In a world of compromise and sacrifice, it's nice to find an exception to the rule. The Ridley Noah RS is a solution to the "if only that bike had this or that" situation. It's a fast, high performing frameset, and its aero benefits come with convenience and a great price.The Noah, you know already. It's Ridley's most aerodynamic road frame with a split fork, split seat stays, speedy paint appliqu?s, and deep airfoil tube shapes. Riding it will make you faster. The Noah RS employs largely the same idea, only without the integrated seatmast. Instead, the Noah RS uses a more conventional telescoping seat post. A telescoping seatpost is easier to adjust and easier to travel with. The post is aerodynamically-shaped and made of carbon-fiber by Ridley, and it comes with the frame along with the seat post clamp. The 1200g claimed weight of a medium isn't as feathery light as some frames, but the aero benefits will overcome the weight penalty in many conditions, particularly when you're riding fast.The carbon-fiber lay-up has likewise been tweaked to bring the price downward and make the bike more compliant as well. For the Noah RS, Ridley uses 30- and 24-ton high-modulus carbon fiber. The other big difference from the Noah is that the RS seat stays are aero-shaped, but lack the split stay R-Flow design you'd find on the Noah. But they retained this technology on the front of the bike where aerodynamics are crucial. The R-Flow jet foils in the 4ZA Sphinx full-carbon fork reduce drag by 6.4%. It's a full carbon fork with a carbon steerer and turns on upper and lower integrated 1-1/8" FSA bearings. As with the Noah, the RS has R-Surface paint strategically applied to reduce drag by 3.6%. The cables run internally to further maximize aero advantages.The Ridley Noah RS is available in six sizes from X-Small to X-Large and is available in two colors -- Red/white/black and Blue/black/white. It uses a "braze-on" front derailleur mount because they didn't want to constrain their aerodynamic design with a round seat tube for the derailleur clamp. The bottom bracket threading is English. The dropouts are carbon-fiber for light weight, and the derailleur hanger is replaceable for greater durability.
Got my 2012 Noah RS (blue) with Red/Force Build. Love it! Climbs almost as good as my Helium....but much fast at same power output and definitely faster on downhills. Very stable on rough pavement, but not as harsh as other aerobikes I have ridden (Cervelo S3). Changed Wheels from Profile Armanda (never rode them) to my Zipp 404's, weighs in at 15.1 lbs and rides very comfortable. Very fast on flats. Tall head tube perfect for me! Maybe the best bike value for me ever, and I have had quite a few bikes. Might be slightly stiff for light riders, but perfect for me (5'11', 167 lbs) size Medium. It seems ti gobble up the road, just like my Helium. Geometry is identical. Noah RS just faster on flats and into wind.
Bike Setup: SRAM Red with Force FD, Zipp 404, Fizik Aliante, Conti Gp4000S (700x25)
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Submitted by
Fernando
a Recreational Rider
Date Reviewed: September 22, 2011
Strengths: Geometry. Stiff for big riders. Force Group.
Weaknesses: Saddle and Handlebars.
Bottom Line:
Wanted an aero bike with a tall head tube for recreational riding and an ocassional multisport event and the Noah RS met all the requirements. This bike has beautiful shapes and great colors. The Force group is atractive and works awesome. It feels fast and comfortable. I am a heavy rider and the bike is stiff when I get out of the saddle. I find myself climbing and descending faster than on my old bike. I did not like the saddle changed it for and SMP (maybe because I am used to an SMP). The handlebar bent felt uncomfortable, changed it to an Easton no complaints now. P.S. Thank you Moment Cyles San Diego for all your help.
