2nd Look: 2011 Rock Shox Reverb adjustable seatpost

The Reverb’s hydraulic system allows the rider to place the saddle at any height within its 125mm (5”) range, and stays put right where you want it, just like any great seat post should.

My biggest pet peeves with other seat posts were that one allows the seat to creep higher and higher when your rear-end isn’t planted on the saddle; and another feels a little squishy (think suspension seat post) when your rear-end is the saddle. The Reverb suffered from neither of those shortcomings.

Another pet peeve I’ve experienced with other seat posts is the development of rotational slop over time. If you’ve ever owned a CrankBrothers Joplin, you know exactly what I am talking about. To be perfectly fair though, I must say that it wasn’t so much the side-to-side play of the Joplin that annoyed me, but rather the noise it created when off the seat in rough terrain. After 4.5 months of riding the Reverb, it still feels like it did on day one, with only a tick of play and no annoying rattling. Winning.

Lastly, maintenance. And this is sort of the tricky one. If you’ve read Marshal’s review, you know that he had a couple recurring issues with his Reverb. He had to bleed the system multiple times, and had to return it to RockShox for a couple blown air spring seals. (RockShocks claims to have fixed the issue for the 2012 model.)

I have been much more fortunate with my Reverb in these regards. In the 4.5 months of riding, I haven’t had to do a single bleed other than when I had to shorten the insanely long hydraulic hose. Yes, I say insanely long hose because I ride a XL frame, and I easily cut 8” off, and it’s still plenty long. The bleed is pretty simple, but as Marshal pointed out, you need to use the correct tools and have all your parts lined up before cutting or removing the hose barbs.

Now onto the main concern, the air spring. If I had written this review a week ago, I wouldn’t have been able to comment at all on this subject, since my Reverb has performed flawlessly each and every ride.

Until last week.

On one particular ride, all of a sudden, I began to notice that the post was becoming spongy and a little slow to return. Before the end of the ride, all function was lost. Bummer. (But at least it’s already November and the snow is falling!)

So, my Reverb is off to RockShox’s warranty department to get the updated air spring, which again, RockShox claims to have fixed the known problem of the 2011 model.

Once ours is fixed up and returned, it will be put back to the test to see how the new system fares. If the new internals hold up I will not consider the issue to be a big deal. If after another few months of riding it blows again, I will be forced to rescind my strong recommendation of the Reverb.

Conclusion

The Reverb has a lot to offer those looking to upgrade their older, adjustable seat posts, and riders who have seen the light and are ready to pull the trigger on their first dropper.

The Reverb delivers 125mm of infinitely adjustable seat height in a stealthy package that works extremely well. Even given the known air seal issue of the 2011 model (which again can be remedied by a simple warranty return to RockShox), it is by far the best functioning, adjustable height seat post I’ve used (and the only major competitor I haven’t tested is Kind Shock).

If you’re in the market, get the 2012 RockShox Reverb and enjoy.