Ridley’s Astr RS is a lighter, faster, fatter-tired gravel race bike than the Belgian bike builder has ever made. It’s a premium race-ready carbon gravel bike that I’d also be happy to ride as my go-to for casual gravel riding, too. I’ve tested a lot of gravel bikes, including the 3 Ridley gravel models that this one mashes up – the Kanzo Fast, the Kanzo Adventure, and the Grifn. And the new Astr undeniably comes out on top in my book.
It’s significantly lighter, much more versatile, and the most comfortable of the bunch – on par with the ADV on that last one.
2024 Ridley Astr RS light aero carbon gravel race bike
Classified Ridley Factory Team racers demanded a more capable gravel race bike for tougher races like Unbound, Traka, Badlands, The Rift & more where fast intense racing gets mixed up with rougher terrain. They wanted all the aerodynamic gains, a lighter bike, AND a minimum of 47mm tire clearance. So Ridley went back to the drawing board. And they essentially created the all-new Ridley Astr RS gravel race bike by scaling up their latest aero all-road Grifn RS to create a fat tire gravel bike with aero road race bike inspiration.
The key takeaways on the new bike include:
- a frame that now weighs just 890g for a medium Ridley Astr RS, for 369g saved compared to the Kanzo Fast
- aerodynamic tube shaping and cockpit integration, just like on Ridley’s Falcn RS aero road race bike
- up to 52mm wide tire clearance with a 1x setup, or 47mm clearance with a road compact 2x
- gravel race geometry that manages to combine all of that without sacrificing responsiveness or high-speed stability
Want to get the full breakdown of everything that’s new in the Astr RS? Read my in-depth launch coverage from earlier this morning, here.
So, how does the bike actually feel to ride?
Riding Impressions: Faster on fatter tires
It’s a lightweight race bike, so I shouldn’t have really been surprised at how quick the new Ridley Astr RS felt once I hopped on it. But it still caught me off guard a bit. Burned into my brain is the thought that fat gravel tires will feel heavy & slow, and that you only really need big tire volume for backcountry adventures or riding gravel bikes on mountain bike trails.
But just like we see riding high-end 30 & 32mm slick tires on the road, these fast-rolling 47mm Vittoria tires helped make the Astr RS feel light & quick. The wider, bigger volume tires meant I could run lower pressures to smooth out even smooth gravel roads. They meant I increased grip in sandy and loose gravel corners. And when the gravel roads got rough, I simply did not have to slow down to feel like I was still in control.
Race Geometry Review: Tweaked for taller tires
And while big tires lent some comfort & confidence-inspiring cush, the frame itself felt snappy and responsive. Stomp on the pedals and the short chainstays rocketed the bike up to speed. Then, leaning it hard into turns and the steep (for me) 71.5° head angle dove into the corners.
Ridley talks about the extra 3mm of BB drop being there to add more stability at speed and cornering. But since the axles are already sitting about 7mm higher off the ground than the Kanzo Fast because of bigger tires, weight balance is still a bit higher here. So, it’s more the longer front center / increase in overall wheelbase that boosts stability, since it appears that the Astr has more fork rake to offset the otherwise longer fork Trail that comes from bigger, taller tires.
The bonus counterpoint to the increased bottom bracket height, the Astr RS has 13mm lower frame Stack than the Kanzo Fast, which brings weight distribution back down, and decreases the rider’s profile into the wind. Fit-wise, I’m quite flexible, so I appreciated that lower Stack, and probably would have cut another cm off the steerer tube if it was my personal bike.
Riding Review: A fast, but versatile all-rounder gravel race bike
A lot of bikes focused on racing seem to require constant attention to keep them in control and going fast. Yet, this bike felt very balanced. The geometry on paper looks so similar to the Kanzo Fast, which I found a bit too harsh and twitchy for my liking. But I feel that the combination of larger/taller tires, longer overall wheelbase, and lower bar position makes this bike much more stable and comfortable to control.
It’s a noticeably more neutral handling feel that kind of just disappears beneath you in a good way. Just pedal and go.
Yes, this is a race bike. And an expensive one at that. But it would also be a great all-rounder bike for my everyday gravel rides. Fast and easy on casual group rides. And a race-ready rocket when it’s time to pin a number on and see how fast you can put the hammer down.
Weighing the Pros & Cons
➕ Big 52mm tire clearance means you can pick something like these fast-rolling 47mm Vittoria Terreno Dry semi-slicks or full knobby 50mm/2″ MTB-style treads with tons of grip.
➕ Fatter tires simply offer better traction, improved control, and more all-day comfort. A couple of years ago I would have said that 50mm tires were unnecessarily heavy and stiff feeling, but there simply are so many great high-volume tires available now that going wider is a much easier decision to make.
➕ It’s hard to argue with lightness on a bike that you’ll be constantly accelerating – whether up steep terrain, or just getting back up to speed after a rough section of gravel. At 890g (claimed) for the frame and a real 7.84kg for the complete medium SRAM Red bike with a powermeter without pedals (8.24kg with my Eggbeaters and a bolt-on toptube bag), this in an undeniably light feeling ride.
➕ The same goes for aerodynamics. Do we need all gravel bikes to be aero? Of course not. But if you can get even small incremental aero gains without sacrificing comfort or weight, I’m 100% on board. At least the free watts might offset the slightly wider tire profile into the wind.
➖ But, the high price is really hard to bear here. With a frameset selling for 5000€ and the cheapest complete bikes from 7300€, there simply are many much more affordable gravel bikes that are still race-ready.
➖ The lack of mechanical drivetrain compatibility is a bad thing in my book. Call me a luddite, if you want. Sure, the bike world is trending electronic and wireless. And UDH is good. But I prefer the reliable simplicity of a mechanical groupset (and never having to remember to charge it), especially for a gravel bike where I want to venture a bit off the beaten track. Plus, you can still build a lighter mechanical setup, than one with multiple batteries interspersed throughout the bike.
➕ It’s a sneaky plus here for Ridley’s new gravel race family though. But the regular carbon Astr is simply a much better value than this Ridley Astr RS, at less than half the price. You save 2700€ off a frameset, only sacrifice 200g in frame weight, and gain a round seatpost and that mechanical drivetrain comparability, all at the same time. The standard Astr is simply a more logical choice, unless you have an unlimited budget.
➖ One of the things I don’t really like about my Ridley Astr RS test bike was the long 110mm x 400mm wide unflared cockpit, with a kinda deep 130mm drop & 75mm reach. I still get the feeling that Ridley is a bit old school in their fitting long (virtual) stems and longer bars to their dropbar bikes. But this doesn’t really have to be a minus, because…
➕ Ridley’s online custom configurator tool makes it easy to get the bike set up like you want. Buyers can choose their ideal crank length, chainring size, and importantly the best handlebar fit for them. The 4ZA Cirrus Pro integrated cockpit on this bike also comes in a flared version that I would prefer. And were I to buy this bike I could pick the perfect 90mm stem, 380mm wide at the hoods, 440mm wide at the drops with its 16° flare, and a more compact 120mm drop & 70mm reach combo.
➖ Another downside in my mind is the proprietary internal cable routing solution Ridley uses here. The bike features a tapered 1 1/4″ to 1 1/2″ steerer that is D-shaped to allow the brake lines to fit inside the relatively small upper headset bearing. It makes for a narrow headtube and clean looks once everything is in place. But it’s a mechanic’s nightmare to get everything set up with so little extra room to work in, and even changing bar height is a tricky problem to solve with little room for error.
➕ Custom colors are a great way to make your bike unique, too! If you keep the standard design, picking your favorite from 37 single colors doesn’t even cost any more. Or for 400-700€ more you can get even more creative. The only downside being that it will slightly delay how fast you get your new bike.
➖ The only other functional downside could be limited mounting points. People looking for more bikepacking adventures might want fork mounts. And year-round riders might want fender mounts. But Ridley has the Kanzo Adventure specifically for that. Anyway, my own 3-5-day-long bikepacking trips usually don’t necessitate fork-mounted gear, and I get by well-enough with strap-on fenders if needed. (I do highly recommend the Win Wing!)
Parting thoughts on the Ridley Astr RS gravel race bike
There are a lot of ups and downs when I dive into what I like and dislike about the new Ridley Astr RS. But I feel like the only one issue that sticks in my mind is that price. If you can stomach the cost, this is surely one of the best gravel race bikes you can buy at the moment. It feels fast. It feels comfortable. And it is just as happy taking it easy on casual rides with friends, as it is when you are riding all-out as fast as your legs & lungs will allow.
Now, I preface this closing statement with the fact that I have NOT actually ridden the much more affordable standard hi-mod carbon Ridley Astr.
But I have the feeling that it will deliver almost exactly as well as its RS big sibling. The aero shaping is the same. The geometry is the same. And the tire clearance is the same. So, if I were looking to build up a new carbon gravel race bike and I didn’t have an extra few thousand euros to burn (I don’t), I’d give the regular Astr a hard look. While the Ridley Astr RS looks great, it almost makes the value of the Ridley Astr seem even better by comparison.
