Is this a USE post?

[d8mok]

Before I advertise it wrongly , is this a USE post? If so which model , and if not any ideas?

It measures 25.0 to me but isn’t stamped.

 

[mk one]

Yes

 

[2manyoranges]

Re:

Yes - pretty sure it is. Have had many aluminium and ti ones. USE only marked with a sticker from that period. Rather feeble sticker at the top in USE colours.

Replacement labels here:

https://velocipede.co.uk/shop/decals/us ... st-decals/

But note that these are not the same as the coloured originals: like this:

https://picclick.co.uk/USE-retro-seatpo ... 84557.html

 

[mk one]

GIl at retrodecals if you want a sticker for it, imo they do add to it if you are planning on selling.

 

[d8mok]

Re:

Thanks guys for the clarification.

Won’t bother with a decal as it’s only going on eBay shortly.

Is it normal that they don’t stamp the size on them ?

 

[2manyoranges]

A little-recognised benefit of USE posts was the extent to which they steepened the seat angle on many frames, with great benefit to the handling and climbing in most instances. As long as you had a nicely stretched TT - anything designed by Joe Murray and including the team Marins - then steepening the seat angle was A Very Good Thing. 2cms movement in the seat steepens the angle by about 2 degrees, and this has FINALLY been recognised by companies - led by Transition - as important. The Grim Doughnut of course takes this to possible absurd extremes, by extrapolating from the trends 2010-20 and then taking the same shifts straight through to 2030, if things just carry on slackening at the Head Tube and steepening at the Seat Tube as they have been doing. Absurd bike. But then downhill in the hands of a pro rider it posted 6 seconds faster on a 1.20 min course. SIX SECONDS! Horrible in every other situation though....

 

[2manyoranges]

Re:

Good point re labelling of shims. Some were, some weren’t. They came in a nice black and white cardboard box, with a little box next to each size, and then the size which was in the box was marked by a pen mark. Someone had to sit and do that! And then when you lost the box, who knows what size the shim was? I had a nice box full and would idle away the hours rummaging for the right one for a specific build. Oh how times change.

 

[d8mok]

Re:

What sort of cash are they worth? Prices are all over the place

 

[2manyoranges]

Re:

Pricing is indeed a bit weird for these. There are a lot of very poor ones out there, and it depends if they are 325/350 or 400mm long. The longer ones are worth a bit more.

Last year I sold a perfect, unscratched and label-intact naked 9/10 400mm Aluminium one like yours - naked but almost Ti anodised - for 45:00.

I also sold a 350 Ti one in good condition - 8/10 - for 60:00

Both went quickly after I had put them up.

Yours looks extremely good, with no scoring or scratching, merely a lost label. With a common-size shim it’s worth more.

 

[d8mok]

Re:

Many thanks

Yes it’s nice condition overall to be fair. And it is a similar colour to Ti but it’s alloy

I’ve put it up for £30 which may be a cheap. Think my shim is 27.2 but not entirely sure