When Ridley launched the original Kanzo Fast in 2020, the gravel market was still built around adventure and endurance. Putting aerodynamics at the center of a gravel bike was a statement back then.

Six years later, gravel racing has settled that argument, and the Belgian brand arrives with a second-generation model aimed at a discipline that has become faster, more technical and considerably more professional.

The Kanzo Fast 2.0 stands out for two distinctive features: massive aero tubes and 58 mm of tire clearance. That is enough room for a 29 x 2.3in MTB tire, giving riders considerably more freedom than the original Kanzo Fast, which could fit up to 42 mm. The idea behind the frame design is not necessarily to run the biggest tire all the time, but to have more setup options. Wider tires can lower the rolling resistance, add more traction and puncture protection on rough surfaces, while narrower tires leave more mud clearance for racing in wet conditions.

Aero borrowed from the Noah Fast

The counterweight to the wide tire setup is the aero package developed for the Noah Fast. An oversized aero downtube, an extended head tube and revised tube profiles intended to manage airflow around the frame and the bottles.

The numbers from Ridley’s wind-tunnel testing are quite interesting. On identical wheels, a 38 mm tire came in 6 watts cheaper than a 55 mm one. But perhaps the most telling figure: the Kanzo Fast 2.0 on 55 mm tires still measured faster with a rider than the old bike on 38 mm. Although Ridley transparently adds that aerodynamics cannot be judged in isolation from rolling resistance, the numbers nevertheless hint a measurable improvement.

Riders’ feedback from the first races

Daan Grosemans, a privateer racer supported by Ridley, shared his racing experience with the new Kanzo Fast 2.0, which has been particularly positive. He says the bike feels fast and „wants to go fast too“, appreciating its aerodynamics as gravel racing pace keeps increasing. “Once the bike gets up to pace, it carries the speed well”, he highlighted. Although not as playful as he felt riding the ASTR RS, it has still been his preferred race bike throughout the latter part of the season at hilly and technical races. His go-to setup is a 2.2” MTB tire, which he says makes the bike impressively versatile while still leaving enough space for muddy conditions.

Modern racing geometry, committed to 1x

The geometry has been reworked around the larger tires too. A lower bottom bracket compensates for the increased wheel diameter, while an adjusted fork rake is intended to preserve predictable steering. Short chainstays and a steeper seat tube angle push the design further towards racing, with Ridley targeting a combination of stability at speed and responsiveness when cornering or accelerating. The Kanzo Fast 2.0 is designed exclusively around electronic 1x drivetrains, with support for chainrings up to 56T. All that comes with 150g less in total weight than its predecessor.

Apart from the speed-oriented aspects, it comes with a downtube storage and integrated top tube mounts. There is also a bespoke Curana mudguard system, a nod to Belgian winters.

The Kanzo Fast 2.0 launches today in three complete builds, all around SRAM’s XPLR 1×13 groupsets, equipped with Forza Skiron RS wheels and Nimbus Pro cockpit. It is also offered as a frameset.