It’s been a while since U.S.E. (Ultimate Sports Engineering) has had anything new to show, but the company has been resuscitated with a completely fresh cockpit lineup and more in the works. Perhaps best known for the U.S.E.1 suspension seatpost (which I was the proud owner of back in the day), the UK based brand is now offering a complete range of carbon and alloy seatposts, mountain bike handlebars and carbon drop bars for road, plus a very interesting one-piece stem design.
As for the suspension seatpost, it gets a facelift and new name, Vybe. It’s still elastomer sprung with soft, medium and hard options, and gets 50mm travel. Really, it’s meant to take the edge off, and on my old aluminum Gary Fisher Big Sur hardtail it did just the trick. With gravel racing storming the scene, it could see new life to go along with its new looks. Length is 400mm, setback is 10mm, available in 27.2 (455g), 30.9 (495g) and 31.6 (520g) diameters.
Standard seatposts start at the top with their EVO Carbon, which uses a minimalist clamp design to come in as light as 124g. Click to enlarge for all sizes’ weights. It’ll come in UD and woven finishes.
Next down is the Alien, so named for the shape of the clamp head’s body. Weights range from 148g to 207g, it has 10mm set back and comes in the same size options as the EVO. Also available in aluminum, weights from 183g to 184g.
Last up is the Duro, which comes in both aluminum (shown) and carbon options. Click on the image for the Alloy specs; carbon posts range from 164g to 223g. So, yes, the alloy posts can be lighter if the placards are correct.
The road handlebar specs and weights are TBD, but they’ll have several options. They get a subtle woven finish, which they say is still popular amongst roadies (whereas the carbon mountain bike bars all get a UD finish).
Hidden cable routing is always appreciated, particularly when it’s well placed and has large openings.
The mountain bike handlebars will come in both alloy and carbon in three different sizes.
On tap are:
- Rip Alloy: +/-5mm rise, 720mm and 740mm widths, 8º sweep, 224g and 227g
- Rip Carbon: +/-5mm rise, 720mm and 740mm widths, 8º sweep, 158g and 164g
- Nail Alloy: 20mm rise, 740 and 780mm widths, 5º up sweep, 9º back sweep, 227g and 234g
- Nail Carbon: 20mm rise, 740 and 780mm widths, 5º up sweep, 9º back sweep, 172g and 178g
- Flow Alloy: 40mm rise, 740 and 780mm widths, 5º up sweep, 9º back sweep, 227g and 234g
- Flow Carbon: 40mm rise, 740 and 780mm widths, 5º up sweep, 9º back sweep, 175g and 181g
Connecting those to your bike is the new Vyce stem. The body is a single piece of aluminum, relying on a wedge between the steerer tube and the bar to lock everything into place. They say it’s been tested thoroughly on the trail and passes all safety standard testing, too.
So, technically not one piece, but very unique and very trick. The wide grip on the handlebar should help keep everything very stiff despite a thin, lightweight design. Weight and sizes are 40mm (88g), 50mm (104g) and 60mm (120g).
