Dropper Seat Post Design Project

Completed: April 2020

This project was for my third-year design course. The goal of the project was to design a product. The groups were given free rein on what to design, but we had to make sure the design was justified using engineering calculations. The project was evaluated based on how well the calculations account for issues like buckling and bolt calculations.

My group decided to design a dropper seat post. Dropper seat posts are used in mountain biking to raise and lower the seat while the rider is on it, without having to get off the seat. Our goal was to make a lighter version of the seat post. My role in the project was to complete the outer shaft of the post. I calculated the minimum diameter of the shaft required based on the forces and selected the optimal material for the use case.

This project put to scale how detailed engineering calculations can be. When it comes to engineering, it’s not sufficient to say “that looks like it will hold”, our job is to justify that the design will be able to withstand all the predictable and unpredictable situations.