Colnago V4Rs vs Ridley Noah Fast

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DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
Do you find a climbing bike feels faster uphill??

A lighter bike, yes. If I compare my aero NeilPryde Nazaré with the lightweight Thompson Capella the Thompson's better uphill but the NeilPryde faster on the flat.
 

Proto

Legendary Member
Don't but the Ridley, in five years time you'll just have an old carbon race bike. Whereas, if you buy the Colnago, in five years time you'll still be in love with a thing of beauty. There's a reason folk collect Colnagos. Nobody collects Ridleys.

Sill can't find a reason to upgrade my C59, it really is a lovely thing even though it's nearly 10 years old, and I seriously regret selling my C40, what was I thinking.

I can't recall the model Ridley I briefly owned. Sold a few years ago, bland and forgotten.
 
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DogmaStu

Senior Member
Do you find a climbing bike feels faster uphill??

There really has to be a very significant weight difference between bikes.

My road bikes for example:
Wilier Zero6 w/SRAM Red @circa 6.2kg including Zipp 303 wheels
Trek Madone SLR w/Ultegra @circa 7.8kg including Roval Rapide CLX 60/50 wheels
Pinarello Dogma F w/Dura Ace @circa 7.1kg including Dura Ace C50 / Zipp 404 wheels

Of those 3 bikes, the Wilier is notably 'easier' to ride when the gradient hits 5% or more for extended periods. Indeed, the steeper it gets, the easier it is and therefore faster for any given watts...Strava PB's have shown me marginal gains. Keyword: marginal.

The Trek does feel heavier on the steeper and longer climbs but holds its speed better on the flats and the nicer bike to sprint or TT with vs the Wilier.

The Pinarello is nigh on identical to the Trek on the flat and very close to the Wilier on the climbs and overall, the faster of the 3 on any typical ride that has a mix of lumpy and flat.

In all that, this is only of any real use if you are chasing TT's / Strava segments / PB's / racing because the differences are not great.
 

Jameshow

Veteran
Don't but the Ridley, in five years time you'll just have an old carbon race bike. Whereas, if you buy the Colnago, in five years time you'll still be in love with a thing of beauty. There's a reason folk collect Colnagos. Nobody collects Ridleys.

Sill can't find a reason to upgrade my C59, it really is a lovely thing even though it's nearly 10 years old, and I seriously regret selling my C40, what was I thinking.

I can't recall the model Ridley I briefly owned. Sold a few years ago, bland and forgotten.

Just like the v4r then!!

C series are obsolete manufacturing wrapped up in heritage dress imho.
 

DogmaStu

Senior Member
Oof.

The V4R's are just like all the others that roll out of Taiwan. No ta. Like pinarello's.

C series !

The C68 and its predecessors are awesome bikes, yes. They have oodles of kerb appeal at Cafe's because the look great, evidence of excellent craftsmanship and, as endurance bikes, comfortable cruisers for long, blissful days in the saddle. A big thumbs up from me.

The V4RS is a pure race machine. It reacts to every twitch, it is nimble, light and has an aggressive geometry to force an aero position from the rider. Similar, to the Pinarello Dogma F and Specialized S-Works et al. Some of us want that race feel, the ultimate we can get to help us attain our racing goals. The quality of the V4RS is not diminished because it was made in Taiwan, that's an ignorant fallacy - they are truly top notch make no mistake about it. The materials and carbon spec is very high-end and the result is a bike that performs as designed.

C68 and V4RS. Two different bikes for different riding needs/goals. Both great bikes.
 
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