Introducing the Rockshox Reverb AXS 2.0

I have spent some time on AXS Reverb dropper posts, since they were released in 2019, but not much; because I'm a picky long-legged mofo. When droppers first came out, 125mm of drop seemed ample, but every time a longer post was released, and I was sure I didn't need it, I was wrong. I followed the arms race almost until its current zenith. I can deal with 200mm now and my sweet spot is probably 225 but I'm pretty happy on 240 as well. 250 is clearly (finally) too much. Before this, the max drop you could get on a Reverb AXS was 170, and I ride like crap on steep terrain without more drop than that.

I was jealous though, every time something went wrong and I had to run housing or, in the case of the non-AXS Reverb, a hose through the downtube and up the seat tube and then attach the whole thing. Headlamps were sometimes employed. The killer app of the Reverb AXS, with its wireless activation, remains installation; 5 minutes max with only a multi-tool. In fact, it's entirely possible to have one post for two bikes because the swap is so fast, particularly if you have two actuators.

The other bonus about the Reverb AXS is reliability. If you are on top of your battery charging, which isn't hard, it works every time assuming the internals are in good order, which remains to be seen. Cable actuated droppers work great as long as you keep your cable and housing in good shape, and you don't mess with your saddle height (along with the same proviso about internals) but everyone has issues every once in a while. Things get sticky or your cable tension is off or the routing isn't great and all of a sudden your post won't stay up, or maybe down, or it won't actuate. These issues can almost always be solved on the trail, but with an AXS Reverb post, they do not exist because they are related to cable tension and routing.

Some riders prefer a little preventive maintenance over battery vigilance and some would rather have the batteries without the other headaches. Beyond those individual preferences,the issue to determine for yourself is bank, which we'll get to below.

Rockshox Reverb AXS 2.0 Highlights

• Wireless activation eliminates cables for ease of installation/removal
• Price reduced by 90 USD
• Air over air internals increase simplicity and should reduce maintenance
• Active ride allows for some damped movement when the post is between the top and bottom of its drop
• New AXS button form and location makes actuation without a remote simple, even from the saddle
• Front facing battery placement improves clearance (but increases stack)
• DIAMETERS: 30.9mm, 31.6mm, 34.9mm
• Compatible with all saddle rail types (7x7, 7x9 and 7x10)
• Available from 100mm to 250mm drops in 25mm increments
• Front facing battery placement improves clearance
• MSRP 550 USD, 600 EUR*, 535 GBP*, 945 AUD*, 800 CAD including battery and charger but no actuator

*Includes VAT*

The best Internal Routing is No Routing

SRAM is doing a great job of helping well-heeled mountain bikers remove two of the three housings running through their frames, but they also hastened the arrival of tubes in tubes.

Before the hydraulically actuated Stealth Reverb was released in 2011, internally routed cables/lines in mountain bike frames were virtually unheard of. It was a great place to start though, because having a line running up to the seat cluster on the side of your mountain bike wasn't ideal. Having it run to the top of your post, near your saddle clamp, like the original Reverb, was much worse because it all moved every time you put your saddle up or down.

There were other factors that pushed us toward internal routing as well, like the arrival of carbon and improved aluminum manufacturing, but the Reverb Stealth gets equal parts credit and blame as well.

Air Over Air and ActiveRide

There are no hydraulics in this version of the Reverb, which instead uses a system of positive and negative air chambers. When the post is at the top, the negative spring is disengaged and it feels solid. When you are anywhere in between top and bottom, ActiveRide is engaged. This puts the negative spring back into play, providing some well-damped give. It doesn't move much, or easily, but it can be felt. I haven't yet decided if this is something I find beneficial because I don't notice it during rides unless I'm actively trying to, nor do I notice its absence when I'm riding another post.

The main application of this technology seems to be climbing on an eMTB. When it's very steep and/or very technical, lowering your saddle can help you clean nasty sections on an eMTB, as long as you are nice and stable. This is where ActiveRide is supposed to come into play. As SRAM puts it, "A traditional post can keep you bouncing, but ActiveRide keeps you grounded and in control, boosting climbing efficiency on an E-MTB while subtly smoothing out the ride." I haven't yet ridden the post on an eeb but I may notice some benefits to ActiveRide when I do.

The Actuator/Controller

There are three ways to make your dropper go up and down. If you want to do it from the saddle you can choose an AXS Pod Rocker Controller (150 USD) or the Rockshox AXS Controller (80 USD). The Pod makes sense if you are going to modify what the controls do, assuming you are also running an AXS drivetrain. Some riders use one thumb for upshifts and the other for downshifts, leaving two controls available for the dropper, meaning you could have it available for both thumbs. Because I swap bikes so often for testing, I keep it simple and I have both left side pod buttons set to actuate the post. I have the two button pod but I'd prefer the rocker. As it stands I don't consistently use one button over the other so maybe the single button AXS controller would be better for me.

The third method you can use is the AXS button on the post itself, in the event the battery on your actuator expires, or you are a minimalist.* Unlike the previous post, this button is a well-positioned and a reasonable size, facing up on the battery housing in the front of the post so this is quite feasible.

*These are CR2032 coin cells though so they are easy to bring along, and they last a surprisingly long time.

Compared to a OneUp V3 240mm

Obviously comparing a post with 240mm of drop with one that drops 225 isn't a fair fight, but putting the Reverb AXS 2.0 up against the OneUp V3 makes some sense because the latter is a well-priced, market leader by many metrics. Beyond that, there isn't an apples to apples big-drop comparison available because OneUp has 180, 210 and 240 While Rockshox has 175, 200, 225 and 250mm drops. The OneUp is the clear winner in terms of stack. because of the battery placement on the Reverb.

Weight

Reverb AXS 739g
OneUp v3 240 586g

Full insertion depth

Reverb AXS 346mm
OneUp v3 240 361mm

Overall length

Reverb AXS 596mm*
OneUp v3 240 611mm*

Measured to the top of the bottom clamp, where the saddle rail rests, for consistency.

On the Dirt

Based on my few weeks with the Reverb AXS 2.0, my three word review would be, it just works. It feels consistent every time. You never have to push the button further than you expect, and it rises at a very consistent rate, which is quite quick. For me, the immediacy of the actuation, with a simple tap rather than several millimetres of cable pull, makes a significant difference. In situations where you need to get your saddle down in a hurry, and get your hand back in position to save your ass, milliseconds count. The positivity and consistency is confidence inspiring as well. A cable can change dramatically over the course of a ride, while the wireless connection never seems to vary at all.

The unit comes pressurized to 600 psi. Rockshox recommends you keep that pressure but some riders might prefer less because it will come back more slowly and require less weight to push it back into the lower. You can go as low as 400 psi but for my weight and use the stock pressure seems just fine.

Cash Money

Here in Canada, you would have spent between 900 and 1065* Canuck bucks for the outgoing Reverb AXS, or 640 USD without an actuator. The new Fox Transfer Neo is 1050 CAD/860 USD with actuator. Here's some good news. The new Reverb AXS is 550 USD/800 CAD without an actuator but with a battery and charger.

• These prices should go down as of today and the higher price was with an actuator, although it wasn't entirely clear which one, and an AXS battery, coin cell and charger is always included.

My Verdict Thus Far and The Way Forward

This is a great seatpost in many ways, but particularly in terms of consistency and ease of installation. I really enjoy having it on my bike because it performs so well. Is it worth paying more than twice as much, or does it make more sense to put that money into better suspension, brakes or wheels? If it's an either/or proposition, I'm spending my money on performance rather than convenience. If you swap bikes a lot for whatever reason, and you require a particular length of drop that may not come on a stock bike, or you appreciate technology and ease of use, this might be perfect for you.

Back to the two-bike proposition. One way to get value out of a product like this, assuming it has good longevity and consistency, is to move it from bike to bike, which is easier than it sounds.

I had already begun using a simple strategy from SRAM's Chris Mandell before this; I only order posts in 30.9 and keep shims on hand to fit 31.6 and 34.9 frames. This works perfectly and often saves a significant amount of weight. Most droppers have internals of the same diameter and to make the posts fit different frames, they simply increase the wall thickness, making the posts much heavier.

So, if you have two bikes, which doesn't seem unlikely if you are spending this much on a dropper, the value starts to improve. Ideally you'll have two actuators, both programmed to the post, and the appropriate shims in each frame so the seat tube diameters don't even need to match. This is 800 CAD or 550 USD in savings plus the cost of a saddle, but minus the cost of one or two shims and an extra controller, but now you are getting close to the cost of two top end conventional droppers with levers. Unless you are able to ride two of your bikes at once (or you loan one to a relative or deadbeat buddy often), this is a very simple proposition.

Aside from the aesthetics, and the price (although it's 90 USD cheaper than previously), there is nothing I don't like about the new Reverb AXS.

Rockshox.com