Ridley launches new Falcn RS race bike, focussing on a blend of 'aero to weight'

Ridley has launched a new bike in the shape of the Falcn RS. Pronounced 'falcon', the new bike is billed as an all-round performance bike, which Ridley says can handle any kind of road racing and aims to blend a lighter weight package with aero benefits. 

We can now confirm the prototype Ridley we spotted Caleb Ewan riding at the Tour de France was indeed this. 

Ridley says 'aero to weight' has been a key consideration in the design of the Falcn, aiming to make the bike as aerodynamic as possible but without adding too much weight from excess material or wild tube shapes. The brand says aero performance is on par with the Noah aero bike, but the Falcn has a weight that is comparable to the Helium climbing machine. It's not quite as extreme but this draws comparisons to the Venge / Tarmac transition of 2020. 

The Falcn RS is claimed to tip the scales at just over 100 grams more than the Helium. Meaning a Medium frame will weigh around 825 grams and the fork coming in at 380grams. This makes for a claimed 7.4kg overall bike weight roughly. 

As well as saving grams it's also on trend with the bicycle industry's obsession with removing vowels from product names. 

Though it has been designed around 28mm tyres, the frame is capable of accommodating up to 34mm, which Ridley says should allow it to be at home on the cobbles of Roubaix as well as faster, smoother tarmac.

Ridley says it carried out extensive CFD (computational fluid dynamics) and wind tunnel testing at its own wind tunnel to optimise the Falcn aerodynamics.

The front end of the bike, specifically the deeper head tube and fork crown area, has received the most aerodynamic considerations whilst the rest of the bike has been developed to be as aero as possible whilst keeping things lightweight. Ridley says despite its heavier weight the Falcn will be faster than the Helium, as aerodynamic drag still features even when riding uphill. 

According to the brand, the front fork crown acts as a diffuser, which aims to introduce turbulence to the flow of air passing over the bike before it hits the downtube, making for easier airflow.

Ridley claims this produces 10% less drag at 50 kilometres per hour compared to the original Falcn fork design. 

Ridley has also come up with a new set of geometry numbers for the Falcn, which the brand claims builds on the success of the Noah and Helium. The new geometry has been tested by Lotto-Dstny WorldTour riders and provides a balance between speed, reactivity and stability. We are unlikely to see the team using the Falcn going forward however, as Lotto-Dstny has cut ties with Ridley in favour of a new bike supplier rumoured to be Orbea. 

The head tube of the Falcn is slightly shorter than the Noah and Helium. The bottom bracket has also been lowered, in part to accommodate the greater tyre clearances the bike has. 

Six sizes will be available ranging from XXS to XL. As an example a Medium size Falcn frame will feature 2mm longer chainstays than a Noah FAST frame, 14mm lower stack and 4mm longer reach. 

Bikes will come with an integrated one-piece Forza carbon fibre stem and handlebar which features a 75mm reach and 130mm drop alongside a five degree flare. The 90mm stem option will get 380mm wide bars. 100-110mm stems will be paired with 400mm bars, and 120mm stems will come with 420mm wide handlebars. 

The Falcn can be run with either 1x or 2x drivetrain configurations and features a SRAM UDH rear hanger - a first for road bikes - and removable front derailleur mount. There are also three bottle cage mount positions to choose from on the down and seat tube allowing riders to choose between the lower more aero position, and higher but easier to reach.

Ridley can provide complete custom configuration with its online configurator. A range of custom paint options can be chosen and there is the option to go fully custom on the spec sheet too. 

The Falcn RS is available as a complete bike in three guises currently which are broken down in the table below. The frameset, handlebar, and seatpost are the same across the three models, but feature SRAM Force AXS, Shimano Ultegra Di2, and 105 Di2 respectively. The Falcn RS will also be available as a frameset though we don't have pricing for this just yet. 

All bikes feature the top tier Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres, and the Force and Ultegra bikes get DT Swiss ARC 1400 wheels, whilst the 105 version will be fitted with Forza Levanto wheels.