Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Q: Who can/should use the Black Mamba Rapid Adjust Seatpost?
A: Our seatpost is designed for use by anyone who rides a variety of trails and terrain. While riding through technically challenging terrain or simply down a winding fire road, the ability to instantly fully adjust your seat up or down gives you the lowest center of gravity and the greatest control over your bike so you can go faster without worrying about crashing. Also, the middle positions of the Black Mamba are great for constantly changing terrain that is not highly challenging and the pre-adjustable, maximum seat height positions deliver maximum power and efficiency.

Q: How much does our seatpost weigh?
A: Our full seatpost assembly in the 27.2mm sleeve size weighs 635 grams.

Q: Why is our lever on the handlebar?
A: Biking over rocks and variable terrain is definitely fun and challenging, but when you add in the challenge of having to stand on your pedals and take one hand off your grips to try to reach around under your seat to adjust your seatpost, it can take a little fun out of your ride by causing you to lose your momentum and crash. So, we tried it both ways and, after lots (and we mean lots) of testing, we found that putting the lever on the handlebar as opposed to under the seat gives the rider the ultimate power and control with the flick of a finger.

Q: Why did we choose to use our present lever?
A: Our actuating lever design is also absolutely incredible! We spent two years working with riders from intense to downhill racers in Colorado just on developing this lever! We found that any lever that requires the rider to lift their thumb up from under the grip is risky because this motion unlocks the rider’s hand and can easily cause him/her to shoot off their bars and crash. "Thumb shifters" used to be used as shift levers, but they stopped using them for this reason. Our RASE Mini Index Lever is highly effective and keeps the rider’s thumb locked under the grip, providing a safe and easy way to instantly raise or lower “on the fly” up to a full nine (9) inches over bumpy terrain.

Q: What is the difference between the four (4) different lever styles?
A: The Short – Right Hand Shifter is our Standard shifter because it is very small and very effective. The shifter is positioned against the grip and extends straight forward from the handlebar. The right side shifter is also capable of getting an extra strong clamp on the control cable. The long of the short of it is that this lever is highly accessible for quick, index finger operation and we found it to be the preferred lever by riders so we call it our Standard Lever Style.

The Long – Right Hand Shifter has the same base section as our Short – Right Hand but with a one inch longer lever section. This shifter is preferred by the rider who wants to position their brake and gear shift levers up closest to the grip, therefore putting their hand further out on the grip. In this configuration, the RASE Long – Right Hand Shifter is positioned inside from the brake lever and gear shifter. The Short – Left Hand Shifter and Long – Left Hand Shifter may be preferred by some riders. Again, the Short – Left Shifter is very small and effective. The Long – Left Shifter has the same base section as the Short – Left Shifter but with a one inch longer lever section. Use of bulkier, right side, twist-gear shifter may require the use of a RASE Left Shifter.

Q: What type of preventative maintenance is required?
A: Without the use of the neoprene seatpost cover, a light coat of lubricant such as Teflon must be kept on the post to keep the micro particles from caking onto the post. The post should be cleaned of any dirt after each ride for the smoothest operation. With the use of the neoprene seatpost cover, we recommend checking to ensure that there is a light coat of lubricant always on the post.

Q: Does the post develop any play and do any parts need to be ordered as a result?
A: The post is designed to have a bit of play from machining tolerances and to ensure proper operation even when the device gets coated in mud. However, no additional play is expected to develop and none of the parts should need replacing. If something breaks somehow or a cable is cut too short we will work with you to fix it quick and cost effectively.

Q: What is the best way to raise the Black Mamba Rapid Adjust Seatpost?
A: We wanted our seatpost to change height quickly/rapidly, as RASE is actually the anachronism for Rapid Adjust SEat - Post. The main lifting spring is generally only as strong as needed to lift the post and seat. Standing above the seat and letting the post freely rise may be slightly damaging to the post and, therefore, we do not recommend such use. We have found that the rider, almost innately, will slightly tilt the bike causing the seat to rest against the rider’s leg. This controls the speed at which the post rises and where the post stops.

Q: Why is the price of the Black Mamba Rapid Adjust Seatpost more than other seatposts?
A: With the ability to instantly raise or lower “on the fly” up to a full nine (9) inches, our Black Mamba Rapid Adjust Seatpost is in its own category as the only Fully-Adjusting seatpost that provides you the most control and the most power possible when you’re out on the trails, unlike the 3-4 inches of travel you get with Semi-Adjusting seatposts. The Black Mamba can also be personally pre-set to stop at 5", 6", 8.5", 9" or basically at any point every half inch along the post. Constructed of lightweight but incredibly strong 7075 Aluminum precision machined components, the Black Mamba is built to sustain even the most gnarly descents and the steepest climbs ride after ride. So, although it may cost a little bit more, you definitely get what you pay for…the Ultimate Mountain Bike Seatpost.

Q: I'm running a 31.6 post size. Are the different size posts you sell thicker both in the mounting portion and the sliding portion or just the mounting portion?
A: Our post always stays the same width. The 4” long sleeve section is milled to whatever width is necessary.

Q: How much cable pull is necessary to activate the post?
A: The post requires .15" to disengage the pin/lock with a .1" starting gap to ensure there is no pretension on the cable.