Skip to main content

Categories

Cyclingnews
Road
Gravel
MTB
Track
Cyclo-cross
Womens

Open menu Close menu

Cyclingnews The World Centre of Cycling

Search

Search Cyclingnews

Sign in

View Profile
Sign out

News
Results
Live reports
Tech
Premium
Features
More
- Live Report
- Calendar
- Teams
- Races
- Forums
- Reviews
- Travel
- Autobus
- Coupons
- About

Trending

2025 Tour de France
2025 Tour de France Femmes
New Musette Newsletter
Subscribe

Features
Road

Ridley's aerodynamic advantage

By Ben Atkins in Brest, France

published 8 July 2008

Cadel Evans reinforced his status as an overall favourite in this year's Tour with an emphatic...

Comments

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Image 1 of 47

The down tube is very wide(Image credit: Ben Atkins)

The Dean's head tube has a beak(Image credit: Ben Atkins)

Chain stays hug the rear wheel(Image credit: Ben Atkins)

The seatpost and other forward areas(Image credit: Ben Atkins)

The aero-special Oval rear brake(Image credit: Ben Atkins)

… but the chainrings have been(Image credit: Ben Atkins)

Straight handlebar extensions(Image credit: Ben Atkins)

Cadel Evans' Ridley Dean has been developed using oil flow mapping and integrates Oval Concepts's unique JetStream technology in the fork blades and seat stays.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The Dean's seat tube closely hugs the rear wheel before heading up towards the saddle.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The bottom bracket area of the Dean is built up for stiffness and to cut through the air.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The top tube joins the seat tube in a huge, aerodynamic joint.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The Dean's head tube has a beak that covers the top of the extended fork crown to keep the lines clean.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The down tube is very wide from the side view…(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

but very narrow where it hits the wind and is as aerodynamic as UCI regulations allow.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The Dean's seat stays feature Ridley's R-Flow technology that it claims makes the wheels spin even faster.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Chain stays hug the rear wheel as closely as possible.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Where the rear wheel passes through the seat stays there's not much clearance for tyres wider than this one!(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The Dean's incredible looking fork looks aerodynamic enough already…(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

… but Ridley claims those slotted airfoils create a vacuum around the spokes and reduces drag and turbulence around the wheel.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The seatpost and other forward areas have an area of rough surface texture designed to create a boundary layer of air to help it flow more smoothly over the frame.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The Dean shares the same kind of seat clamp as the other integrated seatpost frames in the Ridley range.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The fat nose of Cadel's San Marco saddle keeps things as comfortable as possible when he gets in his low position.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The gear and rear brake cables diasppear into the top of the top tube and reappear at the rear where they're needed.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The aero-special Oval rear brake is hidden out of the wind behind the fork.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The rear brake sits where its shape will do the least damage to the airflow: under the bottom bracket.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Silence-Lotto uses an entirely Camapgnolo drivetrain on all of its bikes.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Cadel uses a standard Campagnolo Ultra Torque chainset…(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

… but the chainrings have been upped to 54/42T instead of the 53/39T of his road machine.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

An 11-21T cassette is on hand for Cadel but only nine sprockets fit on the Ghibli disc.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

A Campagnolo Record derailleur is fitted to a riveted-on bracket on the side of the aero seat tube.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Evans' time trial bar setup allows him to get as low as possible and keeps his arms level.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Straight handlebar extensions are clamped into Oval's A901 Laminar bars with aerodynamic clamps.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

To get his arms as close together as possible, Evans cuts the inside edges of his elbow rests.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

As a Campagnolo sponsored team Silence-Lotto uses Record bar-end levers on its time trial bikes.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The styling of the bar-end shifters looks much the same as it has for years.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Oval's A710 Adjustable stem allows Evans to get an even lower position on an already-aggressively positioned frame.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The RBT front of the stem is partially hidden from view by the front of the Laminar bars.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Oval A900 Carbon Upgrade brake levers have as small a frontal area as possible.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Campagnolo's Ghibli disc wheel has a classic look.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

The deep section of Campagnolo's Bora Ultra is the fastest non-disc wheel in the Italian company's range.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Wrapped around the wheels are a set of Vredestein Fortezza Pro tubulars.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

As on his road bike Cadel Evans uses KeO Carbon Ti pedals by Look.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

A single Tacx Tao bottle cage was bolted on when we caught up with Evans' bike but he ran without during Tuesday's relatively short time trial.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Will this name be added to the Tour de France roll of honour this year?(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

To keep things strong and stiff Ridley has used high modulus 40- and 50-ton carbon fibre in the Dean.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Ridley bikes may be made in Asia but they are designed in the cycling heartland of Belgium.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Cadel checks the position of the newly assembled Dean with a Silence-Lotto mechanic.(Image credit: Ben Atkins/Cyclingnews.com)

Pro bikes, July 9, 2008

Cadel Evans' Silence-Lotto Ridley Dean

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Ben Atkins in Brest

Social Links Navigation

Latest

Henry Coote (Competitive Edge Racing) takes solo win in men's U23 race at 2024 USA Cycling Cyclocross Championships

US Cyclocross Nationals: Henry Coote surprises men's U23 field with solo victory

Katherine Sarkisov in the purple kit of CXD Trek BIkes hits the deck at the finish just before Cassidy Hickey of CCB also crashes in the U23 women's finish at USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships

US Cyclocross Nationals: Katherine Sarkisov crashes at finish line with Cassidy Hickey to win chaotic U23 women's race

Denk, Van Gils, Roglič and Aldag spoke at the press conference of the team's media day

'We want to challenge Van Aert and Van der Poel' - Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe look to win all year round with bolstered one-day squad

See more latest ►

Most Popular

'Full of the joy of cycling' - How Victor Campenaerts sealed his career in 2024

Opinion: Fast bikes shouldn’t have to be pretty as well, and to demand that they are holds the sport back

A baker's dozen of narrow bars, gummy bears, and one incredible bike: Will’s Gear of the Year

Will we ever find out the 'truth' about motor doping?

The perfect Christmas gifts for the cyclist in your life

‘I can’t lose that aggressivity’ - Ben O’Connor changes teams but keeps his racing style

Golden beginnings – How Pinarello’s Dogma XC HT rose to the top of cross-country mountain biking

'If you want to win races, you've got to beat Pogačar and Evenepoel' - Ben Healy on the art of the breakaway specialist

'Release your data' - Greg LeMond on transparency, skepticism and the new era of cycling

Predictive nutrition and mathematic modelling - How AI is changing the WorldTour peloton

Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our coverage of the season-opening 2025 Tour Down Under

Cyclingnews is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Terms and conditions
Contact Future's experts
Privacy policy
Cookies policy
Accessibility statement
Careers
Advertise with us

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.