Ridley says the Grifn is the only bike you need for road and gravel

By Warren Rossiter

Published: Thursday, 01 December 2022 at 12:00 am

Ridley’s latest entry into the world of all-road bikes is the all-new Grifn.

The Belgian brand has form when it comes to bikes built to take on all surfaces. Back in 2015, it launched the X-Trail, which has since morphed into the Kanzo Fast with its aggressive gravel race geometry and aero tube shapes borrowed from the Noah Fast.

The new Grifn is positioned as an ‘N+1 killer’, and is said to be equally adept at both road and gravel riding.

In recent times, the range of road and gravel bikes that aim to do both surfaces justice in a single package has grown quickly. It’s a trend we first appreciated back in 2019 when the Rondo HVRT CF0 won our Bike of the Year award, but we’d argue the current crop of lightweight race-orientated gravel bikes such as the Cervélo Aspero, Specialized Crux, and Scott Addict Gravel all earn the ‘N+1 killer’ tag and arguably endurance bikes like the Cannondale Synapse LTD RLE and Trek Domane do, too.

The Ridley Grifn follows the lightweight trend with a 990g frame (in a size medium, unpainted) and a 440g fork. The geometry sits between the brand’s Fenix endurance bike and the Kanzo Fast’s racy gravel layout.

There’s generous 700 x 40c tyre clearance when run in a 1x configuration. It comes fully equipped with mudguard mounts and three bottle cage ports, plus bento box mounting points.

The Ridley Grifn is available in four standard builds, and fully customisable using the brand’s online configurator. Ridley says more Grifn-specific options will be available soon after today’s launch.

Prices for the standard builds start from €3,199 / £2,909 for Shimano GRX600 2x and Shimano 105 R7020 builds, and top out at €4,699 / £4,279 for a Shimano 105 R7150 Di2 build. The bikes are available now.

A frame for road and trail

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The Grifn comes in four stock models plus a wealth of custom options using Ridley’s online configurator.
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A 2x gravel-specific custom build with GRX Di2 and Levanto G gravel wheels.
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One of the few stock builds with Shimano’s GRX800.
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Ridley seems to have taken the X-Trail template and fully updated it with the Grifn.

The carbon frame’s geometry is a blend between the Fenix endurance bike and Kanso Fast, with a generous 73mm bottom bracket drop and a 72-degree head angle in a size medium.

By comparison, the Kanzo Fast has a 71.5-degree head angle and 71mm bottom bracket drop, while the Fenix SLiC has a 73.5-degree head angle and a 66mm bottom bracket drop.

That said, the Grifn looks more akin to a road bike, with a 1,021mm wheelbase and 420mm chainstay length. That’s 5mm shorter than the gravel-oriented Kanzo for both measurements, and 29mm and 10mm longer respectively than the Fenix.

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The frame features three sets of dual-position bottle cage bosses.
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Skinny dropped seatstays add a bit of rear-end comfort.
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The Grifn uses Ridley’s F-Steerer design to allow brake hoses to be routed internally through the frame.
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A flush-fitting plate on the top tube hides bento box mounts.
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Generous tyre clearances and proper fender mounts on the seastays.
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The seatstays aren’t dropped quite as far as those on Ridley’s pure-gravel Kanzo models.
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Ridley claims this geometry should result in fast, reactive handling but with good levels of stability. In short, the brand says the Grifn is a road-focused gravel bike that’s comfortable enough for big days out on rough roads, but still aggressive enough to be enjoyed on a challenging road Gran Fondo.

The weight figures for the Grifn look competitive on paper, with a claimed frame weight of 990g (medium, unpainted), paired with a 445g fork.

Ridley claims a complete-build Shimano GRX Di2-equipped bike from its online custom bike builder weighs in at 8.5kg.

XSSMLXL
Seat angle (degrees)74.57473.573.573
Head angle (degrees)71.572727272
Chainstay (mm)420420420420420
Seat tube (mm)470500520545570
Top tube (mm)525545565585605
Head tube (mm)115140165195215
Bottom bracket drop (mm)7573737171
Wheelbase (mm)9931,0051,0211,0431,058
Stack (mm)540563587614633
Reach (mm)375383391401412

Fully equipped

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The 420mm chainstays keep the wheelbase shorter for on-road handling benefits.
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The 445g fork comes with fender mounts and internal routing for a front dynamo.
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The one-piece Forza Cirrus Pro bar is based on the one-piece bar from Ridley’s Noah aero bike.
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A band-on front derailleur keeps the frame clean if you decide on a 1x setup.
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A third set of bottle bosses on the underside of the down tube adds bikepacking potential.
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The Cirrus Pro bar goes gravel with its 16-degree flare.
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The Grifn’s frame and fork are both designed to accommodate 700 x 40c tyres when using a 1x drivetrain.

If you opt for a 2x setup, the tyre clearances drop slightly to 38mm, while the clearance understandably drops again to 32mm-wide tyres with mudguards in place.

The frameset has plenty of mount points included. Alongside mudguard mounts, three sets of bottle cage bosses are installed on the seat tube and either side of the down tube.

The flat top tube features bento box mounts, which can be hidden under flush-fit covers if left unused.

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The new Ridley Grifn is designed to be at home on the road.
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Ridley has included internal routing in the fork for a front dynamo hub, plus routing for a rear dynamo-powered light with an exit port just in front of the seat tube/top tube junction.

All of the cables and hoses run internally using Ridley’s F-steerer tech. This combines a crescent-shaped steerer tube to allow the cables and hoses to run through the front of the head tube.

The F-Steerer design is used on Ridley’s road bikes to gain an aerodynamic advantage by keeping cables and hoses hidden. Here, Ridley claims the F-Steerer tech makes it easier to fit a bar bag, as well as preventing the risk of cable snagging in the event of an accident.

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The bike is also intended to be able to take on gravel duties.
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Towards the top of the range, the Grifn gets a new Cirrus Pro one-piece cockpit that combines a shorter reach (70mm) and shallow drop (120mm) with a gravel-friendly 16-degree flare.

This cockpit comes in four different stem/width sizes: 90/380mm, 100/400mm, 110/400mm and 120/420mm.

Four builds plus customisation

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The Grifn can be bought road ready.
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Alongside four off-the-peg models featuring two road-focused and two gravel-oriented builds, the new Grifn is available as a fully customisable build using Ridley’s online configurator.

Ridley says you can select your perfect specification – from the colourway and design to the groupset, finishing kit and added accessories.

We’re told that Classified’s wirelessly activated Powershift two-speed internal geared hub is a selectable option, while commuters and multi-day adventurers can specify a dynamo-hub equipped front wheel and accompanying lights through the configurator.

Ridley Grifn specifications

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Gravel builds are also available.
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Ridley Grifn Shimano 105 Di2

  • Price: €4,699 / £4,279
  • Frame: GRIFN carbon
  • Fork: GRIFN carbon
  • Groupset: Shimano 105 Di2 R7150
  • Wheels: Forza Norte Gravel
  • Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Next 32mm
  • Seatpost: Forza Cirrus alloy-carbon
  • Handlebar/stem: Forza Cirrus Pro Integrated Gravel
  • Saddle: Selle Italia X-LR

Ridley Grifn Shimano GRX800 2x

  • Price: €4,199 / £3,819
  • Frame: GRIFN carbon
  • Fork: GRIFN carbon
  • Groupset: Shimano GRX800 2x
  • Wheels: Forza Norte Gravel
  • Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Dry TNT
  • Seatpost: Forza Cirrus alloy-carbon
  • Stem: Forza Cirrus Pro Integrated Flared
  • Handlebar: Forza Cirrus Pro Integrated Flared
  • Saddle: Selle Italia X-LR

Ridley Grifn Shimano GRX600 2x

  • Price: €3,199 / £2,909
  • Frame: GRIFN carbon
  • Fork: GRIFN carbon
  • Groupset: Shimano GRX600 2x
  • Wheels: Shimano RS171 DB
  • Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Dry TNT
  • Seatpost: Forza Cirrus Alloy-Carbon
  • Stem: Forza Stratos
  • Handlebar: Forza Cirrus E2
  • Saddle: Selle Italia Model X

Ridley Grifn Shimano 105

  • Price: €3,199 / £2,909
  • Frame: GRIFN carbon
  • Fork: GRIFN carbon
  • Groupset: Shimano 105 R7020
  • Wheels: Shimano RS171 DB
  • Tyres: Vittoria Zaffiro Pro 32mm
  • Seatpost: Forza Cirrus alloy-carbon
  • Stem: Forza Stratos
  • Handlebar: Forza Cirrus
  • Saddle: Selle Italia Model X