Editors' favourite parts: Josh Welz and the Rockshox Reverb AXS

Actually, I'm not at all keen on all this electric gadgetry on my bike. My subtle aversion to it dates back to the years when GPS computers were introduced on the handlebars. Due to my pronounced defective vision, I can only use such gadgets with glasses. And my glasses are as thick as preserving jars. So they are as suitable for biking on bumpy terrain as hand-blown Art Deco glasses are for preserving jam. That's why I either ride routes that I know, that are signposted or that I can memorise by studying maps intensively. Or I stick to fellow travellers, or better still, riders who are familiar with the area.

So from an early age, I got into the habit of getting by without electronic aids when cycling. I consider e-suspensions of any kind to be technology overkill, electronic gears to be just as superfluous as electric tyre pressure sensors. I rely on my Popomat, and if the tyre is flat, I'll notice it at some point, even without sensor bells and whistles.

That only changed fundamentally with the advent of e-mountainbikes. To continue to describe myself as an e-denier would be somewhat absurd since I now ride almost exclusively e-MTBs. But even with e-bikes, I only really use what is absolutely necessary: the e-drive. But I'm not someone who spends hours trawling through apps, customising the motor power, analysing performance data, calculating the probable range or using other functions.

In short: even on an e-bike, electronics are usually too complicated for me to want them to help me. I just prefer things to be simple. And that's exactly the point where we need to talk about the Rockshox Reverb AXS.

Make an exception for the seat post

I don't think there's any need to argue about the fact that a dropper post is basically a sensible invention. I still don't know any professional cross-country mountain bikers who dare to take on the steepest descents in cross-country pose with complete conviction. But honestly: apart from professional cross-country riders, I always ask myself: why?

Perhaps for some it is due to the cognitive-motor overload that operating gear and seatpost panels can cause. Particularly when the operation of the U-step lever interferes with e-mountain biking. Example: the constant ups and downs on my home route, the Isar trails. With all the bends, hairpin bends, climbs, descents, descents and climbs again, you can get lost on the control panels for the gears, U-stage and dropper post. And you also have to brake from time to time.

But practice makes perfect. You don't play Beethoven after your first piano lesson either. Once you've got the hang of it, you use the piano rest intuitively without thinking. On the other hand, I've also been really annoyed by conventional telesupports. Kinks in the cable, air in the system - all these things can really get on your nerves. Not to mention the fiddly task that awaits you when the support has to leave the seat tube - for example for transport in a small car.

But for all these cases there is: exactly, the wireless Rockshox Reverb AXS. Installation is child's play. Attach the control lever to the handlebars, preferably with the Matchmaker clamp, insert the seatpost into the seat tube, charge the battery, pair, done. You can check the battery status via the app or via the diode on the post head itself: green full, red half full, red flashing - recharge as quickly as possible. This only takes an hour and then the battery lasts around 40 hours again, depending on use. Incidentally, there is a button cell in the remote lever that should last for years. Just in case, a replacement is part of the standard backpack load for AXS owners. I have never had to change it. The charge status can also be checked via an LED.

Incidentally, you don't have to switch on the support - this is done by a sensor that detects when the bike is being moved. This guarantees gentle handling of the battery. And what if the battery runs out before the ride is finished? Then you've messed it up. Then you're forced to do what the unteachable do voluntarily: shiver down steep descents in cross-country pose. Unless you have the big AXS menu on your bike, with AXS electric shifting or E-suspension. Then you can swap the batteries for the drivetrain, shock and dropper post at will.

Another practical feature is that the saddle frame is secured with just one screw. And if the seat post no longer extends and retracts as smoothly as you would like, you can easily deflate it using the valve at the base of the seat post. A procedure that has already brought me to the brink of a nervous breakdown with telescopic posts with cable mechanisms.

On the trail with the Rockshox Reverb AXS

And how are things going with the AXS on the trail? Great. It works like an analogue reverb. Stepless, smooth. In contrast to many other dropper post models, it also works perfectly in cold temperatures. You quickly get used to the feel of the paddle: it feels more like a games console. No lever travel where your thumb gets longer and longer and you never really know when the release point will come. You briefly press the remote paddle and in a fraction of a second the command is transmitted to the support via radio. Completely effortless - I've had very different experiences with mechanical supports.

Of course, the Rockshox Reverb AXS also has a few disadvantages: the head of the seatpost is bulky due to the battery mount, which means that the standover when the post is fully retracted is greater than with conventional dropper posts. And bike park shredders be warned: Clamping the bracket behind the saddle in the drag lift - hey, that can be expensive! What's more, the Reverb AXS is around 150 grams heavier than an analogue Reverb. Hm, and then there's the price of almost 900 euros ... But my job was to write something about my favourite bike part. And not about my favourite bike part, which I would afford if I really had to buy it myself. Would I?

Facts

• Stroke: 100, 125, 150 and 170 mm
• Diameter: 30.9, 31.6 and 34.9 mm
• Weight: 676 g (170 mm, 31.6 mm)
• Price: 886 Euro >> available here at a reduced price

Conclusion on the favourite Rockshox AXS Reverb seatpost

Some people buy a whole bike for just under 900 euros. Me a seat post? To be honest: I've never bought a Rockshox Reverb AXS because I'm allowed to ride it for work. But if that wasn't the case, the AXS would be the thing I'd be saving from my mouth. For me, it's the only e-technology on the bike that I would be reluctant to do without. Well, apart from the motor of course. - Josh Welz, Editor-in-Chief EMTB