RACE FACE AEFFECT

£239.99

SPECIFICATION Weight: 616g, remote 33g • Drop: 100, 125, 150, 170mm • Sizes: 30.9mm, 31.6mm • Contact: silverfish-uk.com

Race Face has dropped the price of the Aeffect since we tested two years ago, but you still need to stump up an extra £49.95 for the 1x remote lever. It’s still available in the two common diameters, but Race Face has added a 170mm drop to the range, which is what we’ve got on test this time round.

The eagle eyed amongst you may notice that the Race Face Aeffect dropper is identical to the Brand-x Ascend XL tested elsewhere. It’s the same weight, has the same two-bolt saddle clamps, forged zero-offset head, sealed internal cartridge and even the activation mechanism on the bottom of the post. The remote lever is the cheaper pressed version, and apart from the decal on the blade, is identical to the Ascend. It even has the two anchor cable points, and we found it just as fiddly to install and set up.

In terms of function and ride feel, the Race Face Aeffect is no different to the Brand X either. Out of the box it has minimal play due to a combination of twin Delrin bushing and four brass guide blocks, but it did show signs of wear after a few months riding, and now there’s a slight amount of wiggle at the saddle. The good news is you can strip the post for servicing in minutes at home with just a couple of simple tools.

For a 170mm dropper, the Aeffect is average length, but it has a slightly taller collar, which means you might need to try this for size before handing over your cash. Not that we’d recommend the Race Face Aeffect as an alternative to equivalently-priced posts like the X-fusion Manic or Oneup V2. And with the Brand-x Ascend XL on Chain Reaction right now for £99, the Race Face Aeffect is just overpriced. It has a slightly shinier surface finish on the collar and gets the slick Race Face branding, we can’t really see why you’d pay more than twice as much money for effectively the

same thing.