2016 Ridley Orion Team

Bike photo
Serial
549166
Manufacturer
Ridley
Name
ck roadbike 2016 ridley orion
Model
Orion Team
Year
2016
Primary colors
Black, Green, and White
Frame size
L
Frame Material
Carbon or composite
Distinguishing features
stock The Ridley Orion is one of the most versatile bikes in Ridley's line-up. Designed for speed, comfort, and performance, the carbon fiber Orion is perfect for all-day rides, grand fondos, and anyone who wants to get more out of every ride. The Orion frame tubes are diamond shaped for strength and durability, while the geometry and taller headtube promise plenty of comfort and exceptionally stable handling. According to Ridley, the bike offers "comfort, stiffness, and strength in equal measure", but this is no take-it-easy weekend path and pavement bike. This is one of the toughest, race-ready bikes (it even has the UCI approval sticker on the downtube, for extra legit-ness) you'll find anywhere, with plenty of get-up and go. It also just happens to deliver an amazingly comfortable ride as well. The Ridley Orion Ultegra is a full carbon fiber bike equipped with a Shimano Ultegra 6800 11-speed drivetrain and Ridley's own 4Za components. The frame is made with high modulus unidirectional carbon fiber formed into Ridley's distinctive diamond shape for rugged strength and durability. The taller headtube both alleviates stress on the lower back while riding and enhances frame stiffness by eliminating the need to use as many headset spacers. This "endurance" geometry dovetails nicely with Ridley's fit philosophy--a philosophy that stipulates that rider comfort is the best way to enhance performance. By lengthening the head tube, the frame is stiffer, and the rider is in a more comfortable, natural position. This makes it possible to fine-tune the fit stem length and seat post height, instead of trying to add spacers to adapt the frame to the rider. The carbon fiber fork features a medium rake that gives the bike the ability to dive into turns without feeling twitchy or unstable. The carbon fiber arms and alloy steerer help absorb road vibrations and smooth out the ride. The Ultegra 6800 components are more than just an 11-speed evolution of Ultegra 6700. The new Ultegra features newly redesigned ergonomic hood and lever shapes that draw inspiration directly from the company's superlative Di2 systems. The result is a more comfortable lever that requires less force to execute a shift, thanks to decreased cable friction and improved housing. Ultegra 6800 also features a fundamental redesign of the front derailleur, with a longer lever arm for more effective and precise front shifts. The rear derailleur has also been redesigned to be lighter and more responsive, making shifting across the entire cassette feels easy and snappy, with no chain rubbing or hesitation. Rounding out this impressive package is a build kit from Ridley's own 4Za brand. 4Za is in many ways unlike some other company's house brand component arms.