Vortex RT is going to become more and more involved in track racing, so did I need another track bike, I think so....
Then while chatting to Solidrock Cycles I was handed a catalogue by Mark and saw the Ridley. Not sure I'd remembered previous to that, but I'd seen Ridley track bikes at Gent during a visit to the 6 day the previous year, I'd more associated them with road bikes, but then a Belgian company knowing a bit about track bikes makes sense really. It's an aluminium frame, what I'm after, not sure I want to be riding a carbon bike at track leagues, so ideal.
Here's the link to the Ridley info on it.
If you're looking for one, check the sizing chart & geometry on that link, what they call a 52cm, is a 56cm in traditional measurements, so bear that in mind, all the info's there but you need to read it.
I did a bit of research on the net about what people were saying, lots of street 'fixie' types riding them, not too many reports on how they handle on the boards, but a bit of confusion with some numpties and their interpretation of frame angles and handling. So I had basically ignored the majority of it and used my own experience of frames to decide what I needed, a good handling rigid endurance riders bike. I also got a recommendation from somebody I found who was actually racing one on a 250m track, that settled it for me. I ordered one through the shop, frame only, had most of the other kit, plus a pair of old school track wheels getting built by big Al.
First ride was setting it up on the rollers, feels stiff, tracks fine, nothing significant to report, but apart from that very hard to tell, obligatory matching white bar tape and saddle for a track bike (see rules). Looks nice. The only curious thing is that the forks have no hole for a brake, but the rear has a brake bridge with a hole for a brake, this doesn't really bother me, but I passed the info onto the rep and he said he'd get it sorted with future frames, so any coming out now won't have the brake fitting, but another thing to check.
So onto actually testing the thing, took it to Manchester, a 250m indoor wooden track, my feeling on the stiffness was correct, I'm not a big guy, so my opinion doesn't say how a sprinter would find it. It has some ovalised tubing, changing along the length, which probably adds to the feel of it, the chainstays and seatstays are extra beefy, but in the correct direction, so they remain aero. It holds the black line well at speed and isn't twitchy, I don't like overly twitchy track bikes that flick you off your line when you move your head, I like something that tells you what it's doing, and does what you tell it. To be honest, I wasn't going too well at Manchester, but I was on the front for a crazy line bit of training, taking everybody through.. you guessed it, crazy lines. This was the first opportunity to really give the thing a test, so diving off the banking, switching, the thing really comes into it's own on this kind of stuff, where the surefooted handling come in, it really does do what you tell it. I was more worried I'd stuck my tubs on correctly. The look of it went down well, with another fair few, "I didn't know Ridley did track bikes".
Roll on the Meadowbank track league, another 250m wooden track, but this time outside, so the added problems of wind and whatever the Scottish weather system can throw at you. Once again, the bike handles great, really responsive, by the time I'd started going ok during the season, I'd tested everything, seated accelerations, sprinting, running off the banking flat out and I've got absolutely nothing bad to say about it, a great track bike, even the paint is fine after a season of being chucked in cars with 2 or 3 other track bikes, rollers etc.
So in summary, a good all round endurance track bike, light, very stiff (probably good enough for most sprinters), handles well, accelerates well, looks good. Really looking forward to getting some form and seeing what it can really do.
They've also brought out a ridiculous new carbon track bike now, have a look...
Ridley Arena
They're all available, plus the full Ridley range at SolidRockCycles in Balmore.
www.solidrockcycles.com
