Ridley has unveiled its latest gravel bike dubbed the ASTR RS, offering gravelers its lightest variant to date with enough clearance for tires up a hefty 52mm, while the frameset has been treated to the same aerodynamic profile as the Belgian brand’s latest Falcn RS road bike – think wide diffuser fork crown, dropped seatstays, an aero seatpost and a rear wheel cutout.
“The ASTR RS is a performance gravel bike developed for modern gravel racing. Recently, these races have become increasingly rough, while riders are going faster than ever, leading to new demands on the bike. The bike uses aero-optimized tubing and a diffusor fork based on our Falcn RS aero-to-weight study. Also, the larger tire clearance allows fitting the tires required to handle rougher courses. Riders need to be able to conserve more energy during the race: optimized aero, more comfort, less rolling resistance due to the wider tires, and better climbing performance due to the low weight mean racers will go into the final with more energy in the tank than their adversaries,” boasts Ridley.
Ridley also revamped the geometry on the ASTR RS, opting for a steeper seat angle than its current KANZO Fast gravel bike, along with its Nimbus Pro integrated cockpit as seen on the Falcn RS, as well as provisions for both 1x and 2x drivetrains.
All in, Ridley says the ASTR RS tips the scales at a feathery 890 grams in a size medium, an impressive feat for a gravel frame indeed.
The ASTR RS is available in a number of different builds, with prices starting at €7.299,00 for a Shimano GRX-equipped model.
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Ridley is also offering a less expensive version simply called the ASTR, which brings the cost down by way of less premium carbon, a standard round seatpost and more affordable build options.
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