Brand-X Ascend Dropper Seatpost

My new bike came without a dropper post and I was looking to cheapest dropper possible to fit within my complete build. My criteria were: as cheap as possible, easy to rebuild at home, sealed damper for less maintenance and easy to find replacement parts. That’s quite a list for an affordable dropper seat post, but I knew that there was something checking all the boxes. The X-Fusion Manic, PNW Bachelor and One Up dropper posts were close, but I couldn’t find them as cheap as the Brand-X. The Ascend is almost exactly the same as the PNW’s Bachelor seat post, but it could be found cheaper at the time.

SPECS AND SETUP

For the 120mm drop model, I get 420mm total length including the cable/cylinder actuator mechanism, so this was perfect for my frame’s insertion. I could have gone to a 150mm drop with shorter crank arms, but I only have 20mm of play, so it would have been really tight.

With the very detailed instructions from PNW’s website Components (their Bachelor dropper post share many common parts with the Brand X), I have opened up the post before using it to make sure it was well lubed. You only need a crescent wrench, a hex key and a strap wrench (it might be alright without one) to rebuild it, and the small parts (keyways, bushing) are available aftermarket. Everything was surprisingly well greased, so I reassembled it, installed, stretched and re-tightened my cable, and I was good to go. 

There is a little adjustment barrel on the lever, but pre-stretching the cable gave me more adjustment at the lever in case I’d need it. It’s much simpler to adjust it with a few turns of the barrel adjuster instead of removing the post and re-tightening the cable at the mechanism. I did put a strip of clear adhesive vinyl on my bar underneath the dropper post’s lever to help it grip, so I didn’t need to tighten it too much to stop it from rotating. With my brake lever’s clamp being bulky, I had to position the dropper’s lever a little farther inboard than I’d like, but it shouldn’t be a problem with higher-end brake levers. The two-bolt saddle rail clamp offers a lot of adjustment, and a really tight grip on the rails. Once tightened to specs, I never felt anything come loose. 

DURABILITY

I did not need to open the post at all during the whole season, and it saw a lot of muddy and sandy rides. I wiped it clean after every ride, and I didn’t feel any roughness inside that would make me want to open it. It still works as new. The black stanchion finish is durable and shows no sign of wear, and the lever held up great. I don't remember if it had the rotational play in the beginning, but as picky as I am, it did not bother me. The play is very minimal, and as long as it keeps working well, that's something I easily accept at that price. The double-bolt saddle rail clamp is really sturdy and never creaked of all summer even with a lot of mud flying on it.

CONCLUSION

I think that once installed properly with good cable tension and without overtightening the lever bolt, it’s pretty much a set and forget component that will give at least a whole season of riding without any maintenance. That’s exactly what I was looking for and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a dropper seat post!