Retro Helium SL Road Frameset - 2015
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With its contrasting sponsor bands and nod to multi-material framesets, the Ridley Retro Helium SL Road Frameset combines three distinct eras of cycling. Given its retro styling, we also can't help but chuckle at the irony that its advanced construction techniques and future-proof component compatibility also make it a herald for what may be around the corner in cycling technology.
But first, pretending we don't love this frameset for the paint job alone would be disingenuous. The white fields and altered Ridley logo recall the typical mode of bicycle branding from mid-century models, a nostalgia only heightened by the Belgian tricolor rings that set the bands off from the rest of the frame. The black fork and stays bring us into the turn of the century, a time when manufacturers were starting to dip their toes into carbon by using it in the stays and fork while sticking to steel and alloy for the main triangle. Finally, we're brought to today's cutting edge of climbing technology when you imagine the Helium SL totally naked, without any paint at all.
Underneath that glamorous veneer are a mere 1,050 grams of weight — that's around 200 grams fewer than the regular Helium. This weight loss was achieved through the use of a sophisticated carbon selection, utilizing a strategic placement of unidirectional 60, 40, and 30-ton high-modulus carbon fiber, whereas the Helium only uses 30-ton. These materials are laid-up as one piece for the front triangle, which lets Ridley over-wrap the bonding points and distribute load beyond the joints back into the frame itself for a stronger build with less material. The SL also incorporates a nano resin to improve the compatibility of the resin and carbon, which decreases weight and increases durability.
The tube shapes also contribute to the Retro Helium's retro pedigree, and they have us questioning the warped seatstays and seatposts that have become all the rage in bicycle "innovation." The seatstays, which are simple, slightly flattened tubes, combine with the traditional 27.2 seatpost for a compliant ride by devouring road noise. The seat tube starts off round and gradually develops a square cross-section as it approaches the bottom bracket in order to maximize both compliance and efficient power transfer. The head tube is also slightly smaller than the Helium, which makes us think again of older models while also acknowledging that carbon technology may have reached the point that oversized tubes aren't necessary to achieve top-level stiffness.
Ridley's testing bears this out, concluding that the SL is 8% stiffer at the bottom bracket, 4% stiffer at the head tube than the heavier Helium. Even the fork piles on, enjoying 20% more lateral stiffness despite losing 90 grams. A return to smaller tubes may be the direction of the future, but it's not the only nod that the Retro makes toward what's to come. The Helium SL heralds the future of components, too, in that it's 100% internal cable routing has been designed to accommodate both electronic and mechanical shift systems.
Details
- Multi-grade carbon fiber construction
- Smaller-diameter tubes for lighter weight
- Stiffer and lighter than previous Helium iterations
- Internal cable routing
- Item #RID002X
- Frame Material
- 60T, 40T, 30T high-modulus carbon fiber
- Fork
- 4ZA Carbon
- Fork Material
- 60T, 40T, 30T high-modulus carbon fiber
- Headset Included
- yes
- Bottom Bracket Type
- PF30
- Cable Routing
- internal
- Front Derailleur Mount
- braze-on
- Compatible Components
- Shimano, Campagnolo, SRAM
- Seatpost Diameter
- 27.2 mm
- Extras
- retro street cred
- Claimed Weight
- 1050 g
- Recommended Use
- road endurance
- Manufacturer Warranty
- 5 years on frame
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