Ridley

Fenix C10 Ultegra Complete Disc Road Bike - 2015

Ridley's forward-thinking Fenix C10 built with Shimano's Ultegra group and disc brakes is a refreshing reversal of fates. Disc brakes aren't yet UCI road legal, which means that we're riding the new tech before the pros get to parade un-branded prototypes around, so they'll be jealous of us while trying to navigate the classics with rim brakes. Mated to a frameset that's put a man on the podium at Flanders, this build is meant to devour abuse, go fast, and stop safely, giving you confident control even in the less-than optimal conditions of an unforgiving Belgian spring.

The Fenix C10 uses a vibration damping blend of 30 and 24 ton unidirectional carbon fibers as opposed to the 50 to 60 ton moduli favored in brittle, low-weight climbing frames. Potholes, cobblestones, and other road hazards are as smooth as crosswalk paint on the Fenix, but they may feel like taking repeated hammer blows to the kidneys on 60-ton carbon. The C10's oversized bottom bracket and burly chainstays mean comfort doesn't come at the cost of efficiency, though. If you ever get tired of wantonly plowing over obstacles, the stiff, tapered head tube nets responsive steering to dodge through debris with ease.

The C10's kit is a race worthy build centered around Shimano's under-appreciated Ultegra groupset. We contend that Ultegra is World Tour-level gear, and we're also pleased to again point out that this build includes gear beyond what the World Tour boys have: disc brakes. Shimano's ST-RS685 shift and brake levers are actually Ultegra models with the added functionality of a hydraulic reservoir.

We're confident that disc braking is the wave of the future because it takes more power input to lock your wheel, so you can accurately modulate braking force over five times the power range. They also catch immediately, even when wet or dirty conditions would force rim brakes to complete a debris-clearing revolution before grabbing the brake track — exactly the kind of reliability you'll want whether racing the Belgian classics or riding in your own backyard.