The new gravel race bikes are starting to rear their heads at The Traka. Cyclingnews is on the ground at the race and we are already on the hunt for new and exciting gravel tech.
A new Ridley gravel bike caught our eye on Thursday. This one will be raced by Pieter Potters of the Strada Campina / Ridley Bikes team in the 360 race. It’s certainly a bike that we don’t recognise, and is clearly a very aero and aggressive model.
Details are scarce right now, but our man on the ground, Senior Tech Writer Will Jones, spoke with someone from Ridley and learned that this bike apparently provides a "single-digit aero gain vs the ASTR [Ridley's aero gravel race machine] but double-digit gains in rolling resistance".
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Ridley’s gravel race bikes are the ASTR and Kanzo Fast. This machine looks far more aggressive than either of them, with a head tube that looks similar to the one found on the Noash Fast 3.0 aero road bike.
The 'RS2' logo on the headtube could point to this being an updated version of the ASTR RS model, but we don't know for sure right now. Either way, it's another indication of the direction of travel for gravel race bikes.
Aside from the very deep headtube, sculpted seat tube and aggressive, deep frame tube profiles, the bike was running Continental Dubnital 2.2" tyres, Zipp 303 XPLR wheels, which have a 32mm internal width and a mix and match SRAM Red XPLR gravel groupset, paired with an XX Eagle rear derailleur.
Stay tuned this weekend as we bring you all the best tech and race news from the Traka.
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That is one seriously aero gravel bike. The headtube looks similar to the Noah FAST, but we don't currently know the identity of this bike, updated ASTR maybe? (Image credit: Will Jones)
The Traka 360 creates some extra demands, so charging and front light are at the ready here, and note the bell on the left hand side of the bars and CeramicSpeed SLT headset bearing sticker. (Image credit: Will Jones)
That is one deep headtube. Ridley created some aero frame bags for the ASTR RS. This one looks bigger than those, but it could have been wind tunnel tested, too. They are hard to make out, but there are what look like some handwritten race notes on the side of the headtube. (Image credit: Will Jones)
'RS2' is a clue, could this be an updated ASTR RS mode? That front tyre clearance looks healthy and the front light is neat too. (Image credit: Will Jones)
This is a neat frame storage door, we think that's a Garbaruk SRAM thread mount aftermarket chainring. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Like the rest of the frame, the bottom bracket is pretty large and aggressive. Spot the ever popular Dynaplug Racer Pro tubeless plug too on the rear bottle cage. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Another good look at that clearance, this appears to be medium frame. The bottom bracket is a CeramicSpeed unit too, spot the NDS bottom bracket preload collar. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Potters looks pretty happy with his rig for the 360 race! (Image credit: Will Jones)
Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
