New Ridley Helium
10-18-07, 06:52 PM
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New Ridley Helium
16.2 pounds with the PT rear wheel and not-so-light Cane Creek front...! I'm guessing 15.5-ish with the light wheels...
Ceramic goodness! Yes, it's smoother and spins longer than a stock D/A BB...! My old stock D/A BB spun about 6 times with no chain load. This one spun 14!!! We'll see...
We'll see how it rides tomorrow afternoon. I need to shake it down before doing 100km on Saturday.
10-18-07, 06:55 PM
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Sweet bike! But 16.2lbs on a sub 1000g frame? Do you have boat anchors attached to that thing? 
Nice bike man. Enjoy!
Nice bike man. Enjoy!
10-18-07, 07:00 PM
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I break frames, not parts...and besides, at 180, it's easier and cheaper for me to lose two pounds than the bike...
Oh, and Ridley publishes the weight for the small frame. This one weighed 1050grams.
10-18-07, 07:46 PM
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Damocles- isn't that an 07 1100g helium? the new 900g ones have r3 style thin seat stays that are straight. Looking foward to a ride report as I'm looking at the same frame.
10-18-07, 07:59 PM
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Great looking build.
I love the frame, and the colors (or lack thereof).
Congrats!
BTW:
I picked up a VCRC BB for my PF ZX3 build and I hope it spins as smooth as yours.
I also found a pair of Token ceramic pulleys for cheap. They actually weigh more than stock, and I doubt they reduce drag at all, but they do add some bling that, at least I will notice.
I love the frame, and the colors (or lack thereof).
Congrats!
BTW:
I picked up a VCRC BB for my PF ZX3 build and I hope it spins as smooth as yours.
I also found a pair of Token ceramic pulleys for cheap. They actually weigh more than stock, and I doubt they reduce drag at all, but they do add some bling that, at least I will notice.
10-18-07, 09:42 PM
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Damocles,
You've broken 3 Ridley frames? That kind of concerns me. What happened and why. Glad they replaced them but why did they break?
You've broken 3 Ridley frames? That kind of concerns me. What happened and why. Glad they replaced them but why did they break?
10-19-07, 04:53 AM
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They were both early production 2005 frames. Ridley acknowledges that the early production Excalibur and Damocles frames weren't built they way they should have been. No reason for concern though. Ridley's warranty is 5 years. I've gotten a new frame from them every 24 months, on average...
And yes, this is an 07 frame. Sinclair won't have the 08 frames 'for a while'...! I really like the 07 better anyway. I like the bowed stays...
The seatpost is simple to measure and cut. They give you a cutting guide. There is room for error, but not much. There are spacers that can go on top of the mast and the cap itself gives you some room. You have @ 35mm of adjustment.
The easiest way to cut it to install your cranks and saddle to the new frame. Measure the total distance. You should know your seat height. In this case, the total was 81.5cm and my seat height is 77cm. I put the guide on and cut off 4.5cm. It was perfect on the first shot...
Last edited by damocles1; 10-19-07 at 05:05 AM.
10-19-07, 05:45 AM
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10-19-07, 07:20 AM
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hubba, hubba!!!...that's one hot bike!!!
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10-19-07, 07:35 AM
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I ride a bit on the small side just because it's more comfortable for me.
The more I look at the photo, I think it needs a white saddle...
10-19-07, 07:41 AM
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I'm looking at getting a 08 Noah, Sinclair will set it up b/c we don't have a local dealer. Sounds like you have had really great support. Did you build it up yourself? I know the Helium is certainly lighter, did you consider the Noah? Rolling hills in these parts, without long climbs so weight is not such an issue, but stiffness is. What have you thought of the Noah?
10-19-07, 07:50 AM
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I'm looking at getting a 08 Noah, Sinclair will set it up b/c we don't have a local dealer. Sounds like you have had really great support. Did you build it up yourself? I know the Helium is certainly lighter, did you consider the Noah? Rolling hills in these parts, without long climbs so weight is not such an issue, but stiffness is. What have you thought of the Noah?
I'm not too worried about the weight of the bike, seeing as I'm not exactly a flyweight.
I got the Helium because it's basically an overbuilt Excalibur, and I really like the way the Excalibur rode, prior to it breaking of course...! It was stiff, but smoother than my Damocles.
I considered a Noah, but in talking to the guys at Sinclair, they said the Helium is almost as stiff and rides better. I don't want to get home after 4 hours on the bike and complain about the ride. I honestly like the looks of the Helium over the Noah as well.
And yes, I built it myself. I do all of my own stuff and wrench for about 1/2 of the guys in our group. There's only one good shop wrench in town and he's a good friend who builds my wheels.
10-19-07, 08:05 AM
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I've been pretty impressed with Sinclair just responding to my questions about buying the bike. More than I can say about other brands and distributors. They seem to stand really solidly behind Ridley from what I'm hearing. The decision is down to a Helium, Noah or Orbea Orca. I can get a really good deal on the Orca with SRAM red build, so with the Group its a hard decision. Have you ridden an Orca. I liked the ride predictable and stiff enough but still comfortable for a long day in the saddle.