Ridley Helium Disc Rival AXS Carbon Road Bike - 2022

Our carbon is manufactured by world market leader: Toray. The Japanese manufacturer is leader in every aspect of carbon development and supplier to absolute top world brands in many industries.

For the Essential Series, we use two types of carbon: 24T and 30T. The Elite Series, though, goes one step further and also uses 50T and 60T carbon. With the addition of these two carbons, combined with great effort, we can get the weight extremely low without compromising comfort and stiffness.

The Essential Series directly benefits from the carbon layup knowledge gained through the creation of the Elite Series. This means that our Essential Series reaches that same level of stiffness and comfort, albeit a slight bit heavier due to the use of 24T and 30T only which require more layers compared to 50T and 60T to reach the desired stiffness.

At first glance, the tubes of the Helium look very classic - like ordinary round tubes. But upon closer inspection, you'll quickly notice that we actually opted for slightly oval profiles. The cross section is slightly larger on the vertical axis than on the horizontal axis. In this way, we maximize both power transfer and comfort, while keeping the weight as low as possible. We're talking next-level development!

While there certainly are advantages to be gained by using round tubes as they can achieve a perfect stiffness to weight ratio (when wall thickness of tubes is thin at the center, becoming slightly thicker towards the ends), our oval tubes win you that extra element of comfort without compromising power transfer or weight.

Cables at the front of your bike have a major impact on its aerodynamic performance. On the flipside, getting rid of cables at the front has an aero advantage of a whopping 10 to 14%, depending on the bike.

That's why our R&D department dedicated much time and effort into developing the D-shaped steerer tube, which integrates all front-end cables.

This uniquely shaped steerer tube allows all cables to pass through the handlebar and stem, along the flat front area of the steerer tube and down into the frame. Here the cables are completely hidden from the wind - and from your eye, leaving you with a clean looking bike that wins you speed.

Download the manual here to find out how to properly guide all cables through all components.

The rear end of a bike is crucial for both adding comfort and maximizing power transfer.

For added comfort, the seatstays are connected lower down on the seat tube. Due to this lower point of contact, both the seat tube and seatpost can more effectively filter out vibrations. In addition, the seatstays can provide more vertical flexibility. All this results in a more comfortable bike ride.

As for winning watts, the shape of the seatstays is oval with the widest side on the horizontal axis. This is key to maximizing power transfer. By placing this wide side horizontally, every watt produced is converted into speed, without losing power on the way to the rear wheel.