Tag: Bikes

Ridley Noah Disc Essential long-term review – Road Bikes – Bikes

Yura

The Ridley Noah Essential is framed as a more affordable version of the brand’s Noah Fast aero road bike.

The Noah was originally developed as a sprinter’s bike for the likes of Caleb Ewan. Ridley says it has developed into more of an all-rounder over time, something that has become a road bike trend.

This Noah Disc Essential is part of Ridley’s Essential Series, launched in February 2022. Ridley says the bikes in the series retain the same characteristics as the brand’s pro-worthy road bikes in terms of stiffness and ride quality, but use a more cost-effective carbon fibre.

As a result of this different carbon fibre, Ridley says the frameset of the Noah Disc Essential is 100g heavier than the top-of-the-range Noah Fast – so not a great deal of difference, then.

The bike has the same aerodynamic features as the top-tier version, and as result, it looks pretty similar, minus the different paintwork.

It has the same geometry, too, which balances the bike’s racing history with its all-rounder potential.

The bike is available in sizes XXS to XL, with Ridley offering the same frame across genders, recommending riders opt for a bike fitting or custom build rather than a women’s-specific road bike.

The Noah I have costs £4,729/€5,195 and has many of the features you would expect of a road bike at this price. These include a SRAM Rival eTap AXS groupset, Forza carbon wheels and a one-piece bar and stem.

The Ridley Noah Essential should, on paper, ride like the top Ridley Noah Fast but with a marginally increased weight, which arguably isn’t the most important thing for an aero road bike, anyway.

Ridley Noah Disc Essential update three

A new set of wheels

The Fulcrum Speed 42 wheels are the latest update to my long-term test bike.
Stan Portus / Our Media

There has been one significant change to my Ridley Noah Disc Essential since my last update: a new set of wheels.

The wheels were an obvious upgrade. With a depth of 38mm and claimed weight of 1,535g, the stock Forza Levanto DB didn’t really seem to match the go-fast intentions of this bike.

Something a bit deeper and a bit lighter seemed an appropriate fit, bringing the Ridley’s overall weight and aero potential more in line with some of the other best road bikes around the same price point.

Fulcrum’s new Speed 42 wheels struck me as a good fit thanks to their depth, claimed aerodynamic advantages and lower weight.

While the Fulcrum Speed 42 wheels aren’t drastically deeper than the Levanto wheels at – as the name suggests – 42mm, they have an internal rim width that’s wider by 4mm at 23mm.

Fulcrum Speed 42 wheels internal rim width.

The wheels have an internal rim width of 23mm.
Stan Portus / Our Media

The wider internal rim width should improve handling and comfort, thanks to a larger contact patch between the tyre and whatever pot-holed British road I take on.

I’m yet to get them on the scale, but the

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The 20 Best Electric Bikes in 2023

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No segment of bicycles is growing faster than electric bikes—and that demand is good for you, the e-bike shopper. Newer brands like Aventon, Rad Power Bikes, and Ride1Up have sprung up, offering affordable options you can buy online, bolstering the higher-performance e-bikes from more established players like Specialized, Trek, and Pivot.

Trevor Raab

Designs keep improving, tech is becoming more reliable, and capabilities are expanding. Whether you purchase online or through a retailer, you can find everything from folding e-bikes, fat-tire e-bikes, electric-assist road bikes, and a sea of commuter and city electric bikes. Liberated from some of the standard bike constraints (like weight and gearing), e-bike design has exploded.

rad power radmission electric hybrid bike ridden by amy wolff in easton, pa in october 2022

Trevor Raab

To make these reviews as helpful as possible, we focused on lower to mid-price options from brands you can purchase directly online—though we did include a couple of recommendations for more expensive e-bikes that our team of bike testers loved.

If you are looking for a higher-performance e-bike—or specifically want the help and service you can get from a specialty retailer—be sure to check out recommendations for our Best High-Performance E-Bikes. You’ll find 18 exceptional, award-winning bikes rigorously vetted by our editorial team.

The Best E-Bikes You Can Buy Right Now

The Three Classes of E-Bikes

After determining which style of bike is right for you, the next consideration is which class of e-bike best fits your needs. In the U.S., there are three classes, defined by the type of assist and how fast the motor will propel you. Most electric bikes are defined as class 1 or 3. Class 1 bikes have a motor (max 750w) that assists while pedaling up to 20 mph. Class 3, also known as “speed pedelec,” can have up to a 750w motor (aka 1-horsepower) but can assist you up to 28 mph. Both are allowed in most states and cities without needing a license.

gocycle folding bike ridden by aithne feay in brooklyn

Maegan Gindi

Class 2 models have become more popular with riders, especially at lower prices. These models have a throttle that can propel a bike up to 20 mph without needing continuous pedaling.

Some bikes blur the lines. Aventon’s popular Pace 500, for example, is technically a Class 3 e-bike in that it reaches speeds up to 28 mph, but it also has a throttle that tops out at 20 mph (the maximum legal speed for a throttle).

Two E-Bike Terms to Know

Torque: Measured in newton meters (or Nm), torque is a rotational measurement of force—and the number to pay attention to when you want an idea of an e-bike motor’s output. More torque means more power off the line and more boost to your pedaling. The heavier the bike, the more torque it needs. Lighter road bikes typically have 30 to 40Nm of torque, and trail and cargo models (generally) have at least 80Nm. Most commuter bikes fall somewhere in between.

aventon level

Bicycling Deputy Editor Tara Seplavy makes adjustments while testing the Gold-Award-winning Aventon Level.

Trevor Raab

Watt Hours: The size of

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Can this ‘SUV of bikes’ replace your car? You might be surprised

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pros and cons

Pros
  • Massive hauling capacity
  • Superb design
  • Effortless shifting
Cons
  • Finicky getting into a bike rack

more buying choices

The best gear marries design and functionality into a seamless package, and the exemplars of any class do this in an iconic way. It has to look good, make you look good, and do a lot of work to meet the challenges of daily life. This applies equally to personal computers, tennis racquets, and toaster ovens.

At the risk of falling into romantic opining, great gear is also increasingly hard to find. How many things have you purchased recently that you expect to be giving you good service in a decade? Two decades?

That high-handed preface is leading to an equally high-handed thesis: I found a cargo bike that solves a major conveyance problem for me and my family. It is from an OG brand, technically refined, completely rugged, and absurdly tailored to our particular use case. It is also designed and built with an old-school ethos: Make good stuff that will work well for a long time. 

Importantly, this review will be from the perspective of that use case, from my particular body type and riding style, and you should pay close attention to those particulars, which I elucidate below and which may differ in important ways from yours. This bike is perfect … for me. And while it is a Swiss Army knife of a machine, it most definitely is not one-size-fits all.

Review: The Cyrusher Ranger had me flying off-road, grinning from ear to ear

Read on to find out why, and if you’re considering a cargo bike, this review should help you dial in on the relevant considerations, opportunities, and pitfalls. 

Specifications

Rider Height Min/max 5’0″/6’6″
Bike Length 212cm
Bike Weight 67,9lbs
Frame Mundo V6 Electric Cr-Mo Thru Axle w/Disc Tab
Brake Magura MT32 Hydraulic or RideRever Attack-XU Hydraulic
Motor System N/A
Rear Derailleur Shimano RD-M2000 Altus 9-Speed or S-Ride RD-M310 9-Speed
Cassette Shimano 11-36T 9-Speed or S-Ride 9-Speed Nickle 11-32T CS-M300
Rims WTB SX23 (36H Front | 36H Rear)
Tires Schwalbe Big Ben Plus 26″ x 2.15″
Max G.V.W.R. 550lbs

Yuba dock rider

Setting off from the dock to the daycare!

Greg Nichols / ZDNET

Rider profile

My family lives outdoors. I mean that almost literally … we call a big old sailboat home and live dockside in a marina in Southern California.

Living on a boat is great, but living on a boat with two kids requires some planning. Kids need to move, and even though our WWII-era sailboat is a beast designed to carry troops, cargo, and tons of fish, the reality is we need to get off the boat early and often to keep our sanity. That means frequent outings to parks, the beach, farmer’s markets, school, and every variety of sports practice,

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Classic Motorcycles Book Review [32 Bikes Road Tested]

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Over the years, author Lester Morris has ridden some of the world’s rarest, most expensive, and highly exotic motorcycles and written comprehensive road tests on them. His latest book, Classic Motorcycles 32 Great Bikes and their Road Test Reports, compiles updated road tests of some of the most interesting bikes.

When I got in touch with Morris about the book and found it included his road test impressions of the 1970 Triumph Bandit prototype, that was it, I wanted to get a copy. Of course, I knew I’d be interested in the other 31 classic reviews, but the saga of the DOHC 350cc twin that was to have been marketed as the Triumph Bandit and BSA Fury is a story I’ve been interested in for some time.

Classic Motorcycle Book Review: Triumph Bandit 350
Morris did a retrospective ride review of the 1970 DOHC 350cc Triumph Bandit in 1984, and that fascinating story is included in his latest book.

Indeed, I wrote about it here six years ago in “The Sad Case of the Triumph Bandit/BSA Fury 350: What Might Have Been.” When I wrote that article, I knew of only two period reviews of the pre-production prototype—one by Bob Braverman in Cycle Guide and the other by Bob Greene in England’s Motorcycle Sport Quarterly. Then, in 2019, a comment from none other than Mr. Morris himself appeared below my article, informing me that he also wrote a retrospective review of a Triumph Bandit 350 that was published in 1984. Here’s what Morris had to say in that comment:

I carried out a carefully detailed road test report on a prototype 350cc DOHC Triumph Bandit for the Australian motorcycle magazine ‘Two Wheels’, the report published in 1984. I found the small machine to a be a mini-rocket ship (for a 350, it must be remembered), with great handling and powerful brakes – yes, including the rear anchor – but also suggested the gear change lever’s travel was far too great, but the riding position was perfect for my diminutive size of just on 1.6M (5′ 3″). The rockerbox covers fouled the top frame rails, and the gearbox filler could not be used unless the carburettors were removed, but both these problems, in particular the ‘long travel’ gear change, were minor quibbles and would assuredly have been attended to before production began. It was a monumental tragedy for Triumph that its senior management were too dumb not to have the little bike’s enormous potential. It would have blown its Japanese competition sideways. How sad it all was, how very sad! 

So, it turns out that Morris—a noted moto-journalist who actually got to ride a Triumph Bandit—came away with the same feeling that I had about the positive impact the bike might have had on the long-term fortunes of the foundering BSA-Triumph company.

In his review of the Bandit, Morris goes into great technical detail on the design and workings of the machine, its performance on the road, and how it did in some play racing against

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Specialized Diverge STR Expert review – Gravel Bikes – Bikes

Yura

The Specialized Diverge STR retains the excellent ride quality and impressive versatility of the previous-generation bike, adding a rear ‘suspension’ system that, while divisive, is genuinely effective.

Setting up the Future Shock Rear system is a slightly fiddly and involved process but, once dialled in, it offers a smooth gravel riding experience unlike anything else.

Some will baulk at the complexity of the system and, while it performs perfectly, this base model’s build isn’t competitive for the price.

That aside, the Diverge STR is a hugely versatile and comfortable gravel bike that will be equally at home cosseting the delicate rear of bike path trundlers or spicy go-fast gravel racers.

What is the Specialized Diverge STR?

The Diverge STR is a ‘full-suspension’ gravel bike.
Jack Luke / Our Media

The Future Shock is a small suspension system that sits between the stem and head tube, improving comfort by suspending the rider’s hands.

Specialized first introduced the Future Shock with the Bike of the Year-winning 2016 Roubaix. It then ported the tech over to the Diverge gravel bike in 2017

Future Shock is very good.
Jack Luke / Our Media

I was initially sceptical about Specialized’s claims regarding the system, but was won over after riding the last two generations of the Diverge. It really is very good at reducing fatigue and, in certain scenarios, improving control, winning plaudits among many testers.

The Diverge STR introduces Future Shock Rear. As the name implies, this is a suspension system designed to suspend the rider’s backside, improving comfort.

Brands build rear-end compliance into gravel bikes through a variety of means. Dropping the top tube to expose a large amount of seatpost that can easily flex is the simplest way to accomplish this.

The STR takes this concept to the extreme, essentially turning the whole seat tube into an extended flexible seatpost.

With Future Shock Rear, a conventional seatpost slots into a flexible ‘frame post’. This is clamped low down on the frame and is designed to provide up to 30mm of rearward flex.

This, in turn, is connected to a hydraulic damper integrated into the top tube. This controls the rebound and compression of the system.

That’s only a brief overview of a moderately complex bit of tech – head to our original news overview for an in-depth look at how it works.

Specialized Diverge STR spec overview

The entry-level build gets a GX Eagle/Rival AXS mullet build.
Jack Luke / Our Media

The Specialized Diverge STR Expert is the base model in the Diverge STR range.

For that, you get a

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Santa Cruz Nomad C GX AXS RSV Coil review – Full-Suspension – Mountain Bikes

Yura

This review has been republished as part of our Headline Bikes test, where we put eight trend-setting mountain bikes for 2023 through their paces. Read more about the bikes setting the trend for the year ahead. 

The Santa Cruz Nomad C GX AXS RSV is designed to tackle everything from big bike-park lines to enduro racing.

This latest sixth-generation version of the Nomad is slack, rugged and ready to rip.

With a mullet-wheel setup, the gravity-focused bike is intended to be more versatile than previous incarnations.

Changes to the suspension kinematics and geometry are intended to deliver a balance between long-travel bike stability and the kind of agility Nomad riders have come to expect.

Santa Cruz Nomad C GX AXS RSV Coil frame

The carbon frame is available in Santa Cruz’s C or CC construction.
Andy Lloyd / Our Media

Available in carbon fibre only – with the choice of Santa Cruz’s C or lighter CC construction – each frame size has a specific layup that influences its stiffness.

A Glovebox storage port is built into the down tube, containing two tool bags.

Maxxis provides an Assegai for the front and a Minion at the rear.
Andy Lloyd / Our Media

The new mullet wheel setup (29in front, 27.5in rear) improves rollover and traction.

This is combined with lower anti-squat, to minimise harshness over square-edged hits (at the sacrifice of a little pedalling efficiency) and a lower starting leverage rate. This is intended to better support body-weight movements and maintain geometry stability.

Santa Cruz Nomad C GX AXS RSV Coil geometry

All sizes share the same 63.8-degree head angle. In the ‘low’ setting, our large frame has a 472mm reach, 77.6-degree effective seat tube angle, 343mm bottom bracket height and 444mm (size-specific) chainstays.

A flip chip on the lower link of the VPP suspension enables you to steepen the head angle by 0.3 degrees and the seat tube angle by between 0.2 and 0.3 degrees. You can also add 3mm to the bottom bracket height and reach, and lop 1mm off the rear centre.

Santa Cruz Nomad C GX AXS RSV Coil specifications

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The GX AXS RSV Coil is one of the pricier builds in the new Nomad range, coming with SRAM’s GX Eagle AXS wireless shifting and Santa Cruz’s Reserve carbon wheels.

You also get a Fox 36 Performance Elite fork and a RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ Coil shock. SRAM Code R brakes control your speed, while DoubleDown-casing Maxxis rubber is there to ward off punctures.

Santa Cruz Nomad C GX AXS RSV Coil ride impressions

The Nomad was given a thorough workout at the bike park and on some gnarly trails.
Andy Lloyd / Our Media

I put the Nomad through its paces

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