Review
Race Face Aeffect Wheels - Who Needs Carbon?
"They Owe Me Nothing"
With a street price touching down around $575 USD | $725 CAD I certainly wouldn't call Race Face's Aeffect R wheels cheap. That package, though!?
The excellent 30mm internal Race Face rims come with tubeless tape and valves pre-installed, the build quality is excellent, they've sourced a no-nonsense hubset and laced it up 3-cross, the system is highly adaptable and the wheels include extra spokes. Buck naked, the wheelset enters the ring a couple of empty beer cans over 1800 grams.
Race Face's Aeffect R wheelset is one of the last pieces we tore down at Bikeroom's old location before Jeff moved shop and hit the road with Rocky Mountain's EWS squad.
The Aeffect R wheels are relatively common as stock spec on aggressive mountain bikes that fall into the champagne-tastes-on-a-beer-budget category which gave me some unique insight. I know a few riders who have absolutely sh*t kicked these wheels. Two for way longer than this review period and one who rendered them square riding park & Enduro.
Dents, flat spots, and broken spokes aside, when I took on this review they all said the same things: "Great wheels. They owe me nothing."
I spend a lot of time thinking about product value and ways to measure it. Any time a component is terminal and a rider feels they've gotten excellent value despite having to purchase a replacement I think it's about as impressive a review as you can get.
The Formula For Success
When you're selling a full wheelset for the price of a boutique hubset, something always has to give. In the case of hubs the classic rule of three - strong, light, cheap - is actually a rule of four since high-engagement is also of key importance. Pick any three?
That's factory grease - just one of the impressive things about the about the well-tensioned, straight & true, and generally top notch QA of Race Face's Aeffect R wheels.
Stock - in my wheels - XD driver on the left. Standard cassette driver on the right. Note the bolt-on plate the supports the pawls from the inside as a fail safe.
Home mechanics - check your driver set before throwing up your arms for lack of tools. There's a few obvious points of cross-compatibility between metric and imperial tools.
Race Face split the middle in all categories by choosing Formula's most reliable 3-pawl (9.2° engagement) freehub bodies with both XD and standard cassette mounting options. A decision was made to sacrifice weight in favour of durability via a removable plate that holds the pawls in place instead of relying solely on alignment.
Lubrication was executed better than I have ever seen in a Formula hub. The bearings, axles, and interfaces were greased right out of the box and the hub-pawl interface was well lubricated.
No grease added. That's the stock bearing right out of the box with the seal removed for inspection. I've opened a lot of hubs and very few are this well assembled from day one.
The value of this seal is arguable for keeping detritus out of the hub's internal this-and-that but with the pawls well lubricated, there were no issues with ingress through testing.
Since I was swapping in a standard cassette driver fresh out of a package, Jeff added a couple cc of full synthetic 0w30 to the pawls and interface in place of the stock lubrication lost in the swap.
Buying a wheelset with the hubs properly assembled out of the box is like putting cash back in your wallet. Compared to a lot of wheels I've opened I can deduct the cost of the first full rebuild including bearings off the price. Riders often find themselves at the shop far too early because hubs aren't properly lubed.
Spokes
I've long advocated for wheels with 32 spokes of the J-bend variety. I can't count the number of times working in shops that I've bent a J-bend spoke straight to solve a rider's direct-pull spoke need. There was not enough demand to commit inventory dollars to spokes of every variety and a spoke cutter and blanks represented a hard to justify return on investment beyond seeing it as a community service.
RaceFace counters this by designing these wheels with only one spoke length, front, back, side-to side, and then including a five pack of spare spokes with the wheels.
One of the biggest advantages of direct pull spokes is that it's easy to replace a broken one without having to remove a rotor or cassette. Heck, if the nipple is still good and you're just trying to save the day you can swap a spoke out and tighten in a replacement without removing your wheel or tire.
The wheels are stiff. How stiff? Rather then bust out a thesaurus I'll say they are stiff enough I can't imagine anyone ever complaining about them. In fact, as carbon manufacturers try to engineer a bit more compliance into $500 rims, the Aeffects are probably ideal.
A Mishap
I was riding at night through an eroded rocky trench when a tree root reached out and grabbed my wheel. The abrupt reduction in speed told me there was going to be some damage. There were two broken spokes but the wheel was still straight and I pedaled out cautiously.
I removed the tire to replace the spokes but the brass nipples were fine so I left the rim tape, valve and rotor in place. It was a quick job and with everything tightened up the wheels have remained true with just some minor tensioning.
A Bold Understatement
RaceFace specs very subtle stock graphics on all wheelsets but they also sell 8 different colours as aftermarket options.
When I say they're understated I'm not just talking about how the Aeffect R wheels looks. Performance is understated as well. The 9.2° engagement is either perfectly acceptable for the price or plenty quick depending on perspective, durability of the drive mechanism is excellent, the rims hold their shape and tension well, they air up tubeless easily and they're right in the sweet spot for rim width. Graphically speaking, the black on black rim logos are essentially invisible out on the trail. RaceFace offers 8 aftermarket decal colours for anyone who prefers a bolder look but for me they're perfect the way they are.
RaceFace's evil eye logo pops out in silver but not in an offensive way.
Min Max Win
As a complete package I think it's hard to beat the value of Race Face's Aeffect wheelsets as an upgrade for a lower-priced rig, a direct replacement for some trashed wheels on a mid level machine and even as an option for anyone on a budget trying to keep a higher-priced bike rolling.
That last point is especially true I think for the Aeffect R wheels I've been riding. With non-Boost hub spacing and rims wide enough to work perfectly with current rubber they're a great way to get a couple more years out of a 142x12 / 100x15 trail or Enduro machine without investing in boutique wheels that won't be transferable.
Marin's Hawk Hill is a great platform for testing parts like Race Face's Aeffect wheels and cranks because they are truly upgrades but that doesn't mean riders with higher-priced rigs shouldn't be looking at the Aeffects as an excellent value replacement package.
I've had great experiences with Race Face's current aluminum rims and while the hoops on my personal bike and the Aeffect R wheelset on test both show lots of signs of abuse I'd definitely say they don't owe me anything.
As I mentioned earlier, I think that's high praise for a mountain bike wheel.
For more information on the $575 USD Aeffect R wheelset check here.
Comments
[user profile deleted]
6 years, 8 months ago
This comment has been removed.
Andrew Major
6 years, 8 months ago
Thanks James,
The cynic in me notes they could have likely accomplished the same thing with 32x J-bend spokes per wheel but this is the first package I've ridden where it's really a non-issue.
Reply
Drinky Crow
5 years, 8 months ago
> don’t know for sure the rear wheel can be dishes far enough over with the stock spokes
Oh yeah 'cause stock they supposed to be even length.
Reply
Andrew Major
5 years, 8 months ago
Exactly - but if you do try it let me know!
Reply
DMVancouver
6 years, 8 months ago
Are these the same as the Easton Heist?
Reply
Andrew Major
6 years, 8 months ago
I'm ~ positive the rims are the same so that would make sense.
Looking at the Heist tech doc it isn't clear that the 'Easton X5' driver is compatable with Formula freehub RaceFace is using.
Looking at photos it could be the same Formula body less the bolt on inside pawl guide.
Reply
dsl4life
6 years, 5 months ago
Very nice review. I actually bought this wheelset based on your review. I'm looking to service it soon... how did you remove the freehub? Cannot find any info about it on RF's website.
Reply
Andrew Major
6 years, 5 months ago
There is a pressed on cap on the freehub side of the axle. If you look carefully you can see a 12mm* hex insert underneath it.
Pull that drive side cap and then you can use a hex key and there are cone wrench flats (17mm if I recall correctly) on the disc side of the axle.
*I’m 95% sure it’s 12mm. If it helps let me know and I’ll confirm.
Reply
Drinky Crow
6 years, 4 months ago
How'd you get that tire off when you broke the spokes?
I got a brand new tire on one of those rims brand new and now I can't break the bead down?
Reply
Andrew Major
6 years, 4 months ago
Tube or tubeless?
Even with tires that tend to bead hard (Schwalbe) I could get it started enough to get a tire lever in.
I generally don’t need tire levers for mounting (years of changing tires on Sun Rhyno Lites in the shop gave me Superman like thumbs) but I find with the new tubeless ready tires they make removal faster. I like Schwalbe’s plastic tire levers, which are actually made by SKS in Germany, as they’re thin, tough, and wont damage rims.
Running tubeless with Gorilla Tape I actually had a tire bond to the tape this year. What a cluster f***. Patience, tire levers and hot water got the tire off - hence asking if it’s tubeless.
The AR/ARC rims aren’t amongst the worst on the market to seat/un-seat which makes me think something else is going on?
Reply
Drinky Crow
6 years, 4 months ago
2.60 Forekasters. Tubeless. New. W/o sealant. Took a tire iron to flip the last bit of bead to mount them.
Now, for the life of me I can't even get a ("plastic") tire iron started let alone break these off w/my fingers.
I think I'd rather have my money back than have to struggle like this with a tire change.
Boiling water you say? lol..........
Reply
PDavis
5 years, 10 months ago
I have these wheels and am trying to swap the rear freehub out for an xd compatible hub. I am hoping you can answer two questions for me. One, is it the same hub as the trace? From what I can tell it looks like it. Second, once I remove the screw down plate holding the freehub on, I can’t get the stock shimano free hub to slide off. Not sure if there is an extra step or if it should just slide off. Any info you could provide would be much appreciated. Thanks
Reply
Andrew Major
5 years, 10 months ago
Sorry, I’m not familiar with a brand/model called ‘Trace’.
I have only seen Aeffect-R freehubs sold as units (including the plate and pawls). In this case you would slide off the Shimano freehub body and slide on the XD version.
Hope that helps.
Reply
PDavis
5 years, 10 months ago
Thanks Andrew. Yeah the aeffect r freehub is the same as the race face trace freehub. My shimano hub is stuck on my aeffect r wheel. One of the bearings must be holding the freehub from sliding off. Thanks for the reply. I have a eagle drive train sitting in my garage, waiting to go on my hawk hill. Just got to get the shimano freehub off...
Reply
SJP
5 years, 9 months ago
Hi Andrew, PDavis,
I have a brand new Aeffect rear wheel, and I am having the same problem. As described above, I pulled off the non-drive-side axle cap (which slides on and is held by an O-ring), used a 12 mm Allen to hold the axle and removed the drive-side, reverse-threaded axle cap. (Andrew, you have it flipped in your Oct. 27 reply.)
I think the freehub should slide off, but it is solidly stuck on the axle. I've even tried putting the hub body in a vice (with plastic jaws) and pulling up on the wheel, but I can't get it off. If you have a solution, I'd love to hear it.
Thanks,
SJP
Reply
Andrew Major
5 years, 9 months ago
With the disclaimer that if you aren't comfortable you should take the wheel to a professional bike mechanic, I would try and tap the axle out with a mallet and a socket.
With the added disclaimer that I don't have the wheel in front of me, you should be able to gently tap the axle out from the drive side. Then grease it well before reinstalling. Most likely the issue is the freehub bearings are seized on the axle.
Hope that helps! Let me know
Reply
SJP
5 years, 9 months ago
Hi Andrew, PDavis,
I really appreciate both of your replies. Thanks very much.
PDavis responded by email; his solution was to put the cassette back on after removing the axle cap, which gave him enough grip to pull off the freehub. This will be the first thing I try.
Andrew, your suggested solution implies that normally, the axle is free to slide out from the non-drive side, and the only thing holding it in it the drive-side axle cap. That seems unlikely, but if the cassette trick doesn't work, I can certainly tap it such that I won't break anything, but will learn if it will move.
Again, thanks to both of you for your suggestions, I really appreciate it.
SJP
Andrew Major
5 years, 9 months ago
That's a great suggestion re. cassette & hopefully it works.
On most hubs the axle slides in from one side and, when not in the frame, is only held in place by bearing tolerances.
The exception is anything with a bearing tension adjuster, but in those cases (P321, Chris King) the axle slides out when the adjuster is removed.
If you hit a wall let me know.
Darryl Chereshkoff
5 years, 2 months ago
Did you ever get the freehub body off? Any updates on your wheelset?
Reply
SJP
5 years, 2 months ago
Hi Darryl,
I haven't. I put the wheel back on the bike, and have been riding, and I just haven't gotten around to trying again.
SJP
5 years, 2 months ago
This comment has been removed.
SJP
3 years, 6 months ago
This is funny. Over two years later I am having bad shifting, so I look and the cassette is wobbling. I pulled that off and the free hub is wobbling also. So, I pulled the locknut and the freehub body slid right off. The inner freehub bearing is completely disintegrated. There are broken balls all over. Fortunately, the inner race slid right off the axle. Getting the outer race out of the freehub body is hopeless, of course. Furthermore, the axle still will not move, which means that when the wheel was new it was seized to both the freehub and the hub bearings, and now it is seized only to the hub bearings. I'm about to start looking to see if you can still buy this freehub.
What is also funny is that this post is still one of the top google hits for Race Face Aeffect rear wheel
johnmcarguy
5 years, 7 months ago
PDavis, do you still have the 9/10 speed hub you took off? want to sell it? im going the other way, from an 11-speed Aeffect hub to an SRAM 9/10. mine is brand new
-John
[email protected]
Reply
John Murphy
4 years, 3 months ago
Do you still have the shimano freehub? I'm looking to convert my rear wheel. I bought an xd by mistake.
What product did you buy to convert yours?
Reply
Topher Osborn
3 years, 3 months ago
Hi John,
Very old post I know. I'm actually looking to convert my XD affect r rear wheel to a Shimano free hub. Do you happen to know which HG driver would work and if any other parts are needed? Any info you might have for that conversion would be super useful to me. Cheers!
Reply
Drinky Crow
5 years, 8 months ago
Can a generic boostinator kit be fit to these hubs?
Reply
Andrew Major
5 years, 8 months ago
The Problem Solvers Kit would definitely work. The only caveat is I don’t know for sure the rear wheel can be dishes far enough over with the stock spokes - I’d think yes but haven’t done it myself.
Reply
Holger Baer
5 years, 7 months ago
Andrew, did you have any problems with the rear hub getting loose? my old 2014 specialized stumpy formula rear hub (hi lo disc? not sure) is getting loose all the time.
Is it there the same problem with this hub?
Reply
Andrew Major
5 years, 7 months ago
Hi Holger,
Absolutely no issue. I know a few people who have had these wheels OE on bikes and I've never heard a complaint about the hubs coming loose.
Take care,
Andrew
Reply
Paul Blom
4 years, 8 months ago
Can you swap out the 10 speed shimano hub (I assume it comes with a 10 speed hub) for an 11 speed without any issues?
What problems could you have? What solutions? What spacers needed?
I need a cheap, but quality wheel replacement for the rear end of an Ibis HD4. 12 x 148 (boost) dimensions, with an 11 speed shimano cassette.
Reply
canterbury
4 years ago
I know people looking to buy often read back old reviews, and then specifically the comments for help in making a buying decision.
I personally would stay away from these wheels, unless you're finding them on a great sale.
I have had a set for 3 months, Shimano freehub, and both 28h. I got them as a "tough" enduro wheelset, but they've been anything but.
Ok - so that's a bit harsh - the front has been fine with a minor true running a double down Assegai.
The rear has been back for warranty twice.... the first was the rim lost shape after 3 rides, about 5 or 6 of the spokes were loose and it looked like it was going to fall apart. Set up with double down DHF in 2.5, around 32 psi tubeless. My warranty was rejected on claims i had beaten it to death.... now i get it with ALU rims that they're going to break or dent etc if you ride them too hard, etc but my cheap Volars that came on my RM SLayer lasted almost 2 years, and those were garbage rims on Shimano deore hubs, this was supposed to be a solid upgrade. Fine - i trued it up and kept riding.
4 weeks later, back to warranty, freehub making awful noises, the bearings apparently have collapsed on the inside. This time it was warrantied and repaired.
But basically my appraisal is these wheels arent worth the money. I believe the hubs are just rebranded Novatecs (not a problem) but nothing special.... so dont bother.
Also if you ride even a bit hard i'd recommend sticking to 32h wheel variants, go something like Hope which on my last bike paired with a Mavic 823 as indestructible, and i rode a lot harder as i was sadly younger and better.
Cheers
Reply
Andrew Major
4 years ago
That sucks. It sounds like maybe the first wheel wasn't tensioned properly from the factory? When we talk about hand built v. machine built wheels it always comes down to paying an expert to take the time to make it perfect.
Either way, thank you for sharing your experience!
Reply
canterbury
4 years ago
Not sure if wasnt tensioned right or not.... didnt check it and was well out of true by the time i checked.....
I completely accept the rim being untrue now as hey, maybe it was my riding, but the bearings falling apart after 3 months of riding to me is a real let down....but the freehub has been replaced on warranty.... problem is - will it just happen again?
Andrew - did you ever get any PDF spec documents to accompany your review? I can't find anything at all on RF website regarding the hubs (i've also emailed)
Reply
Andrew Major
4 years ago
The freehub issue is bizarre to me. I know a fair few riders who have run these wheels without issues and I actually single speeded on them. The rims, like any aluminum rims, will dent under real use for sure but again really surprised at the failure as I've seen these wheels punched into hexagons and still running.
I don't have any PDF docs. It's been a while but I remember the hubs being very straight forward in terms of punching out and installing fresh bearings. What did you need?
Reply
canterbury
4 years ago
It's all good just looking to explore replacement rims as now that the hubs fixed it's worth looking into replacing, but before i bother persisting with hub want to know if it's worth keeping it or just buying something that's going to last a bit longer.
Well the distributor here replaced freehub with the description "bearings collapsed inside". I wish i could say i was sending huge gaps and was a hard rider, but i'm pretty average sadly!
Reply
Martin Kucera
3 years, 7 months ago
Anyone know how to get the axle out of the hubs. Mine snapped and I can't seem to figure out how to get it out to replace it
Reply
sorsin
2 years, 10 months ago
hello,
i'm new here.
have raceface aeffect R30 rear wheel
lately consider replacing my 3x10 xt shimano to 1×12.
i understand that my freehub can hold 1x11 shimano without replacing the driver (normal spline). but changing the driver i can go 1x12 sram.
there is a microspline driver for this freehub? or the only option is go sram?
thanks
Sorin
Reply
Rok Roskar
2 years, 8 months ago
I also came here looking for reviews on these wheels since it's one of the few options really available in Europe with super boost spacing that was needed for my new knolly warden. I only needed the rear wheel and it was great for the first two rides - then it developed some strange drag between the hub and the ratchet, causing the cassette to spin when coasting and making the chain drop. It turned out that the seal on the hub had worked itself out a bit which caused the drag. Had a great interaction with very helpful raceface customer service and eventually got the wheel replaced. Now, the second wheel is showing the same signs after just a few rides, so I'm a bit at a loss as to what to do. I'm posting here mainly just to provide a heads up and see if others have had the issue - it seems like a QA problem, but it's just so bizarre that I really don't know what to make of it. Again, RF and bike24 (where I bought it from) have been great, but I'm not really sure I'm ready for the same thing to happen a third time.
Reply
Please log in to leave a comment.