The start of the test with the Swiss Epic was tough, with daily exposure to dust, dirt and high-pressure cleaners. After that, the vario seatpost from Ticino-based Yep Components was no longer subjected to this level of abuse, but it was still moved up and down in all weathers and, in winter, a few times in the cold. In between, the bike stood in the corner for a good month and the seatpost stood still, which is not good for all products.

The "Uptimizer ST" used has an external cable pull, 125 millimetres of travel and is the revised version of the market-ready first model. This worked very well until water got into the post and caused it to falter badly. At least the post could be brought back to life with a service. The new post has a better seal from below, as according to Yep, the water could only have entered from below - i.e. when the bike is turned upside down during or after washing. Gotcha - you shouldn't do that either.

The "Atlas" was never turned upside down again for washing, but the bike and therefore also the seat post were often treated roughly with the high-pressure cleaner - right, you don't do that either. Of course, the sharp jet was not deliberately aimed at the seals because, after all, we'd rather ride than replace broken material. So far, however, the seatposts have held up over the entire test period. Even after the bike and post had been standing in a corner for a month - dirty after a ride in the rain, no less - the post still rides in and out smoothly. The extension speed felt slightly slower in the dry test. However, this is not confirmed on the trail. The post still runs very smoothly. If necessary, you could pump it up a little, as the air cartridge requires much less pressure than that of the competition.

New lever, simple operation

The remote control is also new on the Uptimizer. Although the thumb lever itself has the same design as its predecessor, the clamping is much better. The lever itself is somewhat narrow. This prevents slipping, as relatively little force is required to operate it. Nevertheless, the lever should be a little wider or flattened. This would make it feel a little better on the thumb.

The cable pull only had to be replaced once during the test period. Yep maker Andrea Chiesa has designed his support to be easy to service. The cable can be attached and detached easily and without tools. The access cover is "only" secured with rubber. At the front, the two-part thumb lever is unscrewed, the cable is released using a grub screw and pulled out. The rest of the cable change is simple with the external cable. For the internal cable, the routing of the respective frame type is decisive.

The post can also be mounted with the cable outlet facing forwards or backwards, as the post head can be rotated through 180 degrees. Of course, this seatpost also has lateral play in the post head, but even after the test phase this is surprisingly small. There is no vertical play. With a weight of 605 grams including remote control and cable, the seatpost is in line with its competitors.

Conclusion

The first version of the Uptimizer ST was already impressive - until the aforementioned problem with the water occurred. The revised version makes an even higher quality impression and also performs its service over a longer period of time without complaining - even in winter. In terms of quality, the Yep Uptimizer ST is a fine piece that impressed us throughout the entire test phase. Yep Components now also caters to colour preferences: the thumb lever and dirt wiper rings are each available in eight anodized colors.

www.yepcomponents.com