{"id":44166,"date":"2022-12-01T10:00:24","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T09:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=706431"},"modified":"2022-12-01T10:41:46","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T09:41:46","slug":"ridley-says-the-grifn-is-the-only-bike-you-need-for-road-and-gravel","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/ridley-says-the-grifn-is-the-only-bike-you-need-for-road-and-gravel\/","title":{"rendered":"Ridley says the Grifn is the only bike you need for road and gravel"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Warren Rossiter\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 01 December 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Ridley\u2019s latest entry into the world of all-road bikes<\/a> is the all-new Grifn.<\/p>\n

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

The new Grifn is positioned as an \u2018N+1 killer\u2019, and is said to be equally adept at both road and gravel riding<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In recent times, the range of road and gravel bikes<\/a> that aim to do both surfaces justice in a single package has grown quickly. It\u2019s a trend we first appreciated back in 2019 when the Rondo HVRT CF0<\/a>\u00a0won our\u00a0Bike of the Year<\/a> award, but we\u2019d argue the current crop of lightweight race-orientated gravel bikes such as the Cerv\u00e9lo Aspero<\/a>,\u00a0Specialized Crux<\/a>, and\u00a0Scott Addict Gravel<\/a> all earn the \u2018N+1 killer\u2019 tag and arguably endurance bikes like the Cannondale Synapse LTD RLE<\/a> and Trek Domane<\/a> do, too.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Fenix<\/a> endurance bike and the Kanzo Fast\u2019s racy gravel layout.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The Ridley Grifn is available in four standard builds, and fully customisable using the brand\u2019s online configurator. Ridley says more Grifn-specific options will be available soon after today\u2019s launch.<\/p>\n

Prices for the standard builds start from \u20ac3,199 \/ \u00a32,909 for Shimano GRX600 2x and Shimano 105 R7020 builds, and top out at \u20ac4,699 \/ \u00a34,279 for a Shimano 105 R7150 Di2 build. The bikes are available now.<\/p>\n

A frame for road and trail<\/h2>\n
\""Ridley\"<\/picture><\/div>
The Grifn comes in four stock models plus a wealth of custom options using Ridley\u2019s online configurator.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Ridley<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Ridley\"<\/picture><\/div>
A 2x gravel-specific custom build with GRX Di2 and Levanto G gravel wheels.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Ridley<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Ridley\"<\/picture><\/div>
One of the few stock builds with Shimano\u2019s GRX800.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Ridley<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

Ridley seems to have taken the X-Trail template and fully updated it with the Grifn.<\/p>\n

The carbon frame\u2019s geometry is a blend between the Fenix endurance bike<\/a> and Kanso Fast, with a generous 73mm bottom bracket drop and a 72-degree head angle in a size medium.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

That said, the Grifn looks more akin to a road bike<\/a>, with a 1,021mm wheelbase and 420mm chainstay length. That\u2019s 5mm shorter than the gravel-oriented Kanzo for both measurements, and 29mm and 10mm longer respectively than the Fenix.<\/p>\n

\""Ridley\"<\/picture><\/div>
The frame features three sets of dual-position bottle cage bosses.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Ridley<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Ridley\"<\/picture><\/div>
Skinny dropped seatstays add a bit of rear-end comfort.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Ridley<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Ridley\"<\/picture><\/div>
The Grifn uses Ridley\u2019s F-Steerer design to allow brake hoses to be routed internally through the frame.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Ridley<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Ridley\"<\/picture><\/div>
A flush-fitting plate on the top tube hides bento box mounts.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Ridley<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Ridley\"<\/picture><\/div>
Generous tyre clearances and proper fender mounts on the seastays.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Ridley<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Ridley\"<\/picture><\/div>
The seatstays aren\u2019t dropped quite as far as those on Ridley\u2019s pure-gravel Kanzo models.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Ridley<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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<\/a> that\u2019s comfortable enough for big days out on rough roads, but still aggressive enough to be enjoyed on a challenging road Gran Fondo.<\/p>\n

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

Ridley claims a complete-build Shimano GRX Di2-equipped bike from its online custom bike builder weighs in at 8.5kg.<\/p>\n

<\/colgroup>
\ufeff<\/th>XS<\/b><\/th>S<\/b><\/th>M<\/b><\/th>L<\/b><\/th>XL<\/b><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Seat angle<\/b> (degrees)<\/td>74.5<\/td>74<\/td>73.5<\/td>73.5<\/td>73<\/td> <\/tr>
Head angle<\/b> (degrees)<\/td>71.5<\/td>72<\/td>72<\/td>72<\/td>72<\/td> <\/tr>
Chainstay<\/b> (mm)<\/td>420<\/td>420<\/td>420<\/td>420<\/td>420<\/td> <\/tr>
Seat tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>470<\/td>500<\/td>520<\/td>545<\/td>570<\/td> <\/tr>
Top tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>525<\/td>545<\/td>565<\/td>585<\/td>605<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>115<\/td>140<\/td>165<\/td>195<\/td>215<\/td> <\/tr>
Bottom bracket drop<\/b> (mm)<\/td>75<\/td>73<\/td>73<\/td>71<\/td>71<\/td> <\/tr>
Wheelbase<\/b> (mm)<\/td>993<\/td>1,005<\/td>1,021<\/td>1,043<\/td>1,058<\/td> <\/tr>
Stack<\/b> (mm)<\/td>540<\/td>563<\/td>587<\/td>614<\/td>633<\/td> <\/tr>
Reach<\/b> (mm)<\/td>375<\/td>383<\/td>391<\/td>401<\/td>412<\/td> <\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>