I've had two Brand X 27.2 droppers in the last couple of years, the first replaced under warranty after it started returning slowly and wobbling about, the second has probably had 20 or so rides and has developed a lot of rotational play as well as fore/aft play.
I'm considering an upgrade to the PNW Rainier Gen 3, but I'm concerned it might end up the same. I don't mind a bit of play in the post, small amounts I don't notice. Riding the Brand X post however I can hear it rattling about when I'm standing, and can definitely notice it while I'm sitting.
Does anyone have experience of the PNW Rainier post and any wobble it develops?
AFAIK from the pictures of PNW posts Ive seen are rebadged Tranz X, which is what a brand x is, so there's no guarantee you will be getting a different (in a substantial way) product. Thats not a bad thing but just be aware. Its also the case that there's many versions of very similar products from Tranz X so something that looks the same could be different internally.
As above.
I’ve had a close look at all 3, TranzX, BrandX, and PNW. They all look the same to me. The PNW seems to have more options on dropper length. I also can’t see why the PNW is 50-75% more, even more so when there’s no lever included.
I’ve got a BrandX and it’s been fine throughout the winter.
Are yours still in warranty?
I warrantied the 1st Brand X post at the end of the two year warranty, so the one I have now won't be covered by the warranty any more.
I see PNW offer a "lifetime" warranty, which may account for the extra cost, rather than an increase in quality.
We have a 30.9 pnw loam and a 27.2 PNW pine dropper and a 31.6 brand x external across our bikes. The 27.2 had slight rotational play when new but hasn't got noticeably worse. The 30.9 and 31.6 have developed rotational play but not as bad as 27.2 yet. Neither wobble for or aft or are noisy when riding. Neither have had any servicing either in a couple of years use!
I used to have the old 27.2 ks dropper which also developed play over time, on that could replace and grease the pins inside which key the orientation of the shaft to reduce play which might also be an option to tune up the brand x or pnw droppers.
My guess is that fitting everything into a 27.2 diameter post means there are compromises on the wall thickness compared to wider diameter posts and it shows up as extra wear on the key pins so need replacing more often.
benpinnick
AFAIK from the pictures of PNW posts Ive seen are rebadged Tranz X, which is what a brand x is, so there’s no guarantee you will be getting a different (in a substantial way) product.
They're all variations on a theme, they use a cartridge from a company called Wintek, so the differences are mainly the packaging and external seals, and the pricing.
We have a 30.9 pnw loam and a 27.2 PNW pine dropper
We've a 'better' PNW post, but I cannot remember which model.
It's the better post than the BrandX, TransX etc...