New Ridley Falcn RS splits the difference between Noah Fast Disc and Helium SLX

Ridley has unveiled the Falcn RS, its take on the all-round road race bike genre.

The bike comes with the headline claim of blending light weight, stiffness and aerodynamics into a single optimised package.

The Falcn RS has already been in plain sight for a number of months.

Labelled as a prototype, it featured heavily in the 2023 Tour de France under riders such as Victor Campanearts, and Caleb Ewan.

Ridley says the bike has “similar aero performance” as the brand’s dedicated aero bike, the Noah Fast Disc, and has a “comparable weight” to its lightweight road bike, the Helium SLX.

There’s no word on the fate of those two existing bikes, so for now the Falcn RS slots in between them in Ridley’s race bike arsenal.

The Ridley Falcn RS will be available in three builds, featuring Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8100, 105 Di2 R7100 and SRAM Force AXS groupsets. Prices for these start at £6,799/$8,249/€7,399 for the 105 Di2 bike, rising to £8,599/$12,399/€9,399.

Those looking for higher-spec builds will be able to customise their choice using the Ridley bike customisation programme.

The best of both worlds… and more?

The Ridley Falcn RS is intended to be an all-round racer that pro riders (and amateurs alike) can stick with for the vast majority of parcours they’re likely to encounter.

The Falcn RS is placed right in the firing line of the new Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8, as well as other amalgam racers such as the latest Cannondale Supersix Evo, Pinarello Dogma F and ENVE Melee.

In a similar fashion to the Tarmac SL8, Ridley says it has focused on the front-facing areas of the bike to improve aerodynamic efficiency, using a combination of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) modelling and wind tunnel testing.

The rest of the frame has been focused on stiffness and weight saving, with rounder shapes applied at the down tube and seatstays.

That said, the Belgian brand claims each tube has a “carefully-chosen aerofoil” profile to maintain a balance of efficiency and stability.

It singles out the cross-section of the top tube, which exhibits a flattened oval shape, as a key example of its search for stability in crosswinds.

Ridley hasn’t offered any aero data to substantiate these claims, or to compare it to its closest rivals, though.

It says the frameset is only 110g heavier than the Helium SLX in a size medium (825g frame, 380g fork), but will still outperform that in almost all climbing scenarios thanks to its greater aerodynamic focus.

The frameset uses Ridley’s proprietary F-steerer design, which is said to enable gear cables and brake hoses to be routed from the supplied Forza Cirrus Pro integrated cockpit, through the headset, without risk of snagging.

The upper headset bearing is 1-1/8in wide, while the lower bearing is 1.5in in diameter.

The fork crown is claimed to include diffuser-like properties on the trailing edge, which the brand says reduces the drag of the tubes behind it by up to 10 per cent compared to a fork without the same design at 50kph.

Ridley hasn’t specified what this is worth in terms of watts, however.

The crown is also widened, and in tandem with the chainstay length and bottom bracket drop, Ridley says the bike can accommodate up to 34mm-wide tyres.

Ridley claims the Falcn RS is most aerodynamically efficient when running 28mm-wide tyres, but the option to fit wider tyres will help improve ride smoothness and comfort on, for example, the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix.

Designed for 1x

For those, such as Lotto-Dstny rider Victor Campenaerts, who like to dabble in the world of single chainrings, the Falcn RS is compatible with both 1x and 2x drivetrains.

Ridley implies that a 1x setup is most aerodynamically efficient on the Falcn RS, when used with the dedicated cover that replaces the front derailleur hanger.

Geometrical inspiration

Ridley says the Falcn RS’ geometry draws inspiration from both its specialist race bikes, but has learned key lessons from each to produce the new bike’s overall design.

In order to help the rider achieve a more aggressive – and aerodynamic – position, the stack is 14mm lower than an equivalent Noah Fast (551mm compared to 565mm in a size medium), while the reach has been extended by 4mm (397mm, up from 393mm).

That’s markedly lower than the Specialized Tarmac SL8 in a roughly equivalent 56cm size, at 573mm (including the SL8’s necessary headset spacer for its Roval Rapide cockpit).

The Falcn RS shares the same 73.5-degree fork angle (again, in a size medium) as the Noah Fast and Helium SLX, while the chainstays have been extended by 2mm and BB drop lowered by 4mm compared to those two bikes, to increase tyre clearance without compromising handling.

Build options

Instead of offering numerous off-the-peg specifications to cater for varying price points, Ridley instead offers the bike through its customisation programme.

There are still three standard builds – featuring Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8100, 105 Di2 R7100 and SRAM Force AXS groupsets and some finishing kit variation (see below). However, in order to achieve a pro-spec build, customers will need to select upgrades to create their desired specification.

The concept of customising a bike is nothing new, but the Falcn RS differs from many other top-level race bikes because in order to buy it with a top-tier groupset (such as Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200, SRAM Red eTap AXS or Campagnolo Super Record Wireless), you’ll need to actively select it.

Ridley says options for those two groupsets, plus SRAM Rival AXS, will be available to pick, alongside a selection of finishing kit options.

The Cirrus Forza Pro Integrated Road cockpit features a 75mm reach and 130mm drop, and is available in only four sizes at launch: 90mm stem and 380mm wide (centre-to-centre), then 100/400mm, 110/400mm and 120/420mm.

Ridley says more size options are “in development”, while it claims the bike will be compatible with a two-piece setup too.

This is in stark contrast to many brands, including Specialized and Pinarello, who typically offer upwards of a dozen size options.

The supplied D-profiled Forza Aero seatpost features 6mm setback. A zero-setback post will also be made available at a later date.

Ridley Falcn RS availability, prices and specifications

The Ridley Falcn RS is available from today.

The Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8100 and SRAM Force AXS standard builds cost £8,599/$12,399/€9,399, while the Shimano 105 Di2 R7100 specification costs £6,799/$8,249/€7,399 (check those out below).

Other groupsets, plus further wheelset and tyre options, are available through Ridley’s bike customisation programme.

Ridley Falcn RS Ultegra Di2

• Price: £8,599/$12,399/€9,399
• Frame: Falcn RS, carbon
• Fork: Falcn RS, carbon
• Groupset: Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8100
• Power meter: No
• Wheels: DT Swiss ARC1400 50mm, carbon
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro, 700x28c
• Handlebar/stem: Forza Cirrus Pro Integrated Road
• Seatpost: Forza Aero, 6mm setback
• Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Boost

Ridley Falcn RS Force AXS

• Price: £8,599/$12,399/€9,399
• Frame: Falcn RS, carbon
• Fork: Falcn RS, carbon
• Groupset: SRAM Force AXS
• Power meter: No
• Wheels: DT Swiss ARC1400 50mm, carbon
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro, 700x28c
• Handlebar/stem: Forza Cirrus Pro Integrated Road
• Seatpost: Forza Aero, 6mm setback
• Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Boost

Ridley Falcn RS 105 Di2

• Price: £6,799/$8,249/€7,399
• Frame: Falcn RS, carbon
• Fork: Falcn RS, carbon
• Groupset: Shimano 105 Di2 R7100
• Power meter: No
• Wheels: Forza Levanto DB, carbon
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro, 700x28c
• Handlebar/stem: Forza Cirrus Pro Integrated Road
• Seatpost: Forza Aero, 6mm setback
• Saddle: Selle Italia Model Y