Mark Adams Introducing the AEffect pedal. Thin platform, concave aluminum body with bottom-loading pins. Shorter spindle design shaves weight making it perfect for trail bikes while the chromoly axle and bottom loading hex traction pins ensure it can take abuse and perform double duty on your DH rig.
Hidden grease access port allows for on bike maintenance.
Features:
- Thin concave platform.
- Reduced spindle length saves weight.
- Hex-head threaded pin design offers more bite for added security.
- Hidden/Grease access port for extended life.
- Built for: trail/am/fr/dh
- Body material: 6061-t6 aluminum
- Axle material: chromoly steel
- Height: 15-16.9mm
- Platform size: 101x100mm
- Platform size: 99x98mm
- Weight: 375g
- Bearings: cartridge bearings and du bushings
- Number of pins: 20 shcs hex traction pins per pedal
Race Face Aeffect Pedals Review:
Steve: When the folks at Sweet Protection sent over a pair of their Race Face Aeffect Pedals to test, I assumed, quite correctly, that they had missed their intended target. I mean, who needs a short-spindle flat pedal with recessed pins? That would be me. I still had my Sidi Cyklon Maxi pedal from back in the day, and I find generally that platform pedals offer a more comfortable platform for long or medium-length rides. The Age Effect pedals, though, have an interesting feature… well, more accurately, two features that make it a very interesting product to test. First, the thin, concave aluminum body is quite comfortable to stand on. Second, the hex-head threaded pins provide a more secure grip.
Steve’s Scoping and Sighting Sessions
A whopping 20 pins are recessed into the pedal, four on each side. This is good. I don’t like any pedal with less than 16 pins, but 20 pins is a very good number.
My-oh-my, Sidi Cyklon Maxi
As I mentioned in the video above, one of my all time favorite pedals was the Sidi Cyklon Maxi, which I used all the time back in the day. Well, it is still one of my favorites, and I used the Race Face pedals for this review on those basis. These clip-less pedals work well, are interchangeable between bikes, and have a very strong platform.
there is a whole lot more to say about these pedals, including having them shot with an indoor range. I am away now, but I thought I would post some pictures of the review to get that part started, and the next post will have the full details.
Steve’s Thoughts on the Race Face Aeffect Pedals
I really like having my foot on the pedal while I scope if I have a gravel road, wash, or hill climb. The concave body and 20 pins make for a very secure footing. Another thing I really like about these pedals is that they have a nice feel between the pedal body and the sole of my shoe. It feels like almost no sole is in contact with the pedal at all, so I can feel the terrain and rocks much more clearly. On the flip side, I wish the body of the pedal were slightly deeper, as my big toe seems to want to dangle through the pedal.
Steve’s Final Thoughts on the Race Face Aeffect Pedals
A winner. Short-spindle flat pedals are always a treat if they are designed with no center bracing. While these pins are a bit odd in that they are also hex head, they work well.
Late Thoughts
After using them, I can agree. While a thick-soled… thick soled shoe is not best for everything, it pisses me off to no end when crappy shoe companies put out shoes with 4mm sole in the hopes that some riders won’t notice that they are using inappropriate products. Getting back on topic, it is nice to have a pair of pedals that is not fully concave, but still has enough surface for your sole. Like I said, I had no problems standing on these pedals at all over the last few weeks, and they have performed flawlessly.
Race Face Aeffect Pedals are my new favorite pedal. I can see where they would not work on very rough surfaces, but they work great for me in places where I have to walk the bike for any reason, including parking at work. I didn’t want a pedal like the E-type or F-type M540, which are good pedals that I also like, but these pedals are better in ways that I can’t easily quantify. It just feels right to me.I have heard reports that the newer version have a pedal body with internal drainage, but I did not test these. I do see that the pin hole is now inside that concave section, which should also help with drainage. One of the holes on the clip was in contact with the hex head, which did have a bit of corrosion, so I am hopeful that the drainage holes will fix that issue as well. So, to be safe, I recommend that you drain them after every use, or just leave them off overnight. The pedal body is not affected by oil, so it is easy to remove the pins if you need to get the oil out. In an upcoming post, I will discuss the quirks of the pedals, but I can already tell you that they only have one… ok, well, aside from the fact that there are only 20 clips, they clip like any other pedal with this design.After testing, I can say that I love these pedals! They make me happy. I have only had one instance where I found two bottom pins not seated in the pedal body, but after testing, I am certain that this was from some hooligan in the Silverbank trials park I ride. The only other thing that I can say that could possibly be a complaint is that the pedal padding is not as thick as I would like, but I will let the folks at Sweet Protection know, and you should too if you have an issue with the repulsion.
