Look 586 versus Ridley Helium
Moderator: robbosmans
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Blitzenbuddy
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 1:24 am
I'm currently riding a 2011 Ridley Helium, which is a fantastic bike, but I have been eyeing the Look 586 (either RSP or ISP) as a possible second bike. Can anyone who has ridden both bikes compare/contrast their qualities? Thanks!
I had a 586 about 2 years ago and didn't get on with it. The rear was very soft & flexing when under hard efforts / hill climbs. It was disappointing compared to the BB area stiffness of the 595 (which I still have & have about 30k km on).
I also run an Excalibur which has similar traits to the Helium - in theory the Helium should be a bit stiffer vs. the Excalibur due to its different carbon types. I really like the Excalibur for its overall race qualities of no nonsense firm handling & point and shoot drive. The Excalibur is a great bike for putting mileage on & not thinking about the frame. I tend to run fairly comfortable wheels, stans340s / latex tubes / pro4s would be a typical wheel set, so I'm not getting beaten up by the frame.
The head tube on the Ridley's is ridiculously high though so check out the geos carefully, you may struggle to get low enough even with -17 stems.
YMMV - I am 72kg, 6ft and generally ride rolling terrain. Typical ride would be 120km / 1750m climbing.
I also run an Excalibur which has similar traits to the Helium - in theory the Helium should be a bit stiffer vs. the Excalibur due to its different carbon types. I really like the Excalibur for its overall race qualities of no nonsense firm handling & point and shoot drive. The Excalibur is a great bike for putting mileage on & not thinking about the frame. I tend to run fairly comfortable wheels, stans340s / latex tubes / pro4s would be a typical wheel set, so I'm not getting beaten up by the frame.
The head tube on the Ridley's is ridiculously high though so check out the geos carefully, you may struggle to get low enough even with -17 stems.
YMMV - I am 72kg, 6ft and generally ride rolling terrain. Typical ride would be 120km / 1750m climbing.
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This is a good example of the value of forums as a real source of real world user information. I appreciate the question and the answer. I ride a Ridley and a S-works Tarmac and was curious about the Look 586. I would like to see a ww build with one of the new Ridley Helium SL frames.
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Blitzenbuddy
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 1:24 am
Thanks for the reply mr_tim. The 586 has great visual appeal and there are some nice deals on older models but there are too many mixed reviews out there that single out frame flex. Probably not the right frame for me.
I must be very weak or something, as I don't feel any flex on my 586 SL. I like it very much, but as I cannot compare it to a Ridley, this is no help for you, I guess.
But the RSP and the UD versions are quite different frames compared to the SL.
But the RSP and the UD versions are quite different frames compared to the SL.
