I haven’t ridden a mountain bike for about 5 years and gone completely gravel / road since.

Now that children are a bit older and I have stopped working too much, decided to do a budget build to try and get back into it.

Budget build means cheap used parts and things to be fixed. I have to say it’s been quite an unlucky build with more things to fix than anticipated which I managed. However, when it comes to the reverb, I am now not sure if I should just write it off and buy a new one or keep going with it.

It was sold as “fully working” but when I received it, it has the famous sag so complained to the seller. To be fair, the seller was happy to give most of my money back so I decided to fix it myself.

Once apart, it seems like someone has tried to fix it badly. They obviously decided to clamp directly on the airshaft which resulted in this:

I think they’ve given up once they scratched the airshaft as the internal seal head still has the original loctite which took quite a bit of force to overcome.

I smoothed the scratches out as well as possible but I can still feel it as the seal goes past.

My understanding is that surface only seals air from the outside so in theory. It only ever go past the scratch when the post goes up an down. I only need to check the air pressure every so often to make sure it hasn’t lost too much. The worst case would be the seal wearing out but it should only be a gradual failure which I will able to predict by monitoring the amount of air loss?

I could very well be wrong and will end up having a non working dropped post out on my first mountain bike ride in 5 years, so please correct me if I am wrong as I don’t really want that to happen.

You should try some metal filler or an epoxy like araldite. Once it is thoroughly cured (as in a couple of days) then sand it flush and polish it till it zings. I had the same with an old one of mine and this did the trick…. If nothing else it costs nothing but time to try!

I did try araldite, but when I try to smooth it with wet and dry, it just peeled off.

I had good result with JB weld stuff before, so might try it with that instead.

Which reverb is it? I may have some used spares I could spare

That would be great, it’s an externally routed A2.

There was a 100mm IFP tube on eBay for 12 quid or so.

Actually ignore that, wrong part I think.

I’ve rebuilt a fair few reverbs and the part names still confuse me.

That would be great, it’s an externally routed A2.

What I have is internally routed and I think 125mm A2 or 150mm B1. I have absolutely no idea about the interchangeability of parts. And 31.6mm posts but I’m almost certain the parts don’t differ between seat tube sizes

Thanks for that, but I think stealth ones all have a different airshaft because the poppet valve has to go through it.

I suppose I could try repairing it with JB weld for now and watch for one to come up on eBay.

I have seen a new one for £33 from Fawkes cycles, I am not 100% if it is the right part because there’s not much description, might ask them to clarify.

It also need some new bushing and an updated IFP, I think this is going to end up costing more than buying a good used post, but then I will know it is right.

Shame. I can’t really see it being worth spending too much on service parts when you could probably get a new BrandX for under £100.

A new or undamaged air shaft is probably the way forward if you want to revive this thing reliably. I’ve no experience of swapping parts over from other posts. One thing I would suggest if you’ve not already done so is to replace the IFP with the newer SKF seal if it doesn’t already have one.

If you’re thinking of repairing the air shaft for a defect that size I’d use superglue & baking soda mixed together. It sets incredibly hard in seconds. Wash the air shaft in soapy water then allow to dry before using the glue. Have a look online for guidance about the glue & baking soda.

Good luck.

I think I’d take a brand x over a reverb any day of the week. Easy user serviceable apart from the sealed cartridge in it. But you can buy replacements for those for about £50 I think

Just an update. Fawkes cycles couldn’t tell me if they have the right part for me, but after looking around on US websites, it seems like they don’t have the right size.

I’ve been really tempted by the CRC Brand X post at £100 but I tried repairing the post again, but this time with JB weld “marine” instead of standard araldite.
I also baked it at 150 degrees for 2 hours after hardening over night just to be 100% that it’s cured properly.

The JB weld stuff is grey (just like the industrial stuff that I used in a lab before) so can’t really tell it’s been repaired in the photo. It didn’t peel off after wet sanding this time and it’s nice and smooth again. I can still feel a slight friction change when the seal goes past the repair but there shouldn’t be any air leak as long as the repair last.

I’m now waiting for the updated IFP and some new bushing to turn up and it will hopefully last me a few years after I put it back together.

Excellent work, hope it lasts. Whilst a Brand X is cheap and supposed to be reliable, rebuilding is the way forward. Less stuff to landfill/maybe recycled.

I used to hate my Reverb until I learned how to rebuild it. It now goes on and on with the odd o’ring, bush and oil change