# Ridley Riders?



## zsmithku (Jun 6, 2012)

Forum,

I have been riding a Ridley for the last season and have noticed they don't rep well here in San Diego, CA. 
Anyone else pedaling a Ridley bike at all? Especially one of their higher-end carbon models? Would love to know what you think.

Thanks.


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## fasteddy (Sep 22, 2005)

Flat out love my Ridley Excaliber. Best crit bike I've ever owned, bought it back in 06 and since then I've raced it on average 20-25 times a season. I've also done every thing people on these forums say not to do,riding and racing on dirt roads, putting it on a trainer, hanging it from the top tube on bike carrier even leaving it out in the sun.


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## seppo17 (Dec 7, 2008)

I ride a Boreas, which is an alum with carbon seat stay copy of the Damocles. It's plenty stiff and handles well. An excellent Crit bike. I imagine the Damocles would be a touch stiffer and ride a little nicer. There are only 2-3 LBS's in my state that sell Ridleys. So I don't see many until cross season. Then its like 1 out of 4 bikes is a Ridley.


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## morgan1819 (Nov 22, 2005)

Ridley is similar to many of the bigger brands in that they use asian manufacturers for the majority of their frames. They do a great job in house in Belgium of designing, painting, finishing, testing. They spec high quality carbon and have a great in house QC process.

They spend their money on RD, and of course, less than the big three do on marketing and advertising, sponsorship, etc. Maybe this is what you mean by 'rep'.

I rank Ridley very highly on the list of frames that I have owned and/or ridden extensively. Maybe not in Look or Time category, but very close, and for less money. I preferred the ride quality to my Specialized SL3 and Giant TCR SL.


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## lacofdfireman (May 2, 2010)

I ride a Ridley Excalibur with full Dura-ace and it is hands down the best bike I have ever ridden. There is nothing about it that I don't like. I have owned some very high end bikes also even 2 customs and the Ridley is better than them all.. Who cares that they are not very well represented. You don't have to ride a Trek or Specialized just because everyone else and there mother owns one.


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## zsmithku (Jun 6, 2012)

lacofdfireman said:


> I ride a Ridley Excalibur with full Dura-ace and it is hands down the best bike I have ever ridden. There is nothing about it that I don't like. I have owned some very high end bikes also even 2 customs and the Ridley is better than them all.. Who cares that they are not very well represented. You don't have to ride a Trek or Specialized just because everyone else and there mother owns one.


Preaching to the choir here. I love my Ridley as well. It handles like a dream and I actually like that it's not the same bike everyone else rides. I just wanted to get feedback from other Ridley owners--the whole "great minds think alike" notion. 
Thanks for the responses.


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## Bremerradkurier (May 25, 2012)

Pulled the trigger on the Ridley Gladius frameset deal with free shipping on Nashbar yesterday to replace my '99 Specialized Allez Comp frame so I guess I'll be reviewing it soon.


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

seppo17 said:


> I ride a Boreas, which is an alum with carbon seat stay copy of the Damocles. It's plenty stiff and handles well. An excellent Crit bike. I imagine the Damocles would be a touch stiffer and ride a little nicer. There are only 2-3 LBS's in my state that sell Ridleys. So I don't see many until cross season. Then its like 1 out of 4 bikes is a Ridley.


I have a Boreas too. It's been holding up very well. Definitely a fancy one with the triangular tubing.


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## OldChipper (May 15, 2011)

Love my Ridley Noah RS! Not the lightest due to aero tubes, but stiff, stable, quick-handling, I love it! It's definitely become my "A" bike - and previous "A" bike was no slouch either (Roubaix Expert). Oh, and did I mention FAST (especially with some Zipp 404s mounted up)! :^)


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## batman1425 (Nov 29, 2005)

I have 2.5 years and about 8,000 miles on my Damocles. Great bike. Stage race geometry and ride characteristics. Soaks up bumps very well and the handling is a little slower than your compact geometry crit bikes, but still very stable. Nice comfortable for long days in the saddle and plenty stiff for racing. A great all around bike. 

My only gripe is its a little heavy (1,200g) compared to most of the upper end carbon offerings these days, but then again it is cheaper than most of the "name brand" sub 1,000g frames currently on the market.


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## ultraman6970 (Aug 1, 2010)

If you are talking boutique yes, but now a days you can get a sub 1000 grams for 700 bucks. 

I had a ridley compact way before the brand showed up in the US, great frame, did everything very good but after 2 hours was pretty harsh. Sadly picked the wrong size, sold it and I been trying to put my nails in another ridley since.


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## batman1425 (Nov 29, 2005)

Well yea, that's why I put the "name brand" designation in there. You can get any number of off label Chinese frames under that weight for that kind of coin, many of which are very similar if not identical to their "name brand" counterparts. However, if you want something sub 1,000g from Cannondale, Trek, Specialized, Colnago, Pinarello, etc. you'll have to pony up a lot more than a Ridley Damocles which makes the Ridley more appealing in my POV, but if I had to pick a complaint, the weight would be it. 






ultraman6970 said:


> If you are talking boutique yes, but now a days you can get a sub 1000 grams for 700 bucks.
> 
> I had a ridley compact way before the brand showed up in the US, great frame, did everything very good but after 2 hours was pretty harsh. Sadly picked the wrong size, sold it and I been trying to put my nails in another ridley since.


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## Bremerradkurier (May 25, 2012)

Bremerradkurier said:


> Pulled the trigger on the Ridley Gladius frameset deal with free shipping on Nashbar yesterday to replace my '99 Specialized Allez Comp frame so I guess I'll be reviewing it soon.


Just arrived.

In another thread, a poster claimed the fork is a 510 gram pig due to an alloy crown, but the postal scale in the office is showing 13.5 ounces or 383 grams.


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## Bremerradkurier (May 25, 2012)

Built up my Gladius frame with a mix of Campy eight speed Record Brifters, Chorus front & rear derailleurs, Athena brakes, Dura Ace w/square taper 103mm bottom bracket, Vuelta Corsa Lite wheelset, 700x25 GP4000s tires, 105 pedals, no name stem and seatpost and ended up with a total weight of 18.5 lbs-not bad for a $350 frame including tax and free shipping.

Pretty smooth ride, great steering, but not much space in the rear for wide rubber-25 is about as much as you're going to get.


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## nightfend (Mar 15, 2009)

Bought a Ridley Helium frame last week which I haven't built up yet. It seems very light. So I'm hoping it rides nicely. Got a pretty decent deal on it. I'm kind of diggin' the integrated seatpost look.


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## OldChipper (May 15, 2011)

Nice! Make sue to post pics of the build!


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## Curlyrick (Jul 11, 2011)

I've had my Damocles for a month. Its design is several years old now, but it is a great bike. Thus far, I've only seen one other Ridley in the DFW area and it was a Flandrien (not sure if it was the carbon or aluminum one).

The ride is very smooth, and pounding down North Texas chip-and-seal at 25 MPH certainly proves they aren't lying when they say "Tested on Pave."


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## HamHocks4Legs (Jun 18, 2012)

test road a ridley excalibur and it was amazing ( if out of my price range) And my good friend has an orion and sings its praises!


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## My Own Private Idaho (Aug 14, 2007)

My son races on a Ridley Compact aluminum bike. It was a great deal, and he really loves it.


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## Bremerradkurier (May 25, 2012)

My built Gladius:


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## OldChipper (May 15, 2011)

Nice!


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## rearviewmirror (Aug 20, 2008)

Ridley's are damn fine bikes, I'm enjoying my X-Fire thoroughly. I will consider Ridley when buying my next road bike as well.


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## GasPowered (May 12, 2012)

*Nice Bike.*

Bremerradkurier, 

That's a very nice looking bike. I came sooo close to getting that frameset from Nashbar during their 20% off sale the day before yesterday.

How does it ride? 

I have a brand new 105 takeoff group and an extra wheel set. I'm still tempted. For $350, it seems like a geat deal.


Cheers


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## Bremerradkurier (May 25, 2012)

GasPowered said:


> Bremerradkurier,
> 
> That's a very nice looking bike. I came sooo close to getting that frameset from Nashbar during their 20% off sale the day before yesterday.
> 
> ...



Rides great-relatively quick steering but I was riding no-handed after about an hour. The all carbon fork is definitely more comfortable than my old 1" Kinesis carbon fork with a steel steerer tube.

The only drawback I can see is that a 25 tire probably just ain't gonna be happening in back unless you have one of the wider new school 23mm rims to keep the tire height down-there's plenty of room between the chainstays, but a 25 has less than than 1/8" clearance under the seatstay wishbone.

You will also probably need longer brake nets to build it up; I had to scrounge up one from my tool box on the rear, and I really need to get a slightly longer one for up front to increase the number of threads holding my front brake on.

By the way, the fork comes without lawyer tabs to save the effort of filing them off!


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## GasPowered (May 12, 2012)

Bremerradkurier,

Thanks for that. Question... What are "brake nets"? I'm new to the road bike world, but I've built/ridden mountain bikes. I'm just not familiar with that term.

Cheers


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## Bremerradkurier (May 25, 2012)

GasPowered said:


> Bremerradkurier,
> 
> Thanks for that. Question... What are "brake nets"? I'm new to the road bike world, but I've built/ridden mountain bikes. I'm just not familiar with that term.
> 
> Cheers


Typo-brake nuts; the allen nut that accepts the thread end of road bike brakes.


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## PlasticMotif (Aug 1, 2006)

I have a hydroformed aluminum Ridley Pegasus built up with SRAM Rival. It's extremely stiff and not very forgiving on long rides. However, it's quick as a whip and just feels fast to ride. I really like it.


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## GasPowered (May 12, 2012)

*What Size?*

Bremerradkurier,

What size is your Gladius and what are your measurements?

I'm 5'11" with a 33" inseam. I'm thinking the 54cm would be about right based on their geometry chart. Any thoughts?


Cheers


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## Bremerradkurier (May 25, 2012)

GasPowered said:


> Bremerradkurier,
> 
> What size is your Gladius and what are your measurements?
> 
> ...


I'm 5'10", also with a 33" cycling inseam, and I'm on the 56cm with a 120 stem/6 degree rise and 172.5 cranks; seat height for me is 29.5" from center of the BB to center of the seat rails.

Personally, I'm not a fan of going small frame/130 or 140 stem as IMO bike handling suffers due to poor weight distribution, and going to a smaller frame for more stiffness and lower weight isn't the factor it was 25-30 years ago.

FWIW, Top tube length seems about perfect according to both of the rules of thumb of having the handlebar obscure the front hub, and elbows and knees within an inch of each other when the forward foot is at 3 o' clock with arms slightly bent.


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

PlasticMotif said:


> I have a hydroformed aluminum Ridley Pegasus built up with SRAM Rival. It's extremely stiff and not very forgiving on long rides. However, it's quick as a whip and just feels fast to ride. I really like it.


love the color.

Looks remarkably similar to the Compact, are they actually the same frame?


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## PixelPaul (Oct 8, 2004)

Ventruck said:


> love the color.
> 
> Looks remarkably similar to the Compact, are they actually the same frame?


The Pegasus ans Compact are the same frame, the difference being the compact has a sloping top tube geometry and the Pegasus has the horizontal top tube.


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

lacofdfireman said:


> I ride a Ridley Excalibur with full Dura-ace and it is hands down the best bike I have ever ridden. There is nothing about it that I don't like. I have owned some very high end bikes also even 2 customs and the Ridley is better than them all.. Who cares that they are not very well represented. You don't have to ride a Trek or Specialized just because everyone else and there mother owns one.


I have an Excalibur Flandrien and love the bike. I own a few high end bikes and this ranks up with my favorite for a typical weekend road ride. Comfortable, handles well, descends well and is responsive.


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## PlasticMotif (Aug 1, 2006)

Ventruck said:


> love the color.
> 
> Looks remarkably similar to the Compact, are they actually the same frame?


Thanks. I'm lucky that it came with a Gray Fizik Pave. It completes the build.


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## taefoto (Oct 30, 2008)

Assembled in Bloomington, Minnesota. Ridden for the first time in Petaluma, California. '12 Damocles + Campagnolo Athena 11 + Fulcrum Racing 1's + Michelin Pro 4's.


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## taefoto (Oct 30, 2008)

Ignore me - I don't know how to read.


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## Dan333sp (Aug 17, 2010)

Bremerradkurier said:


> Built up my Gladius frame with a mix of Campy eight speed Record Brifters, Chorus front & rear derailleurs, Athena brakes, Dura Ace w/square taper 103mm bottom bracket, Vuelta Corsa Lite wheelset, 700x25 GP4000s tires, 105 pedals, no name stem and seatpost and ended up with a total weight of 18.5 lbs-not bad for a $350 frame including tax and free shipping.
> 
> Pretty smooth ride, great steering, but not much space in the rear for wide rubber-25 is about as much as you're going to get.


You're my twin, I think. I was looking at that Gladius frameset on Nashbar to replace my aging '99 Trek 2500 frame (sound familiar?), which would involve swapping full Chorus 9 speed gear along with the same wheels you have (Corsa Lites). Good to know that the swap went well, did you have any issues getting the older gear to mount on the new frame? If I can save the money, I'll have a very similar bike in the near future. The bike looks great! Also, how does the sizing run? I ride a 60cm Trek, I've read elsewhere that a 57cm Gladius will be nearly equivalent. Last question- I don't know how different Athena brakes are compared to Chorus, but have you had any issues getting the pads to line up perfectly with the braking surfaces on the rear Corsa rim? I have rubbed the top ~1cm of the stickers on one side of my rear wheel down with the brakes in the 2 weeks since I got the wheels, even after trying every arrangement of washer/nut/brake shoe I can't get the thing to line up high enough to stay on the braking surface. Front wheel is no problem for whatever reason.


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## Bremerradkurier (May 25, 2012)

Dan333sp said:


> You're my twin, I think. I was looking at that Gladius frameset on Nashbar to replace my aging '99 Trek 2500 frame (sound familiar?), which would involve swapping full Chorus 9 speed gear along with the same wheels you have (Corsa Lites). Good to know that the swap went well, did you have any issues getting the older gear to mount on the new frame? If I can save the money, I'll have a very similar bike in the near future. The bike looks great! Also, how does the sizing run? I ride a 60cm Trek, I've read elsewhere that a 57cm Gladius will be nearly equivalent. Last question- I don't know how different Athena brakes are compared to Chorus, but have you had any issues getting the pads to line up perfectly with the braking surfaces on the rear Corsa rim? I have rubbed the top ~1cm of the stickers on one side of my rear wheel down with the brakes in the 2 weeks since I got the wheels, even after trying every arrangement of washer/nut/brake shoe I can't get the thing to line up high enough to stay on the braking surface. Front wheel is no problem for whatever reason.


Sizewise, look to match your effective top tube lengths. No problem swapping the parts over, aside from the sad issue of 25c tires not fitting in the back while fitting up front, and in my case the chainline being just slightly off; may end up running a thin shim under the right bottom bracket cup.

Regarding Chorus vs. Athena brakes, apparently the only difference is Athena doesn't have the dual pivot aligning screw that Chorus brakes have, and alignment wise, I have the stock pads just under the top of the tire hook on the rim.

FWIW,


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## PixelPaul (Oct 8, 2004)

taefoto said:


> Assembled in Bloomington, Minnesota. Ridden for the first time in Petaluma, California. '12 Damocles + Campagnolo Athena 11 + Fulcrum Racing 1's + Michelin Pro 4's.


I'm curious how your enjoying your Campagnolo Athena? I'm thinking of getting it for my new build.


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## flashsteve (Mar 27, 2005)

*Ridley Gladius Headset question*

Hi

Returning to the group after several years away. I just bought a brand new Ridley Gladius frameset on eBay (probably a Nashbar closeout). Came without a headset. Could anyone give me specific info on what I need to buy (I can get the Cane Creek 40 series at a good price). Thanks in advance,

Steve


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## Corsaire (Jun 2, 2006)

I love Ridley ISP bikes. I have the Damocles ISP 2010 (Pozzato version "Italian Champion") and the Noah 2008 (aka Super Damocles). Both bikes rock, they are super solid, stiff and very of high level competition. I like Ridley's no non-sense approach to building bikes, well built, tough machines, tour and classics proven.


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## orlowskij (Aug 5, 2012)

Bump. I'm lookin for an opinion from folks who have ridden both the Ecalibur and the Damocles. I'm not looking for a comfort bike per se, but most of my rides on the thing will be 50+ miles. Which would you chose for your bumpy road bike? I'm seeing conflicting reports from all over.


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## Corsaire (Jun 2, 2006)

I can only speak for the Damocles, awesome frame, stiff, solid ride but not overly so. Mavic Kyrium SLs accentuate the stiffness of the frame, AM Classic 420s smooth it out quite a bit. Wheels is everything, OK most of it.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

I picked up a ridley helium recently. I raced on it last weekend and won.


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## nightfend (Mar 15, 2009)

I have a Ridley Helium. Amazing race bike. BUT, the tire clearance is fairly tight, and you probably won't want to run anything larger than 25mm on that frame.


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