# Ridley Excalibur Opinions



## PJ352

After riding steel for the last 23 years, I'm thinking carbon fiber for my next road bike, perhaps the Excalibur. I don't compete, weigh in at 138 lbs. and ride about 3,500 miles yearly. Average speed 18 - 19 MPH. I have no special fit requirements, but am comfortable with a 530 mm TT length, which the Excalibur accomodates. 

For riding characteristics I don't like 'stodgy' (Spec Roubaix?), twitchy (Tarmac?), or super stiff (Cervelo R3?). I may not be spot on with my observations of these bikes, but I thought including my observations might provide some insight into the type of ride I prefer. I guess I'd call it 'balanced', for lack of a better term. 

Any opinions on the Excalibur would be appreciated, along with opinions if you think it fits my needs/ wants or not.


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## Guest

I have the Damocles and haven't ridden the Excalibur but it might be worth comparing at least those two and maybe a couple of others in Ridley's line. Depending on who you ask some think the ride of the Damocles is a little more forgiving than the Excalibur but I have heard it said both ways. Both are only a year or so removed from being pro tour bikes so I doubt either of them will feel too flexy but at 138 pounds you might prefer one over the other.

Also the new Helium might be worth looking at, little higher cost I think but its really light, has the integrated mast and is supposed to be an improvement over the Noah.


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## PJ352

Thanks for the response. Test rides are out for a couple of reasons. One, there are no Ridley dealers near me and two, the less I have to do with LBS, the better. Most in my area aren't very knowledgable and aren't willing to order 50 - 52 cm bikes unless I 'special order'.

These are the reasons I'm trying to get some input from people on the Excalibur. I want to order the frameset online and build it up myself. My 'self inflicted' budget is about $2500 total. Not because I can't afford more, but it being my first CF bike, I want to test the waters first.


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## Guest

Look into the demo program from competitive cyclist, I think you would need to buy your bike from them in the end to justify the cost of the program but it might be worth checking on. I think it cost $300 initially for them to ship a bike to you for a week to try out and then if you buy one from them within a certain time period (14 days?) all of that $300 goes toward the bike you buy, I think that would also apply to purchasing a frame only. It used to be only $150 of the cost would go toward your purchase, I think, but check this link as I think it explains the changes:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=WHATS_NEW

I think both the excalibur and the damocles are available to try out and the Competitive site is a good place, IMO, to read up on the ridley frames. I bought my Damocles from them.


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## toonraid

The Damocles is a bit more comfortable & the excalibur a bit lighter but both are high performance frames with great success at the pro level with Unibet & Lotto, I think if you are doing short fast rides or lots of climbing the excalibur is great - for more of an allrounder and longer rids then go for Damocles. They have changed the colours on the 08 excalibur so there seems to be a few bargains which should tip the scales towards excalibur if on a budget or looking for better value. The XS - 44 has a top tube of 52.5 which should be a perfect fit - they have them here in europe on-line with centaur & scirocco wheels for around your budget. Send me a PM if you have trouble finding one.


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## PJ352

Thanks again for the info, Kytyree. I'm familiar with CC and was poking around their website before I posted, but the link you provided is very useful. 

I'm located in upstate NY, so a test ride of any bike is iffy at best, but if there are breaks in our snow forecasts (6 - 7" more coming) the demo program is an option.

I also looked on the Randall Scott site, but don't know how they are to deal with. Their price for the '07 Excalibur was about $200 less than CC.

Right now I'm just reaching out to Ridley riders to get their thoughts on the ride qualities of a couple of the lower end models for the reasons mentioned. There are a couple of other brands I'm looking at, but trying to avoid the mainstream.


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## lamazion

I just picked up a used Excalibur. However, it's snowing in Minnesota, so it will be a while before it sees anything but the trainer. The fit and finish is very nice! I would consider a used one if you are testing the waters.


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## PJ352

Yup, everything you've offered I've read in various other locations. I'm not interested in a complete bike, just the frameset. Bicycling mag liked the Excalibur, but said it wasn't as light as some other offerings in the price range. But I believe the frameset has lightened up a little and the price has dropped since the review.

Do you happen to know the rake and trail of the bikes? All their CF's from Excalibur up share the same geometry, but they don't seem to publish those stats.


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## PJ352

We're crazy to live in the snowbelts, aren't we?? I spend 5 1/2 months on the trainer and the remainder of the year outside whenever possible.

I've only seen pics of the Ridleys, but their finish seems very nice. They also don't seem to suffer a lot of the failures you hear about with some other brands.

I'm a worryer by nature, so I'm a little afraid of buying used. It's just me.


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## toonraid

I think excalibur at 1100g is very light for its price range - sub 1000 is like super bike status so don't know what they are on about. The excalibur frame has not changed from last year (apart from colour) only Noah and Helium have been lightened a bit. Basically Ridley has 3 geometries (and an odd one for Triton D);

1 - Classic: Triton, Aedon, Scandium
2 - Sloping: Noah, Helium, Damocles, Excalibur, Heracles, Boreas, Triton S, EOS, Eva
3 - Compact: Orion, Compact, Triton C

I have the 08 catalogue PM with your email if you'd like a copy - it has all the geometry tables in it.


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## toonraid

Here is the table - XXS only for Triton and EVA

View attachment 112685

View attachment 112686


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## PJ352

I think the review may have been written a couple of years ago. Frame weights and prices have dropped a little since then. Reviews are good to read to pick up information, but my opinion is it's one persons opinion and they may not have the same criteria for ride quality, etc. that I do. 

I've seen the geo chart that you posted, but if you notice there's no info on fork rake or trail. If you could check your catalog for rake I can figure out the trail.


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## toonraid

There is no info on the fork rake or trail for frame specific forks such as ones on Excalibur upwards but all 4ZA branded forks have the industry standard 43 mm rake and since the geometry is the same for all sloping frames I am 99% sure its the same.


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## rellimreeb

PJ352 said:


> After riding steel for the last 23 years, I'm thinking carbon fiber for my next road bike, perhaps the Excalibur. I don't compete, weigh in at 138 lbs. and ride about 3,500 miles yearly. Average speed 18 - 19 MPH. I have no special fit requirements, but am comfortable with a 530 mm TT length, which the Excalibur accomodates.
> 
> For riding characteristics I don't like 'stodgy' (Spec Roubaix?), twitchy (Tarmac?), or super stiff (Cervelo R3?). I may not be spot on with my observations of these bikes, but I thought including my observations might provide some insight into the type of ride I prefer. I guess I'd call it 'balanced', for lack of a better term.
> 
> Any opinions on the Excalibur would be appreciated, along with opinions if you think it fits my needs/ wants or not.


I have an 07 Excalibur. I love it. It replaced a very nice Specialized Roubaix, but I like my Excalibur much better. I think the bike handles much better at speed, especially when descending. I attribute that to the beefy lower headset bearing (1 1/8"), and the beefy down tube. It rides well, and doesn't punish me on rough roads. It's relatively light (but no feather-weight), and has a very nice finish. (I love the exposed carbon weave). 

I like the fact that I rarely see another Ridley when riding. 

I weight 175lbs 5'11"


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## PJ352

That was helpful, thanks for sharing. I suspect you're right about the larger lower headset bearings contributing to stability. They're on some other brands, but not in this price range. 

I'm having trouble finding some info that most other manufacturers provide, specifically the fork rake and trail. If I could get the rake, I can figure out the trail. Toonraid has assisted me with this, but no one seems to know the numbers.


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## backinthesaddle

PJ352 said:


> That was helpful, thanks for sharing. I suspect you're right about the larger lower headset bearings contributing to stability. They're on some other brands, but not in this price range.
> 
> I'm having trouble finding some info that most other manufacturers provide, specifically the fork rake and trail. If I could get the rake, I can figure out the trail. Toonraid has assisted me with this, but no one seems to know the numbers.


The rake on the fork is 43mm. I just dug out the geometry sheet that came with my Helium frame (same fork). It's written in Chinese, but the numbers are there, plain as day.


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## PJ352

Excellent, thanks for checking! That would put the trail above 60, which explains the feeling of stability that riders seem to experience.

Is the Helium the one and only Ridley you've owned/ ridden? Just curious of your take on the Excalibur or Damocles.


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## backinthesaddle

PJ352 said:


> Excellent, thanks for checking! That would put the trail above 60, which explains the feeling of stability that riders seem to experience.
> 
> Is the Helium the one and only Ridley you've owned/ ridden? Just curious of your take on the Excalibur or Damocles.


I've had all three. The Excalibur and the Helium are very similar. Stiff in the bottom, yet very comfy and complaint. The big, round tubes are the reason. The stiffness comes from both the tube size and the size of the joints, where the tubes meet. They ride very similarly.

The Damocles was a great riding bike, but just didn't have the ride quality of the Helium. It seemed a bit buzzier over tar and chip roads. Again, tubing shapes and the straight fork are the reason for this. The fork wasn't as stiff as the Excalibur/Helium fork either. A lot of pros switched out the forks when they rode the Damocles.

All three bikes were very stable at speed and seemed to go better when pushed hard. 

Excal...









Damo...










Helium...


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## PJ352

All really nice looking bikes. I think I like the looks of the Damocles the best. At least the way you've built it up.


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## backinthesaddle

Too bad it broke... 

I got the Helium on warranty though, so no complaints!


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## mandasol

I was in the same situation. I rode exclusively steel (mountain and road) for the past 15 years and wanted to try out Carbon Fiber for my new bike. I struggled with the decision because I really like the ride of steel, and the newer steel frames ride really nice (made with Deda EOM 16.5, Columbus Spirit, True Temper S3) compared to my older Reynolds 853 frame. 

I test rode everything I could get my hands on over about a 6 month period - Steel, Titanium, Carbon, Multi Material. I had a chance to ride the Excalibur, and I have to say it's a really nice frame, comfortable, fast and really climbs well. It was at the top of my list for a while. Coming from steel I had pretty much the same impression that you had of the other frames, and the Excalibur just seemed right -- I don't think you'll be dissappointed. 

Though as you mentioned you are a worrier, so am I. So I had a few caveats for my decision: steel like ride characteristics, lifetime warranty, if possible made in house and not outsourced (regardless if it was made in China). It seems most people only keep their carbon bikes for several seasons if that, but I haven't gotten rid of any of the bikes I bought in the past 20 years unless you count one that was stolen, so the lifetime warranty was a big deal for me. 

Ridley was fine with the ride, though it only comes with a 5 year warranty (which is still pretty good compared to most of the other European brands), and even though they are outsourced the quality was pretty nice. The new Trek Madone has the warranty and in house build, but the ride was really artificial and plastic like (some say wooden). Cervelo has a lifetime warranty, and the bikes are fast and handle great, but they just didn't have the ride quality I was looking for, plus our local Cervelo dealer is stuck up. Giant was high up on the list as the Advanced frame rides incredibly nice, and has the lifetime warranty, made in house in their own factories (in China), though the fit an finish was pretty shoddy, the frame I test rode had orange peel like pitting all over the frame. Looks are pretty awesome, I test rode the mid range 565 and was really impressed with the fit and finish (probably the best in the industry) and it climbed like crazy, though again only a 5 year warranty. Blue Competition may not be as well known, but that bike was really nice as well, comes with lifetime warranty and rides as well as any of the bikes out there, but some models are more crit specific and twitchier, you can find the Blues on closeouts and can get a great deal on them as well. I was about to get the Blue RC7, but... In the end I got a Time Edge Racer frame. Lifetime warranty, made completely in house in France down to weaving the carbon fiber, and has the closest steel like ride I could find -- in fact it has great road "feel" like steel but is able to mute out the buzz in metal frames, and I still get shocked at how great it climbs. 

Though to answer your question about the Excalibur. If the warranty is not an issue, I think you'll really like the frame. Some of my observations. The downtube is tremendous. Pictures don't do it justice. It is really big. Coming from thin tube steel frames, it was a bit awkward feeling, and made me feel like it was creating extra aerodynamic drag. The sizing is awkward as well. On most other frames I fit their med or med/large. On the Ex I fit the small. It's not a super light frame, so you may not have a super light bike, but it is still light enough to build a nice race worthy bike. The road feel is a little more muted feeling than my Time, though the Ex is still nice and still has good feel compared to some other brands. The Ex is stiff and climbs really well sitting or standing, which was suprising. I think it was the best climbing-while-sitting bike I tried. The fit and finish was nice, and the fact is was out sourced didn't really seem to matter. If I had pulled the trigger on the Excalibur I don't think I would have been dissappointed with that decision at all. 

That brings me to a final point. I'm glad I tried Carbon this time around, and I really like my new Time bike, and it is much quicker than my steel frames, but I think I'll be going back to steel after I had my fun with this bike. I had a chance to ride some of the newer steel frames as well, and I actually prefer the ride of the newer steel bikes to any carbon fiber frame I've tried. Some riders that are used to Carbon may just as well prefer the ride of Carbon to steel as well. While my Time bike is faster than my older steel bike, I actually see more differences in my times on a regular course I ride based on my condition at the time (whether I'm feeling strong or tired that day). On a strong day, I could pretty much ride the course in the same amount of time whether I'm on my 16 lb (total including pedals, computer, cages) Time or my 22 lb steel bike, as I was already passing guys on carbon fiber bikes on my old steel bike anyway. Though at least I can say I had a Carbon frame now.


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## PJ352

Thanks for taking the time to share those thoughts, mandasol. You brought up some good points - maybe the best being your closing statement about maintaining consistent times whether on a 22 lb bike or a 16 lb bike. Reminds me of a well known cyclists saying... "It's not about the bike". :thumbsup:


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## nescafe

PJ352 said:


> After riding steel for the last 23 years, I'm thinking carbon fiber for my next road bike, perhaps the Excalibur. I don't compete, weigh in at 138 lbs. and ride about 3,500 miles yearly. Average speed 18 - 19 MPH. I have no special fit requirements, but am comfortable with a 530 mm TT length, which the Excalibur accomodates.
> 
> For riding characteristics I don't like 'stodgy' (Spec Roubaix?), twitchy (Tarmac?), or super stiff (Cervelo R3?). I may not be spot on with my observations of these bikes, but I thought including my observations might provide some insight into the type of ride I prefer. I guess I'd call it 'balanced', for lack of a better term.
> 
> Any opinions on the Excalibur would be appreciated, along with opinions if you think it fits my needs/ wants or not.


i just got one and gotta say it is totally schweeet! the maiden voyage was the 20 km trip back from my LBS to my house, so not really that long a ride, but what i immediately noticed is that it's super smooth and more importantly, fits me very very well. weather permitting i will do a longer ride tomorrow and post more feedback then. for now, here are some pics...


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## PJ352

That's a nice looking ride, thanks for sharing. Is it an '08? Also, did your LBS get the frameset in and build it up? If so, (and you may not know this) did the steerer tube have to be cut down?

I'm very curious to hear more about your riding impressions. Specifically, how much road feedback along with smoothing out the irregulairies. I find many CF bikes either over compensate (and end up feeling somewhat dead) or are overly stiff and beat me up. I'm looking for a bike with a somewhat balanced ride.


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## nescafe

PJ352 said:


> That's a nice looking ride, thanks for sharing. Is it an '08? Also, did your LBS get the frameset in and build it up? If so, (and you may not know this) did the steerer tube have to be cut down?
> 
> I'm very curious to hear more about your riding impressions. Specifically, how much road feedback along with smoothing out the irregulairies. I find many CF bikes either over compensate (and end up feeling somewhat dead) or are overly stiff and beat me up. I'm looking for a bike with a somewhat balanced ride.


Yes it's an 08. The silver blue pics that you find on CC are a bit too much on the metallic side. In person it's actually a bit more muted (that's bec the blue paint is semi-transparent and you can actually see the weave below it, very nice imo. See pic below i took outdoors). And yes, my lbs built it up for me. The only thing "stock" here is the saddle (in-house 4za). The great thing about my lbs is that though it was a custom build, he pretty much gave me the finishing kit (oval) at OEM prices (which is where manufacturers can pass on the price savings) + freebies like the keos, cages and saddle bag. He also took his time in setting me up (we spent around 1.5 hrs), so i was on a trainer and we would tinker around with setback, stem length, etc. And lastly, no he didnt cut the steerer. In fact we left it with 4 spacers on, but the nice thing about ridleys is that the relatively taller headtube means you wont end up with a giraffe kinda look.

Ok so as to the ride. And I will try my best to avoid all the superlatives you normally hear in reviews (but that may be tough!:thumbsup: )…Ok so I took it out to our 50km club ride this morning. Within the first few minutes I could already notice the difference between this and my old ride (ok that was a 2000 columbus steel univega, so i'm sure any of the new offerings would’ve felt different too!). the ride was very smooth and the word that comes to mind – ok superlative coming up – is it feels like gliding. Our route covers some chipseal parts and honestly it didn’t feel “buzzy” at all. I had my tires at 120psi and in my old ride, I could really feel the buzz transmitted to my hands at this tire pressure. Now when we hit better quality roads, I cranked it up a bit and did some out of saddle sprints and I think this is where it really shines. I was expecting the rear to feel too light (as I heard on compact frames that can be the case esp for light riders – I am 60kg when training for an event, more like 63kg now post-christmas!), but it did not feel that way at all. In fact I tried leaning in forward a bit (was on the hoods) while sprinting, but it felt very connected. As others have mentioned, it does handle very well and does make you very confident. I did not have the chance to try it up a proper climb, but in the rolling hills we covered, it swept up easily (but again, I’m coming from a 22 lbs steel bike). I normally do those same rolling hills on the saddle, but this time it just felt that less effort was required (but they say that when you have a new bike, your mind plays tricks!). lastly, as earlier mentioned, the geometry really works for me. In fact when we dialing it in at my LBS and so I would test ride then he would adjust then over again, I kept on telling him that maybe I was too upright, but we had a mirror when I was on the trainer and didn’t seem like I was sitting up at all. Overall, I really enjoyed my ride today and i'm really looking forward to pushing this machine further. my brother had a custom ti made from tom kellog in PA and my bro was swaying me against CF, saying it felt dead (of course he’s never ridden one J), but it did not feel that way at all. Its hard to find fault in it, but if anything, I was asking myself if this is a bit too much bike for me and would I have been just as happy with some of the cheaper carbon offerings. But other than that, no regrets at all.

Lastly, maybe I can share with you my logic for going with the excal. First some background. I don’t do crits but do the annual century and dabble in triathlon as well. So mostly really just fitness. Been cycling on and off since 1991, some years I did more running/tri. As mentioned, I’m pretty light and according to my fitter, more leg than torso. So for my proportions and needs, I really just wanted a solid, lively and un-punishing ride. In addition, I figure since this is my first move into CF, I did not want to spend too much and yet, so I could fully appreciate CF, did not want to go entry level. Thus the excal. In addition, I also went for the gruppo, wheelset, etc that I will be happy to keep (I’ve been thru upgrade-titis – what a waste), so should I so decide that CF (or if i crash this baby!)or ridley is not for me , ebay-ing just the frame wouldn’t be that big a hit. And finally, I also said that I wanted something that I would love looking at and make me want to go out and ride. I rode some other frames which honestly were also good (some even alu), but they just didn’t get me excited. So that’s about it. Im pretty sure if you went for one, you really wouldn't be let down (and P.S. - i hope i did not use too many superlatives! )


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## toonraid

Thanks for the report and pics - which oval set is it (100, 300, 500) and what size frame - stem?


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## PJ352

Hey nescafe, that was a great write up! Gotta say, you covered all the bases and we share a lot of the same criteria for choosing CF. I, too don't want to break the bank on an unknown commodity, but don't want something so low buck that it's not representative of what a good CF bike can be.

From what you say, the ride characteristics are what I'm looking for as well. Handling, well.. I think we both know that an individual has to experience that for themselves.

Being a worrier by nature, I'm a little concerned that the HT/ steerer tube height may not be tall enough for me, resulting in too low of a reach (stack height). I'm not concerned with length of reach, that'll be fine, but I can tell from the pics that you like your bars appreciably lower than I do. Mine are about 4 - 5 cm below top of saddle. Thus, my question about cutting the steerer tube down.

I've got some thinking to do. I'm considering several other brands of CF as well as a couple fo steels. I'd be happy to hear any other thoughts you have along the way, and thanks again for taking the time to share what you did - I appreciate it!!


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## nescafe

PJ: no worries. it's tough sometimes reading reviews and all you hear is "it's laterally stiff and vertically compliant"! as to the saddle-stem drop - that's the angle of the pic playing tricks! it really isn't that aggressive...

toon: it's an oval R700 i think. the basic one. it's a 90mm stem (which my LBS insists is too short, but he said i can use it for a month and if i'm happy i keep it. else, he'll swap in the 100mm)


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## PJ352

When I'm reading bike mag reviews I take what is said with a grain of salt. It's one opinion and one source of info among many others. At some point we have to get on the bike and put it through the paces ourselves. I'm by no means belittling your comments, because they were very helpful - mostly because you left out the superlatives!

My turn to try to help you regarding the stem length you mentioned. This is right out of a textbook, so you too can take it with a grain of salt, but if you can ride with your hands on the hoods, arms slightly bent (thus, a 'normal' riding position) and the bars run through the front hub obscuring your vision of it, the stem is the correct size. Like I said, this is textbook stuff and may not work for you, but similar to KOPS, it's a starting point.

Feel free to add any updates you wish to this thread. I'd love to hear more as you get more miles on the bike. And thanks again for all your input!


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## toonraid

The stem looks like the 300 or 500 as the 700 has a hint of red in the logo graphic as well as a silver front plate. What size frame is it anyway.


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## nescafe

Xs (52.5 Tt)


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## toonraid

I never thought a xs frame would look that good - great design. Have fun ridin


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## PJ352

I agree. I think in most other brands it would be a 50 - 51cm. In general, I think bikes with longer head tubes look better in smaller sizes.


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## rrchea

PJ352 said:


> That's a nice looking ride, thanks for sharing. Is it an '08? Also, did your LBS get the frameset in and build it up? If so, (and you may not know this) did the steerer tube have to be cut down?
> 
> I'm very curious to hear more about your riding impressions. Specifically, how much road feedback along with smoothing out the irregulairies. I find many CF bikes either over compensate (and end up feeling somewhat dead) or are overly stiff and beat me up. I'm looking for a bike with a somewhat balanced ride.



this maybe a little late, but i have both 06' Excalibur & Damocles in XSmall. the Damocles is a very smooth comfortable riding bike but does not excelerate like the Excl(iam not saying that its slow). Its just the feeling is more immediate with the Excalibur because of the solid feel of the BB.No flexing there.Its rock solid. Great for sprinting and closing gaps. Excl is stiff but still is has touch of comfort that it wont beat you up. i weigh 150lbs.

if you are into speed, like chasing down breakaways, and sprinting, i would get the Excalibur. Its cheaper and lighter. My damocles is for trainning and the Excl. is for Sat. ride.

weights (g): using laboratory scale

EXCL. DAMOCLES 

FRAME: 1159.46 g 1325.0g
FORK: 370.07g 347.0g

i know i was a little disappointed in the Damocles frame weight, its almost 1/2lb heavier.


hope this help.


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## PJ352

No, not too late, so thanks for posting. For a variety of reasons I remain undecided so, mostly out of necessity, I may opt for another steel frameset. The whole CF issue has me baffled, and to compound the problem I can't find many bikes to test ride, given I take a 52 cm in most. 

I've heard it mentioned that the Ridley's are getting a redo in the next couple of months, so maybe that'll be enough to sway me. But thanks again for sharing your thoughts.


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## Snopro440

PJ, I took my Excal out on its maiden voyage tonight. Your advice was helpful, and it is puuuuurfect!!! I see that you are looking at possibly getting one. I used to have a Bianchi 928 and an Orbea Onix, which you may remember. In my first 20 miles, I can give this assesment... The Ridley is a stiffer frame, but not in a bad way. I felt very connected to the road, and the bumps were very well absorbed. My Bianchi felt dead, and my Orbea had some flex to it. I really liked the ride quality of it a lot. When I "put the hammer down" It just seemed to shoot forward, it didn't flex. It wasn't harsh at all. I switched to Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CXs when I built it up so it may be part of the excellent ride quality. If you are interested in the Excal sitll, pm me, I think I have a connection that I could get you a very nice price on a frameset If you don't mind getting a 2007 if they still have your size in stock.


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## PJ352

Snopro440 said:


> PJ, I took my Excal out on its maiden voyage tonight. Your advice was helpful, and it is puuuuurfect!!! I see that you are looking at possibly getting one. I used to have a Bianchi 928 and an Orbea Onix, which you may remember. In my first 20 miles, I can give this assesment... The Ridley is a stiffer frame, but not in a bad way. I felt very connected to the road, and the bumps were very well absorbed. My Bianchi felt dead, and my Orbea had some flex to it. I really liked the ride quality of it a lot. When I "put the hammer down" It just seemed to shoot forward, it didn't flex. It wasn't harsh at all. I switched to Vittoria Open Corsa Evo CXs when I built it up so it may be part of the excellent ride quality. If you are interested in the Excal sitll, pm me, I think I have a connection that I could get you a very nice price on a frameset If you don't mind getting a 2007 if they still have your size in stock.


Hi Snopro!
Yes, I remember the thread you started about bike sizing. I'm glad it all worked out for you and happy I could help. Sometimes I think I'm better able to help others than I am myself. Literally, I've been looking for a bike for two years. But, all that aside, what you wrote about your maiden voyage was helpful for me to read.

I also picked up the new Bicycling mag (buyers guide issue) and all that did was serve to confuse me more. They did a little write up on the Excalibur and it was positive, but they said nothing about ride quality. You may be right in what you say about switching to Open Corsa's though, because my experience is that changing tires changes ride quality more than any other factor, all else being equal.

Before I wrote you back, I checked out your bike again - _really_ nice set up!! And I'm glad you're enjoying your ride. I have to get my butt in gear and make a decision soon or I'll be resorting to rubber bands, paper clips and glue to keep my rusty steed on the road!


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## Snopro440

Thanks for the nice comments.. It was 25 degrees and the roads were salty with patches of ice so I really couldn't ride aggressively, so I am excited for summer! dang Minnesota winters (1st time in my life I have said that - seriously!!) . I have ridden a lot of bikes (lately including the Bianchi 928 SL and the tcube, the Orbea Orca, Opal, Specialized Tarmac and a couple others I can't think of) and I am sure I made the right choice, and am happy to be back on Campagnolo as well. I am very satisfied, that is for sure!


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## PJ352

25 degrees sounds warm to me right now. I just checked our weather and we've got a wind chill of 10 here in upstate NY. I call myself a displaced warm weather person, so I'm always complaining about winter.

Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying your new bike. Keep us updated on your ride impressions!


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## lamazion

Snopro440 said:


> Thanks for the nice comments.. It was 25 degrees and the roads were salty with patches of ice so I really couldn't ride aggressively, so I am excited for summer! dang Minnesota winters (1st time in my life I have said that - seriously!!) . I have ridden a lot of bikes (lately including the Bianchi 928 SL and the tcube, the Orbea Orca, Opal, Specialized Tarmac and a couple others I can't think of) and I am sure I made the right choice, and am happy to be back on Campagnolo as well. I am very satisfied, that is for sure!


Where in Minnesota? I'm in Edina ... I'm hoping my excalibur will get it's first ride on the road in the next couple weeks. Currently, it's on the trainer with some odds and ends parts. When my new bars arrive I'll finish the build and hopefully get it on the road. :thumbsup:


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## Snopro440

Just the other end of the Twin Cities, Champlin. You will really like the Excalibur.. A LOT!! No that I got a taste of it, it is supposed to snow now! Figures!!!! Oh well..


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## Lornibear

My first post on the road forum - A heavy rider (230lb), although very fit due to mountain biking, looking for a nice carbon road ride to do some club runs and the odd race.
I have been looking at the offerings from Ridley for some time. Now, do I opt for the excalibur or the orion? I am in the region of 6ft 4 tall with a 34inch inseem and regually put in about 100 miles on my 36lb Nicolai FR per week. Can anybody point me in the right direction with these two models, or perhaps another model which would be better suited perhaps. 
Also, can anybody help on the sizing on this frame. With my dimensions mentioned above, would it be a large or an extra large. I did ride a Specialized allez last year during the winter, but found it a little small. Any help anybody may be able to contribute, would be much appriciated.


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## Snopro440

I am 6'01" tall and I have a medium. It has a 110 mm stem, and a 25mm setback seatpost. I would think that a large would be the way to go. I haven't ridden an Orion, but the Excal is a very good riding frame. Compare your specs with a bike you like the fit of before you buy. I hadn't even seen a Ridley, much less ridden one before I bought mine and because I did my homework, I made a good choice. Even if you don't have a road bike currently, take a few test rides at local shops to decide what fits you the best, take those specs, and then compare to the Ridley. Good luck!!


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## Lornibear

Many thanks snopro440, sound advice.


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## Metz

*Ridley sizing for big guys*



Lornibear said:


> My first post on the road forum - A heavy rider (230lb), although very fit due to mountain biking, looking for a nice carbon road ride to do some club runs and the odd race.
> I have been looking at the offerings from Ridley for some time. Now, do I opt for the excalibur or the orion? I am in the region of 6ft 4 tall with a 34inch inseem and regually put in about 100 miles on my 36lb Nicolai FR per week. Can anybody point me in the right direction with these two models, or perhaps another model which would be better suited perhaps.
> Also, can anybody help on the sizing on this frame. With my dimensions mentioned above, would it be a large or an extra large. I did ride a Specialized allez last year during the winter, but found it a little small. Any help anybody may be able to contribute, would be much appriciated.


I am 6' 4" with a 36" inseam, long arms and an average torso and I ride a large Helium, which is very similar to an Excal and has the same sizing. I run a 13cm stem and have the saddle back quite a bit but it works fine. I could also probably fit fine on an XL with no setback and an 11 or 12cm stem. I wanted the Helium to be little quicker handling and different than my other bike, which is sized about like a Ridley XL and has pretty relaxed geometry.


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## toonraid

Size Large seems the way to go as for which model to pick - a lot depends on where and how you like to ride it. Excalibur and Helium are both great for climbing but obviously lack that ultimate str8 line speed of Noah and Damo. Given your size I say go for Damo if you can afford it but as its your first road bike and if there is a budget then you won't be disappointed with an Orion.


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## backinthesaddle

toonraid said:


> Size Large seems the way to go as for which model to pick - a lot depends on where and how you like to ride it. Excalibur and Helium are both great for climbing but obviously lack that ultimate str8 line speed of Noah and Damo. Given your size I say go for Damo if you can afford it but as its your first road bike and if there is a budget then you won't be disappointed with an Orion.



PLEASE STOP YOUR BS!!!! How in the hell do you figure that the Noah and Damocles lack straight line speed? Is it because you read things about them, as usual?
I've had a Excalibur, a Damocles and now I'm on a Helium. It's easily the stiffest of the three, it handles better than the Damocles because the fork is waaay stiffer and it's lighter.
I simply cannot sit here and read the crap you spew about Ridley bikes.
Do you have one?
Have you ridden one?
Have you even seen one up close?

None of the high end Ridley frames are designated. There are no 'climbing' bikes, nor are there 'sprinting' bikes. Sure, the Noah is a beast of the 4 framesets and rides like crap (yes, it does...I rode it last weekend for 120 miles...brutal!), but the other three do everything well.

I weigh 180 and am a big diesel/sprinter. I have NEVER felt anything that remotely resembled frame flex on my Helium. In our practice crit last week, I lead out our sprinter at 38mph and 1540 watts. My Helium didn't fly apart. And that's plenty of straight line speed...:thumbsup: And he's riding a Scott Addict (he's 6'4" and 210)...! You likely think that's a 'climbing' bike as well...:mad2: 

I know you think you know a lot about the frames, but you just don't. I was pushed towards the Helium by the guys at Sinclair (the importers of Ridley) because they said it would be a better, more comfortable frameset, but still do EVERYTHING I needed it to do...and it has done just that...

I know you'll answer back with more BS...it's to be expected of floor guys in a shop that have little practical experience with high end product. Actually, it qualifies you to work at the 'pro' shop here in town.  

Stop your line of rhetoric until you've had your ass on any, or all, of the bikes for an extended period of time.


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## toonraid

Sorry for my late reply - been on road with some racing buddies all over and therefore not much spare time - anyway season is slowly drawing to a close and here I am.

The answer to your questions - I have a couple of Looks and Colnago's.
as well as a Ridley bike or 2, (Excalibur and a Damocles) and also ridden Aedons, Orions and a few others and a friend of mine has just bought a Noah which i am hoping to ride in the next few week - in actual fact he did a test vs a friend who was on an AXM (merckx) and on the same road and speed they could do same speed with 10 - 15 HR less in a sustained effort on the Noah.

Coming from my older Look and Colnago onto the Excalibur my first impression was that it lacked the str8 line speed but was great for out of the saddle climbs, on the other hand on the Damo it seemed less of an effort to maintain speed and yes I am very much aware of wheelset/tyre choice etc. I never mentioned anything about Helium being less stiff in actual fact the DNA is pretty much the same on both as they use the same carbon - there is just more of it in the Noah and I am sure you will feel the difference at the top end if you get a chance to ride one - the difference will be further amplified with use as you load the frame (ever ridden a Cat 1's bike at the end of the season after he has put in 30 000 miles when it starts to soften up!)

As for Ridley not designating their bikes - well no one does because they don't want to enclose their market by type-casting, its up to the individual to decide which frame is best suited to their requirements. The question you need to ask is why Ridley have made 2 framesets at same price point whilst one is atleast 200g lighter?


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## backinthesaddle

toonraid said:


> Sorry for my late reply - been on road with some racing buddies all over and therefore not much spare time - anyway season is slowly drawing to a close and here I am.
> 
> The answer to your questions - I have a couple of Looks and Colnago's.
> as well as a Ridley bike or 2, (Excalibur and a Damocles) and also ridden Aedons, Orions and a few others and a friend of mine has just bought a Noah which i am hoping to ride in the next few week - in actual fact he did a test vs a friend who was on an AXM (merckx) and on the same road and speed they could do same speed with 10 - 15 HR less in a sustained effort on the Noah.
> 
> Coming from my older Look and Colnago onto the Excalibur my first impression was that it lacked the str8 line speed but was great for out of the saddle climbs, on the other hand on the Damo it seemed less of an effort to maintain speed and yes I am very much aware of wheelset/tyre choice etc. I never mentioned anything about Helium being less stiff in actual fact the DNA is pretty much the same on both as they use the same carbon - there is just more of it in the Noah and I am sure you will feel the difference at the top end if you get a chance to ride one - the difference will be further amplified with use as you load the frame (ever ridden a Cat 1's bike at the end of the season after he has put in 30 000 miles when it starts to soften up!)
> 
> As for Ridley not designating their bikes - well no one does because they don't want to enclose their market by type-casting, its up to the individual to decide which frame is best suited to their requirements. The question you need to ask is why Ridley have made 2 framesets at same price point whilst one is atleast 200g lighter?


Good God, you know nothing...:mad2: 
I'll waste no more time on this folly.


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## toonraid

----


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## JeremyP

My opinion is not to get the Damocles. I don't know anyone in Belgium who would buy one over an Excalibur. As for the Excalibur, it is stiff and very stable. Rides just like a solid alloy bike, only lighter.


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## toonraid

A nice review of the 09 Noah by Bicycling magazine where one of the Ridley guys defines the difference between the Helium & Noah as well as a Video of test ride ... perhaps not a good idea for backinthesaddle to read the article though - he will hate it.

http://www.bicycling.com/gear/detail/0,7989,s1-16-156-1716-0,00.html


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## rellimreeb

toonraid said:


> A nice review of the 09 Noah by Bicycling magazine where one of the Ridley guys defines the difference between the Helium & Noah as well as a Video of test ride ... perhaps not a good idea for backinthesaddle to read the article though - he will hate it.
> 
> http://www.bicycling.com/gear/detail/0,7989,s1-16-156-1716-0,00.html


I like that, makes me want a Noah, but I'm not crazy about the lines of the bike, aero or not.

I'm liking the Helium personally. when/if I replace my Excalibur, I think a Helium w/ a Campy 11 speed setup would be very nice.


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## backinthesaddle

toonraid said:


> A nice review of the 09 Noah by Bicycling magazine where one of the Ridley guys defines the difference between the Helium & Noah as well as a Video of test ride ... perhaps not a good idea for backinthesaddle to read the article though - he will hate it.
> 
> http://www.bicycling.com/gear/detail/0,7989,s1-16-156-1716-0,00.html


Dude, just a tip...
When you use Bicycling magazine as a source to prove a point, you just aren't helping yourself...


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## Tumbleweed

All the video does for me is confirm the Damocles lacks top end speed. Obviously, anyone who has ridden a Fuji realizes the componentry matches that of a top end Gitane. Go Poland!!!


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## rsosborn

JeremyP said:


> My opinion is not to get the Damocles. I don't know anyone in Belgium who would buy one over an Excalibur. As for the Excalibur, it is stiff and very stable. Rides just like a solid alloy bike, only lighter.



Ditto that. I picked up a medium Excalibur this summer, to complement my 
Orbea Orca. I then switched the Excalibur down to a small frame. 

The Excalibur is a bad little *****. It climbs like a rocket. Runs on flat ground 
like a motorcycle. Love it, love it love it.


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## Leopold Porkstacker

I’ve been riding my Damocles (size large) for several months now, and I must say that it is a badass sprinting machine, however, it holds it’s own going up hills as well. No bottom flex like a lot of other carbon frames.


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## rsosborn

Leopold Porkstacker said:


> I’ve been riding my Damocles (size large) for several months now, and I must say that it is a badass sprinting machine, however, it holds it’s own going up hills as well. No bottom flex like a lot of other carbon frames.



Ditto. I can simply see it on a stationary trainer. My Orca flexes easily 3-4 mm each way 
while between strokes. Almost nothing on my Excalibur.

I'm keeping my Orca mainly for a century/long distance ride. The Excalibur will mainly be for shorter rides/crits.


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## will2007

*ridley excalibur*

Thought I would post my excalibur. I love this bike. I have it built up with sram red shifters and a red crankset. The remainder of the components are sram force. The wheels are HED ardennes and are awesome. I can't say the wheels are any faster, but I do feel that that are better (more stable) turning, especially at high speeds. I have ridden time, scott, specialized, trek and cannondale road bikes. I would rank it second only to the time bike. I think it feels most like the scott CR1 frame. A little less stiff than the addict.


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## Guest

I like the paint scheme of that particular excalibur, very nice. I think that in the past Ridley didn't do the Ex. any favors with the colors they chose. Of course they couldn't help that Unibet wore green.


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## nkrax

i have the 07 Ex and love it. light and stiff.


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