Ridley

Liz Road Bike Frame

Unfortunately, women have been fed the "shrink and pink" method of designing bikes for quite some time. So, you're probably used to either riding a men's bike and swapping out the touch points to get "as close as possible" to a perfect fit, or riding a sub-par frame that fits — because it's all that's available. Ridley flipped this pattern on its head in 2013 with the Ridley Liz Road Bike Frame which features a women's-specific geometry without cutting corners on the production. And because of its identical carbon composition and similar geometry, we actually consider it to be the sister-version of the all new Ridley Fenix. The 2014 model continues this new paradigm. 

Starting with strength, Ridley incorporated the same Sharp Edge tube design that was developed for its first carbon frame, the Damocles. Essentially, the engineering ideology at work here is that of form following function. If you've ever taken a gander at Ridley's logo, you'll notice the Ridley 'R' encased in the outline of a diamond. It's a representation of Ridley's design philosophy — taking cues from natural, proven designs. Accordingly, Ridley has designed the oversized carbon tubing with the shape of the diamond in mind. The 'sharp edge' means that the focused areas of the carbon layup are at the poignant edges of the tubing. This not only guarantees a high level of strength and impact resistance, but it also translates to a lightweight composition. So, like the classic Ridley Damocles, the strength lies at the forefront, but with pages taken from the svelte Excalibur, the Liz's strength-to-weight ratio goes off the charts.

Like the Excalibur, Ridley placed a focus on lowering the overall weight, while increasing stability and comfort. Accordingly, the Liz has been constructed from a 24-ton, high modulus carbon fiber. This means that the carbon is designed to withstand 24 tons of pressure per-square-millimeter. So, the stronger the carbon fiber, the less needs to be used. And the less material used means a lower overall frame weight. However, the light carbon design also translates to heightened levels of rigidity, which directly lends itself to an efficient power transfer to the rear triangle. Complementing this attribute are the Liz's asymmetrical chainstays, oversized tube junctures, a BB30 bottom bracket, and a tapered, 1.125 x 1.5in head tube.

For comfort, the Liz features a tapered design down the seatstays that thin towards the middle before regaining their original size at the axle. Essentially, this creates a forced flex area for shock absorption on rough roads. And further along these lines, Ridley also gave the frame a tall head tube for increased vibration absorption and a comfortable position in the saddle. Additionally, you'll notice that the top tube has been shortened to better accommodate the morphology of women. Ultimately, the pairing creates a more natural body position that provides a higher level of stability, maneuvering, and control across the gamut of speed. These features are further accentuated by the use of Ridley's tried and true 4ZA carbon fiber fork.

Ridley has also made the Liz to be future-ready. By this, we mean that the frame features all internal cable routing for minimal maintenance, aerodynamics, and an overall clean aesthetic. Additionally, Ridley ensured that the Liz is compatible with all mechanical and electronic shift systems.

The Ridley Liz Road Bike Frame is available in the color White and in the sizes XX-Small , X-Small, Small, and Medium. It comes in the color White/blue.