Ridley adds two new XC mountain bikes to their range – the Raft and the Probe RS

(Image credit: Ridley)

Current day cross country riding is as gnarly as it’s ever been. As a result we’ve seen the best XC bikes getting redesigned to better tackle demanding terrain and more aggressive racing structures. As such, Ridley have just released two new carbon 29in bikes which are claimed to do just that – here enters the all-new Raft and Probe RS.

While both bikes are aimed at XC styles of riding there are some large differences between the two, with the most obvious one being hardtail vs full-suspension; with the Probe RS being a true XC hardtail and the Raft bridging XC and downcountry which is the better option? Keep reading as Bike Perfect takes a closer look at both of Ridley’s latest speed machines.

The Probe RS

The Ridley Probe RS — The Probe RS frameset clocks the scales at an impressive 760g (Image credit: Ridley)

Designed to be as fast as possible on the XC race track, it’s no surprise that the Probe’s stand out feature is it’s low weight, and an unpainted medium frame clocks the scales at an impressive 760g.

The Probe RS features Ridley’s Advance Position Geometry (AGP) which is said to optimize each bike directly to its intended use. Ridley state that The Probe RS’s shape is carefully designed for tackling steep and technical climbs while still remaining surefooted at higher speeds. To obtain such characteristics there’s a 68.5 degree head angle and a healthy 63mm bottom bracket drop. According to the geometry chart each size gets a slightly different seat angle which should maximize efficiency for a wide range of riders. A large Probe RS frame gets a 455mm reach, which isn’t massive but should leave room for longer XC-style stems.

Ridley ship all Probe RS models with a 100mm travel forks, but do state the frame will accept longer 120mm forks for riders who enjoy the hardtail experience but regularly ride steeper, more technical terrain. Further adding to the Probe RS’s technical terrain potential is a 31.6mm seat tube, which means it’ll accept a host of long-travel dropper posts.

Equipped with a total of three bottle cage positions: two inside the front triangle and one under the downtube means the Probe RS should be more than ready for long days in the wild.

The frame uses SRAM’s UDH derailed hanger so sourcing a spare should always be easy. We do however have some slight concerns regarding the reliability of the press fit BB92 bottom bracket though.

The Raft

The Raft is the bike in Ridley’s range that should appeal to the masses, and it’s a bike they claim has been engineered to be the Swiss Army Knife of modern day cross country mountain biking.

To fit it’s do-all nature Ridley is offering the Raft in two build guises - one aimed at pure XC and another at fast-trail and down country riding. Interestingly, both options use the same frame and links, but by running different fork and shock strokes Ridley has managed to tune the ride of the Raft to better suit different disciplines. The XC option uses a 100mm fork and a 40mm shock stroke to deliver 100mm of rear wheel, whereas the TR version is based around a 120mm travel fork and utilizes a 45mm stroke shock to deliver 120mm of rear travel.

Changing the suspension travel alters the geometry too, and it means Ridley have been able to tune The Raft’s geo to better suit XC or trail use. The Raft XC features a 67.5-degree head angle, 76-degree seat angle and a 458mm reach (Large). The TR bike sees a slacker 66.6-degree head angle to better suit more aggressive riding, but the lower 120mm fork does slacken the seat angle to 75.1 degrees.

Ridley Raft — Several frame mounts give the Raft all-day versatility (Image credit: Ridley)

Similarly to The Probe, The Raft has also been designed for riding and racing long distances. As such, the frame features a host of mounting points inside the front triangle to ensure bottle cages and tool packs can be carried with ease. M, L and XL frame sizes get five downtube mounting points whereas the small, due to its more compact nature, gets three. But all frame sizes do get two top tube mounting points which look great for bottle cage specific tool kits and light battery packs.

Due to its long ride focus the Ridley research and development team have prioritized low weight design to maximize efficiency and an unpainted medium Raft frame is claimed to hit the scales at 1750g.

Similarly to the Probe RS, the Raft also uses a SRAM UDH hanger and press-fit BB design.

Ridley Probe RS and Raft availability

Ridley say stock versions of the Probe RS and the Raft will be available to buy from spring 2023. However, both bikes will be available as custom builds from January via Ridley’s online configurator, which lets you select designs, colors, groupsets, components, wheels, tires, saddles and accessories.

Tech specs: Probe RS

SRAM GX build

Frame: Probe RS Ultralight Race Carbon
Fork: RockShox SID SL 29in Remote Lockout
Groupset: SRAM GX Eagle 12speed
Cranks: SRAM Stylo 7K 32T
Brakes: SRAM Level TL
Wheelset: DT Swiss X1900 Spline
Tires: Vittoria Brazzo 29x2.25in
Handlebar: RaceFace NEXT Carbon 35 / 760mm
Stem: RaceFace Turbine-R 35 / 70mm
Saddle: Sella Italia Model X
Price: £3999 / €4299

SRAM X01 build

Frame: Probe RS Ultralight Race Carbon
Fork: RockShox SID SL 29in Remote Lockout
Groupset: SRAM X01 Eagle 12speed
Cranks: SRAM Stylo 7K 32T
Brakes: SRAM Level TL
Wheelset: DT Swiss X1900 Spline
Tires: Vittoria Brazzo 29x2.25in
Handlebar: RaceFace NEXT Carbon 35 / 760mm
Stem: RaceFace Turbine-R 35 / 70mm
Saddle: Sella Italia Model X
Price: £4399 / €4799

Tech specs: Raft XC

SRAM GX build

Frame: Raft XC Full Suspension Carbon
Fork: RockShox SID SL 100mm 29in Remote Lockout
Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe Select+ 190x40 remote lockout
Groupset: SRAM GX Eagle 12speed
Cranks: SRAM Stylo 7K 32T
Brakes: SRAM Level TL
Wheelset: 4Z XCD-SL MTB 29in
Tires: Vittoria Brazzo 29x2.25in
Handlebar: RaceFace Ride 35 / 760mm
Stem: RaceFace Turbine-R 35 / 70mm
Saddle: Sella Italia Model X
Price: £3899 / €4199

SRAM X01 build

Frame: Raft XC Full Suspension Carbon
Fork: RockShox SID SL 100mmm 29in Remote Lockout
Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe Select+ 190x40 remote lockout
Groupset: SRAM X01 Eagle 12speed
Cranks: SRAM Stylo 7K 32T
Brakes: SRAM Level TL
Wheelset: DT Swiss X1900 Spline
Tires: Vittoria Brazzo 29x2.25in
Handlebar: RaceFace NEXT Carbon 35 / 760mm
Stem: RaceFace Turbine-R 35 / 70mm
Saddle: Sella Italia Model X
Price: £4399 / €4799

Tech specs: Raft TR

SRAM GX build

Frame: Raft TR Full Suspension Carbon
Fork: RockShox SID 120mm 29in Crown Lockout
Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe Select+ 190x45 remote lockout
Groupset: SRAM GX Eagle 12speed
Cranks: SRAM Stylo 7K 32T
Brakes: SRAM Level TL
Wheelset: 4Z XCD-SL MTB 29in
Tires: Vittoria Brazzo 29x2.25in
Handlebar: RaceFace Ride 35 / 760mm
Stem: RaceFace Turbine-R 35 / 70mm
Saddle: Sella Italia Model X
Seatpost: Forza Cirrus dropper post
Price: £3899 / €4199

SRAM X01 build

Frame: Raft XC Full Suspension Carbon
Fork: RockShox SID 120mm 29in Crown Lockout
Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe Select+ 190x45 remote lockout
Groupset: SRAM X01 Eagle 12speed
Cranks: SRAM Stylo 7K 32T
Brakes: SRAM Level TL
Wheelset: DT Swiss X1900 Spline
Tires: Vittoria Brazzo 29x2.25in
Handlebar: RaceFace NEXT Carbon 35 / 760mm
Stem: RaceFace Turbine-R 35 / 70mm
Saddle: Sella Italia Model X
Seatpost: Forza Cirrus dropper post
Price: £4399 / €4799

Jim Bland is a product tester and World Cup downhill mechanic based in North Yorkshire, England, but working Worldwide. Jim’s chosen riding genre is hard to pinpoint and regularly varies from e-bike-assisted shuttle runs one day to cutting downcountry laps the next. Always on the hunt for the perfect setup, Jim will always be found comprehensively testing kit with World Cup racing levels of detail. His ultimate day out includes an alpine loam trail, blazing sunshine, and some fresh kit to test.

Rides: Santa Cruz Hightower, Santa Cruz v10, Specialized Kenevo.

Height: 170cm

Weight: 64kg