USE (Ultimate Sports Engineering) are probably better known for their excellent range of bike lights but they also have a range of bike components for which they use the brand name “Ultimate”. One such component is the Vybe Duro suspension seatpost.
This particular post is made from aluminium and gives up to 50mm of travel that is controlled by an elastomer/spring stack contained inside the seat post shaft. There are no pivots or springs visible, just a neat shaft entering the post via a wiper seal. It is very reminiscent of a dropper post in looks but it does not function like a dropper.
When ordering the post it’s important to check the rider weight guide and choose the density of spring and elastomer that you’ll need. I’m not the most svelte of riders so I went with the hard spring option, but you can buy the others, soft, med etc if you want to change the rate of compression or you lose or gain weight.
the post is available in all the popular seat tube diameters (this one is 27.2mm) and the clamp is a very simple to use clam shell design with one single bolt to adjust fore-aft and pivot up and down. if you have a carbon rail saddle or one with unusual shape rails you’ll need to specify this when ordering. My saddle is bog standard and it took literally seconds to fit and adjust, a refreshing change from some complicated designs on other posts.
Adjustment to the post is via a threaded disc at the end of the shaft, a simple turn with an Allen key to compress or uncompress the spring is all there is to it. It’s very maintenance shy people friendly! I popped the post into the bike, set the height while it was at full extension and went off in search of something bumpy to ride.
Over the course of the next couple of months I was able to try the post out in both sopping wet and muddy and bone hard dry conditions. the first ride i noticed the post had a quite harsh and loud top out clunk (when the post extended back after being compressed down) For the next ride I wound in the disc inside the post a few turns and this stopped the clunk completely.
It’s very hard to photograph a suspension seatpost working while you are sat on it and harder to video without a film crew following you filming your backside, i wouldn’t inflict that on anyone so what i did do is ask anyone riding with me to have a look as we were riding along to check to see if the post was moving. The thing is when you get the post dialled in the movement is quite subtle and you hardly notice it. I can say definitely that it works though from the feedback from riders staring at my ass! When the going got really bumpy, the time any normal person would stand on the pedals and absorb the bumps with their legs I chose to stay seated, just for testing purposes and I could feel the post working then.
At 434g (on my bog standard non verified set of scales) the Vybe post is never going to be as light as a standard seat post but a standard seatpost will not give you that little bit of give that could mean the difference of a longer day in the saddle and quicker recovery from the chatter of rough trails to ride again the next day and that is worth a few extra grams in my mind. I didn’t notice it moving too much when riding on tarmac either.
The fact that the post is pretty much maintenance free, just wipe it down post ride is a bonus too. I have to say compared to parallelogram designs the Vybe is a lot prettier to look at and it looks like a quality item. I chose the layback version as the post it was replacing on that particular bike had layback too but a non layback version is available also.
The Ultimate USE Vybe Duro shockpost is a well made, dare i say attractive suspension seatpost that really works, if you suffer lower back problems from the jarring some gravel routes give then it could be a solution for longer more comfortable rides and recovery. Its very user friendly too so popping it on for those rough rides and using a standard post for less violent stuff could be an option too.
find out more about the seatpost here Ultimate USE
UK GRAVEL COLLECTIVE 