The height adjust post. A seat-post that goes up and down upon the touch of a button or the flick of a lever. Magic! Believe it or not, they aren’t that new and designs have existed for over 15 years; it’s just taken that long for them to catch up with the rest of the technological marvels that make up today’s off-road bicycle. The last few years has seen height adjust post development explode with the increasing demand for capable ‘All-Mountain’ bikes that allow us to ascend with the ease of sensible gearing, while descending with the grace of well calculated geometry and suspension. Getting these fabled “up and down” seat-posts to work well has seemingly been a rough road to perfect, but like the bikes and riders they’ve been designed to serve, have now reached a point where they are becoming increasingly common and to the point of being considered standard equipment. Within all the various pockets of component families there is always one product you could define as a game changer and as far as height adjust posts are concerned, you’re looking right at it!

After a year with, followed by a year without a ‘dropper’ on my trail bike, enough was enough and it was time to bite the bullet and divert some funds from the gravity bike to get the ‘little bike’ up to speed. Choosing what post to go for was a no brainer having spent a  bit of time on the first edition Reverb (the one with the silver collar) and a dropper I won’t mention from another brand… With a revised Reverb hitting the shelves late last year, the scene was set and so was my credit card.

Words: Olly Forster | Photos: Eyesdown Films / Olly Forster

Hydraulically controlled, infinitely adjustable within its range and designed to work harmoniously with Sram’s other control lovelies, the Rock Shox Reverb, unfortunately for the competition, has changed the game and probably for some time too! As much as I’ve been putting off writing this review, I’ve also been waiting for it to break, fail or let me down in any way shape or form. It hasn’t. So I waited for my any one of, err, all my riding buddies to break theirs, and still no issues that aren’t associated with crashing, but more on that in a bit.

Settling on the longer 125mm/5″ drop option, I soon realised that it was too long a drop for my 30″ inside leg and the need to have my saddle in roughly the same position as it is on my DH bike (in line with my stem so I can grip it with my thighs), rather than fully slammed down. Luckily Rock Shox include a neat little clamp with the Reverb, called the Enduro Collar, allowing you to set the stop point. In hindsight, I’ll be going for the 100mm option next time, which I just have…

In the Box – Special Reverb Oil, bleed syringes, cable ties, instructions, a hose guide thing I never used (but will for something else…), another Rock Shox sticker, a black thing for the clamp, the Enduro Collar, a hex tool for removing the bleed nipples and some random, and quite useful hose/cable things.

Special oil… So what is this stuff? From what Google served up, I think its 2.5 weight, light hydraulic oil, but you do get plenty for several bleeds and after a year, I didn’t have to touch mine. If you do need to dip in, just don’t store it lying down as it’ll be all over the place; you’ve been warned!

No offset on the post and the clamp is no more fiddly than a Thomson – one bolt at the front and one in the rear. One of the upgrades Rock Shox made over the mark I Reverb, was to reinforce the hose housing from under the clamp which was prone to breaking. The new one is bigger, burlier and does the job as it should.

Probably the raddest thing about the Reverb and why, at least for me and my bike (you’ll find out why in a bit… keep reading!) is this, the button! With a reassuringly solid and responsive feel, depressing the little ‘booted-up’ button enables you and your butt to control exactly where you would like your saddle to be. The little silver dial controls the damping of the hydraulic line and in doing so, controls the speed at which he Reverb returns from your chosen drop point. It is amazing!!!

Run Sram gears? Good, as this little thing is designed to bolt straight onto your shifter pod and increase the neatness and all out radness of your cockpit. This is Sram’s latest development of their popular ‘MatchMaker’ system – the MMX mount. This neat addition allows you to remove another cluttering clamp and a few unwanted grams in the process, while maximising on position. If your a Shimano kind-a-guy, just undo the bolt on the right and off it comes, but the ability to mate the Reverb to a Shimano shifter would be awesome…

The post might be hydraulic, but the Reverb has an air spring that requires 250 PSI at all times to work. Like all sealed air chambers, it will loose air over time, so if you notice anything odd with the function, check the air pressure first as it’s usually the culprit. How do you do this with a Stealth Reverb? I have no idea, as the hose comes directly from the bottom, exactly where the air chamber is on the regular Reverb. Answers on a post card!

Installatation.

If your a perfectionist or just someone whose just spent £300 on a seatpost, you might as well get it on your bike and not looking like an after-thought. Cutting the hose to fit your bike and bar width, although intimidating, is actually a piece of cake and even if you cock it up and air gets in, it’s a quick job to bleed… Bikes that come with the Reverb as standard don’t come with a bleed kit, so ask your shop to sort the hose length before you leave as it will still have too much hose from our experience…. As far as taking sharp objects to your latest purchase is concerned, Rock Shox have you covered:

When I installed the Reverb to the Mega, I tried a variety of configurations trying to find a ‘golden route’, but in all honesty, following the provided cable tabs on the frame and a sensible loop that is as small as possible, worked best. I’ve since done the same on every frame to no issue. Another issue with height adjust seat-posts, and certainly with some models we’ve seen over the years, is saddle wobble, but thankfully the Reverb didn’t develop any unwanted side to side motion past about a millimeter at best, which was present from day one.

The main problem I’ve come across, thankfully not by me, but from other riders, is that the button and the remote housing doesn’t take much to break in the event of a crash. Just look at it! There’s not a lot you could do to prevent it from dying against a heavy impact, especially mounted above your bars… The Reverb is available in either a left or right configuration – this option is relevant to its position on the top of your bars, not below it, so if you want to run it underneath like I have, you need to go the way around, so Right Reverb for left and underneath, Left Reverb for right and underneath. Make sense?

The MMX Mount in action – Being a 1 x 10 convert and running a full Sram set up allows you to run the neatest of cock pit set ups out there and another rad thing about the Reverb. As Rock Shox is part of the Sram family, they have designed the Reverb button to not only mount to a Sram shifter, but also to an Avid brake. Removing the front shifter and with a ‘Right’ option Reverb, I could combine both the lever and Reverb remote into one neat and tidy set up.

Neat and tidy it sure is, but another thing this set up provides is also a solution to the chink in the Reverb’s armour. By mounting the button underneath the bars, it not only removes any risk of damage from being upside down during an impromptu tyre change or flat fix, but it also shields it from the worst of what could happen during an off. It’s also a shame that an industry standard hasn’t been reached so Shimano users can make use of this…

Conclusion.

I’m a downhiller at heart. Even when I’m on an XC bike, it’s all about the other side of the hill and being as creative as possible with the trail. Roots and rocks are jumps and landings, corners are for flicking into and climbs are just a simple case of earning the fun and getting a work out. So, a dropper post? It turns regular trail features into options for putting a big smile on your face. Simple. Picture this – rolling singletrack, picking up speed and you spot a cheeky sloped tree stump with a nice down slope just ahead… Hit the button, bit of pressure on the saddle and it’s out of the way. Hit the gas, hit the stump, launch the gap, wheels touch down, smile on face, hit the button again and there it is under your bum again. Your saddle of course, but you hopefully get the picture and it doesn’t take too many miles on the Reverb to realise “how did I ride mountain bikes without it?”.

A little pressure form your thumb and it’s out the way allowing you to concentrate on having fun with what’s in front of you. It’s easy to use and although it fragility is undoubtedly it’s undoing, being smart with the button’s location not only improves the Reverb’s ability to survive the kind of riding it encourages, but also its action as well.

Having installed quite a few Reverbs in the last year, I must say that there is nothing to be intimidated about when it comes to installing the post and making a good job of it – by good I mean cutting the hose down against wrapping it around your top tube! This has been designed around the amateur, but capable home mechanic and in all honesty, if your buying this from your LBS, ask them nicely and they should do it for you FOC. So it’s easy to fit to your ride and if you’ve read the review up to this point, you’ll be getting the picture I’m impressed by Rock Shox’ latest Reverb, because I am. Sure it’s not cheap and they don’t do a 27.2, but really, all bikes are 30.9 and 31.6 (hardtails too!) and although I probably should say this in a review, there are some cracking deals out there too.

With a suggested RRP of £300, the Reverb is no drop in the ocean, more like a splash, but I guarantee you, that if make the splash, you won’t be disappointed! The isn’t just a game changer for bike design or their use in their intended environment, it’s a game changer for you and your riding.

Over a year in and I’m on a new bike for winter and a new Reverb – there wasn’t any competition when choosing another post. Available in three lengths, 355, 380 and 420mm, with two drops, 125 and 100mm and available in either Right or Left MMX and in either 30.9 or 31.6 to suit. Once again, I went for the Right MMX and popped it on the left and under my bars, but after using the Enduro Collar for a year, opted for the 100mm drop and because I’m 5’9″, went for the 355mm option – taller peeps need a longer post, but also take into consideration if your frame has an interrupted seat-post too… The shorter post is also the lightest so check before you buy.

To sum this up, the new Rock Shox Reverb is amazing. Simple as that. Against the competition? Well, I’ve ‘played’ with what’s on offer, but not really put them through the grinder, and I recently spent some time chatting with the guys from Thomson… The beauty of the Reverb is it’s smooth, infinitely adjustable, fluid feeling hydraulic action. No messy levers or stiff action caused by compromised and dated wire cables and no cluttered handlebars – at least if you run a full Sram set up anyway. The only downside is the fragility of the remote, which if broken, isn’t cheap to replace, but if you spend the time and maximise its location, you can turn the odds around that anything untoward will happen in the event of a crash. The action remained smooth and I never had to bleed it. There was no evidence of compromised seals or unwanted side to side movement from the saddle and every ride was an absolute blast because of it. Fit and forget? Maybe, but once you’ve gone Reverb, it’ll be hard to go back. One highly recommended piece of kit your bike needs!

Rock Shox products are exclusively distributed in the UK by Fisher Outdoor Leisure and for all things Sram, hit the big logo below!

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