A Double Celebration: USE and Exposure Anniversaries

This piece first appeared in the February edition of BikeBiz magazine – not subscribed? Get a free subscription. 

Celebrating 35 years of USE and 20 years of Exposure Lights

We chat with Mark Swift, Head of Sales and Marketing at USE about innovation, anniversaries and plans for the future.

Ultimate Sports Engineering or USE as they are better known has long been a staple in the industry.

In May, they’ll celebrate 35 years in business. What started with a suspension seat post has grown to a company that manufactures parts and has brands like Exposure Lights under its umbrella.

Not to be overshadowed, 2025 also sees Exposure celebrate its 20th anniversary.

“At the start, it was a steep learning curve. There was too much enthusiasm, without enough business acumen, typical of many engaging with the explosion of MTB,” explains Mark Swift, Head of Sales and Marketing at USE.

“We had some great wins with innovative first-to-market and market-leading products, most of which were well-received and successful.  The market at that time was very receptive to innovation and new ideas. We enjoyed the many challenges and the success we achieved to grow and flourish,” he adds.

As for Exposure, being the first to market with performance lights using LED technology meant early innovation got them noticed for the right reasons. Developing products for riders helps when you’re riding a lot, too. “We have worked hard every year to improve technology and maximise the benefit to the riders. This brings pressure, but it has proved to be worthwhile and a key driver of our success.

“Of course, we were riding a lot, so our ability to understand and make best use of innovative ideas was key to moving forward quickly,” Mark adds.

Learning From the Past

When you’re the first to create something, especially 35 years ago, the last thing you’re likely to consider is protecting those designs, “We should have patented it, but did not have the money and the knowledge at the time,” says Mark.

One thing they did have the insight to continue was innovation in product design, but the suspension seatpost also remains:

“We still produce a refined version of this seat post today and have never stopped producing it. With the rise of the gravel and bike-packing markets, its relevance and benefits are being realised by a new generation of riders.

“Other seat posts in carbon, titanium and aluminium grew from the Suspension post-development knowledge.  Not being able to help ourselves, we prototyped many products, such as carbon kevlar hubs, titanium bottom brackets etc, all innovative and lightweight but, realistically, we were probably too small and inexperienced to capitalise on the potential fully, he adds.

But the innovation doesn’t stop at USE, over the years Exposure has held its own. There were challenges to overcome and risks to take, but that’s exactly what they did.

Defining Moments

For USE, the suspension seat post has undoubtedly been the standout success, “Producing variants for over 30 years, it has established itself as a market leader. While competitors like Rockshox, Cannondale and Cane Creek had developed their own versions, no one could match our seatpost for performance, or durability,” he explains.

In fact, at one time the seatpost was chosen by the Giant World Cup team entirely through preference and not through any sponsorship deal. 

It’s not quite a simple narrowing down of products for Exposure. For them, technology is what sets them apart. 

Exposure uses Reflex technology, which alters automatic output and changes relative to speed and terrain whilst climbing or descending. And more recently, their AKTiv technology, which uses auto-dimming when oncoming vehicle lights are detected, something derived from modern automotive technology. 

Light technology has developed rapidly in recent years, and being in the business for twenty years comes with certain benefits, “We have developed excellent relationships with LED and Battery manufacturers, to ensure that we are early adopters of any new relevant technology, often utilising new upgrades ahead of general release,” said Mark.

“We maximise this advantage with continual development of the drive electronics, this is important, as new technology is not always easy to optimise. We have also developed and tested new materials, such as graphene, to understand how this will offer new opportunities. This proactive approach to research and development allows us to continually push the boundaries of lighting technology,” he adds.

Looking back for USE, there have been other standout products, including their SUB front suspension fork, something that features an anti-dive, single-sided design (coincidentally launched at the same event as the Cannondale Lefty).

The fork is still being used by riders today, USE receives the odd request for spare parts or bearings for those still in use, “the single-sided design enabled us to make it very stiff for good tracking and steering.  We did not concentrate on making it lightweight, we just focused on durability and reliability, the fact it ended up light was secondary,” explains Mark.

Perhaps one of the more groundbreaking moments was the release of the Aero handlebar range which “offered enough competitive advantage to win an Olympic Gold medal. The range continues today with a refined R1 version, which provides aerodynamic benefits while adhering to UCI regulations,” said Mark.

Times Change

At the start, innovation was key, but as new products, brands and companies came and went, the market matured. If you were amongst the survivors, partnerships could make a difference, “USE consciously had limited OEM contracts that would swamp a business for a year or two and then vanish, leaving many in big problems. We had very good contracts with big companies such as Specialized, Giant and Cannondale but always hedged our bets that it would not last,” said Mark.

That’s not to say innovation isn’t a focus, research and development are still a key part of business. In the beginning, small milestones were met. Buying their first used version of 2D AutoCAD was a calculated approach. Before the introduction of 3D, their CNC machines “required manual programming in 2D—entering all coordinates and codes by hand. These machines lacked proper screens to verify cutter paths, so it was essentially a process of ‘cut and hope’,” explained Mark.

Nowadays, and thanks to 3D modelling, USE can visualise designs, something that’s helped streamline the process. Other testing methods have remained the same, there’s still a need to build test rigs and get everything up to standard, “USE was one of the first companies to incorporate Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to refine our designs, ensuring they met industry durability tests while remaining as lightweight as possible. This approach helped us stay ahead of the competition and push the boundaries of innovation,” said Mark.

Perhaps the most important aspect of how things are done comes down to manufacturing. USE is proud to fly the UK flag. For them, it’s not about mass market production, the focus remains on precision and quality, “we focus on using the highest quality materials, advanced manufacturing techniques, and, we believe, the finest designs. Being in the UK enables us to provide excellent customer service to retailers and customers.”

“We maintain excellent manufacturing facilities. Our extensive knowledge and expertise in all manufacturing sectors, CNC machining, composites, electronics etc. is essential.   As the business has grown and diversified, we have contracted some elements to specialist companies, this is more for electronics than hardware,” he adds.

As a ‘Made in Britain’ company, USE assembles all products in Sussex, adhering to the highest standards to maintain compliance with their ISO 9001 certification.

The Future

When you find a job that doesn’t always feel like work it keeps you engaged, passionate and invested. For many at USE, that’s the reality, “Long days at the USE office are a pleasure, not really work. We have established an excellent team who bring enthusiasm and expertise in all departments,” said Mark.

As for what’s next? They have their sights set on the US, “the US market is very appealing and both USE hardware and Exposure have terrific potential. The fantastic growth and enthusiasm for gravel and adventure riding play to our strengths.”

There are new products in the pipeline too, “We have developed new products to complement our suspension seat posts to offer gravel riders the perfect solution for long-distance riding on lightweight bikes.  Exposure Lights’ technical excellence slots in perfectly to this demanding market.  New product development will be orientated to this end of the market,” he adds. 

So as they say, watch this space.