The Ultimate Vybe GR suspension seatpost has 50mm of tuneable, vertical active travel to absorb bumps and rough terrain.
Things I liked:
- No horizontal movement
- Great impact reduction on rough roads
- Seat clamp isn’t terrible to adjust
Things I would change:
- I wonder if the spring range could be more defined
- Post could arrive with all springs instead of having to choose one (you may gain/lose weight, or sell it on)
- I’m really struggling to make up some things I didn’t like
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When you order the Vybe GR seatpost there is a dropdown menu for the spring rate based on rider weight, and the only width available* is 27.2mm so it’s an easy choice to get what’s right for you, assuming you fall comfortably into the spring rate options.
*The Vybe suspension seatpost is under the mountain bike section, and is available in 27.2mm, 30.9mm and 31.6mm.
Spring Rate
- Soft, Rider Weight 38kg – 55kg
- Medium, Rider Weight 55kg – 80kg
- Hard, Rider Weight 80kg – 100kg
Those spring rate ranges seem quite broad, so there’s a ‘Pre-Load Adjustment’ screw at the bottom of the post so you can fine tune it. I weigh 70kg, I have the medium spring and have the pre-load screw tightened in about half way, therefore compressing the spring slightly.
The Vybe GR seatpost features the EVO clamp, which is quick-fitting and relatively simple to adjust. It offers a full range of saddle tilt adjustment and the initial saddle fitment isn’t a fiddly nightmare, the bolts are long enough to not have to fully remove the top of the clamp to get your rails in.
You’d expect that when sat down on the saddle churning away, really putting some power down on the pedals, that the seatpost would bounce or absorb some of the power, but if it’s set to your weight it doesn’t. This seatpost acts rigid when you want it to, and only has active suspension when there’s shock to adsorb, assuming you have set it to your weight accurately.
I have mine set up so that potholes, grids and really rough terrain will activate the suspension. It could be setup to be more sensitive, but I don’t ride my gravel bike off-road very much. I have tried it in a more sensitive setup and it works really well on gravel – would certainly reduce saddle soreness for a long day out on bridleways.
Within the USE seatpost range, the equivalent rigid aluminium seatpost is the Alien at £80.00, and it weighs ~120g less than the Vybe (give or take the 10g added to the springs as they size up). So it’s £40 for a comforting shock absorption, which I think is a bargain.
Overall
The Ultimate Vybe GR suspension seatpost is one of those components that I didn’t need, but now I have it I can’t imagine riding the bike without it. Commuting to work via Pothole Alley, riding Calderdale cobbles, dodging traffic by taking the canal towpath are all made smoother and more comfortable with a bit of active suspension under me.
Review Info
| Brand: | Ultimate Sports Engineering |
| Product: | Vybe GR |
| From: | exposure-use.com/ |
| Price: | 120.00 |
| Tested: | by Amanda for 3 months |
