Ridley

Fenix 105 Complete Road Bike - 2016

The Ridley frame at the heart of the 2016 Ridley Fenix 105 Complete Road Bike has proven its worth on the jarring cobbles of Flanders and the Napoleonic-era stones on the road to Roubaix. It's seen the podium of one of cycling's monuments and has been a staple at the pointy end of the peloton for years. What makes this particular build so special is that it pairs that venerable frameset with Shimano's workhorse 105 drivetrain, which is as affordable as it is durable and takes advantage of trickle down technology from Shimano's top-tier components to give you a race-ready ride that won't crush your bank account.

The key to the frame's versatile ride is Ridley's artful layup of vibration devouring 30 and 24 ton unidirectional carbon fibers. While the harsher, purely weight-focused frames in Ridley's line use 50 to 60 ton moduli, the Fenix's carbon strikes a balance between smoothing the road and promoting rigid efficiency. Potholes, cobblestones, and other road hazards—which may feel like repeated hammer blows to the kidneys on 60 ton carbon—take on all the disagreeability of crosswalk paint. We do occasionally tire of wantonly riding over road obstacles, though. In such cases, the stiff, tapered head tube nets responsive steering to dodge through debris with ease.

Comfort and handling aside, the Fenix is meant to get angry when the road turns up or when you start turning the screws. The built-up bottom bracket junction, PressFit 30 bottom bracket, and burly chainstays address power transfer needs, ensuring that comfort doesn't come at the cost of a uselessly wagging drivetrain spine during hard efforts. The seat tube is also squared-off at the bottom with gradually softening edges as it rises to the seat collar. In our experience on this frame, that shaping makes for less lateral flex where we're putting power into the road and a more compliant ride across everything from buzzing chip seal to particularly punishing railroad crossings.