Ridley has announced the arrival of a new iteration of its Dean Fast time trial bike. The Dean has been Ridley's time trial offering for several years and the brand has now released the latest version during the Glasgow World Championships where it should see action in the time trial events.
We spotted Lotto-Dstny riders Victor Campenaerts and Thomas De Gendt riding what looked like prototype Ridley time trial bikes at the Critérium du Dauphiné during the stage four time trial. We assumed the new bike would be a new version of the Dean with Ridley's announcement now confirming that. Caleb Ewan was also spotted riding a prototype Ridley road bike at races this summer including the Tour de France.
Ridley says the new bike has been developed from the ground up using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis and wind tunnel testing sessions. Aiming to achieve the least drag and maximum speed whilst adhering to the relevant UCI regulations.
We have seen a lot of new and different frame designs and shapes since the UCI revised its 3:1 rule which pertained to the length and width ratio of certain components. The new Dean Fast is no different. The updated 8:1 ruling in place now means that in a nutshell, riders can benefit from more aerodynamic (and visually more striking) frame designs.
Increased length-to-width ratios allow certain components to be elongated enhancing aerodynamics overall. The brand says compensation triangles have been used in the bike's design to minimize drag. Ridley cites the bike's deep head tube profile as a good example of this, the deeper head tube shape can help eliminate turbulence behind the head tube of the frame.
According to Ridley, CFD modelling was used during development to identify effective frame designs that would minimise drag at around 55km/h or 35mph. Since this bike is going to see action in the WorldTour, it's safe to assume pro riders spend plenty of time at speeds like this on their TT bikes. Ridley then took these designs to its Bike Valley wind tunnel and innovation hub where time was spent refining the bike and its aerodynamics. Ridley claims a stiff and well-handling bike was also a priority, the stiff carbon fibre frame is said to help with power transfer whilst creating a stable platform to maximise performance.
Ridley claim reducing the bike's frontal area has also been a key consideration. The Dean Fast frame employs a small head tube which uses an hourglass figure shape to help shape the airflow passing over it and reducing the overall frontal surface. The stem is also aligned with the top tube (pictured below) further reducing the frontal surface area.
The final aerodynamic feature of the Dean is what Ridley calls F-Surface Plus technology which is again, said to optimise aerodynamic performance and already features on the Noah Fast Disc road bike. It takes the form of a textured surface and strategically placed grooves on the frame which aim to minimise turbulence and reduce drag. These features are said to deliver more of an advantage in stronger winds.
Tech specs and frame details
Ridley will offer Dean framesets in small, medium and large frame sizes which will accommodate electronic groupsets only. There will also be a frame and fork set option available with a base bar only to allow riders to use their preferred time trial bar extensions.
The frame has been designed around 28mm tyres but can accommodate up to a 32mm tyre at the rear.
A UDH (universal derailleur hanger) has been specified as well as a removable front derailleur mount should riders choose a 1x setup. There are also two f.d clamp options, one to accommodate a 53-40T chainset and another for a larger 47-60T setup.
A size medium frame is said to weigh 1250 grams, whilst the fork tips the scales at 460 grams and the time trial base bar 341 grams. The frame also uses a PF30 bottom bracket standard
There are also two bottle cage mounting positions on the frame down tube. There is a 'training' position which is higher up and within easy reach for riders. As well as an optimal racing bottle position which sees the bottle cage sitting in its lowest position for a faster configuration.
We don't have information on Dean FAST pricing or build configurations currently but you can head to ridley-bikes.com for more information.
