Ridley’s prototype gravel race bike broke cover at this year’s Traka, and raised eyebrows for its progressive aero-oriented design, geometry and wide tyre clearances.
In this video, senior tech editor Warren Rossiter is at Ridley’s headquarters in Belgium to bring you an exclusive first ride review of the prototype months before its official launch to give you the inside scoop on its design, and explains why it’s a new yardstick for gravel race bike design going forward.
00:00 Intro
00:11 Ridley RSS Aero Gravel Prototype
01:01 What is it?
01:58 The Details
03:44 Near Ideal Build
04:35 Ride Impression
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23 Comments
WTF is that head tube
Nice Rig but again, maybe I'm biased but for the vast majority of gravel riders, all this tech and microgains , are they lost on the average rider, where comfort and fatigue resistance is key !
aero on a gravel bike makes no sense
Aero gravel bikes might be the most ridiculous trend to come out of cycling since hookless wheels.
Looks good but I am afraid it will be just another £5k frameset or £8k built. Will wait for Canyon to bring these features at lower price point.
could it double as a road bike?
If you're going to be molding plastic, you might as well mold it aero. The beauty of plastic is that you can make it any shape you want. You're not stuck with straight round tubes. You might as well go all in on aero as long as it doesn't add significant weight.
remember when ridley made good looking bikes
Belgium’s Gianni Vermeersch soloed to victory to claim the men’s rainbow jersey at the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships (2022)– riding a road bike.
That so many have fallen for the bike industry's marketing BS is sad and funny at the same time.
It looks like Ai designed this bike
Wheel size ? 32" is the future.
The problem with expensive Gravel frames is the abusive they take from loose stones splashing up on the carbon frame
Gravel frames take more abuse than even mountain bikes as you are mainly riding on dirt
I’m sticking with the China frames
The marketing of a "fast bike" is a lie.becouse all u get is a chassis and transmission when buying a bike.NO ENGINE.how fast a bike goes depends on individual rider capacity.
Aero gravel bikes… get a grip
If you are as "bulky" as the presenter an aero bike whether it will be for the road or gravel is the most regarded way to throw away your money.
Upcoming Factor for me!
Elbows in…head down ….its not about the bike
menos vinho caralho
Give me the argon 18 anti matter……way more exciting! And has beaten everyone to the punch
isn't gravel bike basically just road bike with wider tyre clearance?
I really dont understand why they are categorising so many different bikes when they are practically identical
Is that a Hosoi T – shirt you’re wearing ? 👍🏼
Aero gravel bikes! What a huge pile of BS! But of course, there are dentists and lawyers who buy them!
1:51 aaargh, lovely paint scheme for that unreleased Eddy Merckx 525R. Just release it already.