In the racing bike world, all eyes are currently on Australia, where the first World Tour race of the season starts on 21 January. The six stages around Adelaide will be the first time that the new or revised professional bikes will be seen racing. However, the new Noah Fast will be missing from the peloton. Although Ridley presented the aero machine in the run-up to the Tour Down Under, the second-class Uno-X Mobility will only start the season later at the Alula Tour in Saudi Arabia (28 January to 1 February).
Facts & figures about the Ridley Noah Fast
- Weight of complete wheel: not specified
- Aerodynamics: 7 watts faster than Falcn RS (manufacturer's specification)
- Stack/Reach/STR: 521/410 millimetres/1.27
- Frame sizes: XXS, XS, S, M, L
- Prices: from 8799 Euro
According to the manufacturer, the third generation of the Noah Fast has what it takes to take on the fastest race bikes in the world. The new version is said to save almost nine watts at 50 km/h compared to its predecessor. Compared to the Falcn RS, the race all-rounder from the Belgian bike manufacturer, is what Ridley calls an improvement of seven watts. The old Noah Fast in the professional version by Jasper de Buyst came in the TOUR wind tunnel test to 212 watts.
As Ridley used a different test setup, we can only speculate how fast the Noah Fast would be according to the TOUR standard. Due to the low inflow speed in the GST wind tunnel, 45 instead of 50 km/h, the improvement in aero performance is likely to be somewhat more moderate. The fastest specialists today move around 200 watts, versatile all-rounders are around ten watts slower.
Like comparable bikes, the Ridley also benefits from the abandonment of the 3:1 rule, which determined the dimensions of the tube cross-sections. For some years now, the UCI, the world cycling organisation, has allowed much flatter shapes - and this is clearly visible on the Noah Fast. In other words: The new version shares hardly any similarities with its predecessor; instead, elements of familiar aero bikes are recognisable. The extremely long head tube in particular is strongly reminiscent of the Simplon Pride II (199 watts) or Koga Kinsei (210 watts).
The geometry of the Ridley competition bike
The new cockpit called Nimbus plays a not insignificant role in the aero tuning. By integrating the stem into the front triangle of the frame and acting as an extension of the top tube, turbulence is minimised. The compact design leads to an aerodynamically favourable position, which is already dictated by the extremely aggressive design of the frame. Finally, the Belgians quote an STR ratio of 1.27 for the medium frame size, while the seat angle of around 76 degrees is also steeper than that of comparable competitors.
Overall, the Ridley is orientated towards the frame geometry of time trial bikes. In contrast to these, however, the Noah Fast can accommodate wide tyres. Up to 34-millimetre tyres are possible and would allow use "on rough terrain such as Paris-Roubaix", according to the Belgians. The standard tyres are 28 millimetres wide.
There is no information on individual or complete bike weights in the official announcement. However, it can be assumed that the new Aero, like the comparable Pride II or Kinsei Pro, will weigh well over 7 kilograms. Both models weighed in at 7.9 kilograms on the TOUR scales. Fast professional bikes like the Scott Foil RC Ultimate (203 watts/6.9 kilos) or Canyon Aeroad CFR AXS (204 watts/7.1 kilos) show that top aerodynamics and relatively low weight can be combined in one platform. However, both racing machines do without the extreme wing profiles of the Ridley.
Ridley seems to have rectified a weak point of the Falcn RS in the Noah Fast. The head tube and bottom bracket are said to be ten per cent stiffer than on their own race all-rounder, which scored below average in the TOUR test. The bike manufacturer from the province of Limburg co-operated with the Testing institute of Dirk Zedler.
Ridley Noah Fast: Models and prices
The new aero machine is available in two model variants and five frame sizes. The top versions are known as the Noah Fast 3.0 and have a hefty starting price. With Shimano Ultegra Di2 and aero wheels from DT Swiss, the price is 8499 euros, while the most expensive version with Sram Red AXS costs 12499 euros. The Noah, on the other hand, is based on a heavier frameset and is not available with the one-piece cockpit. It starts at 4199 euros for the build with mechanical 105 and aluminium wheels from DT Swiss, the top version is equipped with the Classified gear hub and costs 7499 euros.
In addition to the pre-configured complete bikes, Ridley offers numerous customisation options in its own online toolbox. Crank length, paintwork and much more can be personalised here.
Ridley Noah Fast 3.0 Ultegra Di2
- Drive/gear shift: Shimano Ultegra Di2 (2x12; 52/36, 11-30 t.)
- Impellers: DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut 62
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro (28 mm)
- Handlebar/stem: Nimbus Aero
- Price: 8799 Euro
Ridley Noah Fast 3.0 Force AXS
- Drive/gear shift: Sram Force AXS (2x12; 48/35, 10-33 t.)
- Impellers: DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut 62
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro (28 mm)
- Handlebar/stem: Nimbus Aero
- Price: 9299 Euro
Ridley Noah Fast 3.0 Dura-Ace Di2
- Drive/gear shift: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 (2x12; 52/36, 11-30 t.)
- Impellers: DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut 62
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro (28 mm)
- Handlebar/stem: Nimbus Aero
- Price: 11,499 Euro
Ridley Noah Fast 3.0 Red AXS
- Drive/gear shift: Sram Red AXS (2x12; 48/35, 10-33 t.)
- Impellers: DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut 62
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro (28 mm)
- Handlebar/stem: Nimbus Aero
- Price: 12,499 Euro
Ridley Noah 3.0 105
- Drive/gear shift: Shimano 105 (2x12; 50/34, 11-34 t.)
- Impellers: DT Swiss E 1800 Spline 30
- Tyres: Vittoria Zaffiro Pro (28 mm)
- Handlebar/stem: Deda Zero2/Deda Super Box
- Price: 4199 Euro
Ridley Noah 3.0 105 Di2
- Drive/gear shift: Shimano 105 Di2 (2x12; 50/34, 11-34 t.)
- Impellers: DT Swiss E 1800 Spline 30
- Tyres: Vittoria Rubino Pro (28 mm)
- Handlebar/stem: Forza Cirrus Pro Integrated
- Price: 4999 Euro
Ridley Noah 3.0 Rival AXS
- Drive/gear shift: Sram Rival AXS (2x12; 48/35, 10-36 t.)
- Impellers: 4ZA Skiron CF38
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa N.EXT (28 mm)
- Handlebar/stem: Forza Cirrus Pro Integrated
- Price: 5999 Euro
Ridley Noah 3.0 Ultegra Di2
- Drive/gear shift: Shimano Ultegra Di2 (2x12; 52/36, 11-30 t.)
- Impellers: Zipp 303 S
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro (28 mm)
- Handlebar/stem: Forza Cirrus Pro Integrated
- Price: 6499 Euro
Ridley Noah 3.0 Force AXS
- Drive/gear shift: Sram Force AXS (2x12; 48/35, 10-33 t.)
- Impellers: Zipp 303 S
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro (28 mm)
- Handlebar/stem: Forza Cirrus Pro Integrated
- Price: 6999 Euro
Ridley Noah 3.0 Classified
- Drive/gear shift: Classified/Sram Rival AXS (1x12; 11-34 t.)
- Impellers: Forza Levanto/4ZA Levanto
- Tyres: Vittoria Corsa N.EXT (28 mm)
- Handlebar/stem: Forza Cirrus Pro Integrated
- Price: 7499 Euro
Julian Schultz
Editor
