# Ridley Damocles: 1st impressions



## Gnarly 928

My SO rides an Excaliber and loves it. I got it for her as a replacment for her dated steel bike--bought it off Ebay. 

My team has Ridley as a sponsor and I wanted another frame, so I got a Damocles just a few days ago and stripped the components off my Scott CR-1 and built her up. Nice! I like it. A very good frame. I've had many of the better brands in the past few years and the Damocles is up there with the best..Different strengths, haven't found the shortcomings yet.

After the CR-1, the Damocles felt heavy to lift...the CR-1 is pretty darn light..But once riding the Damo...the slighty more weight is not noticed at all, and in fact, it probably accounts for how the Damocles seems to 'skate' up hill when you stand out of the saddle. The handling on downhills is rock steady..almost as good as my Look 585...Worlds ahead of the CR-1 which was OK, but not outstanding when descending. Much more comfortable to ride on crappy pavement...which is one reason I wanted another frame...I train winters in a cobby pavement area and ride long days, something the CR-1 always made me pay for.

I'd mostly compare the ride to a DeRosa King..almost identical in behavior for a few grand less $. Excellent finish and I like the detail of the cables going "through" the headtube..Neat.
More after I get a few races done on the Damo...Should be great on the longer RR courses and I love it already as a daily training ride..Oh yeah...Ridley size is odd...I rode an XL Look 585 and I am on a Medium Damocles with only a normal stem. I usually try for a 57.5--58cm TT..
Don Hanson


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## MIN in PDX

what team do you ride for, gnarly?


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## toonraid

Gnarley ......... I am in the market for a new frame and of course both the 585 and the Damocles are on my shortlist (along with 595) so would really appretiate a detailed side by side comparison of the 2.


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## 32and3cross

Gnarly 928 said:


> More after I get a few races done on the Damo...Should be great on the longer RR courses and I love it already as a daily training ride..Oh yeah...Ridley size is odd...I rode an XL Look 585 and I am on a Medium Damocles with only a normal stem. I usually try for a 57.5--58cm TT..
> Don Hanson



How did you feel about the handling. I have heard Ridleys are great bikes as far as stbility but turn slower so are maybe not the best crit bikes out there, any thoughts?
thanks


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## Gnarly 928

Ok, a bit more. First, a detailed side by side against a 585? Too subjective...Different bikes, both really good / Both are excellent all around bikes..Neither is a 'specialty' bike, such as might be said for some bikes that simply work great on one type ride/race and just get by on all the other venues. Some of the differences between the Look and the Damocles are, in no special order...Price, weight, type of construction. I had the same components and wheels on my last few frames, including the Scott CR1 and the Look and now the Ridley and I also have ridden them all on the same roads and climbs...All work good and have their points. The Scott and the Look are lighter to lift...No numbers from me but while the Ridley feels heavier, I think it climbs the best..I will know more after I do a few uphill TTs that I've done on the Look for comparison. The Look was probably slightly better as an all around bike, but that could be subjective. I know Look's customer service is un-matched and I never once felt scared or surprised by the Look's handling in maybe 5-6K miles. Then I went to the scott and my uphill speed increased a small amount. My comfort went down and you just don't 'relax' at 45-50mph on the scott...An all day race on the Scott had a bigger price...more stressful than the Look. On the other hand, racing a Crit on a three grand Look had me doubting my fiscal sense. The Scott CR-1 at $1200 off ebay, that I could afford to crash, if crashing was in my future...The Ridley...Seems as comfortable and confidence-inspiring as the 585, and that is saying a lot...I will know more with more time on the Ridley, but after about 500 miles and maybe 30,000' of pass riding, I have not yet had any reason to even think of being scared. Just last night coming off Montezuma grade at about 40mph at dusk, I came round a hairpin and encountered a bunch of concrete blocks some dunce had lost from his pickup between when I climbed the pass and descended about 45mins later. On the Scott, that would have been MAJOR pucker, but on the Damocles, I grabbed some front brake, hard, then let off and twitched my way through all the debris without any wiggles or headshake..The only other frame I've owned that could have done that was the Look..and maybe the DeRosa King of a few years past.
I see no problem using a Ridley in a crit..While I have had a few really quick handling bikes, for me they didn't seem to have any advantages in crits because of that..Maybe it is my style of racing in crits, but I don't find it limiting nor do I often see others losing races because their bike isn't a twitchy upright specialty bike..And I don't like going to a race with three bikes..a crit bike a rr bike and a TT bike? Nah

Hope that helps you ...If I had to have just one bike, I'd be on the Look, of the three mentioned, most likely. They are all good..though.
Don Hanson


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## toonraid

Great review Don, thanks. Having surfed the RBR over the past couple of months Ridley seem to have an excellent customer service too - they had problems with some cracked frames in earlier models and they replaced each one (apparently that was when they were made in Italy)!

From a comfort point of view which do you prefer?


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## Gnarly 928

From a comfort point of veiw? Well, I am not much of a "comfort" seeker so it's not something I thought about when choosing If I was to go on pure comfort, I guess maybe the Look 585 might win out by a very slight margin...because it is easier to load onto a car or carry into a building..just slightly..

But then, I didn't feel comfortable bumping elbows in a Crit on the Look, or driving through a messy storm with it on the rack or leaving it outside a C-store...The Ridley rides pretty comfortably too, and I don't feel so decadent if I follow a gravel truck down hill or lean it against a fence to answer nature's call...At about 1/3 the price of the Look, it's a great bike.

.I think you pay a premium for the Look name, and while they are outstanding bikes, they certainly are not 3 or 4 times as good the Ridleys.

.
If you have the bucks, you should get both. One for everyday use and one for special rides...I am looking again at the Looks, this time perhaps an Ultra, but just because I love bikes...not because the Ridley is not good...I also have a DeRosa, a custom steel, the Scott CR`1 and the Damocles...I am looking at the Ridley Noah very closley...
sigh....
Don Hanson


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## backinthesaddle

32and3cross said:


> How did you feel about the handling. I have heard Ridleys are great bikes as far as stbility but turn slower so are maybe not the best crit bikes out there, any thoughts?
> thanks


I raced my Damocles in crits for two years...minimum of one a week in the summer. Whoever told you that they turn in slow doesn't know sh*t from apple butter.


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## PJ352

Actually, this is where trail comes into play (like you and I discussed in another thread). With a trail of over 60 the higher end Ridley's would have a stable, predictable feel to the front end. The oversized lower headset bearing would add to that feel. 

I think it comes down to wording.. 'turn slower' has a stodgy sound to it, but when you rephrase it and say 'predictable handling', it somehow sounds better and in this case I think more accurate.


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## backinthesaddle

PJ352 said:


> Actually, this is where trail comes into play (like you and I discussed in another thread). With a trail of over 60 the higher end Ridley's would have a stable, predictable feel to the front end. The oversized lower headset bearing would add to that feel.
> 
> I think it comes down to wording.. 'turn slower' has a stodgy sound to it, but when you rephrase it and say 'predictable handling', it somehow sounds better and in this case I think more accurate.


Predictable and stable...yes
Slow handling...nope


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## Gnarly 928

I agree about the stable handling of the Damocles. It is. Mine is definatly not 'slow' on turn in and I will be racing it gladly in crits...From my first few weeks on it, I like the feel. It's not at all flimsey feeling, or 'buzzy' or 'flighty'..all words I'd use to describe the CR-1 I have been racing. I do think I can feel the front end being stiffer than most of my previous bikes...that may come from the bigger lower headset bearing or from the straight fork legs..or just from them concentrating on making a good bike without trying to make it the lightest one this week...
Don Hanson


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## PJ352

Don, this is a stretch from what you've been writing about the Damocles, but I was wondering if you could offer any input on the Excalibur versus the LOOK 555 or 585 - or Ridley versus LOOK in general. I'm considering both (primarily the 555), weigh in at 138 and am looking for a not cushy, not stiff (balanced?), lively riding and handling bike - an all rounder, I guess.. You seem very well versed in both brands so I'd be interested to hear your take on the riding characteristics of both.


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## Scott G

PJ352,

I own both an Excalibur and a 585 ultra, and of the two, I prefer....the Felt F1! To me the Felt fits your description of a lively riding and handling bike better. If I had to choose between the Ridley and the Look, I would pick the Look - I just think it is a better all around bike.


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## PJ352

Thanks for sharing that and believe it or not, the Felt 'F' series were high on my list, so you're in tune with my preferences. They're great riding/ handling bikes and the value is second to none. The show stopper was that the geometry is a little too aggressive for me - specifically the drop from saddle to bars. I like 4-5 cm of drop, but the HT is about 110 mm (in a 52 cm) and the headset cap/ spacers totaled about 35 mm. I don't like flipped stems, so there weren't a lot of options left to raise the bars.

The choices are daunting, so I want to take my time and hopefully avoid buying the wrong bike.


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## Gnarly 928

I can't say on the 555 Look. Never even seen one, but I do love the 585 and it sounds like what you may be looking for. Be aware the sizing between the Looks and the Ridleys is/are different. I ride a Medium Ridley right now and had an XL 585 that fit me quite well, too..I only have a few hours on the Excaliber, which my SO has..I found that one to be a very competent and comfortable ride and an excellent value..On the other hand, the 585 is one of my favorite bikes of all time for it's very civilized ride...it does everything very well indeed and never ever gave me even a moment of fear or panic on any descent...and I go really balls-out downhill.. So, if you have disposable funds to spare...I think I would choose the Look over the Excaliber...but again..that is based on only a few hours in the saddle of the Excaliber and about a season of maintaining my Gal's bike and watching her enjoy it. The Damocles is supposed to be a bit "more" bike than the Excaliber...and I love mine so far...it is as comfortable as my Look was, maybe just a bit less confidence inspiring on descents and maybe a bit better climbing...certainly feels nice when standing on climbs and I will soon be seeing how it does in crits with my first one in just a few weeks...

One thing...don't agonize too much, thinking you want to find the "perfect bike". If you get one then want another...you can sell on Ebay and not take too big of a beating...I have been changing bikes at the rate of maybe 5 per season and I ain't broke yet...
enjoy, Don Hanson


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## libertycycles

The 3 words a cyclist is waiting to read when waiting on a shipment from UPS, "Out for Delivery". 
My "L" Domo frameset comes today. Also in team paintjob. I'll be posting frame pics asap, also of the build-up. I SEE RED........


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