You might be thinking this post on a Ridley bike is about a cyclocross bike. It would be fair to think that because the Belgian company is very closely associated with cyclocross. However, it seems Ridley has been trend-watching, and decided it was time to throw its hat into the gravel…err…all-road bike category.
Enter the Ridley X-Trail. As you’d expect with a road bike that is designed to be turned off the tarmac, it has clearances for wider tyres, features rack and fender mounts and it enjoys geometry that sits between that of a ‘cross bike and road bike. It also sports a beefy 142×12 thru-axle. A 27.2 seatpost offers some nice comfort, and its tapered headtube delivers stiffness and precision.
Ridley representatives were very specific that this fully carbon fiber rig is not a ‘gravel bike’ because such a term is too limiting. Can’t argue with that! All-road it is.
