Skip to main content

BikeYoke Revive 160mm dropper seatpost


BikeYoke’s Revive post should be a good fit for most riders (providing your bike has a 30.9 or 31.6mm seat tube), because it offers a full 160mm of stop-anywhere drop, crammed into a compact chassis. Despite its long stroke, the low-profile collar and head and short lower shaft make it ideal for use with small frames and interrupted seat tubes. The other selling point is that there’s no internal floating piston, which is a common cause of problems on other droppers. If air does manage to bleed into somewhere it shouldn’t and cause the post to bounce, the system can be reset by turning an Allen key bolt – a nifty feature known as the ‘Revive Valve’.

In use, the post is seriously smooth and returns quickly to full height, and our sample still has no play after six months of arduous testing. We did have to use the Revive Valve far more regularly than we’d expected though – often in the middle of rides, and always after storing the bike upside down. BikeYoke say that some updated internals are on the way to solve this problem. Fitting the Revive is trickier than with some other cableoperated posts because the cable pinch bolt is at the post end, rather than the remote end. The outer cable can also easily become dislodged from the base of the post when adjusting its height in the frame.

HIGHS
- Low stack height means it’ll work in a wide range of frames
- Easy to use, ergonomic remote

LOWS
- Regular use of the ‘Revive Valve’ required to keep it working properly
- Bit of a faff to fit

Smooth action and good lever, but needs ‘Reviving’ too often

Price $400

Popular posts from this blog

Cannondale Trail SL 29 SS

The fat aluminium tubes are a constrast to the skinny items seen elsewhere in the test, but this rigid Cannondale uses them to create one of the most old-school - and lightest - rides here.

Merida Big Nine 100

Wit the bikes swapped over, we head out on the same loop again, this time on the 29in Big Nine 100. Whereas the Big Seven was snappy off the line, the 29er takes a couple more pedal strokes to get up to speed. That said, once it's up there, it's easy to keep the big wheels rolling, allowing us to cover ground with ease. The fire road is at times a little rough, and the bigger wheels roll over the imperfections so we barely notice them.

CANYON NERVE AL 8.0

  S ince their entry into the UK market a few years ago, Canyon have made a name for themselves as purveyors of well-made bikes that exhibit often extraordinary value. The secret (or catch, depending on your point of view) is that the brand don’t have dealers – they ship bikes directly to your door.

SKS Airbuster CO2 inflator

The alloy Airbuster has a large knob so you can regulate the flow of gas, a mechanical stop to prevent the cartridge being pierced in transit and a dust cap to keep the valve free of debris. While it works with Presta and Schrader valves, switching between them requires a fiddly change of the valve head. The thin rubber sleeve doesn’t provide much protection from cold spent canisters. You can’t insert much of the valve into the inflator head, so you have to be careful to avoid leaks. Price $33 w/16g cartridge

KONA SHRED

With a reputation for no-nonsense ruggedness and a background in the always progressive and punishing riding of Canada, Kona have been building hardcore hardtails for longer than almost anyone else. The Shred is the most expensive bike on test but it’s a proper trail tank.