Ribble Stealth vs others

petemadoc

After year or so of mucking about I've decided to get a nice new carbon bike in the new year. I've got my eye on the ribble stealth



I'm drawn to this as it seems to be the same frame as the De Rose R838



But pretty much half the price.

Now I'm not kidding myself, I do not need this bike, I don't race and I don't need to improve personal best time but I do want a shiny new bit of kit.

I'll be using it for long rides in the summer and hopefully lots of training, I'm a little worried the frame is too racey and might be uncomfortable over time.

Other possibilities are a Planet X pro sram red or anything else around the £1300 mark.

Oh and before everyone says go to your LBS, they don't do test rides and the next nearest one is a 2 hour drive away.

dulldave

I've just ordered one. The De Rosa looks very similar but has a slightly different geometry. The wheel base is slightly longer than the Stealth I think.

I say go for it. I never test ride bikes either. Planet X bikes are good value but apart from their TT bikes I don't think they look very nice.

CarbonCopy

I was in ribble shop 2 weeks ago.The Stealth looks really nice.i wasn`t impressed by a little ripple in the top tube just behind the headset though.It`s probably a one off.Although if i was manager of the shop i would want that sorted fr piece of mind for my customers.

ridley2010

I was also in the shop last week and was blown away by the price for what you get with this frame, I also notced this ripple and was told the frame on display is a sample only. After digging around it is clear that the frame is the same as the De Rosa as all the geometry is identical.

ridley2010

Addition to last, there are apparently 2 versions of the frame a long and short which Ribble only stck the short version apparently.

petemadoc

Yes it looks like they are identical frames and has someone mentioned on the other ribble thread there are 2 versions long and short

R838-S

and

R838-L

Could someone please explain to me the real life difference in these two frame types (other than the R838-L costing a lot more through De Rosa) Is the longer version more racey, with a lower riding position?

I must say I would not be happy if I was De Rosa or the UK distributor that the factory was allowing the same frame to be sold to other people in the same market. Surely De Rosa will never sell any of these in the UK now.

Tech Rider

I must say it's De Rosa's comeuppance for charging through the roof for a bike just because of their big brand name.

This definitely shows its well worth doing your research into a bike before you buy because you never know when your going to save yourself £1000!!! thanks to forums like Bikeradar.

Its a no-brainer which one to go for.

As far as sizing goes, I think that the R838-S has a nicer geometry, but I'm sure that this issue will be down to the individual rider.

petemadoc

Tech Rider wrote:

I must say it's De Rosa's comeuppance for charging through the roof for a bike just because of their big brand name.

This definitely shows its well worth doing your research into a bike before you buy because you never know when your going to save yourself £1000!!! thanks to forums like Bikeradar.

Its a no-brainer which one to go for.

As far as sizing goes, I think that the R838-S has a nicer geometry, but I'm sure that this issue will be down to the individual rider.

Tech Rider - your avatar is somewhat troubling

I don't think it's down to De Rosa charging a fortune, it's more down to the distribution chain.

De Rosa - buy the frame from factory, put De Rosa stickers on, sell it to a UK distributor (i-ride), they sell it to the retailer who then sell it to the customer

Ribble - buy the frame from the factory, put ribble stickers on it and sell it to the customer

2 people and an import from Italy being paid in euros are cut out of the chain hence making the bike cheaper.

Where De Rosa have royally messed up is not getting an exclusivity agreement on the R-838 frame.

Tech Rider

I am having second thoughts about the Avatar pic! :oops:

I see what your saying PeteMadoc. The distribution process costs are much more, meaning the bike has to be sold for more.

At the end of the day, the De Rosa and the Ribble bikes above are exactly the same, just one costs much less money.

petemadoc

Stanley222 wrote:

PeteMadoc wrote:

I'll be using it for long rides in the summer and hopefully lots of training, I'm a little worried the frame is too racey and might be uncomfortable over time.

If you are a bit concerned over the fact it might be 'racy' (I am also considering getting one and thinking the same) have you looke at the Ribble Gran Fondo or Sportive as they are apparently a bit more relaxed in geometry!?!

Bit of a contradiction but I don't want a relaxed sportive specific bike either. I want something fast and light but comfortable on long rides. I don't understand bike geometry too well :?

Tonymufc

I quite fancy the Sportive bianco. Just over a grand for a 105 full equiped carbon machine. Blows most manufactures out of the water.

Tonymufc

I have no idea what they ride like, but anyone that gets one seem to rave about them. I ride a Spesh Tarmac as my good bike, but am seriously considering getting rid and going for a Ribble. Value for money and a comfy ride Vs aesthetics.

Tonymufc

I've got an Allez as well. I use that as my Winter/commuter bike. Soon to be replaced however with either a Racelight Tk2 or Genesis Equilibrium. But for my good bike defo would like a Ribble.

Tonymufc

Stanley222 wrote:

That's just showing off

Sorry didn't mean it to sound like that. Just taking advantage of the cyclescheme. Its better than an interest free loan.

Tonymufc

JesseD

PeteMadoc wrote:

Yes it looks like they are identical frames and has someone mentioned on the other ribble thread there are 2 versions long and short

R838-S

and

R838-L

Could someone please explain to me the real life difference in these two frame types (other than the R838-L costing a lot more through De Rosa) Is the longer version more racey, with a lower riding position?

I must say I would not be happy if I was De Rosa or the UK distributor that the factory was allowing the same frame to be sold to other people in the same market. Surely De Rosa will never sell any of these in the UK now.

Short wheelbase - twitchier handling, more responsive, more race bike like feel.

Long wheelbase - more stable ride, not as responsive.

In real life you won't notice too much of a difference TBH

rolf_f

PeteMadoc wrote:

Bit of a contradiction but I don't want a relaxed sportive specific bike either. I want something fast and light but comfortable on long rides. I don't understand bike geometry too well :?

The only difference you'll notice between a well fitting race oriented bike and a sportive oriented bike is the relative lack of back ache with the latter! The more aero race position will save you a few seconds which isn't really worth the bother unless you are racing. A 'relaxed sportive specific bike' isn't like sitting in an armchair

petemadoc

Rolf F wrote:

PeteMadoc wrote:

Bit of a contradiction but I don't want a relaxed sportive specific bike either. I want something fast and light but comfortable on long rides. I don't understand bike geometry too well :?

The only difference you'll notice between a well fitting race oriented bike and a sportive oriented bike is the relative lack of back ache with the latter! The more aero race position will save you a few seconds which isn't really worth the bother unless you are racing. A 'relaxed sportive specific bike' isn't like sitting in an armchair

Is it purely about aerodynamics?

As I said I don't know much about geometry. What kind of bikes to the pros ride when they're in the saddle all day? As much as i know is that the sportive bikes give you a more upright riding position, is the only disadvantage to the the areo stuff.

rolf_f

The differences aren't huge - on my bike (a sportive model) the head tube is 16 mm taller than on the race oriented version and the top tube is 14mm shorter on the sportive.

So, on that basis, your hands will be 14mm nearer to the saddle and 16mm higher up. If you sit at your chair, and touch the base of your monitor - now move your hands about 1.5 cm further back and 1.5 up. That's the difference (I think!). It makes a difference on a long ride in terms of comfort but you probably won't notice the speed disadvantage. Some people say that the tall head tube makes Sportive bikes feel less rigid and more sloppy. I suspect that is as much about the actual specific bike as the geometry.

Besides, there is also your own geometry to consider. My legs are long and torso short so I turn sportive geometry into racing geometry anyway

I'd find yourself a very good shop and get a fitting and work things out from there. I went to Epic Cycles at Tenbury nr Kidderminster. Probably a little longer trip for me than you but I found it well worth while! They let you test ride the bikes for long enough to get a feel for whether it is genuinely comfortable to ride rather than comfortable to sit on in the shop.

rolf_f

Stanley222 wrote:

I had never thought of it like that!

Except that someone will pop along in a moment and point out it is more complicated than that. Still, I find everything in bike geometry strangely slight in terms of changes needed for a big impact. A 550mm top tube is fine for me but a 570 vastly too long. That's two centimetres; how can it matter that much?

Except that my old tourer is about 580 and it does feel too long even though I still happily ride 1000s of miles on it. I'm pretty flexible though

CarbonCopy

CarbonCopy wrote:

I was in ribble shop 2 weeks ago.The Stealth looks really nice.i wasn`t impressed by a little ripple in the top tube just behind the headset though.It`s probably a one off.Although if i was manager of the shop i would want that sorted fr piece of mind for my customers.

I was back at ribble this afternoon the stealth bike there has indeed been replaced and is now showing clean lines and looking superb.Nice job Ribble

petemadoc

CarbonCopy wrote:

CarbonCopy wrote:

I was in ribble shop 2 weeks ago.The Stealth looks really nice.i wasn`t impressed by a little ripple in the top tube just behind the headset though.It`s probably a one off.Although if i was manager of the shop i would want that sorted fr piece of mind for my customers.

I was back at ribble this afternoon the stealth bike there has indeed been replaced and is now showing clean lines and looking superb.Nice job Ribble

So looks like we're all in agreement then, you can get a £2700 De Rosa from Ribble for about £1500 when you spec them the same.

I'm temped to just buy the frame & fork and build this up myself, hard to justify when Ribble's complete bike price is so good. hmmm, decisions

BR 1979

So how much does it cost to get a bike sprayed then?

:twisted:

BR 1979

So how much does it cost to get a bike sprayed then?

:twisted:

Monty Dog

Respray is about £250 - depending on complexity and colour scheme

petemadoc

BR 1979 wrote:

So how much does it cost to get a bike sprayed then?

:twisted:

I was thinking about this earlier. Why do we have even have this feeling that we'd want the De Rosa badges on the bike. Does buying the Ribble say to other people your a cheapskate? But it would be completely ridiculous to spend nearly double on a bike (or anything for that matter) Just because it had different paint on it. If you bought the De Rosa and knew about the Ribble wouldn't that just make you a complete tw4t.

Don't think I'd be bothered about the Ribble paint job anyways, the black on black looks pretty cool.

Does anyone know if you can remove any of the parts when ordering bikes from Ribble. I don't like the saddle options or the wheel options.

kfinlay

Stanley222 wrote:

The Stealth frame is £599.95 if you go to Ribble to buy it but if you buy it online you get a discount of 15% making it £509.96 which obviously means you can build it yourself and spec it completely as you wish!

With forks it's about £600, £450 for 105/Rival/Centaur groupo, £200 for Prolite Bracianno wheels, £250 for finishing kit = v nice and pretty light bike for £1500 all in once you've built it

KHF

I bought one of the Grand Fondos from Ribble, only has 105 group set but it's been fantastic. Unfortunately like Petemadoc said I feel in some way guilty I haven't spent more money. On reflection I would have had Ultegra fitted but it wasn't an option at the time but at the price you're better off buying a complete bike. The interesting point for me being I was considering the De Rosa for next year but now......think I'll go for another Ribble and get it loaded for the same price.

Tonymufc

KHF wrote:

I bought one of the Grand Fondos from Ribble, only has 105 group set but it's been fantastic. Unfortunately like Petemadoc said I feel in some way guilty I haven't spent more money. On reflection I would have had Ultegra fitted but it wasn't an option at the time but at the price you're better off buying a complete bike. The interesting point for me being I was considering the De Rosa for next year but now......think I'll go for another Ribble and get it loaded for the same price.

105 is a quality groupset my friend and I'd challenge anyone who said differently. I've said it once and I'll say it again. Ribble bikes are great value for money. So much so that after Christmas I will be selling my big name brand bike and buying a Ribble Sportive Bianco.

2alexcoo

PeteMadoc wrote:

So looks like we're all in agreement then, you can get a £2700 De Rosa from Ribble for about £1500 when you spec them the same.

Not quite.

The pricing on complete De Rosa bikes in the UK is really stupid. The £2700 R838 with Athena (tested in Cycling Weekly) is actually much worse value than the £2000 build with Veloce.

The Veloce model is £1799 at Evans, which is still pretty steep but considering De Rosa, the UK importer and Evans are all making a profit it's not that bad. The Ribble frame with the same build would be about £1300-1350 using the cheapest online prices for components.

petemadoc

2alexcoo wrote:

PeteMadoc wrote:

So looks like we're all in agreement then, you can get a £2700 De Rosa from Ribble for about £1500 when you spec them the same.

Not quite.

The pricing on complete De Rosa bikes in the UK is really stupid. The £2700 R838 with Athena (tested in Cycling Weekly) is actually much worse value than the £2000 build with Veloce.

The Veloce model is £1799 at Evans, which is still pretty steep but considering De Rosa, the UK importer and Evans are all making a profit it's not that bad. The Ribble frame with the same build would be about £1300-1350 using the cheapest online prices for components.

I know you an't spec them exactly the same but I make it closer to £1150 with veloce from Ribble, maybe £1150. Either way it's the same bike, you can pay £1800 from Evans or you can spec it with Athena and pay £1500 from Ribble.

I agree that the De Rosa R838 Athena appears to be poor value compared to the Veloce version. But then they're both poor value compared to the Ribble price.