If the cable on your internally routed dropper post is frayed or sticky, it’s definitely time you replaced it. Here are seven straightforward steps to help you do just that.
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Step 1. Prepare to remove
First, cut off the cable crimp behind the remote lever. Loosen the pinch bolt two full turns. Mark the seatpost with tape just above the seat collar so you can reinstall it at the correct height.
Step 2. Expose the cable
Loosen any fasteners securing the cable to the frame. Slide the post out of the seat tube, while guiding the outer cable through the frame’s routing port. Stop when a couple of inches of outer cable are exposed above the seat clamp.
Step 3. Remove the inner cable
Unhook the cable bushing from the actuation lever on the base of the post. Set the post aside. Pull the old inner cable all the way through the outer. Remove the cable bushing from the old cable and thread it onto the new one (use gear cable).
Step 4. Place the inner cable
Thread the inner through the full length of the outer cable, from the post end. Hook the cable bushing onto the actuation lever, then plug the outer cable ferrule into the port on the post as you pull the inner cable taut from the lever end.
Step 5. Replace the post
Replace the post in the seat tube, while gently guiding the outer back out of the frame and through any cable guides. Stop when the post is installed up to the tape mark, at the correct height. Retighten the seat clamp and any loosened cable fasteners.
Step 6. Attach to remote lever
Thread the inner cable through the remote lever’s cable port. While pulling the inner cable tight, pull the remote lever towards you with your thumb and tighten the cable pinch bolt until snug (just 1.2Nm recommended torque setting).
Step 7. Tighten the cable
Actuate the lever a few times to pre-stretch the cable. Loosen the pinch bolt, pull any slack cable through and retighten as in step 6. Cut the cable about 1cm from the remote. Install a cable-end crimp and tuck this into the recess inside the lever.
Jargon buster — internally routed dropper
On an internal dropper, the cable for the remote lever attaches at the base of the post and runs through the frame, which requires an exit hole at the bottom of the seat tube or a way of routing the cable around the bottom-bracket shell and up the down tube.
