Ridley Fenix SL 40
The one bike to handle all your rides
MAndre Cheuk
y first encounter with the new Ridley Fenix SL came at its launch in Belgium during 2015’s Liège-bastogneLiège. Riding the storied climbs of Le Doyenne, the Fenix SL made a good first impression, but didn’t have any features that particularly stood out. It handled and rode like a modern race bike – stiff and efficient – fitting for team Lotto-soudal to contest the Classics, cobbled or otherwise.
But Ridley’s R&D manager Dirk Van den Berk said one thing that really caught my attention: clearance for 30-mm tires. The official line from Ridley is that the Fenix SL will accommodate 28-mm tires, but Van den Berk said, “We know it can fit bigger. Fact is that not all tire manufacturers use the same sizing methods and some are known to be bigger (or smaller) than their advertised size. So anything wider than 28 mm should be tested first, although in most cases it will be just fine.” Van den Berk added, “The Lotto-soudal team used 30 mm Continental tubulars on their Fenix SL bikes, during the 2015 Classics.”
I was intrigued: I wondered how the Fenix SL would feel on my regular routes, especially outfitted with broader tires than the ones that came with my Belgian test rig.
On the first test ride, I was reminded of the stiffness of the Fenix SL; its oversize pf86 bottom bracket and fat chainstays would not yield no matter how hard I stomped on the pedals and yanked on the bars. The spindly seatstays did little to temper that stiffness.
That solid rear triangle on the Fenix comes from Ridley’s stage racer, the Helium, a bike I’d spent a lot of time on. The two frames share similar geometry. The Fenix doesn’t have an overly tall head tube and slack angles as many other endurance bikes do. “LottoSoudal riders didn’t want the geometry to be drastically different from the other bikes,” Van den Berk said of the pro input the bike company received during development. The only concession to comfort and stability is a slight increase in wheelbase, from a combination of slightly elongated chainstays and increased fork rake. The Fenix SL leans more toward the more stable end of the spectrum. Ridley Fenix SL 40
I spent a few rides on the stock 25c tires, but I kept looking at that gap between the rubber and the frame. The first chance I got, I swapped on some 28c tires and took the Fenix for long rides that incorporated plenty of dirt roads. Over rutted and gravel-strewn roads, the Fenix SL’S assured handling came to the fore, especially compared to the taller and tippier ’cross bike I had used to tackled the same roads just the weekend before. Best of all, on the long paved stretches leading into and back from the dirt roads that comprise the bulk of the ride, the Fenix SL was fast and efficient, as any road bike should be.
The Shimano Ultegra equipped Fenix SL 40 is smartly spec’d with a 52/36 mid-compact crankset and a wide ranging 11-32 cassette, ensuring riders are covered for both the high and low end. The gearing is well-matched to the Fenix SL’S ability to run chubby rubber, perfect for venturing off on unpaved roads. On more than a few steep gravel climbs, I appreciated the extra low gearing that allowed me to stay seated for better traction.
On an otherwise progressive build, the Mavic Ksyrium wheels are the only components that are a bit off the mark. The wheels are solid. But with clearance for such wide tires, and wide-range gearing that encourages exploration, the Fenix SL would have really benefited from a newer, wider rim design. However, given the Fenix SL 40 is essentially a pro level frame at midrange prices, concessions have to come from somewhere.
Versatility is the Fenix SL’S greatest strength. It is ideally suited to how many of us really ride: with a mix of long exploratory rides with occasional diversions onto dirt; fast, spirited group rides with town-line sprints; and the very occasional race. With the Fenix SL, you can do it all with one bike rather than a fleet of specialist steeds. Also, it shows there is plenty of life left in rim brake bikes – you don’t have to go disc to accommodate fatter tires.
I first rode the Fenix SL on the Belgian roads it was made for and saw it put to use by the pros of Lotto-soudal. But riding it day in, day out on familiar roads, I discovered that the Fenix SL may be even better suited to a workaday cyclist like me rather than a pro.