Planet X sl pro carbon OR Ribble Ribelle - what a choice?
Hello all.
Apologies if you've heard it all before.
In a total quandry. Looking to buy a new road bike for some high mileage training. Am an experienced mountan biker but never really got into the old road thing. Slowly seeing the light however! Now trying to get some intensive high mileage training in over the next year to prepare me for a couple of long distance/ trans-continental road rides.
Never had a road bike before & not necessarily used to the geometry. Have approx 1,000 pounds to spend. Have been looking around for a good value carbon frame and narowed it down to a Planet X SL Pro (the current C18 deal - Nady can has put a frame aside for me) and a Ribble Ribelle Ultegra set-up ( 1199 quid - my absolute max budget). Need a comfortable but quick & respoinsive ride. Am 10 1/2 stone and ride in the south west - no great hiils but a lot of undulations.
Dont have the opportuinty to test ride.
Looking for some opinions. Some questions:
Will I cope with the geometries?
Are these both suitable packages for my needs?
Am I better off with a standard double or compact chainset?
Which is better value?
Which is the more suitable frame?
All my mates are mountain bikers and so totally ignorant about what they see as the dark side and therfore don't give a toss. I'm not necessarily worried about the supposed bad rep that Ribble has for customer service - just want the best bike.
What do you reckon?
Apologies if you've heard it all before.
In a total quandry. Looking to buy a new road bike for some high mileage training. Am an experienced mountan biker but never really got into the old road thing. Slowly seeing the light however! Now trying to get some intensive high mileage training in over the next year to prepare me for a couple of long distance/ trans-continental road rides.
Never had a road bike before & not necessarily used to the geometry. Have approx 1,000 pounds to spend. Have been looking around for a good value carbon frame and narowed it down to a Planet X SL Pro (the current C18 deal - Nady can has put a frame aside for me) and a Ribble Ribelle Ultegra set-up ( 1199 quid - my absolute max budget). Need a comfortable but quick & respoinsive ride. Am 10 1/2 stone and ride in the south west - no great hiils but a lot of undulations.
Dont have the opportuinty to test ride.
Looking for some opinions. Some questions:
Will I cope with the geometries?
Are these both suitable packages for my needs?
Am I better off with a standard double or compact chainset?
Which is better value?
Which is the more suitable frame?
All my mates are mountain bikers and so totally ignorant about what they see as the dark side and therfore don't give a toss. I'm not necessarily worried about the supposed bad rep that Ribble has for customer service - just want the best bike.
What do you reckon?
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Comments
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Just re-read the post. Apologies for some of the typos.0
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From memory both have quite long top tubes and short head tubes - so favour quite an aggressive position. I may be wrong on that as I haven't checked - but maybe something to consider especially as you are looking at long distance rides.
Both will be easily good enough for your needs.
If you are planning to race or be race fit - go out on chain gangs etc - then I'd get the double. However if your long distance rides are going to be very hilly then a compact is probably more suitable for your needs - you can still get pretty big gears with a compact if you did want to race.
Can't really comment on either frame beyond that.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
I have had the SL pro carbon for nearly 2 years and it is a fantastic bike. Bought mine to compete in an iron distance triathlon in Norway and found it great for climbing. I stuck with a standard double albeit on a 12/29 cassette, and could still spin enough for comfortable ascents. I now just swap back to 12/21 or 23 when doing flatter rides in the UK.
I wouldn't say it is overly aggressive geometry but there is perhaps slighly more emphasis on speed than comfort. That said, I have found it fine for day rides of up to 150 miles. Any more than that and I prefer something slighly more forgiving.
I bought one in a medium and I am 5'11, and I also purchased mine without test riding first.
In addition, I have found the customer serice from PX to be first class.0 -
Thanks for your responses Tom and Flashman.
It looks like I have now missed out on the Planet X bargain deal and the so the price of the two bikes is pretty much similar now.
Means it will be a straight forward choice over which is better, the Ribelle or Planet X
Have spoken to both Ribble & Planet X and they've both been very helpful, so can't even be swayed by that.
With the old compact vs double question, I reckon a lot of my training will be solo, so not many real group rides etc. Likewise, no races but may enter a few sportives as an extra incentive. As a mountain biker I'm totally used to MTB gearing. So maybe moving towards compact chainset. Is this wise?
I know it shouldn't be a factor, but just wandered what do you guys think of the aesthetics of the two frames? Quite hard to judge by the website photos.
Grateful for any input.0 -
Just get a Specialized Roubaix Elite 2008 instead (should be £1099 or less)
As for compact vs normal, depends how steep the hills are you're doing. Personally I'm glad I got my compact but with a normal you could always just change the cassette if you find what the bike comes with to large a gear.
Can't really comment on the Ribble vs Planet-X though sorry, not ridden either of them. I don't think the C18 sale is over though, according to the web-site they're revamping the spec. and restarting the sale on Friday.0 -
To be fair, I had thought about a Spesh Roubaix, but the Planet X & Ribble deals just seemed such better bang for the bucks (Ultegra or Dura Ace versus 105 on the Sepsh). Also I have 2 Spesh mountain bikes and to be honest feel like a bit of a change
Howevetr it may be that I am just getting distrated by the old 'Carbon must be better' syndrome?0 -
Yeah it's hard to argue against the spec of the Planet-X, I went with the Roubaix in the end because I could test ride it and it seemed more geared towards comfort than the more traditional Planet-X geometry etc.
As for carbon, I think if you can afford it then it's worth paying for as it's stiff, light and takes some of the road buzz out. That said I've ridden plenty of miles on steel and aluminum bikes in the past and found them fine to (and my next bike would probably be titanium just to see what it's like ) 0 -
I've got the PX and love it.
It seems quite comfortable to me, I've flipped the stem and got plenty of spacers underneath0 -
Definitely seem to be edging towards the Planet X now. Have done a fair bit of trawling through the web for opinions. Just waiting to find out what new deal Brant & co are going to come up with @ Planet X.
As for the Ribble, I have found plenty of comment on the Neo Corsa frames bur not the Ribelle one. Anyone got any insight into the actual differences?
Getting a touch of commitment phobia however. Am I being rash in buying without a test ride? Previously made that mistake with a carbon Scott full suspension bike - frame was too cramped!
Gearing choice not really an issue - can always swap the cassette at a later stage if I want a change I guess.0 -
I got my Planet-X without testing (or even seeing one). I looked at the geometry and compared it to a known comfy bike (my Audax bike), and it was obvious I could get the same riding position without trouble. I am 5'10" so medium was really the only choice, if you are on the extremes of any size it gets more difficult to choose between them. When I got it everything felt great from the off (weirdly, the seatpost was even at the exact height I needed!), the only adjustment I made was to slide the seat back 1cm and it was perfect. I also changed the cassette from 12-25 to 12-27 as I am a weakling! Comfort wise it is as good as my steel audax bike (which is very comfy), I didn't find the position too low, it came with the stem in the upward position (and I am no sprightly, flexible youngster!). The wheels seem excellent, the finishing kit is of surprisingly good quality. If you get the fit you need I think you will love the bike.
I tried to buy a Ribble Nero Corsa before that, but the non-response to emails and then rudeness on the phone put me off buying from them - their loss!0 -
alfablue wrote:I got my Planet-X without testing (or even seeing one). I looked at the geometry and compared it to a known comfy bike (my Audax bike), and it was obvious I could get the same riding position without trouble. I am 5'10" so medium was really the only choice, if you are on the extremes of any size it gets more difficult to choose between them. When I got it everything felt great from the off (weirdly, the seatpost was even at the exact height I needed!), the only adjustment I made was to slide the seat back 1cm and it was perfect. I also changed the cassette from 12-25 to 12-27 as I am a weakling! Comfort wise it is as good as my steel audax bike (which is very comfy), I didn't find the position too low, it came with the stem in the upward position (and I am no sprightly, flexible youngster!). The wheels seem excellent, the finishing kit is of surprisingly good quality. If you get the fit you need I think you will love the bike.
everything above i agree with ...i got mine 2 week ago ...stunning bike , everything right on it and Planet X a delight to deal with0 -
nicrg wrote:I know it shouldn't be a factor, but just wandered what do you guys think of the aesthetics of the two frames? Quite hard to judge by the website photos.
Grateful for any input.
I've said it before, but the Planet X looks like a BMX. Not a fan.0 -
Don't but a bike called a "Ribble Ribbelle" for christ's sake. Can you imagine a car called the Ford Fjord? A motorbike called the Ducati Ducarti? No, me neither. Get a grip.0
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I've said it before, but the Planet X looks like a BMX. Not a fan.
Biondini. BMX s are necessarily the devil's work - well ..... maybe. But actually I think the Planet X looks the business apart from the slightly obsessive logo-ing going on.
No offence, but here speaketh the man with a bike that looks like he is advertising the poor man's B & Q own brand DIY shop. (Credit where credit is due however I know the focus cayos are good bikes)Don't but a bike called a "Ribble Ribbelle" for christ's sake. Can you imagine a car called the Ford Fjord? A motorbike called the Ducati Ducarti? No, me neither. Get a grip.
Good point chriskempton. Might as well just call it the Ribble Dribble - seems to be a good bike however.
Anyway folks it looks like I'm going with the Planet X. Got a proper bike-fit done locally and the Planet X looks like it will fit just right.0 -
the ribbelle is quite a 'new' frame - thats why you won't find many reviews of it - it is designed by Deda in Italy - not sure where it is built / assembled.
It is also (i believe) the frame used for the condor barrachi - here:
http://www.condorcycles.com/baracchi.html
both condor and ribble use deda frames for their bikes. I believe that the ribbelle frame is the newest of the three designs (nera corsa & scuro being the others)
The ribelle looks to me to be the most comfortable of the three - it looks to have a slightly taller front end and might make a decent sportive type bike where the others (scuro in particualar) is very low and racy.
re. the focus - hardly B&Q is it mate? - there are a whole load of happy focus owners on here - you could do a lot worse than adding a cayo to your list of bikes - good enough for pro-team Milram next year.0 -
I bought a Ribelle from Ribble last month (frame and fork) and it's built into a very nice bike. I came from an Omega titanium frame, and to be honest have found the Ribelle to be more comfortable, seems much easier on the hills, and absolutely flies back down them. I am impressed. Did look at the plenet x as well, but prefered the look of the Ribelle. There seems to be a number of companies using this frame, badged under their own name. The only minor gripe is that the ribble decals are under a clearcoat of lacquer, so my plan for an all black stealth bike isn't giong to be. (saw a totally blank frame on the TOB and thought it looked superb0
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I hate these drab all black ninja bikes.0
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The Planet-X looks beautiful in blue and.....pink
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I seen a white one in the shop and it was just beautiful however I did wonder how long it would look like that 0
