Ridley X-Night 30 Disc

The X-Night has been the weapon of choice for the many of the Belgian riders who have dominated the World Championship medals in the last five years. Thanks to this success, Ridley has built an excellent reputation for its cross bike range – the X-Night being its most celebrated model to date. The frame was developed in 2010 and revamped in 2013, shedding its integrated seatpost and gaining a shorter wheelbase, along with a couple of other minor geometry changes. ‘The bike was initially designed by and then piloted by world champions, so it’s a dedicated race bike, built to win races,’ says Ridley’s UK distributor, John Harris.

While the X-Night name has existed for some time, this year’s model of the X-Night (featured here) is actually a new addition to the range. The previously top tier X-Night has become the X-Night SL, and this second tier X-Night replaces the X-Fire as the more affordable option in Ridley’s cross range. This may sound like a superficial change, but it means that much of the DNA of the world championship-winning X-Night will be available at an affordable price point. While the X-Night uses slightly lower-modulus carbon than the SL, it features all the performance enhancing developments that have been honed on the world championship model, making it identical aside from the subtleties beneath the skin. ‘This bike has the same design and geometry as the X-Night SL, but offers a complete package with full 105 11-speed at £1,799.99,’ Harris explains. The difference in materials between the X-Night and X-Night SL means the SL is marginally stiffer and has a weight advantage of between 150-170g compared with the standard X-Night.

While the frame is built robustly, Ridley has sided for a skinny 27.2mm seat tube to allow some flex for improved rider comfort. Despite the lowering of the bottom bracket from the original 2010 version, the X-Night BB still sits fairly high, with only a 60mm drop from the horizontal line of the dropouts, giving more clearance over trees, roots and general debris.

This X-Night is very much Ridley’s pure-bred cross race bike, but if something more versatile that would favour gravel riding appeals then take a look at its X-Trail as an alternative model.

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