Aenomaly Constructs Switchgrade Seat Angler – Reviews, Comparisons, Specs – Seat Posts
DHave you ever wished there was a way to change your seat angle on the fly to make things more comfortable and efficient in different riding situations? That’s exactly what motivated me Aenomaly British Columbia-based founder Noel Dolotallas started on the drawing board a few years ago. He’s developed a clever little construct that replaces the top half of your existing seatpost’s head, giving you the ability to easily adjust your seat angle to one of three preset positions. Intrigued by the concept, we’ve been testing one of these since last fall – read on to find out what we think.
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Aenomaly builds switchgrade highlights
- 3 ergonomic positions optimized for climbs, descents and hilly terrain: -10 degrees forward, 0 degrees middle setting, 12 degrees rear position
- Haptic feedback ensures positive engagement for quick, unobtrusive changes in the blink of an eye and without tools
- >1 degree change in effective seat angle
- 20mm adjustable effective range
- Made from 7075 T6 and 6061 T6 aluminum
- Dimensions: 10cm (L) x 5.5cm (W) x 4cm (H)
- Weight: 174 grams, verified (actual net change approximately 100-120 grams as SwitchGrade replaces stock rail clamps that weigh an average of 60-70 grams)
- Compatible with a wide range of market leading seatposts and saddles (saddles must have 7mm rails)
- Designed and tested on the North Coast
- Made in Whistler, BC, Canada
- Patent pending
- MSRP: $245
First impressions
After seeing the images of the Switchgrade, we expected it to be a bit bulky, but in reality the device is much smaller than we thought. It is very well made, which immediately inspires confidence in its performance and durability. The idea is pretty simple, but it can’t have been that easy to pack everything into such a small form factor. Since it’s designed to replace the top plate of your existing seatpost’s head, Aenomaly also had to produce a few different variations of the base concept, with different shapes designed to fit the interface of each seatpost. There is a Long list of compatible posts available on Aenomaly’s website – note that none of the current wireless droppers will work as they have bulky heads that sit where the Switchgrade needs to be installed.
The main function of the Switchgrade is to tilt the saddle forward or backward to one of three preset positions – a 10-degree forward tilt for climbing, a flat position in the middle, and a 12-degree backward tilt for descending. The mechanism is operated via a small lever located under the nose of the saddle. The saddle is held in place by two clamps on either side of the switchgrade, allowing independent adjustment of the base seat angle around the flat position. The Switchgrade only works with 7mm saddle rails, so some carbon rails are not compatible.
On the path
Installing the Switchgrade is easy, it simply replaces the top plate of the head of your current seat post. Depending on the specific seat post, you may need to replace the air valve cap with something with a smaller profile (Aenomaly provides these replacement caps if needed). Once you’ve got everything put together, place the Switchgrade in the neutral position and then adjust the seat angle to suit your preference for riding on flat or slightly hilly terrain. Note that the Switchgrade increases your overall stack height – in our case the saddle sat about 10mm higher on a BikeYoke Divine post than without the device installed. Consider this if your current seat post is jammed in your frame. On the bike, the Switchgrade practically disappears under the saddle, neatly stowed away and practically out of sight.
Using the Switchgrade is very simple: press the lever and tilt the saddle to the desired position. You’ll need to take some weight off the saddle to make it easier to use, but you’ll quickly learn to do this as you ride. When the saddle is in the forward-leaning position, you’re really pushed forward – 10 degrees doesn’t sound like much on paper, but it’s a significant amount of lean. Depending on how you position your saddle in the rails, you will find that your effective seat height also changes. When you pull the saddle forward, you actually lose seat height as you tilt the saddle forward. If you move your saddle inverted towards the rear of the bike, it will lift you slightly as you tip forward. This makes the effective seat angle steeper, so you can probably afford to move the saddle towards the middle of the rails, as you’ll end up a little further forward in the climbing position.
The climbing position is very effective on steep climbs. You can clearly feel how the bike supports you as you wind your way up the mountain with the winch. In a spot that matches the angle of the seat, the resulting position is virtually neutral, which is a great way to spend some time getting some wattage training. Even on steep technical sections it is super nice. However, the steepness required for this position to work really well is significant – probably 1st For many riders it is a mountaineering gear. For this tester, this type of steepness is best avoided and, if possible, preferred slightly less strenuous climbs, making the switchgrade climbing position less ideal. On gentler climbs, the position is a little too far forward, which feels uncomfortable and puts a lot of pressure on your hands and upper body. We would love to see Aenomaly introduce the ability to choose between different climbing angles, which would allow riders to adapt their device to the terrain they are riding on. Making it user-customizable may be a tall order, but it would make sense, at least for analog riders, to have a few options available to purchase… because once you factor the e-bike into that equation, you have one pure winner. If you spend a lot of time riding your EEB up steep climbs at full power, you’ll REALLY love the Switchgrade.
On the way back down, the rearward lean will feel very familiar to anyone who has ever been on a DH or even DJ bike. This angle gives a little more room to move at the back of the saddle and it also feels better to sit this way if you need some rest on the descent. The extra space at the back means a little more dropper seatpost travel. So this might be of interest to you if you find that you’re maxing out the potential dropper seatpost travel in your current frame and want a little more. We wouldn’t call this aspect of the Switchgrade groundbreaking, but it feels undeniably good and performs well downhill. There’s a reason why downhill riders do have their seats reclined.
Things that could be improved
As you read in the previous section, our main criticism of the Switchgrade is the choice of 10 degree angle for the climbing position. We believe this is too far forward for many riders as it matches the type of steepness many want to avoid on the way up. From the outside looking in, it seems like it would be a great step forward to offer two or even three different versions of the Switchgrade for purchase, each with a different pitch angle (e.g. 5, 7 or 10 to choose from). for Aenomaly. If you ride an e-bike and like steep climbs, ignore this criticism and go for it!
Long term durability
We started testing the Switchgrade in October last year and have put a few miles on it since then. At this point we have not noticed any loss of performance or premature wear. Everything is still as smooth as day one, the clicks are well defined and there is no play whatsoever. We were also impressed with the clamps’ ability to maintain the saddle’s position over time, as this hasn’t always been our experience with this type of side clamping system.
What is the end result?
The Switchgrade may be a bit of a niche product, but that doesn’t mean it’s worthless. We believe the concept is fundamentally good and offers a real performance advantage on both climbs and descents. It makes perfect sense to add extra support and move the effective seat tube angle forward when climbing, and gaining more clearance at the back of the saddle on the way back is just as beneficial. The 10-degree forward tilt of the climbing position is quite aggressive, best suited to very fit riders who can tackle steeper climbs. So make sure you are honest about where and how you drive if you are considering acquiring such a position. However, if you ride an e-bike, you should probably just take it!
More information at: www.aenomalyconstructs.com.
About the reviewer
Johan Hjord – Age: 50 // Years of MTB rider: 18 // Weight: 190 pounds (87 kg) // Height: 6 feet 0 inches (1.84 m)
Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After years of practicing falling off cliffs on a snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Since then, he has mostly ridden bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many mistakes as a rider. His 200-pound body weight, coupled with his unique ability with poor line choices and awkward landings, make him an expert in durability – if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much fine for anyone. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style he describes as “none” (although in reality he rips!). Since he doesn’t like most of the trail elements, Johan uses much of his free time to build his own. Johan’s other achievements include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly at 11.
Photos by Johan Hjord
