Decided it’s time to give up the old ways, give in to technology and invest in a dropper. Lev and Reverb seem to be top of the pile in terms of reviews and I very much like the look of the Lev because of the fixed cable and therefore no issues with slack loops of hose/cable when the post’s dropped. Only problem is Jungle won’t have any in the UK until Aug/Sep and I want one *NOW* for a planned Summer of big mountains…

So the other option is a Reverb but the slack loop dragging on a tyre concerns me – frame has no dropper guides either (less of an issue).

What’s the hive’s thoughts – Reverb now or Lev later? And if Reverb, what’re your tips for managing the slack when the post’s dropped?

but the slack loop dragging on a tyre concerns me

Has anyone ever actually reported this happening once they’d fitted the hose properly? I’ve had a Reverb since they were first released and fitted it to 2 different bikes and not had any problems at all.

A friend also has the KS 950 and never had any problems with the cable catching on his either.

Neither of us have guides on the frames for dropper hoses either.

You could order a LEV direct from Germany or France.

I’ve had both and my Lev is far better. No hydraulics to mess with and a fixed cable.

Oh and I bought it from Germany. It came in 4 days too.

Very happy and can’t see myself using a reverb again.

Yeah, looked at the German options but so far the 30.9mm dia/125mm drop I’m after is out of stock where I’ve looked…

I’ve got a Reverb and have been really happy with it so far.

It was easy to set up and has survived so far. I run my lever under the bar where my left hand shifter would have been to protect it from damage as much as possible. It was easy to bleed the one time I did, has very little play in it and is very smooth.

When I first got it I had an SX Trail without guides and had no issues with the loop (I used the front mech cable guides, and a couple of well placed zip ties). I was concerned about the loop catching the tyre when the post was down but never noticed it.

I tried a Lev in a demo bike and didn’t think it was as smooth and I didn’t like the lever being integrated into the grips because it was too close to feel nice ergonomically although it is the neatest solution.

I have both! 8)

TBH it is a gnats cock between them. My preference is for the lev, because of the cable issue, and I like the fact that it is cable driven rather than hydraulic. Only because a trailside repair is more likley/easier if the cable fails. The lev also appears to be more robust – the underside is sealed better. My Reverb had an issue where water that had (inevitably) migrated into the frame went up into the reverb when I turned my bike upside down which lead to it feeling yucky. A service by fisher FOC sorted it, but left me wondering if it would happen again, and how to prevent it. The lev has no such issue.

They both have smooth action. I am happy with them both..

Hmm, issues with zip tieing to another cable – the ASR5 has everything mounted along the downtube so nothing to attach a dropper cable to, hence possible concerns over the additional slack…

Any other Euro sites worth a look at as potential for a Lev?

I didn’t like the lever being integrated into the grips because it was too close to feel nice ergonomically although it is the neatest solution.

The lever can be mounted anywhere on the bars, using it as a lock on coller replacementis only an option. I run a Lev and I can’t get on with it used as a lock on replacement for the same reason mindmap3 found.
My 27.2mm lev has been faultless so far, very smooth action, minimal rotational play, secure seat clamp, light action easy to use lever & no cable movement – that was was the problem I had with my previous x-fusion hilo – the cable loop caught in the long rockers of my Turner 6 pack & would crush the outer cable

I’m probably going to regret saying this (as i have a Reverb) but how many people worry about hydraulic disc brake lines getting ripped off and how many have done it?

Okay, the reverb barb under the seat clamp is in a vulnerable location but the way I sorted my cable routing was to make it twist and coil up when I drop my post behind the seat post and well away from the wheel and my legs. So far *touch wood* it’s working very well and the biggest thing I love about my reverb is the variable speed depending on how far you press the button. As far as i know only the Thomson shares that feature.

If I had a frame that could take a stealth reverb I would still choose it over the Lev.

But in criticism of the reverb:

Remote is far too bulky and awkward. Positioning it under the bars is a nightmare if you have shifters.

Remote is farrrr to expensive. Full kit is not far off what you can pick up new posts for.

Full service kit also seems expensive

General spares (eg top bushing/seal) seem overly expensive also (bit of a theme here)

I think the barb could have been better designed

I piggybacked my Lev cable to the brake hose guides & shortened an old V brake cable noodle to improve cable routing from the lever.

2013-04-14 19.22.22 by i.mack, on Flickr

2013-04-14 19.16.34 by i.mack, on Flickr

I’m probably going to regret saying this (as i have a Reverb) but how many people worry about hydraulic disc brake lines getting ripped off and how many have done it?

I guess this is probs aimed at me and yes I do get your point, but given the choice, and the fact that the cable action does not degrade its performance, I see no reason to make it more complex by having it hydraulic. With brakes there is a world of difference between hydraulics and cable..

That being said, we are splitting hairs, as I mentioned, there is a gnats cock between the lev and the reverb, I can see people being equally happy with either device.

I was in the exact same position a month ago; had my heart set on a Lev for the same reasons but none available for at least a month from German shops so I just got a Reverb. It goes up and down as it should, I shortened the hose easily and the hose loop really isn’t a big deal.

I guess this is probs aimed at me

no at all. It just seems to be the main concern that props up when people talk about reverbs.

It should be possible to re-form the reverb hose into a spiral (like a truck air line) so it follows the post up and down like a spring.

Hmm, so in summary, if I can’t keep a control of my impatience then it’s going to have to be a Reverb…

Andyl, got any pics of your coiled hose?

I’ve got one of each too. I prefer the Lev just about – fixed cable, better remote (using the lock-on adaptor method puts it right where I want it, no hassle). I haven’t had any trouble with the Reverb at all though, rate that highly as well. Just not as keen on the remote, and while I’ve not bust the cable my friend did his in a reasonably innocuous crash, so it certainly can happen.

The missus has a Reverb and has used it for 18 months no issues, it occasionally buzzes the wheel, the only other issue is on some frames I have seen knackered hoses that need replacing fairly frequently. Think this is down to poor routing choices available amongst other things.

I have a LEV – 150mm ridden it once and I like it once I sorted the fiddly cable thing out. Like the neatness. Nothing else to add for a while 🙂

Andyl, got any pics of your coiled hose?

I don’t have it coiled as I managed to get it well enough away from the tyre on my C456 due to the longish rear end.

If you are looking from above with the nose of the saddle at 12 o’clock then the barb comes out at about 7o’c and goes straight down into the hose guide which is at about 8 o’c and about an inch below the top bush. The hose then loops around to the drive side round the back into into the hose guide under the top tube. I have some tape on the seat stay where I allow it to rub to keep it as short as possible and have secured it to the FD cable as well as the hose guide to help resist it sliding.

When extended fully there is very little slack. When down it loops nicely. One reason I went that way was to prevent it rubbing on the seat clamp but it worked out better.

My biggest problem was I had to make my own shifter mounts to allow me to run the remote under the bars on the right side.

I can’t comment on the Lev as i’ve not got one, but I have a Reverb as do a few of my riding mates, and between us all we’ve had absolutely zero issues wit the Reverbs, they’ve been nothing but flawless and perfectly reliable – so far, but some are knocking on for 2yrs old now and have survived alot of hammer and the worst the UK wet and misrable summers and winters can throw at them. The cable dragging issue is clearly an issue around how you install it and cable management.

One of my riding buddies has a KS Lev, and similarly he’s had no issues whatsoever with his, so i’d say just get whichever one you can get for the best price!

I’ve never run a dropper post before. Got a Reverb yesterday and fitted it, while getting the remote in the right place was a bit of a PITA (running it upside down next to the left brake lever), it worked flawlessly on my ride last night and I can definitely see the advantages.

I got my LEV from here: purebike.fr

Any other Euro sites worth a look at as potential for a Lev?

These guys are showing 125mm LEV in stock in 10 days time. Its where I bought my 150mm LEV a few weeks back. If you order now they’ll reserve one for you and it’ll ship as soon as stock arrives, and you’ll have it within two weeks of now. Don’t know what the warranty arrangements are – maybe have to return to Germany if you have problems?!?

Cheers all.

PerthMTB, already looked at them and they’re the best option, although 10 days, IME (not necessarily with them), has a habit of becoming much longer because it’s very depedant on the distributor having stock to push out to the dealer…

Looks like it’ll be a Reverb, with stick on cable-guides cos I’m just impatient…!

I got my LEV from Tretwerk in Germany. They’re showing 15th July availability at the mo & IIRC mine slipped by a week but everything else was fine. For me they were the best combo of price & availability.

PerthMTB, already looked at them and they’re the best option, although 10 days, IME (not necessarily with them), has a habit of becoming much longer because it’s very depedant on the distributor having stock to push out to the dealer…

Yeah, I know what you mean. But I’d suggest you flick an email to them and ask exact delivery date. That’s what I did when they were showing 20 days or more on my 150mm, and true to form it arrived in stock and they shipped it to me on the exact day they said! They are German afterall 😉

German efficiency and all that – shame I don’t live there anymore…

Thanks purist, will have a look this evening – unfortunately the antiquated MOD network is still running IE6 and Tretwerk’s site isn’t compatible…

Reverb – check.
Self-adhesive cable clips – check.
Evening of bike fettling – check (Reverb from LBS, cable clips from Halfords).
Weekend descending gnar-core Peak trails – check.

Self-control and patience – err, uncheck.

Good stuff mate. I reckon you’ll be pretty happy with it.

Looks good – maintains the all-black stealth bike look – and managed to get the slack cable to coil around the seat tube like andyl suggested, so no worries there, at least not in the garage anyway, real world riding will confirm…