This is the Ridley X-Night that Eli Iserbyt is using to dominate the CX World Cup
As he did last season, Eli Iserbyt is killing it in the first part of the CX World Cup. Here we bring you the custom version of the Ridley X-Night SL Disc he is racing on.
Eli Iserbyt's Ridley X-Night SL Disc for the 2022 CX World Cup
Some time ago Eli Iserbyt stopped being a young promise of cyclo-cross and became one of the current references. However, it is possible that he himself did not expect such a good start to the season as he is having, partly because of the back problems he suffered a few months ago.
Some may dismiss him for having achieved it at a time when riders as important as Van Aert, Van der Poel and Pidcock are out of the circuits. But even so, his numbers are so overwhelming that it is worth taking a closer look at the bike on which he achieved them.
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His worst World Cup position this year was third place in Maasmechelen, as he has been on the top step of the podium in the other three races so far.
Iserbyt has defended the Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal jersey since mid-2016 and will continue to do so until the end of 2026. The weapon with which the Belgian team is racing is a Ridley X-Night SL Disc.
A special design for a special date
On the occasion of the Koppenberg on November 1, Iserbyt mounted an exclusive Ridley design in which he openly showed his romantic love affair with this historic event. Not surprisingly: Eli had won the last three editions. This time, however, he had to settle for second place after crossing the finish line 5 seconds behind Van Der Haar.
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This unique design focused its attention on the top tube, on the part closest to the steering. There you could see a picture of Iserbyt himself, his name, three cobblestones representing each of his victories - the Koppenberg trophy is a cobblestone - the name of the race and the years in which he was victorious.
In addition, both the lower part of the fork and the seat tube were decorated with cobblestones in that golden colour only suitable for champions. The seat stays and Ridley's name were also in this colour.
A design which, however, he had already shown at the Exact Cross in Beringen. On the other hand, the team inscribed its famous Fight to the finish slogan on the pods.
Thinking about every detail
The Ridley X-Night SL Disc has all the cabling integrated thanks to a system the brand has named F-Steerer. This is one of the aspects that the Belgians are most proud of, as they estimate that they obtain an aerodynamic advantage of 10%-14%. A significant difference, even more so in the always complex world of racing where every detail counts.
The frame is made of Toray carbon in order to achieve stiffness and lightness, but without causing too much reactive behaviour, Ridley uses all available types of carbon fibres: 60T, 50T, 30T and 24T. But as with most precious formulas, they keep the proportion they use of each a secret.
The Iserbyt Ridley X-Night SL Disc comes fully equipped with a Shimano Dura-Ace groupset with a 2-plate drivetrain.
The wheels feature 622 mm DT-Swiss CRC rims and Dugast Cross Rhino tubular tyres. These tyres are specifically designed for cyclocross due to their great grip and good evacuation in muddy terrain. They have a width of 33 mm, the maximum allowed by UCI regulations, and a weight of 405 grams each.
Price of the Ridley X-Night SL Disc
The exclusive design dedicated to the Koppenberg is not available as a standard option from Ridley, but the manufacturer gives the option of choosing the frame colours in an almost endless range of possible combinations at an extra cost of 100 euros. In addition, they also allow you to choose from a wide variety of components.
The price will vary depending on the chosen set-up, but ranges from 3,149 to 6,095 euros.
The rest of the set-ups and models can be consulted on Ridley's official website.