Ridley

Helium Force 22 Complete Road Bike - 2016

Ridley understands that, when shopping for a new bike, your eyes are often larger than your wallet. Rather than considering a move into a relative's basement, take a step back and consider the 2016 Ridley Helium Force 22 Complete Road Bike. As the more affordable younger sibling of the Helium SL, the Helium comes with fewer luxurious finishes than the Helium SL, but the two offer almost equal potential to a cyclist with a strong enough engine and large enough ambitions.

While the top-end Helium SL gains its ultra featherweight status with a blend of 60T, 40T, and 30T high modulus carbon fiber, the Helium utilizes a blend of 30T and 24T high modulus carbon fiber, which adds just a handful of grams while maintaining the stiff and responsive ride feel we've come to expect from a Helium and reducing the cost considerably.

The Helium features rounded tubing emanating from the seat tube juncture, which slowly becomes box-shaped as it approaches the head tube and bottom bracket junctures. As Ridley puts it, this system creates a clean transition from stiffness up front to comfort in the rear. Supporting this ideology, the rear triangle employs a blend of the two shapes. The asymmetric, flat chainstays provide a stiff platform for power transfer to the rear wheel, while the ultra-thin seatstays create a vertically compliant ride quality without sacrificing rigidity.

Ridley specs the Helium with a reliable SRAM Force 22 drivetrain and Mavic wheels. For serious racing at Cat 3 or above, carbon wheels may be in order, but this spec means you can ride your bike straight out of the box without immediately making a list of upgrades you need to buy before it performs the way you want.