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USE Sumo Seatpost
Jim - 30th October 2007
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Whats in a seatpost? Well firstly its got to be strong enough to hold the riders weight upright, and secondly its got to keep a tight clamp on the saddle, while still allowing adjustment later on down the line.
When we were building up the Yeti Dirtjumper we needed a long seatpost, so 400mm was essential to get enough room for the legs to power up (well.. dawdle up) the climbs on cross country loops, while also being light enough not to affect the weight of the frame too much. USE (Ultimate Sports Engineering) is a UK company manufacturing all sorts of things for bicycle powered antics, from road aero bars to the extremely popular Exposure Lights range.
We chose their SUMO 400mm aluminium post, the SUMO range is designed for the slightly more hard hitting rider, and it wouldnt be uncommon to spot the post on a few World Cup downhill bikes. While being strong enough to sustain a pounding at full extension, the clamp design is also strong enough to hold the post steady on harsh landings.
After a lot of fiddling to begin with, as the clamp design needs to be taken apart to get the seat rails in, once its all done up its simply a case of clamp it into the frame and dial the seat angle into your favourite position and crank up the torque on the allen key bolt and you're away. We did have a little trouble getting ours to sit right, but after taking it apart, cleaning all the surfaces again and doing the bolt up it hasnt shifted once in 6 months of riding.
And while i'd love to say we havent tested it in wet conditions yet, thanks to the marvellous weather we've had this 'summer' it has been through the full range of weather, and came out problem free. The slick head design and sleek, simple graphics plus the option of carbon and titanium posts in both 300mm and 400mm lengths and a big range of diameters there should be a post to suit your frame and purpose.
If you're in the market for a seatpost, while not always the first thing that pops into your mind is USE, it probably should be up there with the likes of Thomson and Easton for quality, truly a fit and forget item! Take a look at the Ultimate Sports Engineering website to find out more..
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