Rolling into 2018

Here's the first post to my 2018. Not much has happened since the last post.

I took part, and completed my first ever running event, which was also my first ever 21km(that's a half marathon). Challenged myself during the festivities to take part in the Rapha Festive500 challenge. Grabbed a 5th place sprint finish in my local criterium team training ride. Ate lots of food, went on a food trip, ate more food. Wait, that's actually quite a lot that happened.

So first up, I have yet to introduce my new ride. Let me tell you, it's quite a fine steed. The new steed is a fine specimen bred in Belgium, Germany. Ridden on by the pros such as Andre Greipel and Adam Hansen on the very demanding courses of the Paris Roubaix. Dubbed an endurance bike, but don't let that fool you. It's very much an all rounder race bike, with it's stiffness and the ability to withstand power from the pro tour riders. The bike I'm talking about is the Ridley Fenix SL. Where other manufacturers use lower carbon grades and constructions to lower the cost, at Ridley, you get the exact same frame the pros ride on. They lower the cost by offering other parts such from their in-house component brand 4Za to outfit the bike from handlebars, stem, seatpost, wheels, saddles, as well as offering different groupsets at differing price points.

Presenting my Ridley Fenix SL

Running on Shimano's true and tested Ultegra 6800 11 speed, with a FSA SLK seatpost and a FSA ENERGY stem, PRO's Falcon Saddle, and Retrospec R100 50mm carbon wheelset.

The Retrospec wheelset is an in-house brand from Taiwan's Twitter bike brand, engineered in Germany(according to them). I got it at an amazing deal from a friend, so why not right?

Back to the bike. Ride quality. It's really an all rounder bike that any rouleur would revel in. It does not boast to be lightest, or the stiffest, or the most comfortable in any aspect, but instead brings a balance of all three. The result? The Fenix SL. It doesn't shoot off like the Noah when you put in the hammer, or fly up the mountains like the Helium (both, Ridley's models for the aero class and climbing class respectively). What it gives is the steady acceleration and steady pick up from when you put in the power. It doesn't lack in responsiveness due to the stiffness, but has enough stiffness that you wouldn't feel is too soft, which some may say for an endurance bike, is too stiff. But that's not what the Ridley wants to be. Why be one thing, where you can be a bit more? I think this was the approach Ridley was trying to achieve with the Ridley Fenix SL.

I've put it through it's paces in the one year of usage, clocked in 4300+/-km (based on Strava+Garmin), and even had some sprint finishes, I'd say the bike fitted my style of riding perfectly. I could climb with it without feeling like I was lugging around a tofu with a weight(weird analogy, but you get the picture), sprint for the finish without feeling like I was late by a millisecond, rode long distances without feeling like my back was aching like an 80 year old grandpa.

So here's to more riding in 2018 eh?

Cheers,
Vincent