A very light seat post with an updated clamp that no longer slips even if you don’t gorilla it tight. Great for road use; off-road probably best restricted to use by waif-like cross-country whippets.
Like the old model, the new Race XXX Lite seatpost as a single bolt passing laterally through the post head, clamping two abbreviated rail clamps to those on the central portion of the head. Fine adjustments to materials and some reshaping now make this seatpost 100 percent reliable, according to Bontrager.
The alloy clamp gives you infinite adjustment to the angle of your seat with just one bolt, and there’s no movement in that angle as you tighten, so getting things set up is easy.
The only problem we had was with unusually close saddle rails making fine-tuning tougher than usual, but it just demands a little patience.
The shaft is the company’s latest OCLV (Optimum Compaction Low Void) design and helps make this one of the lightest full-length 400mm posts around, at a scant 177g. The 330mm version is a paltry 157g.
Carbon isn’t cheap, though, and it shows in the price of this seatpost.
Big, rough riders may want to steer clear. Bontrager lists this post on both its road and mountain bike component websites, although in the blurb it does say it’s for “road use only”, which may be worrying for some.
Bontrager doesn’t give a rider weight limit, though. Our 80kg road test pilot had no worries, with thicker post walls at the front and rear compared to the sides helping to keep flex within normal limits.
Many Trek pro cross-country racers already use this post, so if you're hitting the dirt it’s up to you to decide whether you’re light/careful enough to live in harmony with this lightweight carbon masterpiece.
If you’re in need of a new and exceptionally light seatpost, want to lop tens of grams from your rig in a flash and have the wallet for the job – oh, and are a light-enough rider – then the XXX isn’t a bad place to start.
You can choose between 250, 330 and 400mm lengths with either 5mm or 20mm of layback (the distance between the centre line and the middle of the clamp), but it’s currently only available in a 27.2mm diameter.