Spotted: A New Lightweight RockShox Dropper Post?
Additional reporting: Brian Park
![photo]()
We've already seen a blizzard of new bikes in time for the Olympics with Santa Cruz, Scott, Ghost and more unveiling their Tokyo-targeted tech. But what about other components on the bike? Cross-country is all about finding the most lightweight cocktail of parts and it's possible that RockShox may have given a new dropper post its race debut at last weekend's Leogang World Cup.
Spotted on the bikes of Lars Forster and Nino Schurter, the post doesn't have the battery pack and electronics in the saddlebag area we'd expect to see on a Reverb AXS and it also appears to have a smaller collar than the current double ridged one on the Reverb Stealth.
![photo]()
So, what's going on here? Well, it certainly wouldn't be crazy for RockShox to target a lightweight dropper to compete with the recently launched Fox Transfer SL. Fox claimed that XC racers don't need the technical features that their 'full fat' posts have, and instead created a short travel, mechanical, 2 position post. With simplicity comes lightness and Fox was apparently able to shed 25% of the weight of a standard Transfer for the SL version.
From the pictures we have been able to source from the Red Bull Content Pool, it looks like the dropper post on Nino and Lars' bikes are also short travel, and we've no doubt it's a more lightweight option than the 676 gram Reverb AXS.
![photo]()
Is it a new RockShox post? We're not so sure.
But despite several commenters on Nino's recent bike check suggesting it's all but confirmed as a new product, we're not so sure. A RockShox representative had no comment, and it wasn't on our radar before this. Looking through Nino's Instagram it looks like there are no external electronic parts, and possibly no blip-in-grip as seen on his bike check bike. So assuming it's mechanical (either hydraulic or cable-actuated), it actually looks a lot like the Transfer SL that comes stock on the Scott Spark RC World Cup EVO AXS. The matte black finish is similar, it looks like there are some wrench flats on the collar, and Fox has a deep relationship with Scott.
![transfer sl]()
On the other hand, the post on Nino and Lars' bikes doesn't look much like the distinctive Fox head. It looks more like a bonded, two-piece affair. It also has silver/ti bolts rather than the black ones that come on the Spark RC WC.
![BikeYoke DIVINE SL - dimensions]()
Another option is possibly it being a BikeYoke Divine SL. It's a lightweight, well regarded post, and the dimensions all look similar—the bolt colour too. However, its black finish is much smoother and shinier than the one on Nino's bike, and we don't see the external butting in the photos.
On the other hand...
Before today we'd have said it's unlikely for RockShox to go in the direction of cables and hoses after investing so much energy in a wireless system. It's entirely possible that RockShox has figured out how to hide the electronics while also making a lighter, simpler wireless dropper, but we are skeptical that all those things are possible at once.
If this is a RockShox product after all, it's more likely that it is a cable-actuated affair aimed at XC only. Something tells us that after so many years of hydraulic and wireless actuation, RockShox would need another factor to the mix in order to feel good about bringing a cable actuated dropper to market. We wouldn't be surprised if it was carbon, and had a few other tricks up its sleeve too.
If we see Nino and Lars with Reverb AXS posts at the next race, it's probably a signal that with the first race of the season, a new bike launch, and tenuous product availability, the team had to do some last-second debadging to run a third party dropper. But if we see any more of this dropper on race day, it gives a lot of weight (ironically) to the prospect of a new RockShox post.
We'll update this if we get any more information.
![Yep Uptimizer 3.0 Dropper Post]()
Update: the tech team straw poll is now leaning towards it being a Yep post. If you squint so hard your vision goes blurry you can definitely convince yourself you see the Schraeder valve on Nino's bike.
Photo: Red Bull Content Pool / Bartek Wolinski
We've already seen a blizzard of new bikes in time for the Olympics with Santa Cruz, Scott, Ghost and more unveiling their Tokyo-targeted tech. But what about other components on the bike? Cross-country is all about finding the most lightweight cocktail of parts and it's possible that RockShox may have given a new dropper post its race debut at last weekend's Leogang World Cup.
Spotted on the bikes of Lars Forster and Nino Schurter, the post doesn't have the battery pack and electronics in the saddlebag area we'd expect to see on a Reverb AXS and it also appears to have a smaller collar than the current double ridged one on the Reverb Stealth.
Photo: Red Bull Content Pool / Bartek Wolinski
So, what's going on here? Well, it certainly wouldn't be crazy for RockShox to target a lightweight dropper to compete with the recently launched Fox Transfer SL. Fox claimed that XC racers don't need the technical features that their 'full fat' posts have, and instead created a short travel, mechanical, 2 position post. With simplicity comes lightness and Fox was apparently able to shed 25% of the weight of a standard Transfer for the SL version.
From the pictures we have been able to source from the Red Bull Content Pool, it looks like the dropper post on Nino and Lars' bikes are also short travel, and we've no doubt it's a more lightweight option than the 676 gram Reverb AXS.
Nino's bike with a standard Reverb AXS installed. Photo courtesy Scott.
Is it a new RockShox post? We're not so sure.
But despite several commenters on Nino's recent bike check suggesting it's all but confirmed as a new product, we're not so sure. A RockShox representative had no comment, and it wasn't on our radar before this. Looking through Nino's Instagram it looks like there are no external electronic parts, and possibly no blip-in-grip as seen on his bike check bike. So assuming it's mechanical (either hydraulic or cable-actuated), it actually looks a lot like the Transfer SL that comes stock on the Scott Spark RC World Cup EVO AXS. The matte black finish is similar, it looks like there are some wrench flats on the collar, and Fox has a deep relationship with Scott.
The stock Scott Spark RC World Cup EVO AXS has a pretty similar looking post.
On the other hand, the post on Nino and Lars' bikes doesn't look much like the distinctive Fox head. It looks more like a bonded, two-piece affair. It also has silver/ti bolts rather than the black ones that come on the Spark RC WC.
BikeYoke Divine
Another option is possibly it being a BikeYoke Divine SL. It's a lightweight, well regarded post, and the dimensions all look similar—the bolt colour too. However, its black finish is much smoother and shinier than the one on Nino's bike, and we don't see the external butting in the photos.
On the other hand...
Before today we'd have said it's unlikely for RockShox to go in the direction of cables and hoses after investing so much energy in a wireless system. It's entirely possible that RockShox has figured out how to hide the electronics while also making a lighter, simpler wireless dropper, but we are skeptical that all those things are possible at once.
If this is a RockShox product after all, it's more likely that it is a cable-actuated affair aimed at XC only. Something tells us that after so many years of hydraulic and wireless actuation, RockShox would need another factor to the mix in order to feel good about bringing a cable actuated dropper to market. We wouldn't be surprised if it was carbon, and had a few other tricks up its sleeve too.
If we see Nino and Lars with Reverb AXS posts at the next race, it's probably a signal that with the first race of the season, a new bike launch, and tenuous product availability, the team had to do some last-second debadging to run a third party dropper. But if we see any more of this dropper on race day, it gives a lot of weight (ironically) to the prospect of a new RockShox post.
We'll update this if we get any more information.
Update: the tech team straw poll is now leaning towards it being a Yep post. If you squint so hard your vision goes blurry you can definitely convince yourself you see the Schraeder valve on Nino's bike.
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Mairiporã XC World Cup 2024
42289 views
42289 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
I do actually use the ability to stop it half way up in flat pedally bits when I'm just chilling. Could probably live without it if there was significant weight savings but not for like 10 grams.
I've had ok luck with their shocks but it's notable that the two most unreliable yet well spec'd parts in mtb history are from SRAM: The Reverb post and Avid Elixer brakes.
Otherwise you're compensating with pressure and tokens to make the shock do what the low speed compression would do to keep yourself higher in the travel.
@nattyd: If you are referring to my question I'm not trying to claim that the Reverb AXS is the gold standard of reliability. If I had to make a guess I'd bet it's probably a gravity dropper or something similar. I was just trying to get a handle on the jamming and unreliability that IluvRIDING claims to have experienced. As someone who works at a shop I sell a lot of people a lot of droppers so it is good to know what issues certain models are prone to. Certainly in my experience, as well as internet posts (all anecdotal evidence I know), the Reverb Axs is substantially more reliable than the early gen Reverbs and seems to be about on par with the C1. As far as knowing if things are good with anecdotes I agree it is usually very hard to select the good and best. On the other hand, with droppers being extremely unreliable up until a few years ago having a post that doesn't immediately die is still somewhat of a win.
Seems like the earlier droppers were so bad that reliability issues were apparent pretty much right away. I have no idea about the AXS post, but guessing it beats that standard. I don't really have an issue with it from a reliability perspective. I just think it's amazing that so many of the SRAM riders are using it despite the enormous weight penalty. Also I hate the look of the silver collar, but that's a matter of taste.
If this is how the bike industry works, Company B just targets whatever Company A does, that's sad. I'd like to think SRAM has been iterating on a lightweight short dropper for a while, as has Fox, and one just happened to come to market first. Maybe SRAM moved the launch after Fox released, but we'll never know and it doesn't really matter in the end. Everyone is iterating and improving, and new products are more than just targeting single competitor product.
When we get self-lowering droppers (like bmc proto) more drop makes more sense.