Ridley’s new Falcn RS blurs the lines between lightweight and aerodynamics

Ridley has followed recent trends by releasing an all-round race bike, the Falcn RS, which aims to blend aerodynamics and a light weight into one package. The new bike slots in between the aero Noah and climber-focussed Helium bikes.

Many brands including Colnago, Pinarello and Specialized have abandoned dedicated aero or climbing bikes in recent times in favour of one do-it-all machine. While Ridley hasn’t abandoned its specialised bikes, it has expanded its range by creating a bike that is suitable for every type of riding.

According to the Belgian brand, the new bike “is the perfect companion for cyclists who are in search of a bike that’s light for climbing, aero and stiff for sprinting and stage rides”.

© Ridley

The new bike is designed to be at home on any terrain

Beyond the lightweight and aerodynamic characteristics, the new bike benefits from generous 34mm tyre clearance and can be purchased with a range of Shimano and SRAM groupsets.

The new bikes comes after Lotto Dstny recently announced that it would cut ties with the Belgian brand from 2024 after 12 years of working together.

Read more: Ridley hits back at Lotto Dstny

Lightweight frame meets aerodynamics

Traditionally, brands have created both dedicated aero and climbing bikes, with the former favouring deeper aero tubes and the latter a light weight. It was hard to combine both features into one bike, but now the technology is at a stage where brands can design aerodynamic bikes without significantly sacrificing weight, and many have even managed to still hit the UCI’s weight limit while doing it.

It’s this thought and inspiration that has paved the way for the new Falcn RS, which Ridley describes as the “the ultimate all-round performance road bike”.

The weight part of the equation is taken care of by a frame that tips the scales at only 825g in a size medium. That’s impressively lightweight and the frame and fork combined is only 125g heavier than of the Helium SLX, Ridley’s pure climbing bike.

© Ridley

The bike features a sleek integrated cockpit

According to Ridley, that weight doesn’t come at the cost of aerodynamics which have been optimised using CFD analysis. The main beneficiary of this research is the frontal area, the most important for aerodynamic efficiency, which is clean with no cabling in sight.

Every tube and cross-section has also been optimised, and Ridley has developed a fork crown with an in-built diffuser which, it says, “has 10% less drag at 50 km/h compared to a fork with a traditional fork crown”.

Wide tyre clearance

Other areas of the bike have also followed modern trends, including the wide 34mm of tyre clearance. That’s even large by modern standards for a race bike, which tend to top out at 32mm.

This is to optimise the bike for tough terrain, like broken roads or those experienced in the Spring Classics, where wider tyres can have the double advantage of boosting performance and comfort.

While it can accommodate 34mm tyres, the bike has been designed around 28mm options, arguably the most popular width used in cycling currently.

Read more: why wider tyres are better

The bike also features a universal derailleur hanger, more commonly found on mountain bikes, although it’s never really caught on in the world of road cycling just yet.

Available with a range of SRAM and Shimano electronic groupsets, the bike’s set-up can be customised on Ridley’s website.

© Ridley

The bike is only available with Shimano and SRAM electronic groupsets

Explore the new Falcn RS road bike over on Ridley’s website here.