Move up £70 from the Race Face Ride AM and you get the Respond. Don’t expect big weight savings – it aims for extra strength instead. You do get an alloy outer ring though.
Our test set has spinny 22/32T rings, but a more useful 24/36 option is also available. The squared-off arms are 7050 aluminium, but the Respond shares the Ride’s potentially ankle-biting profile, though the Q factor is quite narrow.
Inside the bearings there’s Phil Wood Waterproof Grease, which seems like a good idea. You get 6mm of chainline adjustment, useful if you’re using a chainguide. If you want to go single-ring, the inner ring spider is detachable.
RaceFace’s high-end cranks have one-key releases to take the drive side arm off, but the Respond has a regular bolt. Get a crank puller to remove it.