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Earlier this year we took a close look at the Ridley Noah raced by Lotto-Soudal’s Spanish rider, Rafael Valls Ferri. Here is the online version of our report from #RIDE75.
Photo: Yuzuru Sunada
Click the photos below to see close-ups of the Ridley Noah used by Valls Ferri. (By Rob Arnold)
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Rafael Valls Ferri’s Ridley Noah
Bike sizing info
Manufacturer’s size: 56cm
Saddle height (from BB): 780mm
Handlebar height: 885mm
Drop: 137mm Reach: 572mm
Saddle setback: 68mm
Rider details
Pro since: 2009 Age: 29
Height: 179cm Weight: 64kg
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See the full feature, all 18 bikes from the 2017 WorldTour peloton, in #RIDE75.
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Lotto-Soudal remains loyal with many of its sponsors from last year. The team bikes have a dialled-in set- up and it is nice to see not a huge amount of change.
Keeping the same colours as 2016 the bikes are similar in a lot of ways but with a couple of high performance tweaks to keep the guys rolling fast (and looking good).
Ridley continues to expand its range and its WorldTour team now has more choice on frames.
Rafael Valls Ferri selected the Noah over the recently re-launched lightweight Helium. Considering the Spaniard is a climber, it’s worth noting that this bike of his is the same as that used by the likes of André Greipel.
The Noah has become refined over the years and is now a bike that is not only stiff and aero but now has some features to soak up the harsh ride attributes it once had.
As with all of the team bikes, the weight is well above what’s on offer for retail customers – in this instance, 7.44kg.
Campagnolo Super Record is used, the team long loyal to the Italian brand. The mechanics know how to lace it all up; the beautiful electronic groupset features a new wiring/junction box, meaning version three of the EPS ensemble is an improvement. Steven van Olmen prepared this bike and his work was amongst the finest on display.
With no Campagnolo power meters on the market, the team uses SRM.
The rest of the finishing kit is all Italian: Deda cockpit and the super-fast Campagnolo Bora Ultra wheels.
Interestingly, Lotto-Soudal opts for the C-Bear Ceramic BB. These bottom brackets are not only known for the ceramic bearings, but also adapter cups that claim creak-free solutions without Loctite.
Van Olmen’s work is exceptional. He uses Nokon cables which allow for neater lacing. Known to be rather fiddly to install there are benefits, including more bend and freeness in the routing option – something necessary for bikes that require a complex configuration. Team bikes are subjected to lots of wear (and frequent packing) so the extra wiggle on offer because of these cables is valuable.
Unlike many others in this tight-knit collective of riders, Valls Ferri has refrained from altering his position with the use of extra narrow handlebars. It was a trend started by the Australian stalwart Adam Hansen – and adopted by many others in the line-up – but not the Spanish GC rider.
Care has been taken to shrink-wrap the electronic wires alongside the brake cable keeping things neat. It’s the little touches that make a big difference in bike presentation.
The Lizard Skin red/black/white ‘camo’ handlebar tape finishes off the build in team colours – it’s a bit of ‘noise’ to an otherwise elegant complete package. The finishing touches and attention to detail make van Olmen and his cohort popular additions to the team.
– By Lachlan McKillop
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