My real life Rock Shox Reverb seatpost review

Dick Scruttock

Had my first run today using my Rock Shox Reverb seatpost so thought i would share a real life review with you rather than a mag review.

On getting it out of the box the build and quality of it are spot on, feels very well made and the post head is nice and a good design.

Installing it was quite straight forward the remote sits nicely on the right hand bar however you cannot turn your bike upside down and rest it on the bars as you could damage the remote. Its a shame SRAM dont include bleed instructions with it (have to view fork bleed instructions as the reverb ones are not on the SRAM site yet :roll:) as 9.9 times out of 10 you will need to shorten the remote cable and also you will need to bleed the remote out of the box even if you dont shorten the cable. Mine out of the box did not drop at all with the remote pressed which is pretty shonky imho. Still at least it comes with 2 syringes and the oil to complete the bleed. Also the cable used for the remote is not very willing to conform to follow cable runs. Its tightly coiled in the box and you need to spend a while stretching it out and trying to make it straight. One other thing is the seat post clamp setting torque is super critical, to tight and the post will be slow to return and also not return to full length.

Once installed and bled up the posts a joy, it has a very slight amount of play in comparison to a regular post but this will always be the case. Out on the trail its un-noticeable. The remote feels in exactly the right position and at the press of the button any height is easily achieved. The return speed can be adjusted to suit the user's preference.

Overall its a great product. Is it worth the cost? That all comes down to the user and what they want. I cannot be bothered getting off my bike to drop my saddle so it suits me fine. It bugs me never quite getting the height sat as it was before as i dont mark my posts. Some of my friends had a sharp intake of breath through there teeth when the cost was mentioned and i can tell will never shell out this sort of money on a post.

cat_with_no_tail

Good review cheers.

Don't suppose you've ever tried any other dropper posts in the past have you? For comparison.

Dick Scruttock

Yes had a go with a Joplin 3 seatpost (4's might be greatly improved but i have never ridden one) a year or so back. Once on my friends bike (was a almost new post) and once on a shop demo. Both had play in (quite a lot more than the Reverb) which i found annoying. I am sure i could have lived with it but it would have irritated me. The remotes on them i found nice but i like the way with the reverb been hydraulic you can adjust the return speed. This is not a option with a cable operated post.

GHill

Without meaning to be too cheeky (well, maybe just a bit), more interested in review after three months riding. Not spending that much money on a seatpost if mud and other British filth gets past the seals.

Still, thanks for posting, and it sounds like it's great at first blush.

Dick Scruttock

Dont worry i will be up dating this after a harsh UK winter to see how things are looking.

starbuck310

Needed bleeding out of the box? It looks great but I would also like to see what its like after a winter in the mud. For now I will stick with my boring old Thomson at least its lighter and TBH I never bother lowering my seat post. I know lowering works and have tried it but I find that its not required at trail centers. Like the look of this post though and would be interested in one. Maybe in 2012 0r 13 when they iron out a few of the issues. The joplin slop and reliability isn't encouraging for high mileage mtbr's.

meesterbond

Just for info, there's loads of useful hints and tips on how to bleed /. install / quicken up the return speed etc on MTBR.com - forget which of the half millioins sections but looks like useful stuff.

I've only had two rides on the Joplin 3 I picked up cheap and a dropper poist is already looking like an essential purchase...

Dick Scruttock

About 130 miles on it up to now in dirt, grime and sub zero temperatures and its still spot on.

Raymondavalon

Rick Draper

Nice review, I've used the [Crank Bros] Joplin for over two years without any issues at all but may consider the RS offering for my new build

Also:

For the weight weenies out there, does the manual specify the weight with/without remote?

Dick Scruttock

You have to use the Rock Shox remote as its a hydraulic system, not cable as others are.

Shaggy_Dog

I just MTFU and leave the saddle up

Raymondavalon

Shaggy_Dog wrote:

I just MTFU and leave the saddle up

And the point of this Post was?

matt-

Raymondavalon wrote:

Shaggy_Dog wrote:

I just MTFU and leave the saddle up

And the point of this Post was?

And the point of this Post was?

Devastazione

Interesting review,probably the very first one on the web,thanks for sharing.
My dealer offered one to me last week for my Zesty but I can't get my head around that sort of money and most of all to the fact that it's still a too new product. I'm not a fan of the remote button either.
I'll be in the US in a couple of week,hopefully I may be able to score something cheaper thanks to the weak dollar...... :roll:

Shaggy_Dog

Raymondavalon wrote:

Shaggy_Dog wrote:

I just MTFU and leave the saddle up

And the point of this Post was?

That £250 spent on a heavy seatpost that needs a lot of maintenance is pointless when you can just learn how to ride properly

Adventure

Hi , excellent initial review. I am considering a Reverb for my Turner 5-Spot DW but currently riding a Thomson layback with my seat pushed back as far as possible. Want is your opinion about getting the seat in the same position using a Reverb?
Cheers, Gary (Kiwi rider enjoying our hot summer)

Dick Scruttock

I have just put my seat in the same position i had it on my EC90 inline. While i could probably push the seat back a bit more how it sits at the moment with my gobi saddle the clamp sticks out a little way and my shorts rub on it.

I wonder if the reason RS have not done a layback is becaise of the extra forces that would be exerted on it :?:

ricardo_smooth

Shaggy_Dog wrote:

That £250 spent on a heavy seatpost that needs a lot of maintenance is pointless when you can just learn how to ride properly

Sorry i didn't realise that we had a pro rider on here................

The old saying of nothing relative to say and all that.

I'm sure more people would find a dropper post useful for xc rather than not. just not as many who could afford/justify that much on a seatpost.

Raymondavalon

Shaggy_Dog wrote:

That £250 spent on a heavy seatpost that needs a lot of maintenance is pointless when you can just learn how to ride properly

I have had a Crank Bros. Joplin for over two years and from an owner's perspective can assure you it's not a high maintenance device. If washing mud off a seatpost and then wiping it down with some silicone spray after cleaning your bike is "a lot of maintenance" then I pity you. Also the Joplin is reliable and I believe the RS offering will also be equally reliable.

As for the weight, I am not a "weight weenie" well I weigh 90Kg and ride a big All Mountain bike, so the additional weight is not an "issue" as such, it just makes me ride a little harder, thus getting fitter.

So Shaggy_Dog if having the back of your saddle rubbing against your block and tackle when descending if your idea of "riding properly" then good for you.

Raymondavalon

Rick Draper

Please Post for photos of the hydro cable, as in where it's positioned on the seatpost itself as well as the remote on the bars, thanks

joesteve

ricardo_smooth wrote:

Shaggy_Dog wrote:

That £250 spent on a heavy seatpost that needs a lot of maintenance is pointless when you can just learn how to ride properly

Sorry i didn't realise that we had a pro rider on here................

The old saying of nothing relative to say and all that.

I'm sure more people would find a dropper post useful for xc rather than not. just not as many who could afford/justify that much on a seatpost.

If its good enough for Julien Absolon..... Check out video of his bike at the bottom of this link.

The vid of the event is pretty good as well.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic ... 238517.stm

cat_with_no_tail

As it happens, I was thinking about this post tonight while out on a very cold ride.

My Joplin froze and refused to work at all. Specifically, the cable froze and was sticking in the housing. So when you pushed the lever, it would release the catch, but then when you let go of the lever, the cable stuck so the post would just bounce up and down.

Managed to fix it fairly easily, but Had to choose between up or down and leave it there.

That's something that would not have happened with a Reverb!

milfredo

Raymondavalon wrote:

Shaggy_Dog wrote:

That £250 spent on a heavy seatpost that needs a lot of maintenance is pointless when you can just learn how to ride properly

I have had a Crank Bros. Joplin for over two years and from an owner's perspective can assure you it's not a high maintenance device. If washing mud off a seatpost and then wiping it down with some silicone spray after cleaning your bike is "a lot of maintenance" then I pity you. Also the Joplin is reliable and I believe the RS offering will also be equally reliable.

Off-topic

I'm not so sure on the Joplin. I have the remote 4 version and both times I've really needed it, it has packed up. I keep my bike in spot on condition too so there is no question on the maintainance of the silly thing. I even had a Lizard Skin boot zip-tied around it and it still stopped working. The weather was really bad and I think the sand just manages to get inside it... anyhoo, I do love the adjustability and will be looking for replacement as soon as a viable replacement becomes available.

Mental Mickey

'MTFU' is possibly the worst saying in MTB'ing ever and is nothing more than codswallop, as confirmed by Jedi on a STW forum post I saw, he is a well respected bike instructor (and a VERY good northshore rider) for those not aware who he is.

ianpinder

I need a link to that post if you have it (the jedi one)

ride_whenever

MTFU is the most overused expression, there is certainly a time and a place for it...

Jedi

ianpinder, here is where i talk about it. http://www.singletrackworld.com/2010/09/be-a-better-rider-part-3-mind-tricks/

Tom Barton

Just throwing my 2 cents in - I have a cobra ks i900 post which is great, does need regular cleaning to keep it tip top - I've made a home made mud guard however for the mechanism on the post (an adapted rrp neoguard) which can happily grind to a halt if lots of mud and muddy water get on it in a ride. I've also experianced the cable sticking in this icy weather.

In theory the reverb solves these issues - definately a future upgrade pending others feedback on it :-)

Dick Scruttock

More miles on it in -6 temperatures and the post carried on working spot on.

Northwind

Raymondavalon wrote:

Also the Joplin is reliable and I believe the RS offering will also be equally reliable.

Heh. You realise how many people have had absolute nightmares with the Joplin? Pleased for you that you haven't but they can be terribly unreliable. If the RS one is equally reliable then I'm not buying one

Cat With No Tail wrote:

My Joplin froze and refused to work at all.

That's something that would not have happened with a Reverb!

Or, with a well maintained cable

Raymondavalon

TBH I recall the Joplin's predecessor, namely the "Speedball" being a problematic device.
CB bought the manufacturer out, made some changes and renamed it the Joplin.
However, the Joplin can be a hit or miss product on reliability, especially the early releases.
As I said mine has been flawless in two years of ownership and I ride in all conditions and weigh over 200LBS, admittedly the nylon slide rail is a little worn and it has about 1.5mm side to side movement

Perhaps the RS product may show it's not perfect, remember almost every new product has a honeymoon period then the problems may arise.
If so, it'll be the 4th adjustable seatpost with known issues, if not, then t will be the exception, but most devices with moving parts do require TLC also known as periodic maintenance