TESTED: Aenomaly Constructs SwitchGrade

Words: Hayden Wright
Photos: Gerard Lagana

For years, the nose of my saddle has been slowly making its way down towards the top tube of the various Enduro bikes I have owned. What goes down must go back up again and I regularly creep up steep fire roads on the hunt for the next descent. Hunched over with my legs throbbing and my triceps burning from holding myself on the bike up another 20% climb I think to myself… maybe I can lower my saddle nose just a few more millimetres? Sure, it sacrifices clearance on the downs and makes riding on the flat less comfortable but in those moments when the hill is steep I would take just about anything to make it even fractionally easier. 

The answer to our prayers was devised by Guy – the man behind Aenomaly Constructs. An idea spawned while enduring one of those dreaded fire road climbs has made its way into production. After working through multiple rapid prototypes and working iterations the final SwitchGrade is a seatpost agnostic which allows you to adjust your seat angle through three positions. Through actuating a small lever tucked  under your saddle you can choose from -10°, 0° or +12° tilt. 

$310 is by no means a small amount of money to add on to the cost of your dropper post. For this product to be considered good value for money the SwitchGrade would have to prove to be somewhat transformative to the riding experience. Aenomaly provide a gamut of documentation delving into the physiological benefits of the Switchgrade on their web page. Simply put, having your seat angle match the grade at which you are riding (be it up or down) should provide benefits to the rider in performance, comfort and clearance. 

Uphill with a smile

Fitting the SwitchGrade is covered in detail in Issue 197, but it’s a fairly simple install. Aenomaly Constructs provide instructions which are easy to follow and also cover some variations relevant to the seat post you are installing it to. The SwitchGrade is made in Canada from billet aluminium and has a fantastic feel of quality to it. 

With the SwitchGrade mounted up to my 210mm OneUp dropper post I headed out on my first ride, which was led out by the steepest local climb I could find. With the saddle securely clicked into the forward position I began my ascent. Thanks to the flat relative seat angle I could focus my energy entirely on turning the cranks without having to also work on holding myself on the bike and keeping the front wheel on the ground. Without all that much effort I was at the top of the climb. Upon checking Strava I saw I had a PR for the uphill segment.

With the saddle clicked into the rearward position I pointed my Dreadnought downhill and began the first of a few descents. I did notice the benefits of increased clearance and a less aggressive seat surface on my inner legs – but this was only on the steepest segments of trail. Through the rest of the ride I went back and forth between using the SwitchGrade and not. This made the benefits of this product distinct, particularly on the climbs. Comparatively I noticed just how much I was working to keep my bike and body positioning in check when climbing in the neutral position. The only place I found the SwitchGrade to be of no real use was on undulating trail rides where it seemed unnecessary to adjust the angle for such short uphills or downhills.

Verdict

Through two months of testing I found the SwitchGrade to be a useful and reliable add-on to my enduro bike. It has genuinely transformed the way I see steep climbs and has allowed me to tackle hills which I had previously deemed too steep to ascend, even on my best days. It has also changed my general perception on climbing, allowing me to complete rides with more comfort and less fatigue. On the descents I noticed some benefit, but only on the steepest and most technical trailsl where clearance is at a premium. I can see the rearward tilt being much more applicable for riders with shorter legs, or those who run a dropper post with less travel. 

RRP: $310 (excluding postage)
From: aenomalyconstructs.com

Hits

•  Makes climbing much more comfortable
•  More seat clearance when descending
•  High end fit and finish
• Includes fittings and detailed instructions for most dropper posts

Misses

•  Ignorance is bliss