Bike Yoke Revive Dropper Post: Customer Review

My name is Mark and I live in central Florida. I am going to write a review of the Bike Yoke Revive dropper post. I am going to be as thorough as possible to give the potential buyer more detailed information than is available in the online reviews of this product.

Overview

First off, some information about me and my bike as it pertains to the fit of the dropper post. I am 6’2” tall with a 33” inseam, 225 pounds. My bike is a Santa Cruz Hightower in the XL size, C carbon frame. Now some measurements of the bike with the 185mm Revive post installed. From the ground to the top of the seat is 1105mm. From the ground to the seat rails 1057mm. From the center of the bottom bracket to the seat rails 743mm. From the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat post collar 495mm. From the top of the seat post collar to the seat rails 257mm. The total amount of exposed dropper post 235mm. The gap from the seat post collar to the dropper collar 31.75mm. These measurements together with the diagrams and measurements of the Revive provided on Bike Yoke’s website will enable you to calculate which Revive travel model will best fit your bike. Another important factor to consider is how far can you insert the post into your frame. Does your seat tube bend or have obstructions? The Hightower has neither which meant I had a lot of insertion depth to work with. I had always read the more dropper travel the better so I did my calculations and then bought the 185mm version and it fits my bike fine.

Installation

Now that you have figured out which model will fit your bike, let’s talk about installation. The dropper includes printed directions which do a good job of walking you through the process. As long as you have a carbon frame with tubes inside for internal cable routing it should be fairly simple. Mine took about an hour but I was taking my time to make sure I did it correctly.

A few notes on installation. Once you figure out where you want to mount the remote on your handlebar, you can easily remove the remote from the mounting bracket in order to move the shifter closer to the entry port into your frame. This will provide the slack necessary to cut the housing and cable at the proper location as it sticks out of your seat tube. You do not have to completely remove the attachment bracket.

Performance

Now some information about the performance of the post. First, the post itself operates smoothly in both directions, no issues there. To me, the remote lever is a little stiff to actuate and is a little small, both the length of the lever and the size of the pad where your finger pushes. It does a fine job and seems strong enough but I may end up putting a Wolf Tooth remote on there to get a slightly longer arm on the remote, a larger touch pad, and slightly easier actuation. There is no side swivel/play on my seat at all. The two bolts that attach the seat and control the tilt are somewhat thin and have torx fittings. I am fine with torx, but I wish the bolts were a little thicker and more robust. The portion of the post that inserts into the frame is not smooth, it has tiny ridges that I believe help to keep it from slipping down in the seat tube without having to tighten the heck out of your seat post clamp. These issues I have mentioned are all relatively minor, but I promised a thorough review. I have a limited number of rides with the new post so I cannot comment of long-term durability, but there are plenty of reviews on the web where you can read more about the Revive.

Now on to the feature that makes this post stand out from the field, the revive feature. The revive feature works as advertised as it restores the firmness of the post. I have read that the newest version of the post has an internal bladder which reduces the instances of having to use the revive feature after storing the bike upside down. The lever tool that is included with the post is SMALL, really small, and as such is not all that usable. I will carry the proper size allen wrench rather than the included lever. Actually, right after I finished my installation I tried to use the lever and did not fully insert it into the socket and ended up twisting off the tip of the lever in my post. UGH! Fortunately, I was able to get the broken piece out with a pick. So be careful when using the revive feature to make sure you get whatever tool you use FULLY inserted into the revive socket before turning it.

Final Thoughts

The dropper post is hailed as an essential feature to have on a mountain bike. I live in Florida so it is not 100% necessary for the trails we have here, but I frequently travel to other places with some steep trails so I look forward to using the Revive dropper on those type of trails. I did a lot of research prior to making my purchase, and I am very happy with the Revive so far. I had limited experience with two other posts on rental bikes, the Fox transfer and the Crank Brothers Hi-Line. Both of those seemed like good posts but I still opted for the Revive based on many good reviews and some bike checks from professional Enduro riders who chose the Revive for their bikes. The buying process from Worldwide Cyclery was flawless even though the post was not in stock when I placed my order they got mine out to me quickly as soon as they got them in. Yes, the Revive is expensive but I believe it is worth it.