The RockShox Reverb AXS dropper provides the quick and crisp actuation you’d expect from a wireless post, with all the benefits of easy installation and less required maintenance.
The large battery on the rear may cause interference with tool or tube straps, but it's a sacrifice worth making for its ease of use.
The Reverb AXS has been out for a while now in different forms and was one of the first dominant wireless electric dropper posts on the market, alongside Magura’s Vyron.
Its premium feel and extensive functionality come at a high price, with the RockShox Reverb AXS retailing for £750 / $861 / €886.
RockShox Reverb AXS specifications
The dropper comes with a wireless remote, but can also be incorporated into SRAM’s full AXS ecosystem and actuated with a Blip module, shifter, or the mode selector on the brand’s Eagle Powertrain motor system.
Travel options include 100mm, 125mm, 150mm and 170mm, and the dropper is available in 30.9mm, 31.6mm and 34.9mm-diameter options.
The Reverb AXS topped the scales at 708g for my 170mm, 31.6mm test unit, excluding the remote, which weighs 66g with the clamp mount.
The RockShox Reverb AXS can be fitted into all seat tubes, as long as the diameter is correct and there’s room to insert it fully. Wire and cable routing is not an issue, thanks to the encrypted signal sent between the remote and dropper.
This latest version of the Reverb dropper sees updated internals compared to the previous Reverb AXS, which the brand says increases return speed in all conditions.
A new vent valve also features at the bottom of the post, which enables you to remove the dreaded air build-up that causes the dropper to become squishy over time without any disassembly.
The remote remains the same, with an under-the-bar lever that has a wide, rounded paddle and is powered by a replaceable CR2032 battery that's said to last two years under normal use.
If you use SRAM brakes, the remote can be attached directly using a MatchMaker clamp, although there is a ring clamp included with the post for those using different brakes.
The dropper post is waterproof and rated to IPX7, meaning it can withstand being submerged to a 1m depth for 30 minutes.
A rechargeable battery slots into the rear of the post, with RockShox saying it’ll last around 40 hours between charges.
Small lights feature on both the remote and dropper to show they're connected and how much battery you have left.
RockShox Reverb AXS performance
Installation and setup
Setting up the Reverb AXS is as simple as placing it in the bike, tightening the seat clamp and attaching the remote to the handlebar.
The remote and dropper come pre-connected, so there's no fussing around pressing buttons in obscure sequences.
Should you need to repair the Reveb AXS, there are buttons on the remote and post, which make syncing them easy.
I found the remote quick to attach to the bars, with its narrow band clamp making it easy to position it in the optimal place for my thumb without causing any irritation.
SRAM has opted for a side clamp head design, which makes attaching the saddle much easier than two-bolt versions, which can fall apart easily when removing the upper clamp.
Finding the right saddle pitch was easy, with the tilt adjuster on the front of the saddle changing the angle of the saddle with good accuracy using a T25 Torx key.
On the trail
The speed of the Reverb AXS quickly stands out, with the dropper actuating instantaneously with a click of the remote.
This led me to use the dropper more often than with cable-actuated posts, getting the saddle out of the way for short parts of the trail that I’d usually stay seated for.
The click of the remote provides a tactile acknowledgment of the input and there's just enough throw in the lever that you don’t accidentally actuate the dropper.
I found the wide and rounded paddle easy to locate, and it wasn’t uncomfortable on the odd occasion my thumb would rub against it on bumpy sections of trail.
After a few rides, the seatpost remained solid without any squish and there was very little in the way of rotational movement.
The post remained that way until the end of my testing, and there was very little that separated it from its box-fresh self.
Other members of the BikeRadar team have had the Reverb AXS specced on test bikes and found it to hold up really well throughout long-term testing.
I didn’t find charging or changing batteries an issue and keeping the battery full became habitual.
How we tested | Dropper posts
For this test, Nick took to his local forest to use the posts on undulating terrain trails where droppers prove most useful and are actuated more often.
Weather ranged from dry and sunny to cold and frankly miserable days, where dropper post imperfections can quickly frustrate weary heads and remotes prove difficult to use in the cold.
The droppers were all used in a medium-sized enduro bike, with inner and outer cables replaced for each post to ensure accuracy and repeatability.
Each post was set to a saddle height with full leg extension, and the bars were cleaned before installing the remote to avoid slippage.
Droppers on test
- Magura Vyron MDS-V3
- X-Fusion Manic
- OneUp V3 Dropper Post
- Tranz-X EDP01
- PNW Loam Dropper Post
- Crankbrothers Highline 11 Dropper
- RockShox Reverb AXS
- KS Vantage
- KS Lev Circuit
RockShox Reverb AXS bottom line
RockShox’s Reverb AXS remains one of the best dropper posts on the market, with the quick and easy setup and instant actuation making it an absolute joy to use.
There’s very little to dislike about the Reverb AXS, and it stands out when compared to cable-actuated dropper posts for its speed and consistency over time. It rules the roost for electronically actuated posts and fully deserves its five-star score.
Product
| Brand | rockshox |
| Price | 886.00 EUR,750.00 GBP,861.00 USD |
| Weight | 708.0000, GRAM (170mm / 31.6mm) - plus 66g for remote |
Features
| br_seatpostDiameter | 31_6mm |
| br_remote | Included |
| br_travel | 170.0000 |
| br_travel | MILLIMETER |
