My Ribble Stealth

mowflow

Haven't had a new bike since my Raleigh Burner when I was about 10 so I finally decided to treat myself and take the plunge on a new bike through the Cyclescheme.

I chose the bike after visiting many LBSs and finding that nearly everything in the price bracket had Shimano which I discovered I don't get on with (my other bike is Campag). I needed to keep cost over the £1000 limit to a minimum so it was spec'd through the special bikes section of the site with the only changes being the groupset upgraded from xenon/veloce to full veloce and the wheels being upgraded.

The bike is more or less straight out the box in the pic so not properly set up. Just for reference incase anyone is thinking about buying one of these, the bike is the 52 (second largest size) I'm 6ft with a 33inch inside leg and quite a short reach.

noiseboyfeetman

Nice, although not conveniced on the saddle and handlebar tape. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as you did your Raleigh Burner back in the day, they were awesome!

alihisgreat

I love the look of the Ribble Stealths -> probably because you can't really see the ribble Logo!



Did you test any of the Sora bikes at your LBS? if you did would you mind letting me know how they compare to the Ribble?


Thinking of buying one soonish -> mine will hopefully have white wheels and bar tape though

sloppyschleckonds

Nice looking, especially the stealth look which seems to be coming popular.
I like the bartape but maybe needs a black saddle

mouth

Proper like the look of this. A Ribble currently sits somewhere near the top of my shopping list for next year. There's talk of Nottingham-Monaco and I need to get some serious training in.

mowflow

The saddle was just stuck on for the pic and first quick test ride, it's actually off my mountain bike. The bike came with a black Selle Italia X0 which I wasn't keen on. I've got one of the Planet X saddles arriving today, white again but I've just got a thing for white saddles.

I love the bar tape. Keeps it monochromatic without being pain in the arse white or boring black.

ALIHISGREAT, Do you mean bikes equiped with Shimano Sora? If so I never tested any. I've tried Sora before and didn't like it at all, the shifting felt vague and the levers a bit fragile. I'd aim for the 105. That was what was on most of the bikes I tested, it felt quality enough but the hood shape and shifting with the brake lever weren't fro me.

alihisgreat

mowflow wrote:

ALIHISGREAT, Do you mean bikes equiped with Shimano Sora? If so I never tested any. I've tried Sora before and didn't like it at all, the shifting felt vague and the levers a bit fragile. I'd aim for the 105. That was what was on most of the bikes I tested, it felt quality enough but the hood shape and shifting with the brake lever weren't fro me.

Yeah i meant to say the Shimano equipped bikes you looked at.. had Sora on my mind for some reason :roll:

and i'm more interested in how the Ribble's general ride compares with the Bikes you tested in the similar price range.


didn't really make myself clear! :oops:

FransJacques

If that was around 1000 bucks then that is a killer deal. The tyres look a bit el-cheapo but at least you have a nice set of training clinchers.

What are you coming off of? Any thoughts or comparisons on the ride/handling?

Enjoy it!

mowflow

Got out for my first ride that went beyond "round the block" at the weekend. Having a bit of knee trouble so limited to a very sensible 20 miles. Despite not getting the set up spot on just yet the bike is still very comfortable, particularly through the rear. Buzz and chatter through the bars is nowhere near as bad as my other bike which has you holding on for dear life on some of the rougher decents.

I found myself riding on the drops a lot more which I very rarely do on my other bike. This seemed to be down to not only the reduced buzz but also the fact the bike fits me better (less stretch) and the shape of either the bars or newer style levers which seem easier for me to reach from the drops. I also felt the bike held speed a bit better and so I almost wanted to tuck in to hold it rather than sitting up using the hoods and mashing away at the pedals. Some of this could just be the new bike effect though.

My computer did tell a different story though. Despite my knee problems I appeared to be a few MPH faster over the ride than usual with an average of 19mph opposed to the norm of 17mph. I dare say this could have been a little quicker as I held back on the 2 big decents. You never know who's put a bike together so until I go over every nut and bolt myself to make sure I'll not be 100% happy.

Looking forward to the next ride.

FransJacques

Take care of that knee, don't push it.

In the meantime, any new pix with the bike set up better for you?

mowflow

The pain in my knee is a symptom of a slight strain in my adductor muscle caused by losing form slightly on a set of max rep squats last week. Thankfully nothing to really worry about but pretty uncomfortable.

I've not taken any more pics of the bike as the new saddle hasn't arrived yet and the tyres have been swapped over with my other bike and they don't really go. They are lighter and faster though so that's all that matters