RIDLEY NOAH SL - AN INDEPTH LOOK

Having ridden Ridley's ridiculously light Helium SL for most of the 2015 season, I was - in all honesty - somewhat hesitant to move over to the Noah SL. Plying most of my trade in the hills, how would the additional weight (however small) translate?

Taking delivery of the Noah SL shortly before pushing off to the sun-drenched shores of Hawaii's Big Island, home of Ironman's World Championships, I didn't have much time to acclimatize to the new rig and its very different geometry and latest aero design philosophies (claimed to save 7% of wind resistance over more traditional, round-tubed designs).

Before we talk about the ride quality, let's start with a quick walk around.  The

Noah SL comes draped with Shimano's top level groupset, mechanical Dura-Ace.  While not quite as sophisticated as it's electrically-charged sibling, the DA9000 groupset offers consistent, lightening fast shifts, incredibly powerful brakes mounted in their traditional location (where god intended them to be!), and among the stiffest crank arms on the planet. Similarly, the Zipp 60 wheelset (kissing cousin of the 404s), with it's 58mm dimpled, hybrid toroidal carbon rim and aluminum braking surface offers superior reliability and low maintenance, hassle-free mileage. Enough about Shimano's venerable 9000 group and Zipp's fancy deep section go fast wheels, you guys are here to read about the Noah SL!

Up front, the Noah SL features Ridley’s unique F-Splitfork.  Each fork leg is

divided into two airfoil-shaped elements with a small gap running down the middle, intended to improve airflow, bettering aerodynamic performance by directing turbulent air away from the rotating front wheel. The fork crown is neatly integrated into the head tube and downtube, with a small lip extension at the top trailing edge of the fork, similar to what a few Pinarello models are sporting of late.

Concentrating on improved aerodynamics over extreme weight loss, the Noah SL's aerodynamically shaped, camtail downtube has two narrow grooves running down its leading edge, said to channel air more efficiently across its surface.  The sculpted downtube culminates in an oversize, beefy bottom bracket utilizing a pressfit 30 bb, adding stiffness to an already impressive design.


The seattube neatly wraps around the rear wheel, reducing drag and again, increasing efficiency. Sprouting from the seattube is an aero-shaped seatpost with two channels running the length of the post, similar to the aforementioned downtube in design. The Noah SL’s seatstays extend midway up the seattube, shaped with aerodynamics in mind, reducing frontal area as well limiting the amount of material required. 

Having logged over 700km on the Noah SL, many in anger on long climbs (Kohala Mountain Road), on windy gentle rollers (Queen K!), on desolate stretches under full gas (Akoni Pule Highway) and in frenzied sprints, I can say that the handling of the Noah SL is decidedly racey; quick and razor sharp with impressive feedback, capable of carving just about any arc you throw at it.

Did I feel 7% faster on the wind-chiseled Noah SL over the balloon-light Helium SL?  It's hard to quantify aerodynamic efficiency, however, rolling at 45km/h and throwing down an attack sees a very quick reaction and a brisk increase in tempo. The stiffness of the package offers exceptional get up and go, without any buzzy harshness normally associated with aero bikes.  Bumps, vibrations and bigger potholes are nicely absorbed, always offering confident feedback every step of the way, without beating you up in the process.

For those looking for a race ready bike that's just as capable racing a hair-raising pro-level criterium on cobbles as it is rolling effortlessly long training miles with your closest buddies, the Ridley Noah SL, with it's sleek design ethos and top, worry-free components, deserves to be on everyone's shopping list.

The down tube is cutaway around the trailing edge of the front wheel while the seat tube is cutaway around the leading edge of the rear wheel, the idea being to manage the airflow in both of those areas. The Noah SL’s seatstays are shorter than those of the Noah Fast. Rather than joining the seat tube next to the top tube junction, they meet it much lower down, reducing the frontal area as well as the amount of material used. - See more at: http://road.cc/content/news/128668-ridley-lightens-noah-aero-road-bike-950g-framed-sl-version#sthash.HXwF0bfs.dpuf

The down tube is cutaway around the trailing edge of the front wheel while the seat tube is cutaway around the leading edge of the rear wheel, the idea being to manage the airflow in both of those areas. The Noah SL’s seatstays are shorter than those of the Noah Fast. Rather than joining the seat tube next to the top tube junction, they meet it much lower down, reducing the frontal area as well as the amount of material used. - See more at: http://road.cc/content/news/128668-ridley-lightens-noah-aero-road-bike-950g-framed-sl-version#sthash.HXwF0bfs.dpuf

The down tube is cutaway around the trailing edge of the front wheel while the seat tube is cutaway around the leading edge of the rear wheel, the idea being to manage the airflow in both of those areas. The Noah SL’s seatstays are shorter than those of the Noah Fast. Rather than joining the seat tube next to the top tube junction, they meet it much lower down, reducing the frontal area as well as the amount of material used. - See more at: http://road.cc/content/news/128668-ridley-lightens-noah-aero-road-bike-950g-framed-sl-version#sthash.HXwF0bfs.dpuf

 

The frame is made from a proprietary blend of 60T, 40T and 30T unidirectional carbon fibre and features Ridley’s in-moulded F-Surface, a treatment that’s designed to create an area of micro-turbulence around the leading edge of the frame which ultimately leads to reduced drag. You can see grooves running along the down tube, for example. - See more at: http://road.cc/content/news/128668-ridley-lightens-noah-aero-road-bike-950g-framed-sl-version#sthash.HXwF0bfs.dpuf

The frame is made from a proprietary blend of 60T, 40T and 30T unidirectional carbon fibre and features Ridley’s in-moulded F-Surface, a treatment that’s designed to create an area of micro-turbulence around the leading edge of the frame which ultimately leads to reduced drag. You can see grooves running along the down tube, for example. - See more at: http://road.cc/content/news/128668-ridley-lightens-noah-aero-road-bike-950g-framed-sl-version#sthash.HXwF0bfs.dpuf