Ridley

X-Night 30 Disc Ultegra Complete Cyclocross Bike - 2016

When faced with a season of conditions ranging from dry, dusty, technical courses to all-out mud-fests in the snow, you want a bike that can handle it all. The 2016 Ridley X-Night 30 Disc Ultegra Complete Cyclocross Bike builds on Ridley's infallible cyclocross tradition with some new updates and high quality componentry at a fantastic price. It's light enough to carry up the flyover stairs with ease, and strong enough to handle all the sand, mud, dust, and root systems a race promoter can throw your way.

The X-Knight consists of stiff-yet-compliant 24T high modulus carbon fiber for a ride that effortlessly transfers power into forward motion while also soaking up energy-zapping vibrations for a comfortable ride to tackle even the roughest wash-board hillsides. Its internal cable routing looks clean and eliminates painful cable pinches when shouldering your bike on a steep run up. Classic European cyclocross geometry paired with wide tire clearance means that this frame is built to race competitively on everything from dry Vegas grass to the mud-sodden courses of the Pacific Northwest.

The Oryx Disc carbon fork has been updated for 2016 and includes some tiny details to make the cyclocross life just a little bit less stressful. It features a 15mm thru axle to resist flex while you're torqueing on the bars, and it's built with an almost imperceptible asymmetry that serves to counter the extra torque applied to the left fork leg during braking. The dropouts feature Ridley's signature stainless steel inserts to protect the carbon, and a scuff plate on the inside of the left fork leg provides extra protection from errant discs during frantic wheel changes in the middle of a race. This reduces wear and tear on your fork, and should increase its lifespan for many years.

Ridley builds up the X-Night 30 Disc with Shimano's bombproof and race-proven Ultegra drivetrain and BR-R785 hydraulic disc brakes, delivering trickle-down technology from the top-end Dura-Ace group for precise gear shifts and powerful braking in even the muckiest conditions. The combination of 46/36t chainrings and an 11-28 cassette gives riders a massive range of 'cross-specific gear choices to conquer any type of terrain. A 4ZA Cirrus cockpit controls the ride, while a set of Fulcrum Racing 5 DB wheels wrapped in Challenge Grifo Plus tires keeps things rolling fast to the line.