Ridley Fenix SL Road Frameset 2016

Some cyclists have the luxury of access to multiple bikes to cover different types of riding: the lightweight climbing rig, endurance and base mile grinder, and super stiff criterium racer. We typically call them pros. Those of us who are self sponsored need one bike that can cover all of our road riding and racing needs. Tested and proven by Team Lotto Soudal on the grueling cobbles and punchy climbs of the 2016 spring classics, the new Ridley Fenix SL Road Frameset leads the way as a true all purpose rouleur in a sea of discipline specific frame options. Though it's built from the same 30t and 24t high modulus carbon fiber as its predecessor, Ridley claims the Fenix SL is 15% lighter and 18% stiffer, and any number of First Ride impression articles from across the industry assure us that these gains don't come at the cost of cobblestone worthy comfort. It's a rare mix of long mile comfort and sprint worthy stiffness in a lightweight package that can fly up any climb. The Fenix SL features a few changes to maintain that plush ride in the lighter, stiffer package. These include narrower, flat section seat stays that absorb power sucking road noise while maintaining lateral stiffness. The stays feed into a seatpost that's reduced from the previous model's 31. 6mm to a more vertically compliant 27. 2mm. The flat, curved top tube is another significant redesign, serving as a leaf spring of sorts that works in conjunction with the seatstays and slimmed down seatpost. The net result is a system wide increase in vibration damping and compliance for a more forgiving ride across everything from rural chip seal to the stones of Belgium. The top tube and down tube utilize a unique multi hexagonal shape, which is no doubt partially responsible for the claimed increases in torsional rigidity. At the front, Ridley utilizes a tapered head tube that's considerably shorter than the notably tall head tube of the previous Fenix. This makes for increased stiffness while torque...