Ridley

Noah Ultegra Road Bike

Choosing a new road racing machine isn't exactly an easy process. If money was no object, sure the sky's the limit, but if you actually want to race, and more importantly eat, budget constraints are usually in order. Our suggestion? Start with something that’s competitive and provides a solid foundation for future upgrades. That being said, the Noah Ultegra Complete Road Bike from Ridley makes for a fantastic racing partner with its aerodynamic design and carbon construction that echoes its higher-priced Noah Fast and Aero+ siblings but at a price that's much easier to digest. Besides, the extra loot is probably better served on purchasing a powermeter and investing in some coaching if getting faster is really your goal.

Though the carbon layup Ridley uses for the Noah is slightly heavier than the one it chooses for the top-tier models, it's just as durable, adding only adds a few grams to the construction but still delivering the vibration-dampening effects and overall lightness of carbon. Ridley pairs its teardrop-shaped tubing aggressive race geometry on the Noah to effectively slice through the wind on the flats and descents, helping you expend less wattage to maintain speed. Ridley rounds out the build with Shimano's exceptional Ultegra drivetrain, a workhorse groupset prepared to offer consistent shifts in the heat of battle, along with house brand Forza supplying its aero aluminum/carbon AC45 deep section wheels continuing the aero and stiffness theme.