# 2012 Ridley Noah Frame Only



## Rackerman (Jan 9, 2014)

I have the opportunity to get a 2012 Ridley Noah (Vacansoleil team edition)... Owner says it's clean and not been raced... Just Fondo's and club rides. The bike looks clean other than regular wear and tear and the price seems ok but I'm not sure. He's asking around $1600.00

I need and want something as stiff as my Giant Rabobank but I don't want something that I see at every light... I've heard that the Ridleys are up and coming and this one fits my price range and I have a full set of Di2's that will be very much at home on it. I believe that it's set up to be wired for internal Di2's too but not sure about the battery yet. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

_*What I'm looking for:*
I like light, fast and stiff bikes for club races, the odd masters race and to climb with... And they have to be different too._


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## primov8 (Dec 16, 2012)

I've got a Noah Pro and its been the longest frameset I've kept to date. Simply, I love everything about the bike. Prior to the Noah Pro, I stuck with cervelo ('09 & '10 S2, '11 S3, '12 S5) but it took one ride on a Noah that convinced me to get rid of my S5 that was ridden for about two months. 
An early complaint of the previous Noah, pre-2011 was that it was a very stiff bike and somewhat unforgiving for long days on the saddle. A great race bike but not one to choose for fondo type rides.
The '12-current models are vastly improved since Ridley changed the carbon layup and I have no problems taking my Noah Pro out on the weekends when I spend 95% of my riding time. I'll usually ride anywhere between 100-175 miles on a weekend and don't feel beaten up after riding the Noah Pro. 
Its definitely a fast bike, more than enough bike for a sportive/club rider such as myself. But being 6'0, 185-190, I always prefer a stiffer frameset and the Noah Pro fits the criteria. A very stable bike that seems to pick up speed quite easily, handle corners perfectly with great handling. 
The knock on the Noah is that it isn't a suitable climbing bike as most aero framesets aren't but I don't plan on ever being KOM. 

Regarding the Noah you're considering, I'm not sure its EPS/Di2 compatible. The Noah/Pro/FAST framesets have the electric/mechanical cable guide entries on the head tube. There is also a 2nd hole on the seat tube near the FD mount to accommodate electrical wire/connector. The hole on the DS chain stay for the RD wire/connector is also larger; my Noah Pro came with different grommets and fittings for either electric or mechanical.


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## Rackerman (Jan 9, 2014)

Thanks for detailed reply. I got confirmation that the Di2 is not internally compatible and we would need to do an under-seat battery mount. Not a fan of that.

I love where there frames have come from and where they are going and I look forward to see what else they come up with in the future.

Again, I appreciate hearing your experiences. Safe riding to you.

Regards,
Raye


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