will still allow you to operate it. Should the post die, one to two activations are still possible by removing and reinstalling the battery. This will allow you to set your desired saddle height for the rest of the ride. There is a small LED light on module that displays a simple Green, Orange and Red for quick glances at battery levels.

Post Specs: The Transfer Neo has a stack height of just 47mm, 18mm shorter than the closest wireless competitor. The battery placement on the seat collar allows for greater tire clearance when running the post fully slammed into the seat tube.

Just like the analog version, Neo has a Schrader valve up top to adjust the post’s return speed. The internals of the post have been brought over from the updated 2024 analog Transfer, which includes the two-bolt seat clamp, reduced drop force, and longer service intervals. The post’s motor is located at the bottom of the post, eliminating bulk up top. There is a shield around the motor protecting the internals, which should not be removed.

Neo Lever: The new lever assembly features compatibility for MatchMaker and I-Spec EV to get a clean cockpit, with the different mounting hardware options included in the box. Compared to the standard Transfer lever, there is a 6x shorter throw to actuate the dropper. This shorter throw allows for more flexibility with how you choose to mount the lever on your bars. Lastly the new lever has a IPX7 waterproof rating, so you can ride in the rain and wash your bike worry free.

Options And Adjustability: The Transfer Neo is available in all three seat post diameters. The 30.9mm and 31.6mm variants come in drops of 100mm, 125mm, 150mm, 175mm and 200mm. The 34.9mm version loses the 100mm drop option. Unlike the analog Transfers, the Transfer Neo does not feature adjustable drop length.

Modes And Fox Bike App: The Transfer Neo features an app that controls modes, tracks data and allows for device pairing. The Fox Bike App is where you can toggle between a few different modes. The Bike Park mode allows you to essentially turn off the dropper to avoid any unwanted actuations. Reverting back to normal operation requires 4 fast clicks on the remote. Transport mode turns off the dropper saving battery life over long drives to new zones. To wake the system you just drop the bike from knee height and the system will be ready to go. These are really neat features that should help to ensure there’s no surprises with dead batteries after a long road trip.

The app also will track how many actuations your post has, allowing you to better plan for getting the post serviced. Fox claims the post should be serviced every 8,000 actuations. Accurate battery life will also be displayed within the app.

THE WOLF’S FIRST IMPRESSION

I attended a Fox press camp for the new Transfer Neo in addition to some other stuff I can’t talk about quite yet… We fitted a 200mm drop post to the Ari Delano Peak test mule. Fox had a solid loop planned for us just North of the Whistler Village climbing Comfortably Numb. This trail only has 575’ of elevation but is punchy and technical the entire way up. After getting my first crash out of the way on the climb (I was distracted by the epic mountain views!) we descended down Out There. This trail made the most of the 575’ of elevation change with many tight zesty climbs and slabs with heavy compressions.

To get this out of the way early on, I have to say the look of the battery module down at the seatpost collar is not my favorite. Once I learned more about the post from Fox’s engineers, the reasoning for its location and size does make a lot of sense. Being able to slam a post for a jump trail is for sure valuable and is something I find myself doing often, especially at my local trails. The lever feel is quite natural, and in my opinion looks great. It resembles a normal dropper lever, with all the new fangled fanciness of wireless operation contained within.

Pairing the Fox Transfer Neo dropper and remote within the Fox Bike App was very straight forward within their guided setup. I did however press and hold the button on the module instead of just one hard press and release my first time. The long press actuates the dropper motor allowing you to drop the post if your lever battery dies. To revert to pairing mode it took just one press and release of the button, and we were good to go.

When it came to getting out on the trail, it was immediately noticeable how fast the response time was. I found myself consistently micro adjusting saddle height on the techier bit of climb that I normally would have just left an analog post fully extended. The new Transfer Neo post is the best of the best when it comes to mid-climb adjustments. I truly think this helped me clean some climbs that I normally would have failed on the first try. Sure you can micro adjust a standard post, but doing so on the Transfer Neo is even easier, and was much appreciated.

By the end of the day the clunky look of the battery module at the seat collar faded away, and I found myself becoming quite a fan of this new post. I am stoked Fox is offering this with 200mm drop, but I’m also bummed they did not opt to really push the boundaries and match the analog Transfers full 240mm. Fox reasoned that there were issues with packaging a 240mm drop wireless post in most frames, but we’d love to see this problem solved in the future. With that said I hope to see this 200mm post spec’d on more and more complete bikes we get in for testing.

For this First Ride review my trail time on the Fox Transfer Neo dropper has not been extensive, so you’ll have to wait for the long-term review to find out how the durability and battery life stacks up. For now, it’s safe to say that my initial impressions are high, just like the price tag. 

Price: $859 | $1,149 CAD | €1100.00 EUR (ex VAT).
Website: RideFox.com