Progress: Installation

Slowly, the new Ridley Damocles is starting to take shape. I stripped the stem and brake calipers off my wrecked Fausto Coppi and installed them on the new Ridley. Current stem is a 10cm Easton EA90, but it might be too short.

The most striking aspect of this Ridley frame is the shape of the tubes. This is a monocoque construction, and the tubes are nowhere near round. The top tube is triangular where it meets the head tube, and square-ish where is meets the seat tube.

The head tube is round enough, but mushrooms dramatically like many of today's carbon frames to house a massive bearing surface for the fork. Pictured as well are the Mavic SSC brake calipers that I have learned to love. I'll create a review of those calipers a little later.

The downtube on the Damocles has a beautiful shape as well and cuts a very nice angle down to the bottom bracket where it flares and surrounds the BB with a nice carbon nest. Not visible, but to be photographed later, are the monster chain stays employed by Ridley to make certain this frame will accelerate and climb well.

Making the switch from aluminum to steel when I built up the Fausto Coppi was a real moment for me. I was making a change to a bike that wasn't lighter weight or higher technology, but I was willing to sacrifice a little to realize a ride that could see me in the saddle for hours at a time. I made the switch to steel (Columbus Neuron) and after the build was thankful I had done so, the ride was incredible.

Then the wreck happened, and I was back to square one. Moving on, I was faced once again with what seemed like an endless list (see previous post) of frame sets that could fit the bill. Aluminum was considered, steel and of course carbon. In the end my desire to try a lighter bicycle and carbon won out over all other senility. Over the coming weeks I'll do all that I can to chronicle the build, shakedown and mileage on the new frame. An added dimension: I also picked up a Garmin 305.

Part 3: Sella Italia