Home > Other Fun Stuff > Advocacy & Industry News > News

Vertical Helium Race is the World’s Lightest Dropper Post, Now As Light As 263g!

Vertical Helium Race prototype ultralight carbon dropper seatpost, photo by Radek Kašík for INEOS, Pidcock's gold Pinarello Dogma XC for 2024 UCI World Championship in Andorra
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

Vertical droppers have always been light, but now their new Helium Race is even lighter, shedding 15-30g more with a new carbon shaft and carbon-reinforced clamp head. This is clearly a dropper post just for the weight weenies and racers out there – designed & refined with multiple World & Olympic XC Champs Tom Pidcock & Pauline Ferrand-Prévot who raced prototypes of the Helium Race dropper at Worlds last summer. But with travel options from 60-120mm, 4 overall length options & 2 seatpost diameters, this ultralight dropper could be a killer option to add to high-end lightweight gravel bikes too, without really suffering much of any dropper post weight penalty!

Vertical Helium Race ultralight carbon dropper seatpost

Vertical Helium Race prototype ultralight carbon dropper seatpost, photo by Radek Kašík for INEOS, Pidcock's gold Pinarello Dogma XC for 2024 UCI World Championship in Andorra, angled
(2024 Worlds photos by Radek Kašík/INEOS Grenadiers)

It looks like Vertical might be their own biggest competition in the competition for the World’s Lightest Dropper title. They started at a really light 304g at the end of 2022, then had already dropped down to 281g nine months later. Now, it’s officially eighteen grams lighter – “weight reduction without compromising performance, reliability, or durability“!

Vertical Helium Race ultralight carbon dropper seatpost, angled

The new lightest dropper is as light as 263g for the 320mm long x 60mm stroke 30.9 version. But even their longest, biggest 410mm x 120mm stroke 31.6 version still weighs just 325g.

(Just for some very unfair comparison to give a bit of context: The much longer new RockShox Reverb AXS 2.0 dropper that I just tested this spring weighed a whopping 735g – 537.2x200mm 31.6 post with battery. And the BikeYoke Revive 3.0 I reviewed around the same time weighed 641g – 566x213mm 31.6mm post. But for something closer to compare, my lightweight BikeYoke Divine SL post weighed 386g – 400x80mm 30.9, which Vertical can now beat by >80g!)

So, how did it get so light?

Vertical Helium Race ultralight carbon dropper seatpost, new seatpost head up close

What’s new essentially boils down to a slimmer outer carbon lower tube and a lighter carbon-reinforced clamp head.

Vertical Helium Race ultralight carbon dropper seatpost, Carbolink saddle rail clamp detail

Vertical only offers 7 sizes and 2 diameters, but that allows them to optimize each dropper’s construction to shed as much weight as possible. Each post gets a size-specific carbon lower tube that is thinned where it won’t be clamped and 90° carbon reinforced where it will be clamped. Plus, the new Vertical Helium Race gets a new abrasive finish at the clamping area for better grip & limited slip even at lower clamping forces, much like friction paste. Those revised carbon lower updates are said to save up to 30g on the larger sizes.

Vertical Helium Race ultralight carbon dropper seatpost, optimized carbon lower tube

A new ‘Carbolink’ rail clamping system also saves a bunch of weight from the 2-bolt head. Inspired by Thomson’s classic clamp, the new Helium Race combines the strength & security of a 1-piece upper clamp and the ultralight weight of 2 separate-bar weight weenie clamps by linking them together with a couple of looped carbon fiber straps. Vertical says this saves 14g compared to their original alloy upper clamp head.

Tech Details & Claimed Weights

vertical helium dropper seat post internal locking mechanism cartridge
Vertical’s patented Independent Locking Cartridge
  • ultralight 2-position dropper post (extended or dropped)
  • structural carbon lower tube with reinforced clamping area
  • Carbolink carbon loop reinforced, 7075-T6 CNC-machined aluminum clamp head
  • hard anodized slider, mirror finish with dark natural hard ano color
  • patented Independent Locking Cartridge – a cable-actuated hydraulic cartridge with adjustable air spring return
  • 6Al/4V titanium T25 bolts
  • 60, 90 & 120mm dropper travel
  • 30.9mm or 31.6mm diameters
  • remote available separately

Picking the correct post length and dropper travel is key to getting the most out of a new ultralight Vertical Helium Race dropper:

Length x stroke (mm)Rails to clamp (mm)Weight (g) for 30.9/31.6
320×60195-230263/266
350×60230-260 272/275
350×90230-260285/288
380×90 260-290293/296
380×120 260-290 313/316
410×90290-320 301/304
410×120 290-320322/325

Vertical Helium Race dropper – Pricing, availability & options

Vertical Helium Race ultralight carbon dropper seatpost, all views

The new World’s Lightest Dropper from Vertical is officially available to order now, but you’ll have to wait until September to get ahold of one. Find your perfect ultralight fit from 60-120mm of drop with either 30.9 or 31.6mm post diameters.

Vertical Helium Race prototype ultralight carbon dropper seatpost, photo by Radek Kašík for INEOS, Tom Pidcock racing 2024 UCI World Championship in Andorra
(Photo by Radek Kašík/INEOS Grenadiers)

The new Vertical Helium Race dropper posts retail for 540€, while the standard Helium droppers are also still available for 440€.

RideVertical.eu

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.