Ridley

Orion/Shimano Ultegra 6700 Complete Bike - 2012

The Ridley Orion Ultegra Complete Bike is an exercise in pleasant surprises. Firstly, the price. It's a full-carbon fiber frame that borrows technical pedigree and geometry from Ridley's pro-level bikes, and is fitted with a race-ready gruppo for under $3000. Secondly, the Orion offers a phenomenally versatile platform on which you can competitively train, ride recreationally, and race, while still allowing room to grow and upgrade as you progress through your local ranks. It's Ridley's full-fledged value option, and worth more than a second glance if you're looking to get the most from your money.

The Orion has an oversized, semi-round/semi-square downtube with a reinforced bottom bracket to maximize stiffness and power transfer. It's reminiscent in our minds of the 'Squoval' tubing on the Cervelo R3 — its rounded boxy shape is difficult to explain in words, but is directly correlated to its resistance to torsional and lateral flex. It's no different from the Helium, Noah, Damocles, and Excalibur. The Orion is a pure race bike, and it's at home in any conditions — flat or hilly, smooth roads or jarring. And not unlike the Excalibur, Ridley built the Orion with mono seat stays to deliver the sort of compliant ride that's nice on shorter rides, and absolutely necessary when you're out for upwards of four hours. You can rest assured that its stiffness under power doesn't make it a jackhammer on chip seal roads.

Also like other Ridley frames raced in the pro tour, the Orion is built as a monocoque. This one-piece construction method allows greater quality control and a lighter final structure. It's made from 24-ton carbon fiber. By definition, it has a tensile strength of 24 tons per square centimeter. It's less expensive than the 30-ton and 40-ton carbon used in the Damocles and Noah, which means they have to use a bit more of it to achieve the intended stiffness and strength. However, the Orion foregoes the cosmetic layer of carbon.It's all unidirectional fabric and is simply painted. All told, the Orion tips the scales within 100 grams of the Damocles and costs an astonishing 40% less.

Shimano's race-ready Ultegra 6700 gruppo handles all the drivetrain duties with the exception of an FSA Gossamer 34/50 compact crankset. Now, before you scoff at the thought of riding components not befitting of a pro cyclist, consider how a compact crankset offers most mortals the perfect gearing for long ascents, punchy uphill accelerations, and for holding a comfortable paceline in the drops. Concerns about spinning out are really only reserved for the longest, steepest canyon descents found here in Utah. For the rest of the build, Ridley's own 4ZA components make up the bulk of it. The 4ZA Stratos alloy bar and stem are a great complement to the 4ZA R-Blade carbon/aluminum fork. They combine to create a steering feel that inspires confidence at speed. And in keeping with that theme, the Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels are light enough keep you afloat during races, yet tough enough to handle any roads you'll encounter. They're shod with Vittoria Rubino Pro 3 23mm tires.

The Ridley Orion Ultegra Complete Bike is available in Black/White and comes in five sizes from X-Small to X-Large. Given its sloping geometry, we strongly suggest that you focus on the virtual top tube length as you make a determination of the proper size. It uses an integrated 1-1/8in headset, a 31.6mm seatpost, an English bottom bracket, and a 34.9mm clamp-on front derailleur.

• FSA Gossamer crankset mated to Shimano Ultegra drivetrain ensures all your hard work translates into speed
  
• Fulcrum Racing 7 wheelset is light enough to race on, and tough enough for training rides on all manner of roads
  
• Weighs in at just over eight kilograms, so you can climb with the best