Ridley Damocles ISP

TKF

Wiggle are selling this as a Ridley Damocles Special Edition Ultegra 2012. Elsewhere I've also seen it called a Damocles ISP. Or a Damocles PI. Or a Damocles 1103A.

I'm just calling it my new bike.



Ultegra 6700
Deda stem and bars
4ZA Stratos saddle and wheels
8.6kg as pictured

Oh noes, stacked stem! Give me some time. It's only just been taken out of the box and I haven't turned a pedal yet. I'm going in for a bike fit next week and I'll get the seat mast cut down by somebody less ham fisted than me.

mr_sj

Very nice, lovely understated bike but oozes a bit of class !

kamil1891

great looking bike! I will have one (Ridley) one day!!

TKF

Thanks.

It'll be my first stab at carbon after a year with my first roadie in the form of the ubiquitous Specialized Allez Sport. Looking forward to see if tested on pavé translates favourably to our rubbish roads.

FransJacques

One word: WEA - PON!

Nice choice. Holes in the bar tape are a bit 1984 Bjorn Borg so I'd scrap that once the holes are full of gunge and bits of regurgitated powerbar.

TKF

Or maybe I'll wear a headband and some absurdly short white shorts whilst I'm riding it. Haven't decided yet.

Yellow Peril

Classy looking bike. Lots of envy. I've heard Ridley are difficult to size up. Did you have any sizing probs?

TKF

I read up about them and they come up a little large. I'm 6ft and I've gone for a medium.

Silly Old Hector

10/10 for setting the photo standards

Wheels, valves, pedals all nicely aligned

not-another-hillǃ

Someones nicked your fireplace!!!

Lovely bike, by the way

TKF

I bricked it up to stop the little one getting any ideas about Santa.

Went for my first ride today after a bike fit and seat mast cut.

So much more responsive than my old Allez. It seems to have a complete lack of inertia and leaps forward rather than lurches.

It's very stiff but not uncomfortable at all. I hunted down some rough tarmac (didn't take long) and it soaked up the surface beautifully. For £1300 it's absurdly good value.

TKF

Fitted with new bottle cages and Garmin mount.





Hefty headtube with nice detailing feeding the cable through





The dropouts are scandium.


The Garmin mount is CF

declan1

That Garmin mount would look so much better fitted to the bottom bolts of the stem.

Crankbrother

declan1 wrote:

That Garmin mount would look so much better fitted to the bottom bolts of the stem.

Yep, or just attach it to the stem using the mount in the box?

Not being snarky, just the bike is 10/10 so far and anything slightly out stands out ...

TKF

I might see how it looks on the bottom bolts.

It's a Forerunner so doesn't sit on the stem and I think it looks scruffy on the bars.

FransJacques

Would you not just flip the mount around? The current vogue seems to be to have head units sitting flush with the tops of the bars. Aero an' all that innit?

Thing still looks like a weapon. When's it going to see some real kasseien?

TKF

With an 85kg rider behnd it an un-aero mount is the least of my worries. The place I bought it from (Merek) shows it sat like that.

Plus, and I cannot stress how important that was during my purchasing decision, they also show it carrying a watermelon.

Regarding the kasseien the closest it's been so far are some cobbled speed bumps on Windsor High St. It deserves a better rider than me to tackle Flanders on it. Maybe next year...

declan1

Not even thinking about aero, that mount just looks plain wrong where it is. It would look so much better on the bottom bolts of the stem.

marco67

Hi TKF

Lovely looking bike and i'm sorely tempted to invest, but i've been reading about tight tyre clearances on the frame - i don't suppose amongst those wonderful images you've taken you have one showing just how tight they are.

Cheers

marco

TKF

I had read similar and there certainly isn't much space under there. Front fork is fine but the seat stay clearance is tiny. I have just taken these with my mobile which hopefully show it.

23mm tyres it came with.


25mm Conti GP 4 Seasons on RS30 from my winter bike.



I took this shot on Sunday midway round a ride


The frame is incredibly stiff but after 4hrs in the saddle I had no ill effects at all. It climbs and sprints far better than I can and I picked up a hatful of PBs.

The Garmin mount haters will be happy to hear I managed to break it off whilst removing the watch. So much for a watermelon.

TKF

I also bought this recently because I'm a gigantic tart.

marco67

Thanks TKF, that really is a tight fit specially with the 25mm tyres. Wonder how it would work with my 23mm Wheelsmith rims and 25mm tyres - at least Wiggle offer a 30 day trial!

Glad your enjoying it though, the one review i found suggested that although it was stiff, it was comfy - after all it's a Belgian bike and tested on the pave.

cheers

TKF

Which version are you looking at? Wiggle are still offering the Ultegra and Centaur versions for £1320 and the 105 version for £1155 by the look of things. I have only ever ridden Sora and now Ultegra so can't say if it's worth going for Ultegra over 105 on a performance basis but in terms of vfm it was a no-brainer for me.

Worth noting some are the ISP frame (1117a) and some are the RS frame (1103a).

marco67

It would be the Centaur specced RS frame with seatpost.

I'd be upgrading the groupset to Athena 11 speed and fitting my Wheelsmith wheels - all off a Roubaix SL3 that has developed a couple of cracks around the join of seat tube to top tube. There's a chance this might be resolved with a warranty replacement in which case i won't need the ridley - hope to find out today or tomorrow about that.

Had looked at the 105 version as it was cheaper, but they don't have it in my size with seatpost, just ISP which won't fit in my bike bag for travelling.

Looks a lovely bike, would rather not have to be considering it and if i'm honest the clearance on the rear stay is a worry, but if i don't get a warranty result with the Spesh then i'll order one and give it a go.

Thanks for putting the pics up

marco

goonz

That is an awesome looking bike, I have a soft spot for Ridley and they are on my shortlist for my next bike. You dont see many about but they are quality bikes and excellent VFM by the looks of things!

hasbeen

Although it's not a ISP model, I too have a Damocles new this year and they really are the canine's testicles. This is mine on it's first ride hence the spacers above the stem :oops: Further rides have helped me dial in the position better and I really love it. I'm 6'2" and, with a 34" inside leg and 79.5cm saddle height, have gone for a size Medium too. Reach is fine - I think it's a 110mm stem from memory. Got in a nice 3hrs over the Cotswolds yesterday with no issues to report.

hasbeen

TKF wrote:

I also bought this recently because I'm a gigantic tart.
http://www.all4cycling.com/shop/images/ ... wht-11.jpg

Love it! My LBS has a range of this clothing and i have to admit to beign MAJORLY tempted to go with s/s jersey, gilet and bib shorts to colour code with the bike 8)

TKF

I really like the white cables there. I think I'll change mine at some point.

After my bike fit we left the spacer tower where it was. It suits me perfectly and I use the drops a lot more than with my Allez. I was in them for most of a 50 miler yesterday trying to escape the bastard wind.

I got my Ridley kit from here. My wife asked "Are those cobbles on the front?" with obvious disdain and mockery. Saying "Actually, it's pavé" didn't help.

FransJacques

Both Damoclese (even better than John Cleese) in this thread are gorgeous. Both your saddle to handlebar drops are true Belgian and you should be proud. Keep up that stretching routine. While watching the Giro this May, use some of those hours to work on your lower backs to see if you can move a couple spacers down :-D

I agree the white cable add that je ne sais quoi.

hasbeen

FransJacques wrote:

Both your saddle to handlebar drops are true Belgian and you should be proud. Keep up that stretching routine. While watching the Giro this May, use some of those hours to work on your lower backs to see if you can move a couple spacers down :-D

Well, normally I'd agree with you and say that nothing screams pro like a 130mm stem slammed right down with zero spacers (a la Wiggins). However, I was in a QUANDARY when it came to purchasing the bike in terms of size. My fr axle to centre of handlebars measurement is 59.5cm which is the same as my nose of saddle to centre of handlebars. If I'd gone for the L size my stem would have been right at the bottom of the stack but with a massive headtube and it still would have been a bit *too* high.
With the M size there was scope for adjustment but at the sacrifice of that pro look meaning spacers However, last November I had a lumbar discectomy at L5/S1 so that was the deciding factor if I'm honest - the ability to play about with stem height. My flexibility is back to where it was but as I'm not racing these days (hence the moniker) I'm not unduly worried about aero position. With the L size I reckon I would have also been too stretched out when down in the drops and on the hoods

The position is set-up exactly the same as my previous steed and I rode that 6 years ago at the Flanders sportif (260km distance) and it felt great so I'm not going to tinker with what I know works

Glad to see some love for the white cables as I can't stand them Once they're worn out I'll be going back to black and with black handlebar tape as well

TKF

I'm torn with the white tape.

I really like it on mine as it picks up the white bits on the rest of the bike. But, well, it's white tape and 300 miles later it's grubby.

Was yours from Wiggle hasbeen?