New Ridley Grifn RS is a light, fast and capable addition to Grifn all-road range

New alloy and e-bike versions of the bike also join the line-up

11:31, Thursday 2nd May 2024

Alex Hunt

Junior Tech Writer

The new Ridley Grifn RS

Ridley is the latest brand to release a new all-road bike in the shape of the Grifn RS. The new bike is claimed to be lighter and faster than the regular existing Grifn with increased tyre clearance which moves it closer to the brand's gravel race bike the Kanzo Fast.

Although the distinction between an all-road bike and a gravel bike is becoming increasingly blurred, Ridley says that the Grifn is better equipped to handle the demands of riding both on and off-road than a dedicated gravel bike.

The Grifn RS has been designed with a different carbon lay-up that is claimed to save 140 grams over the regular Grifn. The profile of the frame has also been revised in the name of aerodynamic efficiency. This has been done with the move to a D-shaped seat post, a diffuser under the crown of the fork and a redesign of the head tube to reduce drag. The result is a frame that is 5% more efficient at 36kph when compared to the standard Grifn.

A D-shaped seat post and fork diffuser make the Grifn RS a claimed 5% more efficient at 36km/h

The geometry of the Grifn is retained in the RS with the bike sitting nicely in between the geometries of the Kanzo Fast gravel bike the Falcn performance road bike.

In a press release ahead of the bike’s launch, Ridley said: “The geometry of the current Grifn remains unchanged, as we've received many positive comments about it.”

Following current trends, the Grifn RS has been updated to accept wider tyres than the standard Grifn. The new rear triangle allows up to a 42mm tyre to be fitted, giving riders the choice of road or gravel tyres depending on the intended terrain of the ride.

Although there might not look to be all that much separating all-road bikes and gravel bikes, the Grifn RS does feature more mounting points on the frame than the Kanzo Fast gravel bike, making it a more appealing option for any budding bikepackers.

In a move to standardise derailleur hangers, Ridley – much like Cervélo and Colnago that have released new all-road bikes this week – has opted to use SRAM’s UDH (universal derailleur hanger) standard. This has the benefit of making it easier to source a new derailleur hanger in a squeeze, and if the mountain bike world is anything to go by, this could be the start or a move to a transmission-style groupset that will eventually do away with the mech hanger altogether.

Ridley has also designed the Grifn RS to be compatible with a dynamo hub with the fork leg able to hide the cabling internally. The same is the case for the rear light with internal routing through the top tube.

As a partner of Classified, Ridley offers the Grifn RS with a PowerShift two-speed internal hub gear as an optional spec for £6,786.96. This gives the rider the same range of gears as a traditional two-by setup with the aesthetic and reduced complexity of a one-by system.

The Grifn RS is available in six build options with three Shimano builds and three SRAM builds:

Shimano 105 Di2 - £5,299
Shimano GRX 800 Di2 - £6,399
Shimano Ultegra 8170 Di2 - £6,837.39
SRAM Rival AXS XPLR - £5,499
SRAM Force AXS 2x - £6,399
SRAM Force AXS XPLR 1x - £6,399

Grifn A and E models

As well as the top-spec RS model, there are two other new models joining the Grifin range. The Grifn A refers to the aluminium frame that brings the Grifn to a lower price point with the Grifn A available from £1,899, equipped with Shimano’s 2x12 GRX 400 mechanical groupset.

The Ridley Grifn A brings the Grifn range to a more budget orientated audience

The Grifn A is a little less capable than the flagship RS model with the tyre clearance reduced to 38mm for a 2x configuration or 40mm for a 1x.

The E-Grifn is a pedal-assisted e-bike that uses Mahle’s X20 hub-based motor platform. The total system weighs 3.2kg and provides up to 55Nm of torque via a 350Wh battery, making it one of the lightest hub-based systems on the market.

The E-Grifn shares the same profile as the Grifn RS

As the system uses a hub motor rather than a crank motor, the E-Grifn shares the same silhouette as the RS with the battery sitting within the constraints of the downtube. There are seven models to choose from in the E-Grifn range with builds split between a more road or gravel focus:

Shimano 105 mechanical - £4,999
Shimano 105 Di2 - £5,999
Shimano Ultegra Di2 - £7,299
Shimano GRX600 2x12 - £4,999
Shimano GRX800 2x12 - £5,499
SRAM Apex AXS XPLR - £5,299
SRAM Rival AXS XPLR - £5,799

What do you make of the latest all-road range from Ridley, do you think an all-road bike is the perfect bike to do it all? Let us know in the comments section below. To keep up to date with everything from the world of bike tech make sure to head to the tech news section of the GCN website.

Ridley

Ridley is the largest bicycle manufacturer in Belgium and produces bikes for various cycling disciplines but specialises in aerodynamically-focused road and gravel bikes.