Greipel wins Stage 6 powers his way with Ridley Bikes
Lotto Belisol Pro Cycling Team Top Sprinter - Andre "The Gorilla" Greipel - sprinting his way to 2nd place for the battle of the Green (Points) Jersey on the 2013 Tour de France. Ridley Bikes from Belgium powers the Belgian based Lotto Belisol Pro Cycling Team, have two different road bikes for each of the riders' preference - the new lightweight Ridley Helium SL or the slippery - aerodynamic - stiff Ridley Noah Fast.
The new Tour de France edition Helium SL is equipped with Campagnolo EPS Electronic drivetrain & Campagnolo Carbon wheels - Neutron Ultra wheels for climbing stages.
Ridley says that the Helium SL is actually stiffer than the Helium. To be exact, Ridley's testing has concluded that the SL is 8% stiffer at the BB30 bottom bracket, 4% stiffer at the head tube, and the new fork design not only weighs 90 grams less, but it also has a 20% increased side stiffness. How does this translate to speed? Ride quality hinges what's called a stiffness-to-weight ratio, or specific modulus. And while the mathematics behind the determination of specific modulus are too complicated to explain here, it's not a complicated notion to grasp that a frame with low weight and higher stiffness will efficiently transfer power.
Ridley has also made the Helium SL - 100% internal cable routing has been designed to accommodate both electronic and mechanical shift systems. And in the case of the seatpost, the SL's rendition of the future sees a blast from the past. Now, the SL has done away with the Helium's old integrated seat mast to become the only frame in the Ridley stable with a 27.2mm seatpost. This minimizes weight, makes it more user-friendly, and increases comfort through greater vertical compliance.
Another bike in the Lotto Belisol Pro Cycling Team is the Ridley Noah FAST which Andre Greipel sprinted to his Stage 6 victory on this year's TDF against Peter Sagan & Mark Cavendish. Ridley's FAST-concept was developed for one purpose -- free speed. At its pinnacle, this concept employs Ridley's F-Splitfork, F-Surface paint, F-Brake, and an integrated seatmast. These combined technologies offer up to 2.8km/h advantage in the sprint, and up to 20 watts less power input needed to average a 40km/h breakaway. The Noah FAST is the ultimate frame in the World Tour peloton, no compromise, just pure speed.
At various locations, the airstream comes away from the frame, creating a wake which increases the drag. Therefore Ridley did extensive wind tunnel testing and used oil mapping technology to locate the places where the wind comes away from the frame. To avoid this, Ridley applied a structure surface on various defined locations in order keep to the wind close to the frame. This has helped to reduce drag optimizing the speed a bike can obtain.
Finally, the new Ridley Dean FAST, the primary development on the Dean FAST is the integration of the steering assembly into the frame, which creates a far more dynamic front end. Protruding cables have been eliminated almost entirely. The Dean’s F-Splitfork has been retained, which Ridley claim will dissipate the turbulence of the spinning wheel. The fork has been widened, too, to incorporate the front brake into the trailing edge. The Ridley F-Surface treatment, which smoothes airflow on leading edges and is applied during the moulding process, has also been incorporated. The seat clamping mechanism appears to have been simplified, too.
The Dean FAST frame has been designed to accept electronic groupsets. While the Campagnolo battery is still docked on the down tube of the current team bikes, a pocket has been created just behind the head tube to accept the next, much smaller EPS battery. The company have opted for a tube-to-tube construction technique over a monocoque design. This method means they will soon be able to offer customised geometry to riders – mostly triathletes – and ensure that the sleek leading edge doesn’t need to be compromised by spacers.
