Ten years ago, the Ridley Noah was one of the first aero road bikes to hit the market. Since then, the Belgian brand has evolved the original idea with the Noah FAST and Noah SL iterations, which have been raced at the Tour de France and elsewhere on the world stage. For 2016, the Ridley Noah is available for those of us who aren't racing the Tour, and at more down-to-earth prices than the FAST and SL machines.
Similarly, the 2016 Ridley Dean is a mix of trickle-down aerodynamics and real-world functionality, being offered at three price points from a Shimano Ultegra Di2 level down to Shimano 105.
"These bikes are a bit of a departure, brining tech to the the everyman," said Richard Wittenberg, Ridley's vice president of international operations. "These bikes are for the guy who is not just a cyclist, but who is a cyclist and a runner and a skier, or is saving for his kids’ college. He wants performance but doesn’t need 100%… maybe 85%."
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Ridley Noah: aero frame with 'normal' brakes and fork
A small divot in the tube (just above and running parallel to the white line) smoothes air flow around the frame and makes it faster
The current Noah FAST has three primary aero differentiators: a split-leg fork, integrated brakes and proprietary tube shaping. While the special fork and brakes involve complexity and cost, the tube shaping is easy enough to pass down the line. So, for 2016 the more modest Noah bikes get what Ridley calls F-Surface + tubing that features small indentations near the leading edges that help smooth airflow around the frame and thus make the bike faster, Ridley claims.
Ridley Dean: claimed faster than a Specialized Shiv 'in the real world'
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