Rockshox Reverb 125mm Adjustable Seatpost With Left-hand Remote Review
Dropper posts are quickly becoming the norm for many riders, peculiarly those who frequent rolling terrain and want to avoid stopping to accommodate their saddle elevation when the trail gets dicey. Even pure cross-country riders are seeing the low-cal as they realize that the treatment advantages in tricky terrain easily outweighs the additional weight over a standard post. There are now many options to choose from, only RockShox's Reverb is the only telescoping post that makes utilise of a hydraulic hose to control its movement. The Reverb offers either 100 or 125mm (tested) of hydraulically controlled travel, along with infinite saddle height adjustments anywhere between full extension and completely dropped, and is controlled past their XLoc bar mounted remote. The Reverb is available in 30.9mm and 31.6mm diameters, and retails for $370 USD.
 |
| The Reverb offeres 125mm of drop, and is the only telescoping post that is activated with a hydraulic remote. RockShox Reverb details: - Hydraulically controlled telescoping seat post |
The Details
The Reverb is available in two unlike travel options, either 100 or 125mm of drib, to best suit your riding, height and seat tube length. While a lot of riders will question the reason for going with the 100mm version, it will brand sense for shorter riders thank you to its 355mm total length. The 125mm version that nosotros review here can be had in either 380 or 420mm lengths, with my long legs requiring the taller of the two options. A dual commodities head without indexing offers infinite saddle tilt adjustments, and the bolts thread into steel inserts to forbid heavy handed home mechanics from causing whatever fatal damage.
The Reverb's opposing saddle clamp bolts (left) make for piece of cake saddle angle adjustments. New, burlier hose fittings at the head (right) should stand up up to abuse better.
The post is activated with RockShox's XLoc remote - the very aforementioned that controls their fork's lockout part - by pushing ii.5wt hydraulic fluid downwardly the line and opening the Reverb's main oil flow valve. The setup is not just slightly lighter than a more than traditional steel cablevision and housing, simply should also offer the reward of not existence susceptible to contagion when riding in the rain and mud. Information technology as well features an aluminum dial that is used to suit the mail's render speed. Turning the dial alters the oil book within the remote arrangement, raising or lowering the top of the principal valve inside the post. Different heights allow yous to use more or less of the taper on the valve, dictating the amount of oil flow that is allowed to movement betwixt the inner and out tubes.
I of the key design features subconscious within the Reverb is that its 2.5wt hydraulic remote fluid, mail service oil and air springs are all kept completely separate from each other. The remote fluid is contained within the XLoc trigger, hose and the mail's head, while the air bound is enclosed at the lesser of the outer tube. The mail oil that allows the Reverb to travel up and down, and also be held firmly in place, flows between the inner and outer tubes, and is backed up with an internal floating piston (IFP) to go on the Reverb from becoming soft if the saddle is raised past hand.
Installation and Haemorrhage
The Reverb installs like any other seat post, with the addition of routing the hydraulic line and mounting the XLoc remote. The Reverb'due south remote is available in both left and right options, and tin can be attached to the same clench equally the restriction lever and shifter via their MatchMaker X mountain, or run separately for a more than contained position. Many riders, including myself, have found that using a right mitt XLoc remote mounted to the underside of the bar in place of a front shifter offers the best ergos, but that choice patently won't exist ideal for a lot of riders out in that location. While using the MMX mount volition make for a clean cockpit, we'd advise going with the independent Unimposing clamp to let for maximum adjustment. The saddle's rails are supported past longer than boilerplate clamps, and tilt adjustments are a cinch cheers to the bending of the head's opposing bolts that allow for easy admission with a full sized hex key. This may sound like a simple point, but you'll appreciate it if you've had to struggle with a sawed off hex central to brand bending adjustments, as required with some of the competition.
Riders who don't run a front shifter can mountain up a right hand remote on the underside of their bar in its place. We establish that this provided the best ergonomics possible, besides equally helping to protect the button from harm.
Some riders are likely intimidated past the Reverb's hydraulic hose, and then with that in mind we set about shortening the hose and performing a bleed to encounter only how catchy the process actually is. The respond: it's less complicated than swapping a shift cable, particularly considering that everything you demand is included in the box - a torx primal, syringes with fittings, instructions and the required ii.5wt hydraulic fluid. In fact, trimming the mail service's hose will likely not even require you to perform a bleed unless you brand a mess of information technology. If that'southward the example, bleeding should be an easy, drip gratis affair thanks to fittings that screw into place. It does demand to be stressed that simply 2.5wt hydraulic fluid should be used, and never the DOT brake fluid that is employed in Avid's brake systems. Three of the four Reverbs that equip our rotating test fleet came from RockShox ready to roll, only one unit did require a drain before information technology would role properly. We've heard of others who have had the aforementioned result, and while the process is simple, nosotros'd like to see them all come out of the box in working club.
Performance
The Reverb has very little play at its caput out of the box, with roughy a millimeter or two at the olfactory organ of the saddle - not enough for even the most sensitive of riders to feel under them. Despite the relatively tight tolerances, the post cycles up and down smoothly and freely when new, something that can't exist said about all of the competition. There is slightly more than wiggle after a full season of utilize, approximately another millimeter, but information technology is all the same nothing to be concerned about. Rocking the saddle front to back with your hands can produce a small knock as the stanchion rocks slightly in the outer tube, but this is eliminated in one case the saddle is weighted.
Pushing the remote'south push with your thumb and weighting the saddle will lower the post to the desired meridian, and regardless of whether the post is traveling up or downward, letting become of the button stops the saddle from moving at whatever position you lot'd like. The XLoc remote takes less thumb pressure to activate than most cable operated versions, a trait that many lady shredders and younger riders will appreciate. A dial on the remote allows you to control the return speed as the post extends, although I found myself preferring to leave it at the fastest setting. Wy would you want to run information technology slower? Riders who consistently lower the saddle a touch for technical climbs will notice that the slower render speed will make finding that perfect height much easier.
The Reverb lets you choose the exact saddle superlative that you're looking for, whether that's slammed for a gnarly downhill, total extension for a long climb, or downwards a bear on so you can charge that tricky upwards hill section or find the flow on some fast, rolling singletrack.
While almost other dropper posts offer a "cruiser" postion that is slightly lower than full extension, the Reverb'southward power to end it at whatever signal in its travel - the adjustment is infinite - allows y'all to lower it to the exact summit that you're looking for. This is great for those fast, rolling sections of trail that still require some pedal strokes, but are enjoyed that much more by getting the saddle out of the way. It has been said earlier, but a telescoping post tin as well actually help your climbing as well: dropping the saddle slightly tin aid steep, technical climbing where you might be worried about committing fully and non being able to become a foot down if it all goes South.
Riders with small hands and short fingers may detect that the XLoc remote can be a bit of a stretch to reach. We'd suggest that if that sounds like you you're all-time off mounting it as a standalone unit upward against your grip instead of using the MMX or brake lever mountain pick.
Why hydraulic?
While the idea of using a hydraulic hose to activate the mail service instead of a standard steel cablevision may intimidate some riders, it proved to be both reliable and like shooting fish in a barrel to work on. We never once damaged or pulled a hose out, despite a total flavor of crashing and corruption. In fact, the Reverb's hydraulic operation is what puts the mail head and shoulders above the competition. Whereas other designs apply a shift cable that will need to be adjusted every bit it and housing settles in - with some posts being headache inducingly sensitive to cable tension and require that information technology be spot on to function properly - the Reverb has no such issues. On height of that, dissimilar a steel cable that can quickly become contaminated and require much more lever pressure to operate, mud and water volition not issue the Reverb's action, with information technology existence indifferent to nasty trail atmospheric condition. All four of our Reverb posts that are in the test rotation have performed nearly flawlessly in this regard, with consistent lever and post action that refuses to change regardless of how shitty the weather condition becomes or how often nosotros hose off the bikes. But at present, after a twelvemonth of solid use, is 1 unit moving slightly rougher than when it was new. That is a reliability record that other designs tin just dream of at this point.
1 of the biggest complaints with most dropper posts is their head mounted cables that create a surplus loop when the saddle is lowered. The Reverb Stealth routes its hydraulic line from the bottom of the post and down into the frame tubes, eliminating the issue. We've spent a chip of time on a 2012 Expedition Slash equipped with the new Stealth model and loved its invisibility. The grab? They will only exist bachelor equally original equipment on select '12 Trek and Scott models.
Issues
With it'due south proven reliability and polish operation the Reverb is head and shoulders to a higher place other options on the market, but some of the contest does have it trounce in a few specific areas. While the postal service'due south XLoc remote is jump to remain smoother in the long run than even the most well setup cablevision selection, I'd like to see the button beetle less for better ergonomics - it can sometimes feel similar a bit of a stretch to reach in the heat of the moment. With the XLoc remote positioned atop the bar every bit intended you should as well refrain from flipping the bike upside down (when repairing a flat for instance) due to causing harm to the button. Having a more than meaty XLoc remote would adress this issue too.
Although all posts shipping now are equipped with much sturdier hose fittings at the mail service'due south head, early on models came stock with somewhat fragile pieces that could be easily damaged if one forgets that he or she should never clamp the upper tube in a repair stand. The harm acquired should exist put downwards to user error, only RockShox has addressed the issue and all newer models come fitted with burlier hose attachments that tin have more abuse.
Are you a lanky passenger who likes to run a mail with an get-go caput? If then, you're out of luck. The Reverb is only bachelor with its current goose egg kickoff caput, although the long lower saddle rail clamp does allow you to slide the saddle back without worrying too much virtually angle saddle rails. Is it enough? Not for some riders out there.
Pinkbike'southward take:
 | The Reverb is the clear leader when talking about telescoping posts. While some riders may shy away from the hydraulic hose, this is the very matter that puts the RockShox dropper alee of the field. No rusty cables or constant tension adjustments, just reliable activeness from the get go. A layback head would be a groovy selection for some riders, and we'd like to see the remote ergos tweaked slightly. Still, the Reverb'south reliability and install-and-forget nature make it our starting time pick when riders enquire us which dropper post they should consider. - Mike levy |
Source: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/rockshox-reverb-review-2011.html
0 Response to "Rockshox Reverb 125mm Adjustable Seatpost With Left-hand Remote Review"
Post a Comment