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The brand x dropper on my bike has a barrel nut that you attach to the cable at the dropper end, and the standard shifter nobbly bit goes into the lever. I got a new lever that just clamps the cables.
1 option is to install a new shifter cable, cut the nobbly bit off the end and use the the barrel nut at the dropper end.
Those little barrel nuts are a bit annoying is there any better option to connect at the dropper end?
You can just loop the nobbly cable end into the bit at the bottom of the dropper
Thanks - might give that a try. It just feels wrong - like putting a square peg in a round hole 🙂
My first Brand X post didn't come with anything to attach the cable to the post so I figured the cable nobble just had to sit in the actuator loop thing. That's what I did and it's worked fine for years since. I've subsequently bought a Trans X post (same manufacturer) and it came with a barrel thing for the cable nobbly bit to sit in, it now looks like a correctly engineered solution however they both work.
Long time since I've had a dropper out of the frame, but doesn't the "nobbly bit" sit into one of these things, on the right in this pic and that slots into the post end?
https://slam69.co.uk/products/brand-x-ascend-dropper-cable-sleeve-and-barrel
Yeah just hook the shifter cable onto the end of the post, works just fine up until the cable gets sticky, then your barrel nut will offer you a few more goes as it forces the cable through the outer... before also giving up too.
So in short, if your maintenance isn't horrbile, just use the regular cable. Do get alu end caps though. That will make a massive difference to the lifespan.
Thanks - those little barrel adapters look like the 'correct' way to do it. I think those are supplied on the versions that clamp the cable at the lever end. But ones like mine clamp at the dropper end using a little barrel nut - like this https://www.tftuned.com/cable-clamp-barrel-nut-bolt/p3946
I'm going to have a hunt around my spare parts boxes - the description for those brand-x adapters says
It includes 3 cable nut sleeves and 3 grub screw barrels.
And I definitely remember ordering a replacement grub screw barrel a couple of years ago when mine fell off and was lost.
Did I hear somewhere that old fashioned brake cable housing was better than gear cable housing for droppers ? More supple or easier to curve or some such reason 😕
I've just switched over to one of the Shimano dropper post levers after the grub screw on my BrandX rounded out - easy, way better design like the clamp bolt on a rear mech.