Ridley was showing off their new Noah (above) and Dean (read “more”) carbon road bikes, the same bikes that Cadel Evans road in the Tour this year.  The curvy tubes initially overshadow one of the more unique features about their bikes.  Called “R-Foil”, there are vents in the fork and seatstay that vacuum the turbulent air away from the spokes, which Ridley claims makes it incredibly fast in wind tunnel testing. ÂÂ
Watch the video when you read “more” for a full run down from Sinclair Imports’ owner, Ridley’s US distributor, as well as more pics of the Noah and the Dean TT/Tri bike…
The Dean is named for Ridley’s founder’s first born son.  I think he’ll be proud when he’s old enough to lust after one. (click on any of the images to enlarge them)
The “R-Flow” vents are on the fork (above) and seatstays (below).
I took a Noah out for a spin on the test loop (which is described in our post on Wilier’s bikes here), and it was quick, handled well and soaked up what few bumps I could find fairly well.  The road loop was so smooth and fast, though, it’s hard to make a road bike look bad.  But, given the Tour pedigree, it’s worth a look if you’re in the market for a high end road bike.
The Dean, named after the founder’s second son, is supposedly the fastest bike in the world (that’s what they claim).  Besides the R-Flow venting, it uses a special paint that’s supposed to further reduce drag (watch the video for more detailed info on this).
Here you can see the R-Foils in the fork.  This is one wide fork from the side view, and check out how the headtube slopes over the fork in the front to keep an aero facade.
And this angle shows you the R-Foils on the seat stays.  Note the beefy chainstays helping keep the drivetrain area very stiff.
