BikeYoke Revive 272 Seatpost

With fewer and fewer mountain bikes featuring a 27.2 mm seat tube, BikeYoke had all but given up on making a 27.2 dropper – but then the gravel boom happened, and they finally got the push they needed to bring this project over the finish line. We don’t usually pay all that much attention to the gravel space here at Vital, but we know many of our readers DO, so consider this a PSA (you can always use it for your XC rig or why not for your kids’ bikes if you want to spoil them with one of the best droppers on the market, too…).

BikeYoke Revive 272 Highlights

• Drop: 80mm (infinitely adjustable)
• Length: 400mm
• Weight uncut: 385g/375g (standard/Ti-bolts)
• Weight cut (300 mm): 340g/330g (standard/Ti-bolts)
• Remote compatibility: any cable remote with cable clamping on remote side
• Pricing: $370 USD / 370€ EUR

Initial Impressions

The Revive 272 shows up in the same funky packaging as its longer travel brethren, a distinguished tube that looks more like something that might contain your favorite single malt rather than a component for your bike. Pulling the dropper from said tube, there’s no mistaking the heritage as the Revive 272 looks and feels exactly like a miniature version of the regular Revive.

The hydraulic system is inherited from the regular Revive, which is a good thing. Renowned for its smooth action, it also features BikeYoke’s patented external bleed valve, which allows you to bleed the internals of the post with just a simple twist of an allen key (or the included mini-lever). Recognizing that most gravel and short travel XC frames would only be able to fit a limited amount of travel, BikeYoke settled on 80 mm for the Revive 272. They left the post at 400 mm of overall length out of the box, to allow it to be fitted to bikes with shorter seat tubes as well, but the post can be cut down to just 300 mm in case you don’t need more, saving about 45 grams in the process. The limited space available in the 27.2 format together with the fact that the actuator would need to be placed inside the lower tube meant that the actuation mechanism would have to do without the usual little rocker arm. The post is supplied with a 3D-printed tool to allow you to attach and remove the actuator to fit the cable.

As for the remote lever itself – BikeYoke told us they have still not found the perfect the design for a drop-bar remote of their own. The post will of course work with BikeYoke’s own MTB remotes, or you can use a drop-bar remote from the likes of Fox, X-Fusion, Pro, or Wolftooth (or any remote that clamps the cable at the remote end).

In Use

Since we have not succumbed to the gravel trend, and none of our bikes have a 27.2 mm seat tube, we were only able to test the Revive 272 in the workshop. Installing the post is a little more fiddly compared to a regular MTB post, as the actuator mechanism has to be assembled with some precision and then screwed into the inside of the lower tube of the post. The instructions were not entirely clear but we still managed to figure out what goes where (if you have a bit of wrenching experience, we don’t expect it to cause any problems).

Because the actuator works with a 1-to-1 cable pull ratio instead of employing the usual little rocker arm to increase the leverage, it is harder to push the remote with the Revive 272 compared to the regular Revive. The action of the post itself is still as smooth or maybe even smoother than the regular Revive – and that says something, as the Revive is probably the smoothest post on the market right now already. We also tested the reset valve feature which functioned just as well as on the regular Revive; if the post ever goes saggy on you, simply twist the reset valve one quarter of a turn (using a 4 mm allen key or the supplied mini lever), push the post all the way down, then release the lever. This removes any unwanted air from the internal hydraulic system, and voila – you now have a sag-free post again. A very clever way to keep your post out of the workshop and to keep you on the trail. Should things ever take a turn for the worse, BikeYoke posts are fully serviceable and rebuildable, with all spares made available to purchase separately.

What’s The Bottom Line?

With only limited testing behind us, we don’t want to jump to any foregone conclusions – but it’s safe to say that BikeYoke has done their homework and their first-ever gravel (or XC) post meets the high standards set by their other designs. With 80 mm of travel and a chassis that provides 400 mm of overall length but that can also be cut down to just 300 mm, it should fit most gravel or XC frames equipped with a 27.2 mm seat tube, providing that all-important seat drop without incurring too much of a weight penalty. Another quality offering from a company with a great track record in the dropper post space.

More information at: bikeyoke.de.

About The Reviewers

Johan Hjord - Age: 50 // Years Riding MTB: 18 // Weight: 190-pounds (87-kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)

Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.

Photos by Johan Hjord