Ridley's new Noah Fast also comes in a rim build (Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Direct-mount brakes front and rear for the Noah Fast, because Shimano brakes work better than chinsy aero options (Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The Noah Fast sports a very slick integrated cockpit(Image credit: Ridley Bikes)
At the Tour de France, Lotto is racing the Noah Fast with Campagnolo(Image credit: Josh Evans/Immediate Media)
Campagnolo Super Record with discs is a rare thing (Image credit: Josh Evans/Immediate Media)
The rim brake team bike sports Campagnolo's direct-mount calipers(Image credit: Josh Evans/Immediate Media)
Greipel has the new integrated cockpit, but with his own gorilla graphics(Image credit: Josh Evans/Immediate Media)
Trippy! The new Ridley Noah Fast employs frontal-edge channeling to form a tripwire for better aerodynamics (Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Ridley has used what it calls F-Surface treatment before on the down tube and seatpost, but the new bike has more extensive channeling(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
In a common trend for aero bikes, Ridley lowered the seatstays, which means more potential vertical flex and thus comfort(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
Ridley has a new integrated cockpit for the Noah Fast (Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The F-Surface channeling is applied at the fork, head tube, down tube and even the headset spacers(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
The trailing edges get a Kamm tail shape, which is handy for branding(Image credit: Ben Delaney/Immediate Media)
These little protrusions are another drag-reducing feature(Image credit: Ridley Bikes)
Ridley has overhauled its aero road bike with vortex-generating channels, an integrated cockpit and rim- and disc-brake variants. While Lotto-Soudal is racing the bike with Campagnolo at the Tour de France, the Ridley Noah Fast will be sold as a frameset or a complete bike with Shimano Ultegra Di2.
Ridley moulds in channels near the leading edge of the bike’s tubing (and headset spacers) to reduce aerodynamic drag. The idea is to form a tripwire that creates a small vortex generator, which keeps air flowing more smoothly and thus faster across the frame’s surface.
Trippy! The new Ridley Noah Fast employs frontal-edge channeling to form a tripwire for better aerodynamics
Ridley calls its channels “F-Surface technology”, and has employed it on previous Noah bikes on the down tube and seatpost. Now Ridley put it on head tube, fork legs and headset spacers.
Ridley has used what it calls F-Surface treatment before on the down tube and seatpost, but the new bike has more extensive channeling
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Ridley previously had a fork with a small opening through each leg that the company claimed reduced drag. That idea has been abandoned, evidently.
Another aero design comes in the form of nubs on the fork’s dropouts on the rim brake, bike and in a similar place on the disc version. Ridley calls these “F-Wings” and claims that they reduce turbulence caused by the front hub.
These little protrusions are another drag-reducing feature
Also, the thru-axle lever can be popped off the disc bike for a cleaner profile.
New integrated cockpit, new seat clamp clamp and everything internal
The Noah Fast sports a very slick integrated cockpit
Ridley has a new one-piece stem and handlebar that comes in six lengths and an unspecified numbers of widths (3 or 4 are common).
Ridley claims that while aerodynamics of the whole system was prioritized while designing the bike with CFD and wind-tunnel study, comfort and adjustability were also considered.
Ridley also tucked the seatpost clamp and brake/shift lines inside the frame and out of the wind. The latter run inside the bike all the way from the levers, passing through the bar and stem and down into the frame.
Ridley claims bottom-bracket and head-tube stiffness were increased while comfort is improved thanks to smaller and lower-mounted seatstays. No figures for these claims were provided.
Similarly, while Ridley says the Noah Fast Disc is “about 250g lighter”, no claimed weights are provided for the framesets or complete bikes for the rim or disc bikes.
