When we think of the mud-splattered fields of European cyclocross racing, one brand comes to mind before anyone else: Ridley. Maybe it's the brand's history that's rooted deep in the discipline, or maybe its just the Belgian home-court advantage, but the brand continues to prove its worth in the sand pits, hurdles, and grassy knolls with its flagship X-Night SL Disc Cyclocross Frameset. Proven time and again, the X-Night offers progressive, European geometry that blends in with just the right amount of modern technology for vibration damping on jarring hillsides, and lightweight construction for tossing over a shoulder and running full-speed ahead. The X-Night is fine-tuned for your gritty adventures off of the tarmac, and while you could take it on a quick gravel quip, we think it's better suited for navigating muddy fields, littered with obstacles, and zig-zagging ribbons of tape creating a hectic maze to the finish line. If you're still on the fence between the X-Trail, its gravel adventure sled, and the X-Night SL, its cross thoroughbred, we'll break it down. The X-Night is much more compact with a slightly steeper head tube angle and a drastically shorter wheelbase. It also has a taller bottom bracket, which aids in preventing touchdown of your pedals on snot-slick off-cambers and allows you to get right back on the gas after scrubbing some speed. The frame's generous main triangle only has provisions for one water bottle cage and its goal is to provide plenty of room to comfortably shoulder the bike on steep run-ups or relentless stretches of sand. The classic European cyclocross geometry gives the X-Night SL a fast, aggressive feel with plenty of room for mud. This makes it adept from everything from sticky Northeast mud to dry, West Coast dirt. If you recognize the names Vos, Pauwels, De Clercq, Vervecken, or Wellens you're looking at the right bike. As with the previous generation, Ridley builds the X-Night SL from a mix of 30T and 24T high modulus ca...