Reverb B1 retaining clip

The retaining clip on the bottom of my reverb has failed. As it came on the bike I thought it would be covered, but the bike manufacturer is wriggling round and saying I’d have to send it to them for a service (€129). Anyway that’s bye the bye and I’m more than happy to just buy one.

im having a heck of a time finding it. I initially ordered the basic reverb 50 hour kit (as it’s only about £10 and appeared to have it in). But it turns out the circlip in that doesn’t fit the B1 (to thick). It seems the only way to get one  is in the 400hour service kit and that is a bit steep for a 50p part.

Does anybody have any idea how I can get my hands on one?

No, I don’t have one but they are very thin and prone to rust……tried measuring mine, but couldn’t do it accurately enough.

As you found out, only the 400 hour service kit includes them BUT people are seeing failures well before that 🙁

(they are called ‘internal snap rings’)

Hope someone finds a source, or at least the actual size soon !

I think I’ve read that it’s 0.7mm thick. Not sure

on the diameter, I’d guess around 26mm. But can’t find any that thin.

Yep it’s a bit of a nightmare, mine failed and a friend who works in purchasing for an engineering business spent quite some considerable time trying to source and eventually gave up.

Local bike shop and the guys at Sprung Suspension couldn’t help either.

Engineering friend provided the solution by taking the standard circlip and reduce the thickness using a surface grinder after making a little fixture to hold it.

Does your friend need a new friend 😉

My fall back plan is to see if I can do something similar (if not a bit more crude) with my bench grinder.

Seems ridiculous I can’t just buy one of Rochshox

Same thing happened to mine, rubbish design, never had any issues with my previous generation Reverb. Mine disintegrated into shards of metal in my frame.

Warranty were having none of it, so looks like an expensive service.

Improved performance and durability in all conditions

Bollocks.

I’m going for a social media barrage… I’ve tweeted them.

I don’t think I’ve seen the B1 circlip, but these tapered ones have an edge thickness of 0.8mm in 26mm diameter:

https://www.rotorclip.com/cat_pdfs/vho.pdf

I’ve no idea how you would buy a small quantity.

Edit: Having just seen a picture of the B1 ring in the service manual, this may be more like it – thickness 0.55mm in 26mm diameter (to suit 0.66mm wide groove).

https://www.rotorclip.com/cat_pdfs/klm.pdf

Same caveat on how to buy applies!

Will be interested if SRAM/RS reply to the tweet !? (I don’t have twatter)

Tillydog, that second .pdf does seem to have the sort of thing needed, but 26mm diameter, where are you getting that from ?

That doesn’t look right, the outside or open or ‘free’ diameter is more like 29-30mm (so for a housing or tube ID of 28 – 29mm) ??

I measure the ‘eared’ internal circlip for the old style reverb at 29.75mm (outside/free dia)

From https://www.rotorclip.com/Rotor_Clip_Limited.php

The diameter was estimated by someone above in this thread. They’re classified by the inside diameter of the tube that they fit into, btw, not the free diameter of the clip or the OD, so it should be possible to get an accurate measurement of the inside diameter of the bottom of the post, even if the clip has disintegrated.

Ah that explains…..an estimate….maybe someone can actually measure one ?

EDIT, have measured mine….tube ID of 27.7mm (+/- 0.1).

So…..the size of clip required is more like I stated. Thank you 🙂

The other option we considered was machining the groove wider to allow the older circlip to be used… obviously that would invalidate the warranty 😪 but if you’re not worried about that it would be a simple lathe job to sort once and for all.

I have had an email back from SRAM. Gist of it is.

– Correct you only get one in the 400hour service kit.

– No you can’t buy one on its own.

– But this time we’ll send you one.

Im kind of torn on this. On one hand that’s great customer service by the UK guys (thanks Will if you read this). But on the other it seems a major over site by SRAM that a part that appears to be failing well before 400 hours is not available. As the “basic” 50 service includes the circlip for the standard tubes, surely there should be a B1 50 hour service kit with one in. Making customers buy a £60+ kit every few few months, feels a bit like highway robbery.

Ill be mentioning this when I reply to them (once I get my hands of the nice free one)

I’ll also try and remember to measure it before I fit it.

Had same problem, measured rusty clip but measurements not to hand. Reverb got warrantied – just inside 2 years. It’s an oddball size clip and it’s a poor design and a design flaw for using such a thin clip. Bikes go thru streams, bikes get washed, bikes get water in the frame, bikes get turned upside down. The water then sits or collects at the seat post area and then rusts the tiny circlip and it erodes away until in my case the saddle suddenly dropped never to be raised again. Reverb was faultless until this. Good luck with a fix, but it’s a 10p item, if that. Problem is getting hold of 1 or 2.

Who did you do your warranty through?

Mine just went via CRC and SRAM and they didn’t want to know saying it needed a service.

Now looking at £100 through TFTuned