Ribble Carbon Special Edition Sizing/Opinions...

Avezius

Apologies for the long post (and yes I have used the search to death ) I'm after a bit of a sanity check & opinions on a few questions.

This will be my 2nd year of cycling & my current machine (ebay special) is an ali cyclocross frame fitted with shimano 105 & 28mm slicks for road or 35mm knoblies for offroad. To be honest I have found myself on road more often than not so intend on replacing with a purpose built road beast with this years C2W scheme with work. After wearing google out for months, I'm pretty set on a ribble carbon bike for obvious reasons (i.e. value for money & I fancy carbon).

Firstly - Many of my rides are in the 10-15 mile range (i.e. 12 mile lunchtime dash across the fens with colleagues) and most of my rides to date are less than 25 miles, although I hope to slip in some quick 50's once I'm fit & maybe longer. My cycling is more time limited than desire so I tend to go mornings/lunchtimes/evenings rather than long rides at weekends. Note - My "real" sport/religion is Surfing & beach always wins out over roads for holidays! :

Secondly - Super fast is great but in a straight shootout, comfort wins marginally over pace for me. I'm not very bendy or flexible either & initially struggled to get low on my drops. I'm much more comfortable now (despite the height of saddle over handlebars), but I do tend to ride more upright than some people.

Essentially, I'm looking at the Gran Fondo & think makes sense to pick a special edition one.

Regarding size - I did some body measurements last night using competitivecyclist.com and I'm now more confused than when I started! My measurements (in cm) are something like:

Inseam: 83cm
Trunk: 162cm
Forearm: 33cm
Arm: 66cm
Thigh: 61cm
Lower Leg: 53cm
Sternal Notch: 147cm
Total Body Height: 179cm

So according to ribble for a sloping top frame I would need a large (54-56cm) frame (83*0.64=53.1) and that works for their height guide (large=5'9 to 6'). sound reasonable?

I'm also going for a crank length of 172.5 (based upon 32.75" inseam).

Not sure about which groupset to go for - Rival or 105. I like my current 105's but also had a play with rival & I like them. Still to be decided (not asking for opinions on this!).

Definately want a compact chainset, most probably with a 12-27 cassette.

Here's the question - is it worth upgrading anything else? (i.e. seatpillar, stem, wheels, etc). I know a good set of wheels make a big difference but the only upgrade option I can afford is to ITM Aero 2.4 wheels - still budget (an extra £28 over pro-lite como's) but not much info on them around.

I would be very interested in any opinions.

Thanks

navrig

Secondly - Super fast is great but in a straight shootout, comfort wins marginally over pace for me. I'm not very bendy or flexible either & initially struggled to get low on my drops. I'm much more comfortable now (despite the height of saddle over handlebars), but I do tend to ride more upright than some people.

I have just bought a Gran Fondo and went through all the same issues you have. I am 5'9" and the Ribble website pointed me at a size 54cm frame. I currently have their Winter Audax which is a comfortable 56cm.

I called Ribble and discussed it with them and they confirmed a 54cm was suitable.

I read this to confirm a Gran Fondo over a Sportive:

http://static.bikeradar.com/forums/view ... sc&start=0

The bike arrived last week but with a bent rear hanger (minor damage in the post) and as my arm is in plaster I have not yet set it up and sat on it. But it does look small compared to the Winter Audax. I put the saddle on and it sits above the bars by more than I expected. I should be able to get sat on it this weekend and I'll report back.

Avezius

Great - thanks.

Really interested in your comments.

Cheers