ROCKSHOX Reverb Stealth MTB Dropper seat post Rebuild. Squishy seatpost sag fix

[@YardworkWithJohn]

These Rock Shox Reverb rebuild videos are all the convincing I need to throw my Reverb away and buy a new one from a different manufacturer!

[@belperbikes2120]

They've massively over complicated it and it's such a poor design. The engineers that came up with this need firing.

[@YardworkWithJohn]

@@belperbikes2120 After my last comment, I replaced my reverb with a PNW, so much simpler and easier.

[@paulmerc3960]

Right, holy crap thats alotta parts. Thought I'd give it a go as I have 2 of these hanging around but I think I'll pass.

[@Sirmellowman]

seriously, what a freaking joke. mine came on a used bike I bought, if I paid 400 bucks for one only to find out I need to rebuild the space shuttle every year for it to even function properly, I would have been SO angry.

[@deusexvelo]

Yeah I am going OneUp v3

[@Svartavargen]

Splendid video that really supported me to manage a rebuild of my wife's Reverb after an accident involving me glitching the base of the Wolf Tooth sustain kit resulting in a nice hydraulic fluid spray shower a late evening in our basement... I had close to zero prior experience with similar kind of hydraulic shocks - resulting a lot of pause/rewind/play of this video, but in the end the result was super solid. The post is now steady as a rock (working even snappier/better then before) and I'm grateful for your support!

[@briananderson9853]

Fantastic video. For those without a vice or strap wrench - you can slacken the outer collar before removing the seatpost from the frame. The black hose fitting which connects to the post needs an 8mm spanner, the poppet valve is a 10mm and the poppet valve housing is an 11mm.

[@Hook1fred]

Wow. That is a pretty complicated process. I do all the maintenance on my suspension but after seeing this I’ll pass on my seat post. Great job on the rebuild 👍

[@TrailBreaker]

It was really pretty straight forward but took some time. It runs better than ever now!

[@paulbernard2397]

Thanks. Just rebuilt my reverb whilst watching this, then bled the remote. Whole system works perfectly first time. Absolutely over the moon as someone gave me this for free as it didn't work. Got thoroughly covered in oil though as I wasn't quite prepared for how much air was trapped behind the bottom seal. Still cleaning my bench 🤣

[@newttella1043]

Your channel is so underrated. Thanks for the tutorial. I believe this is a $300 service at a (competent) bike shop, and deservedly so as it is time consuming. Thanks for all the home mechanic level tips and hacks. Many cycling KZbinrs have graduated to full Park Tool sponsorships that leave us home mechanics not able to follow their tutorials because we don't have some special tool. Like many great home cooking channels that deliberately not use fancy kitchen gadgets to make food, I hope you remember the budget home mechanic when you graduate to the big blue tool sponsorship

[@TrailBreaker]

Thanks so much Mr Tella😁 You’re welcome! I’m pretty sure I’m not even on Park Tool’s radar and that’s just fine. You’re correct that I really try to do these projects with riders like myself. There’s more than one way to get them done safety without breaking the bank. Plus, I’d rather spend $$ on bikes (🍕🍺 ) than repairs 🤙👊 Thanks for the support!

[@newttella1043]

@@TrailBreaker LOL 🍕🍺 is why we really ride.

[@borderwave2]

$300 service on a $350 seatpost insane. Might as well throw it away and get a new one with a fresh warranty at that point.

[@TrailBreaker]

@@borderwave2 That’s why you gotta learn how to do it yourself. Get to know your bike and you’ll enjoy riding even more! At least that’s how I feel 😁

[@borderwave2]

@@TrailBreaker I agree. I've rebuilt entire motorcycle engines before, but these seat posts seem very finnicky. I guess it can't hurt to try.

[@mikewatson8776]

Fantastic Video! You did a great job! Everyone go buy a OneUp and dump the Reverb. I pulled mine off my Hightower and replaced it with a OneUp Dropper, problem solved. Just goat another Hightower in my shop with the same issue… using this great vid as a tutorial on how to… I’m going to recommend the customer get a OneUp and never look back.

[@Yoda-em5mt]

Just got it done tonight works a treat thanks again from down under . I,m kinda glad people hate on these posts as both that i have on two bikes cost me nothing apart from oil grease and 100 pairs of nitrile gloves oh and some time .

[@TrailBreaker]

Yeah! When they work they work great😀

[@rybrentd]

I just rebuilt mine (stealth B1) for the 4th time after the squish developed (usually takes about a year of riding). This time there was some air trapped in there (this had never happened before) that wasn't released via the air valve, so the poppet valve housing removal needs to be very slow and careful otherwise the poppet valve and housing will shoot out of it, which mine did (undamaged somehow). This also caused the IFP to shoot to the top of upper post head so I had to find out how to remove that (there is an easy way via plugging the ifp tube holes and pressurizing to 25 to 50 psi). There is an easier way to remove the IFP, just use the poppet valve (opposite to it's normal orientation) to get behind it and pull up on it but be careful as you obviously don't want to bend it. The fact ROCKSHOX didn't design and include an IFP removal tool is pretty dumb. Zip ties? lol. After having rebuilt my fork damper and air spring, and regularly disassembling and regreasing my rear air shock, I can say that this system is more complicated than anything biking related I have ever worked on and is needlessly over-engineered and over-complicated for the application. The only reason I keep it around is because I know how how to rebuild it quickly and it is pretty cheap (~$25 for the rebuild kit) so I have no riding downtime. Very clear and informative video, I'll probably use this as a reference next time instead of the manual =)

[@Mr.P.Griffith]

Great step-by-step. My 1 inch squish turned into 1.5 in the first 2 rides this year. Yesterday I took it apart via sram's how to but didn't remove the "pop it" cap and valve the first time and it buggered the end result. Also sram doesn't mention or show how far the piston sits in the upper tube so I didn't know where to measure the home made suction device's depth from. Thanks for this video. I was about to wait for my lbs to do it cuz I didn't know where I went wrong but your video showed all the steps I needed to sort myself out with. Have a good one!

[@TrailBreaker]

That’s awesome! Yeah, the SRAM site jumps around depending on whether you’re doing just a 50 hour service or full-blown rebuild. It’s easy to skip a big step. Thanks for watching 😊👊

[@krzysiu4003]

Don't have a Reverb anymore but it's such a great video that I watched it and subscribed anyway.

[@TrailBreaker]

Lol that’s awesome! I can’t ask for more than that😁🤙

[@paulvanderrest855]

Great video - very thorough and covers everything you need to know 👍

[@frankbottger2997]

Sehr gutes Video! Meine reverb Sattelstütze funktioniert wieder einwandfrei.😊

[@dagabriel9416]

Makes we want a different dropper. I’d rather rebuild an engine lol. Good work

[@Jaminphotos]

I've rebuilt motorcycle forks in a similar fashion so finding this video I pulled the trigger on a $40 purchase on a used reverb with the squish. I'll be diving in as soon as it arrives .

[@TrailBreaker]

Absolutely! I wouldn't buy one new (Fox Transfer would be easier) but this was on a bike I bought so definitely worth the time to rebuild

[@brenttaylor7300]

This dude is a fucking LEGEND! got my post sorted first try. Thanks dude!

[@TrailBreaker]

Lol you’re welcome, Brother!

[@DirtTrampMTB]

That sucks that happened to you! But at least you got it fixed and made a nice video to help other people with theirs!

[@TrailBreaker]

Thanks! I debated doing the video for a while since it’s a lot to cover in a relatively quick video. I don’t expect it to preform very well due to the competition and fairly few Reverbs out on the trails. It was still fun to shoot and edit😊

[@tuul75]

I’ve been using bel ray 2.5wt suspension oil as my reverb fluid. Seems to work identical to the Rockshox stuff. Love how reverbs can be rebuilt and renewed for a few dollars in oil.

[@TrailBreaker]

lol, and a lot of time 😀

[@jockardl]

Never seen such a simple but great video to this topic 🙏

[@dougkampe6117]

I bought a bike with a 2 year old reverb and it suddenly stopped working. I didn't realized I'd need an advanced engineering degree to get it going again. I'm replacing it with a cartridge style post. Good video though.

[@TrailBreaker]

Yeah, it does seem like a lot. I had a cartridge style dropper originally (Bontrager) and hated that I couldn't service it. Different strokes 😀👊

[@thim8009]

Man good job a lot of detail in a reverb.

[@TrailBreaker]

Thanks,Thim! Step by step and it’s not too bad. I considered trying to sell it but I LOVE how it feels and am so glad I did this!

[@patrickfiore7067]

I have the new reverb stealth with the air vent bleed. It allows you to skip all of this…thanks GOD! Amazing vid for when I need that eventual service though!

[@TheBlake1012]

The air vent doesn’t hold, it comes back days later.

[@TheBlake1012]

That fact that this is a $600 dropper spec’ed on bikes and you can always find dozens for sale for $50 days it’s all. Now watch the OneUp maintenance video and see what not screwing over your customer looks like.

[@markjones7130]

Great video. In trouble shooting all Reverb Dropper Post issues, it would be good to understand how the main body works. Would you be able to make a video on how it works. Explaining how the air pressure, pistons, chambers, fluid movement and levels, etc. The SRAM service manual has a great diagram to use.

[@tiNtiN11]

Great tutorial! Will be rebuilding my dropper post soon. Thanks for the clear & concise guide : ) Sub'd

[@jcvdphoenix1987]

Thanks for this video man , it helped me a lot to service my rockshox reverb 430 mm 😉❤

[@TrailBreaker]

Awesome

[@jcvdphoenix1987]

​@TrailBreaker of corse man , I did it for the second time with confidence , I replaced all the o rings by Italian one's , I also replaced the top cap , it's a big difference now ! I also enjoyed the instrumental song 🎶 you used in this video that's cool 😅👌💯

[@om888]

I totally appreciate your video, as I'm looking to do this on a 1 year old reverb that got hydraulic bypass, while I improperly vented it. I'm so frustrated that the design is so complicated, and a simple mistake in venting can render my entire bike unrideable. I'm tempted on just getting a different seat post and not dealing with this.

[@TrailBreaker]

Fox Transfer is what I’d do if I didn’t already own this as it came on a bike I bought. BUT I love the responsiveness of the reverb and actually enjoy working through things like this 😁

[@om888]

@@TrailBreaker lol actually I just bought and installed a Fox Transfer, and am going to eventually rebuild the Reverb maybe this winter. Definitely will reference your excellent video.

[@307.William]

Thanks for the video! Really helpful. My internal seal head bushing coating had come off probably the cause of a few issues. When put my ifp back it I found it useful to relieve some pressure from the Schrader valve(I could have removed it)

[@TrailBreaker]

You're welcome!

[@trixr4kidsdawg]

Excellent video. Thanks Trail Breaker.

[@TrailBreaker]

You’re welcome!

[@GladiatorFightWear1]

Great video! very well made and great instruction.

[@TrailBreaker]

Thanks! I'm glad you like it!

[@mountainlessmtb9940]

Nice work🤘

[@TrailBreaker]

Thanks, Buddy🤙

[@Yoda-em5mt]

Thanks for taking the time to do this ive done rebuilds on the pre stealth post a couple of times , this was a 150mm travel post and you set the piston at 50mm and the suck out 192 mm correct ? One trick is rather than the strap wrench i undo the top cap while still in the bike a turn or so , thanks again will much less painfull than the rs girl ha ha .

[@rupedog]

One suggestion... the diy oil height tube needs to be perfectly straight and rigid if possible to he accurate. Even 1mm off can leave sag still. Your had a curve...though this would mean you took out Less oil which is better than taking too much. Too much = air inside = will still sag. The oil height and ifp heights are so so super critical

[@TrailBreaker]

Yes you are correct but I held it to the side of the tube to keep it as straight as possible. It’s been perfect with zero squish for over a year😊

[@echimadrian2007]

How much reverb fluid is needed? Awesome video, I will try to fix it too.

[@anatoliyzablodskiy]

hello, your video helped me a little, but there seems to be an error when you install the internal box. Lots of lubrication is needed to keep air out of the pocket.

[@mitchallen174]

Mine feels a bit rough when I use it. Don't know if this calls for a rebuild or not, but great video!

[@TrailBreaker]

A smooth dropper is worth the effort especially considering the $$$ of a new one.

[@danstanley9341]

You forgot the last step...throw it in the waste bin and buy a PNW. 🤣

[@TrailBreaker]

lol, It's what I have!

[@marcogeninatti7858]

Great video! It's possible to know what type of grease are you using in this video? I'm not interested in the particular grease brand, also because I'm from Italy... Thank you for your tutorial

[@TrailBreaker]

Thanks and you're welcome! I'm using Slickoleum. It might be in the description.

[@colomacountry]

What isopropyl spray is that? Awesome vid.I buggered my first attempt..so many crucial steps were missed following srams vids..garbage. thanks! Update: rebuilt today..smooth as butter..scuffed the aluminum lock nuts, but thats normal as I feel like this will be a normal yearly service. Tip: i drilled a 3/8 inch hole between 2 blocks of wood to hold the inner shaft assembly.

[@TrailBreaker]

It's just some spray from the drugstore. I'm glad it helped as it's not an easy procedure. Great hack. That 3/8 hole is 9.5mm!

[@ferniesella3604]

Great skills, thanks for the video! How would gauge how bad is the problem is? my ROCKSHOX Reverb Stealth MTB Dropper seat post wouldn't hold my weight, upper-post lands on the lower-post vertically. In this situation will it salvage by complete make over or should I go for new one? please comment, appreciate your advice.

[@TrailBreaker]

Try a rebuild. It'll probably take an hour or two but considering the $ of a new dropper it's worth it.

[@Ron_Boy]

This is the 3rd video I've watched today on servicing the Rockshox Reverb. They all made it look more complicated than doing a full service on my Fox fork. I have a Reverb with the annoying squish. My sense is that it's just a bad design by Rockshox, and I'm thinking I'll switch to the Fox Transfer Post. Anyone have any experience with it, to compare to the Reverb?

[@TrailBreaker]

The Transfer is extremely reliable. It would be a great choice

[@ErhardFrebold]

Frankly, I'd just get a One-Up or PNW post and be done with it. Best amount of drop, too.

[@mikewatson8776]

Get a OneUp and never look back.

[@sbrinton3]

Great video. I recently cracked my frame, so I'll be swapping all the parts over to the new frame next week. Any hints for not getting air into the system? Post is relatively new (only used for a month or so). Thanks again for the video.

[@TrailBreaker]

If you're careful, the only thing you'll need to do is bleed the lever. the dropper air/fluid side is separate from the actuator side.

[@hannockbanda3698]

The rebuilding of the dropper was 100 % , but you wrong by using old seals which i ( service kit) , secondly in I.F.P, pipe in future don,t apply grease remember that going internal which is reverb oil so if they mix what next/ its creating the dirty, Sram butter only on air seal,

[@gophop]

by 5:50 I've decided it's just going in the trash. I'm not doing this again in 30hrs.

[@MrMJJ23]

Lmao what a pain in the ass, props to you

[@derekarcher8495]

I've got one of these in the workshop presently. The customer is actually missing their IFP. Go figure...

[@TrailBreaker]

How? does it work?

[@derekarcher8495]

@@TrailBreaker it worked, but not well. The story is that he purchased the bike new from a bike shop in the UK. It didn't originally come with a dropper post so he asked them to put it on. There was a bit of a delay with them installing it and it seemed OK at first. Then he moved here to Australia and decided to get it serviced at the same time as his suspension. When I opened it up I was like "hang on, this doesn't look right".... Anyway, all good now, but it cost him extra because of the missing part. I suspect he may have had a reconditioned post installed by the shop and they didn't tell him. I can't imagine one coming out of the factory that way. Happy cycling!

[@mattsquatch412]

My reverb won't stay down consistently. Sneaks up on me at the worst times! Any idea how I can fix this?

[@dtfros]

Why not use the vent tool on the vent below the seat?

[@jepjona]

Did the sag ever return?

[@asauer69]

How do you know/measure dropper post travel?

[@branimal18]

What kind of vise are you using at 5:27 in the video? The yellow vice jaws?

[@TrailBreaker]

lol its my wooden face vise for woodworking with some soft pine pieces to protect the vise faces. Pine turns yellow over time with polyurethane finish.

[@jakestephen508]

Trail Breaker how did you make the Vice face? I need to make one. I’ve got a jigsaw and a bandsaw. Looks like you made some 45 degree cuts.

[@DVJiMATT]

Pump it up to 250 psi ?

[@markdalgliesh4349]

how much oil do you need to refill

[@JeffR-fd7hn]

Seriously? This problem should have resulted in a class action lawsuit against RockShox. $80+ for the rebuild kit which should instead be given to all owners in compensation. Mine is going in the bin.

[@TrailBreaker]

Yeah, if I were to buy a new post today it’d be the Fox Transfer but this came in a bike I bought used. Luckily I just needed to but the Reverb fluid since my seals and o-rings were good.

[@stephenlee2894]

Would you be willing to give mine this treatment?

[@TrailBreaker]

lol, I really don't want to do it again on mine😀

[@stephenlee2894]

I can understand why, lol, but I had to ask, trying to salvage mine.

[@Simplesexyphone]

It’s look like, bike mechanic will charge me more than the price of a new one.😢

[@shootermcgavin993]

Just wearing a rolex while working on bikes like it's nothing.

[@TrailBreaker]

Lol, I wish! It’s a Citizen 😊

[@indetrucks]

So basically... buy a new dropper. I can't imagine a shop charging less for this job than what a new dropper costs new.

[@TrailBreaker]

Yeah, but I had more time than $$ at the time

[@itwasanewdayyesterday2586]

I appreciate you putting this together, but let's be honest here, these posts are absolute garbage.

[@TrailBreaker]

I have this post because it came on my bike. If I had a choice, I’d buy the Fox Transfer. Great reviews and solid reliability

[@IvanPrskalo]

Jeez this is too complicated.

[@TrailBreaker]

Yeah but worth the effort 😀