Kiron/Cayo or Ribble?

Tillynaught

I’m about to purchase my first road bike and have narrowed down my choice to three,

Focus Cayo 105 Triple 2009 £989.10
Kiron Scandium 2009 Road Bike £989.10
Ribble Road Carbon Dedacciai Ribelle Ultegra 10 Double £1,199.99

What I’m struggling with at the moment is whether or not the Ribble is worth the extra £210, and whether or not to go for a full carbon frame. I’m leaning towards the Kiron(if they ever announce when they’re going to be released)

Any advice?

bendertherobot

The Kiron has been out about a year now. But Wiggle claim that it's discontinued (it is THEIR bike so they should now!). So that probably rules it out.

The Cayo is excellent though why do you want a triple in that but a double in the Ribble?

Tillynaught

Heard back from Wiggle that the Kiron "should" be available in April again, hence the reason i included it, excuse hte cut & paste should have been the
Focus Cayo 105 2009, not the triple, (is there any benifit to getting a triple?)

Hudster

Tillynaught wrote:

, (is there any benifit to getting a triple?)

Smaller gears and more of a spread of close gears.

Disadvantages are looks as you don't look like a pro (although pros have been known to use them), weight, gear shifts aren't quite as crisp (maybe) and one more chainring to think about...

If you really struggle with hills and like a low gear for them, then consider the triple as the disadvantages can seem tiny in comparison to walking. Otherwise get a double.

kingrollo

Your getting ultegra with the ribble - which is a serious groupset - Personally I don't like how the kirion looks - depends how much you need the extra £200 - or you could up the wheel spec on the focus - which would make it a really nice bike. Do you need to buy other stuff, shorts , shoes, computers, etc - no point have a top bike without looking the part !!!!!!

Tempestas

I got myself a Kiron about 2 weeks ago and initially planned to use it as my training bike, after my first ride it became my race bike(switched all my gear from race bike to the Kiron frame), it's stiff and responsive but also comfortable, a great frame for the money and well worth putting better gear on as the funds allow.

Not sure if you have seen this http://www.wiggleblog.com/2009/01/12/ki ... um-update/

bigmat

Ribble with Centaur? Isn't that a bit cheaper than Ultegra? I reckon you'd be mad to get a Shimano bike at the moment, you end up paying a premium because of the exchange rate with the yen. Centaur is at least as good IMHO and also current Ultegra will look really dated when the new version comes out.

Tillynaught

Thanks for the advice, the Kiron is the one I’m favouring, does the fact that it does not have a full carbon frame make a difference and is the Utegra groupset that much better than the 105 groupset? I have most of the other essentials, sitting with pedals, shoes etc and no bike... yet :?

Tempestas

The Kiron rides differently to my old Cayo, it's sharper and more comfortable. As for the difference between 105 and Ultegra, it's minimal and you would be hard pushed to 'feel' any difference. They both set up as smoothly as each other, Ultegra is just a tad lighter and has a different 'look'.

Tillynaught

Many Thanks Tempestas, if they do re-release the Kiron this month i think it'll be the one for me.

Tempestas

hmm, not sure if this is going to be made

http://www.wiggleblog.com/2009/04/03/ki ... -pictures/

Kiron with Lightweight wheels......seems the spec may be slightly higher than 105 on that one :shock:

Mettan

Tilly - Try and factor in what chainset you want - if you're a newer rider, it might be best opting for a Compact or Triple - also, what Shifter-type do you want - you can get a Ribble setup (of one sort or another) with Campag, hence Campag shifters (some/many prefer them to Shimano). Just some things to factor in - ask, if you're not sure.

Tillynaught

Just had an e-mail from wiggle, and they state "Now I still haven't got full details but this kiron is a 'one off' but you never know..."

Tillynaught

Mettan, I've read quite a bit on the forum about the different groupsets, would it be fair to say that there is not much difference in performance between Shimana & Compag? it seems to be a personal choice.

Tempestas

I used to only ride Campag, but then I went through a stage of breaking and wearing everything they offered out(Record components lasted me around 9 months), so switched to Shimano, which I have no problems with and still have a 7 year Dura Ace group I now train on. The main difference is feel, Campag has that clunky solid feel whereas Shimano has a light and switch action. If this is your first bike then you have a choice of both, if it is a second bike and you already use one or the other stick with it, that way you can interchange parts easily between bikes (Campag will not work with Shimano, and vice versa).

fnegroni

I think the reason I bought the Kiron was that in the £1k market it is really difficult to be original nowadays, and the Kiron stood out.

Plus the fact that it feels great, it's very light, it looks good (I am Italian and the Ferrari colour scheme suits me just fine!), and that Joe Blog might not look at it twice because it is not well known make (although Easton per se is) makes it more desirable to an "intendtore".

The only thing to be aware of with scandium alloy tubes is that they dent more easily than your average alu alloy tubes so you have to be slightly more careful when parking it.

Tillynaught

After all that, was told the Kiron was some time away so ordered the Ribble. Only to be told by them 10 days after the order had been placed that the two week delivery would in fact be closer to 8 weeks, i therefore had to cancelled the order as i need a road bike for an upcoming event (also wasn't overally impressed with their customer service). I've now got a Planet X SL Pro Carbon Ultegra Build sitting in a big box at home awaiting my arrival.

kingrollo

Well - my mate has one of those its a great bike for the money

passout

All good choices but the ribble is far more flash than the others, that would be my choice.