The latest X-Fusion Manic is the latest in a long line of X-Fusion droppers and it’s available in 125mm and 150mm drop for only £220.

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Although the X-Fusion Manic has seen a £20 price hike since this year, it’s still incredible value for money. At the heart of the post is fully sealed, hydraulic cartridge, which does add weight but it also brings with it increased reliability and ease of servicing – if it goes wrong you can just plug in a new one.

Previously we criticised the Manic for having a slightly higher ream depth compared to the other posts on test – this is actually the amount of post that sits in the frame. This year most manufacturers have added 150mm post and they’ve grown in length, so while the Manic isn’t the shortest here, it’s now not the tallest.

Being cable activated and routed from the top down the Manic is very easy to set up. To allow infinite adjustment to tilt and angle, the Manic BAT remote features a ball and socket attachment, locked down via a hex nut. It has a great lever shape and a split clamp for easy handlebar installation but we’d recommend putting a dab of Loctite on the nut’s fixing threads when new because it did work loose a few times.

A neat feature of the Manic is the sprung cam in the mechanism on the bottom of the post, which results in incredibly light remote lever action in the initial part of the stroke. This manic also feels really precise, allowing you to be really spot with height changes say when charging along undulating terrain.

We’ve had a Manic on a test bike for the best part of a year and a tiny bit of play has developed in the upper shaft during that time but that’s common feature of most droppers. The Manic is heavier than most of the cable activated droppers here but it has one of the best remotes on test, that’s fully adjustable to any angle. It’s also low profile, so you probably go up a drop size but the best thing about the Manic is it’s affordable – you’re getting a lot of top-quality features for rock bottom price.