OneUp Components Dropper Post: Rider Review

In December last year, I decided to shell out and buy a new Canyon Spectral SL9 Carbon. Being 5’ 10”, I spent months researching what size frame to get, sweating that I’d get the wrong size and it would be a mail order bike. My height put me right in between the medium and large frame so it seemed like a risky buy. I tested a bunch of local Yeti’s in medium and large and decided to take the plunge on the Spectral in large based on the Yeti feel at the local bike store.

Overview

On paper the spectral geometry seemed OK (based on the specs and my body size measurements), all except for the dropper post/seat height. The Spectral in large came with a RockShox Reverb Stealth B1 with 150mm drop. With my 32” inseam, I figured the seat would be about 5mm too tall at full extension. In the Canyon specs, there’s a dead zone between medium and large frames that leaves a hole in seat height if you have 32 inseam. But I thought, what the hell, I’ll just replace the dropper with the 125mm if it doesn’t work out. I bought the bike and it arrived via FedEx a few days later.

The reverb was indeed too tall by a little more than I guessed, about 8mm too tall. I contacted Canyon thinking they would help or try and help. They would not. They recommended I order a new 125mm Rockshox post from them, without exchange and sell my brand new 150mm post on eBay as used. Not what I was expecting after dropping near $6k on a new bike. They were nice enough, just not what I thought I was buying into at that price point. Anyway, the seat was bugging me so it was time to find a solution.

Reverb Issues

I puzzled for weeks about what route to take with the reverb and wished that there was a way to shim the thing. I downloaded every schematic cutaway I could find online along with service/overhaul procedures. I have a buddy that runs a machine shop here in Austin. I was so confident that I pitched to him that we could start building and marketing a shim kit for the reverb. It would sell like hotcakes. There must be thousands of folks out there who would benefit from shims I thought. So we took my Reverb apart to explore. Within ten minutes we decided it was just too much work to shim. At least to do it so that regular folks could do it. The reverb was a dead end.

Problem Solved

That’s when I came across the new OneUp dropper in reviews online. Videos had just started going on Youtube with their revolutionary shim-able dropper post. A small Canadian company had discovered how to build a great seat post that could shim on the fly within minutes. Maybe I didn’t have to go down to 125mm after all. Maybe I could just get a 142mm dropper and at a great price that everybody was raving about.

I ordered the 150mm OneUp post from WorldWideCyclery. It came super quick. FYI, the part that inserts into the frame is slightly shorter than the 150mm reverb. If you are pushed from seat tube frame space the OneUp is best. The collar that rests on the frame stop is shorter than the reverb too. The amazing thing is that although I ordered the OneUp post, Shim Kit and cable, I didn’t have to use the shim. The 150mm OneUp sits about 7 to 8mm deeper into the frame because the collar is shorter. I had marked mine for shim but didn’t need it. This all happened about 6 weeks ago. Since then the new post has performed flawlessly. I think it’s better than the reverb, lighter and of course, it is adjustable. The reverb sold on eBay for $151. There are lots of reverbs on eBay and I think it’s because they are outdated. The money from my reverb went straight towards the OneUp post and I couldn’t be happier. If you are just too short for the 150mm reverb the 150mm OneUp will work without a shim. Of course, if you need a shim it is there.

Conclusion

"As a final word. I ordered the OneUp with the extra long Wolftooth Remote. It works with the SRAM matchmaker X perfectly and I wouldn’t change it for anything. Also, I had to order a standard SRAM shifter cable for the new seatpost. They ship without cables. The reverb was hydraulic so I sold it complete with cable and actuator." - Kris Dickson