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I know this has been done before but the search process isn’t helping me find the exact solution to my problem; so I apologise for a slight duplication thread but I need help please!
My wife’s 2013 Juliana has an externally routed stealth reverb (it goes in at the bottom of the seat tube) with the crap button remote.
It has developed some sag and was very slow to return to height so I’ve given it a bleed and lots of air came out so it all seemed successful.
However the button is now almost impossible to press (needs a whole hand) with just a thumb and the post needs a lot of pressure on it to drop. It’s then returning even slower than before.
Is there anything, cheap, that can be done? Just spent near £200 on the bike and we’re off to Morzine at the end of the month so £80 on a new lever is out of the question.
I can’t check the pressure in the post cos my shock pump isn’t long enough to attach to the valve under the saddle. Could that be the issue and worth finding another pump maybe?
I’ve got a spare dropper in the shed but it’s too big and has no cable lever with it. Plus the reverb and guide brakes share a bar mount so I guess I’d need an adaptor if I go for something non-SRAM.
Any tricks for freeing up the action of the button remote is my main question. Or cunning cheap solutions if the reverb is not worth fixing.
Thanks for any help…
Did you bleed the internal oil circuit (as opposed to the remote)? If so it could be too much oil in the internal circuit so there’s no space for the plunger to move. How did you set the oil height?
If you did a lever bleed have you wound the adjuster back to the same point it was before? Could be that the button isn’t pushing the valve far enough is causing the ‘slow to drop’. Not sure why that would make the button stiff to push though
the bleeding is a pain and has to be done thoroughly according to the instructions. The sag issue needs the post to be taken apart as air has got past the piston seal. No idea why they persist with the fluid mechanism to activate it.
Bin it and buy a brand x.
I’m not sure what the internal oil circuit is? I bled the hydraulics from lever to post and followed the SRAM YouTube guide. It seemed successful as lots of bubbles came out but hasn’t really improved the post operation.
Binning and replacing is a medium term plan but I was hoping for a short term fix but that doesn’t seem likely without a full strip down that might or might not be successful and a waste of time.
Is the hose OK - not been kinked or damaged as this would cause those symptoms.
Could try a quick re-bleed with adjuster speed set to slow just at the lever end...see if you can pump the lever freely as you do this. You can then set speed to fast so it speeds up operation(ie opens the poppet valve deeper and quicker).
There are two separate oil circuits in a reverb:
- The remote circuit which takes the place of a cable. Basically a ‘pusher’ instead of a cable ‘puller’. There’s no hydraulic connection to the inside of the post- the hydraulics push a button which pushes more fluid on the inside.
- The internal circuit has the oil that actually holds the post up. When you operate the remote it opens a valve in this circuit so fluid can move and thus the post.
More than the specified amount of air in (2) is normally the cause of a sagging post, although if you haven’t ever pumped it up i would do that first. Too much oil can limit movement of the mechanism iirc.
Is the hose OK – not been kinked or damaged as this would cause those symptoms.
Is what I'd be looking at if you can't press the lever in.
The hose is ‘old’ with some fixed shape to is where it goes round corners and there is a smidge of external wear where it’s been next to a brake hose I think.
If I replace then is it standard brake hose and I’ll need new barbs for each end?
Did you use the correct tools, Inc the IFP setting tool? As above, following the proper technique is crucial.
Whereabouts are you? I have the tools if you need to borrow.
I rebuilt a reverb once. I am now firmly in the bin and replace camp.
The full strip down is possible with some bodged tools etc.
For the sake of £50 though, just buy a brand x and be done. Even after i 'fixed' it, it only lasted a couple of months and i spent a few hours working on it.
this thread and link within is what i used as a guide.
The problem with Reverbs is that you can buy a new Brand X dropper for as much as a full rebuild/service (especially if you use the Wiggle/CRC eBay page).
Seems like the thread starter is determined to try and fix it. Commendable but ultimately foolish
Like others have said forget it and just buy another one. Or ask on here or anyone you know has a spare you could use for the time being.
Unless you service it properly you're wasting your time. And that's 100% what it needs, a full legit service by someone who knows what they're doing and who has the tools. You don't and haven't it seems so.... (no offence).
Over the winter I put it to myself to learn how to rescue abandoned Reverbs. The service kit* + time and faff required to get them running properly amounts to over £100. You'll get a perfectly functioning dropper for that money in the summer sales.
*Although usually on older models you only need to replace the metal IFP ring for a newer plastic one.
I'm not determined to fix it, it's more the case of trying to find the cheapest option (in the next 3 weeks) of having a workable dropper post on a bike. It's got to be cheap cos we've spent all our money on lift passes and ferry tickets 🙂
I think the brand x option is probably going to have to happen, at least my new CC has 0% on purchases!
Thanks for all the tips...maybe I'll spend the winter wasting my time trying to revive it!
The next question is where do I find the cheapest bar clamp for the Guide brake lever that shares it's clamp with the reverb button?
For MMX bar clamps, try an lbs first.
They're pretty useful to keep in a drawer for precisely the reason why you need one.
Life is too short. Brand X or Trans X. Bin the fing RS POS. Hydraulic for a dropper, ridiculous.
Whatever you buy avoid the dreadful Race Face Turbine-R dropper post.
Plenty of Brand-X droppers on ebay if you're watching the £. What spec seatpost are you looking for?
How did you bleed it? Sounds like the remote needs a bleed, link to the manual
If a quick rebleed doesn't fix your problem. There's someone on ebay that completely rebuilds them for £50.....
I have rebuilt quite a few with a very basic bleed kit and some basic tools. As someone mention above there are two oil circuits that are in no way connected.
The Post circuit, and the remote lever circuit. Bleeding the the lever will not cure the saggy post.
Saggy post is air past the seal inside the post, this is usually caused by lifting the bike, by the saddle when the post is down / partly down, this causes the post to extend without the internal valve being in the open position so air is drawn past the seals.
The post will need to be stripped and the oil height and seal repositioned. Then put back together. Its not difficult but a bit of a faff.
I'm not saying don't buy a Brand-X i'm just saying that the reverbs can usually be fixed without spending much money if you don't mind messing about and watching a few youtube tutorials
You do need a bleed kit, a home made oil height tool (bit of cut down tube) an adjustable spanner and a vice is very handy.