BikeYoke Divine Dropper Post Review

Words & Photos by Rob “The Rake” Dunnet

BikeYoke may not be a company that a lot of our readers will have heard of. BikeYoke started out by manufacturing yokes to allow the use of a standard shock in Specialized frames that came sped’c with weird, proprietary shock mounts. Their second product is the Revive dropper post. It is a dropper post that BikeYoke says will solve reliability issues, save money, save time and don’t need to be sent to a service center. They also boast that the hydraulic system of the Revive is basically “maintenance-free.” Their technology and promise of reliability come at a price though, as the Revive dropper post retails for $450.

The BikeYoke Divine that we tested here comes in at an easier-to-stomach price point ($289 – $379), so we wanted to see if all the big promises of BikeYoke’s $450 post would hold true as we reviewed the more economical Divine.

THE LAB

The BikeYoke Divine dropper posts are available in 30.9- and 31.6-millimeter diameters with a drop of 125, 160 and 185 millimeters. The full extension of the post can be reduced up to 20 mm with the use of 5 mm spacers that BikeYoke supplies with the post. The Divine is a cable-actuated hydraulic system that is actuated by a standard thumb paddle.

Something that the Divine has that other dropper posts don’t is the ability to automatically bleed the hydraulic circuit. Every time the post is fully compressed the hydraulic circuit automatically resets itself. This function should reduce and eliminate any up and downplay in the post. Something that a lot of dropper posts suffer from.

Installation of the BikeYoke Divine was quick and painless, I was replacing a cable-actuated dropper post so all I had to do was insert a new derailleur cable into the existing housing and follow the simple directions that BikeYoke includes with the seat post. Most; if not all, home mechanics should be able to install the Divine in under an hour. During installation, I was disappointed to find that the two bolts used in the seat clamp were not Allen bolts but Torx. T25 is a common sized bolt, but none of the multi-tools that I own have one included with them. It isn’t a bit deal until something goes wrong and I’ve forgotten my T25 at home.

THE DIRT

Fast forward to the downhill portion of my first ride with the BikeYoke Divine when my bike started to sound like something was falling apart. When things got a little bit less steep and a little bit less technical, I sat down to figure out what was coming loose. As I sat down, I practically slid off the front of my saddle. The two T25 bolts holding my saddle in place had come extremely loose. Of course, I didn’t have a T25 with me and it was an awkward ride back to the truck. I contacted the guys at BikeYoke and they said that they are aware that this can sometimes occur and that after the first time it usually doesn’t happen again. They are looking at doing a running change of the bolts but didn’t mention if they would be Allen bolts or the T25 that they currently use. A couple of drops of blue Loctite has kept the seat clamp bolts tight for me, but I am still riding with a T25 on longer rides.

After a solid six weeks of wet fall riding, I have boarded the BikeYoke Hype Train. The BikeYoke Divine works the way that it’s been advertised. I had no issues with the operation of the seat post. Over the duration of my test, there wasn’t any vertical play or sponginess. This has led me to believe that their automatic bleed system really works. I ran the dropper completely slammed on most of the downhills meaning that the seat post was being bled several times a ride. Also, the post has not developed any side to side twist or any front to back flex that some of their competitors’ products develop over time.

My only complaint other than my early seat rail clamp hardware issue is the BikeYoke Trigger. There always seemed to be a little bit of cable play in my trigger. I had to push the trigger farther than I like to make the seat post engage. I fiddled with cable tension over the course of my test and when I found the ideal cable tension the seat post would activate without the use of the trigger. I am not sure if I set the initial cable tension incorrectly or if this is a symptom of the Divine dropper and Trigger combination. It is not a huge complaint, but it was something I would mentally note at least once a ride.

The Wolf’s Last Word

With there being a new dropper post on the market every couple of months it is getting harder for companies to stand out. BikeYoke has built a dropper post that works as advertised. They have loads of videos and manuals online directing customers on how to service and install their products. They have figured out a way to make their posts automatically solve the issues that a lot of other posts are plagued by.

The only real problem that I can see is that their post looks like all of the other droppers on the market. Granted, we don’t really have the answer on how to market or aesthetically alter the appearance of a round tube designed to hold your seat, but perhaps some bit of flair could make a difference. Looks aside, the BikeYoke Divine does stand apart from the market of black on black dropper posts when it comes to functionality and that is something worth noting. Cheers to not having to work on our dropper post again for the foreseeable future.

Price: $297.74 – $374.33
Sizes: 30.9 & 31.6 | 125mm, 160mm, 185mm
Website: Bikeyoke.de