Less money but increased weight for Ridley’s more affordable Noah and Helium range

By Oscar Huckle

Published: Thursday, 24 February 2022 at 12:00 am

Ridley has announced more affordable models of its aero Noah and lightweight Helium bikes.

The frames were previously only available in the brand’s flagship ‘Elite Series’, as ridden by Belgian pro team Lotto Soudal.

The Elite Series denotes the top-flight frame, where the weight is kept at its most competitive, stiffness is optimised and the best ride quality is achieved, according to Ridley.

The new frames come under the ‘Essential Series’ moniker. Ridley claims they retain the same characteristics as the flagship models in terms of stiffness and ride quality, but are constructed from a more cost-effective grade of carbon fibre. Less cash, but an increase in overall weight.

Ridley doesn’t quote a weight for the Noah, but says the new Helium frames “weigh less than 1,000 grams”. (Ridley hasn’t quoted an exact figure, nor has the brand specified which size frame this is for.)

However, considering the Ridley Helium SLX Disc, which was launched in 2019, comes in at approximately 780g in a size medium, a weight increase of around 200g isn’t an unexpected penalty.

The Noah will be available starting from £3,369 / €3,699, while the Helium will be available starting from £2,909 / €3,199. Availability and pricing in the USA and Australia are to be confirmed.

The aero-optimised 2022 Ridley Noah Disc

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The new Ridley Noah Disc screams ‘fast’ when standing stationary.
Ridley

The Noah is Ridley’s aero road bike, as ridden by Lotto Soudal’s Caleb Ewan in the men’s UCI WorldTour.

The new, Essential Series version of the Noah Disc retains the key aerodynamic features of its more expensive sibling, such as the proprietary F-Steerer and integrated cable routing. The brand says this new Noah “cuts through the wind as fast as the top versions”.

The hoses and gear cables are completely hidden via the Forza N2 integrated bar-stem on the SRAM Rival AXS and Shimano Ultegra mechanical models.

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The nub that sprouts from the fork dropout is claimed to be optimised for aerodynamics.
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A bird’s eye view of the integrated front end.
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Very clean indeed.
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Note the channeling on the top tube. Ridley says this also contributes to the frame’s aero advantage.

The most affordable Shimano 105 model uses a Deda Superbox stem to route the cables and hoses internally, but the handlebar is a Deda Zero 2 RHM, so the cables are visible before they enter the stem.

The F-Steerer is D-shaped, with the cables and hoses running through the headset before they enter the down tube.

The Noah also uses Ridley’s ‘F-Wings’, which are essentially nubs extending from the fork dropouts. The brand claims this is to reduce turbulence from the front hub.

Finally, ‘F-Surface Plus’ is Ridley’s name for the channelling on the various tubes, again to apparently improve aerodynamic efficiency.

The lightweight 2022 Helium Disc

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The Helium Disc looks like the Noah’s mild-mannered cousin in comparison.
Ridley

The Helium is the brand’s lightweight climbing bike, as favoured by Lotto Soudal’s Tim Wellens.

Unlike the Noah, the Helium uses more traditional tube shapes. From a distance, the tubes appear to be classically round, but are actually slightly ovalised. The brand says this is to balance comfort, weight and stiffness.

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The seatstays are dropped slightly, in keeping with the industry-wide trend.
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The tubes are not perfectly round.
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The tapered head tube.
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It’s a classic-looking machine.
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The seatstays are particularly thin and slightly dropped where they meet the seat tube, in keeping with industry trends. They support the also-thin seat tube, which can flex more than the aerodynamically-optimised design on the Noah, thus generating additional comfort, according to Ridley.

Like the Noah, the Helium utilises an integrated front end with the F-Steerer fork. All Helium Disc models use the Deda Superbox stem with a Deda Zero 2 RHM handlebar arrangement, so you can see the cables and hoses as they enter the stem.

Customisation options

Both frames will be available in the Ridley configurator, so you can adjust design, spec and colours to your personal preference. However, Ridley also offers the stock specs below.

2022 Ridley Noah specifications

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The 2022 Ridley Noah Disc SRAM Rival AXS.
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Ridley Noah Disc SRAM Rival AXS 2×12

  • Frame: Noah Disc, 24-30t HM UD Carbon, F-Tubing, In-Mould F-Surface Plus, F-Steerer head tube, TA 12x142mm
  • Fork: Noah Disc, 24-30t, HM UD Carbon, In-Mould F-Surface Technology, TA 12x100mm
  • Groupset: SRAM Rival AXS 2×12
  • Cranks: SRAM Rival 48/35
  • Wheels: Forza Levanto Carbon, 38mm depth, 19mm internal rim width, tubeless ready
  • Tyres: Vittoria Corsa 700x25mm
  • Handlebar / stem: Forza N2 integrated aero handlebar
  • Saddle: Selle Italia XR

Ridley Noah Disc Shimano Ultegra 2×11

  • Frame: Noah Disc, 24-30t HM UD Carbon, F-Tubing, In-Mould F-Surface Plus, F-Steerer head tube, TA 12x142mm
  • Fork: Noah Disc, 24-30t, HM UD Carbon, In-Mould F-Surface Technology, TA 12x100mm
  • Groupset: Shimano Ultegra 2×11
  • Cranks: Rotor Vegast Aero 52/36
  • Wheels: Fulcrum Racing 400 DB
  • Tyres: Vittoria Rubino Pro, 700x25mm
  • Handlebar / stem: Forza N2 integrated aero handlebar
  • Saddle: Selle Italia Model X

Ridley Noah Disc Shimano 105 2×11

  • Frame: Noah Disc, 24-30t HM UD Carbon, F-Tubing, In-Mould F-Surface Plus, F-Steerer head tube, TA 12x142mm
  • Fork: Noah Disc, 24-30t, HM UD Carbon, In-Mould F-Surface Technology, TA 12x100mm
  • Groupset: Shimano 105 2×11
  • Cranks: Shimano 105 50/34
  • Wheels: Shimano RS171
  • Tyres: Vittoria Zaffiro V, 700x25mm
  • Handlebar / stem: DEDA Superbox Handlebar and DEDA Zero2 RHM
  • Saddle: Selle Italia Model X

2022 Ridley Helium specifications

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The 2022 Ridley Helium Disc SRAM Rival AXS.
Ridley

Ridley Helium Disc SRAM Rival AXS 2×12

  • Frame: Helium Disc 24-30t, HM UD Carbon, Essential Stiffness-To-Weight Lay-up, F-Steerer head tube, TA 12x142mm
  • Fork: Helium Disc, 24-30t, HM UD Carbon, TA 12x100mm
  • Groupset: SRAM Rival AXS 2×12
  • Cranks: SRAM Rival 48/35
  • Wheels: Forza Levanto Carbon, 38mm depth, 19mm internal rim width, tubeless ready
  • Tyres: Vittoria Corsa 700x25mm
  • Handlebar / stem: DEDA Superbox Handlebar and DEDA Zero2 RHM
  • Saddle: Selle Italia XR Boost

Ridley Helium Disc Shimano Ultegra 2×11

  • Frame: Helium Disc 24-30t, HM UD Carbon, Essential Stiffness-To-Weight Lay-up, F-Steerer head tube, TA 12x142mm
  • Fork: Helium Disc, 24-30t, HM UD Carbon, TA 12x100mm
  • Groupset: Shimano Ultegra 2×11
  • Cranks: Rotor Vegast 50/34
  • Wheels: Forza Norte DB, 20mm internal rim width, tubeless ready
  • Tyres: Vittoria Rubino Pro, 700x25mm
  • Handlebar / stem: DEDA Superbox Handlebar and DEDA Zero2 RHM
  • Saddle: Selle Italia XR

Ridley Helium Disc Shimano 105 2×11

  • Frame: Helium Disc 24-30t, HM UD Carbon, Essential Stiffness-To-Weight Lay-up, F-Steerer head tube, TA 12x142mm
  • Fork: Helium Disc, 24-30t, HM UD Carbon, TA 12x100mm
  • Groupset: Shimano 105 2×11
  • Cranks: Shimano 105 50/34
  • Wheels: Shimano RS171
  • Tyres: Vittoria Zaffiro Pro, 700x25mm
  • Handlebar / stem: DEDA Superbox Handlebar and DEDA Zero2 RHM
  • Saddle: Selle Italia Model X