BikeYoke Revive 3.0 Seatpost

With an impeccable track record and oft-praised performance, the BikeYoke Revive is widely considered as the best dropper post that money can buy. Vital’s own testing confirms this, as we placed it at the top of the heap in our big dropper post shootout a few years ago. Not one for big marketing statements, BikeYoke has just released the third iteration of the Revive, with a number of small modifications that aim to improve things that could be improved without making any design changes where none were needed. Oh, and there is a limited edition run of 200 pieces with a silver lower tube, which even we weren't able to lay our hands on...

BikeYoke Revive Three Highlights

• Patented “Revive” bleeding technology
• 360 (toolless) rotatable actuator for extra insertion
• 4 travel options: 125 / 160 / 185 / 213 mm
• Travel reducible in 5mm increments via internal spacers
• 3 diameter options: 30.9 / 31.6 / 34.9
• Dedicated upper tube diameter for 34.9 (25mm vs. 28mm)
• Sub-zero functionality (-20° C)
• Low stack height (37mm)
• Round and oval saddle rail compatible up to 7x10mm
• Swappable lower tubes (30.9 <-> 31.6)
• Fully user-serviceable within 10 minutes
• Fully user-rebuildable without special tools
• 100% spare part availability
• All updates retro-fit to any previous model
• 30.9/31.6 pricing (post only): $350/350 EUR (125/160 mm) // $380/380 EUR (185 mm) // $400/400 EUR (213 mm)
• 34.9 pricing (post only): $370/370 EUR (125/160 mm) // $400/400 EUR (185 mm) // $420/420 EUR (213 mm)

Initial Impressions

We’ve always been big fans of the Revive, so we were stoked to hear that no big changes were being made to it for this third version. The internals are great, offering smooth, light actuation, and the revive feature makes it super easy to keep the post completely free of any sagginess – just turn the little Revive lever ¼ of a turn, compress the post all the way down, release the lever, and the job is done. Any little air bubble that might have made its way into the internal oil circuit has now been purged, and the post will be fully free of sag.

The compact dimensions and the adjustable travel spacer system of the Revive Three ensure that many riders are able to maximize the amount of dropper travel they can fit in their particular frames. The stack height is low, and the actuator has been slimmed down, all of which contribute to making an already compact post even more compact. Here are the key measurements across all the different sizes:

Note that the actuator also rotates, which could mean the difference between routing the cable past a tricky kink in the seat tube or failing to make it fit. On the topic of cables, BikeYoke has develop a special cable of their own, featuring a slim, 3mm housing and a 0.9mm polished and coated stainless wire.

The remote is a key component of any dropper post, and it can greatly affect the user experience. BikeYoke’s remotes have always been excellent, and the most recent iteration of their “Triggy” is no exception. Smooth and light feel thanks to the use of a bearing for the pivot point, with adjustable lever angle to make sure you can dial it in to suit your cockpit setup and personal preferences. It is SRAM MatchMaker compatible in itself, and BikeYoke also makes available a standalone collar or I-Spec adapters for Shimano brakes. We opted for the “Triggy Alpha” here, a slightly longer version which provides for lighter actuation.

On The Trail

Installing the Revive Three is now even easier, thanks to the return to a classic slide-on cable barrel at the post end (in contrast to BikeYoke’s old system which was a bit finicky to manipulate, with a tiny locknut barrel clamping the cable at the post end). The saddle clamps are equally smooth and pleasant under the wrenches, making saddle positioning a breeze. BikeYoke’s new cable is notably thinner than the industry standard stuff, which gives it a more discrete appearance on the bike (not to mention lighter weight).

On the trail, we immediately recognized that trademark Revive smoothness – it really is about as smooth as it can get. It’s easy to stop the post at any point in the travel, and you can modulate the return speed with the lever pressure. The only slight issue with the Revive is increased lever resistance when you’re seated. If you have a lot of weight on the post, you can feel the lever resisting a bit before the valve pops open. It feels a little bit sticky and is a good reminder that you shouldn’t really be doing that too much anyway, as it just puts unnecessary stress on the seals in the valve. Aside from that tiny little quirk, the Revive sets the bar for smoothness in operation.

We’ve been using Revive posts since they first came out in 2016, and their durability is pretty much beyond reproach. The Revive feature is there to make sure the post always feels like new, although in more recent versions of the post we’ve only ever had to use it rarely (BikeYoke made some internal modifications to their design at one point to keep the internal oil circuit more isolated and shielded from any potential air ingress, which turned out to be effective). There are spares available for all the parts in the post, which means you’ll always be able to service it to keep it as fresh as possible. Shoutout to BikeYoke for making the Revive Three changes retrofittable to previous generations of the Revive as well, allowing you to have your old post updated if you see the need.

What’s The Bottom Line?

You don’t fix what is not broken. The BikeYoke Revive has occupied the top step in our dropper post rankings since its introduction in 2016, and the Revive Three looks set to carry that torch forward. It is a pure pleasure to use on the trail, thanks to its largely unrivalled smoothness, and with even more compact dimensions it will now fit more bikes and riders than ever before. Add to that the excellent durability and full serviceability, and you’re (still) looking at the gold standard. Sure, it’s a bit on the pricey side, but in this case, you definitely get what you pay for.

More information at: www.bikeyoke.com.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord - Age: 51 // Years Riding MTB: 19 // 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