Ribble Bikebuilder

richard36

I have about £1500 to spend on a bike. I would like a red/black frame and was thinking of the Cube Agree. I've also been looking at the Ribble New Sportive.

I won't be using the bike for racing but longish rides.

I would really appreciate some help on choosing various bits for the Ribble.

First of all the groupset. My existing bike has Sora and it seems ok. Not sure whether to go with Tiagra or 105, or even go with Campag or SRAM. Any comments?

Secondly, the wheels. Assuming I go with Shimano then I suppose it's a choice between the Fulcrum or the Mavic. Is there any real difference between the 2? If I went for Fulcrum then again is there any difference in quality between the 5's and the 3's. Similarly is there any difference in quality between the Mavic Ksyrium Equipe and Elite?

I think the only other thing is the tyres. My existing bike has Conti Gatorskins and they seem to wear extremely well and I've never had a puncture. Should I stick with these or go with something like the Schwalbe Ultremo?

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Many thanks

rolf_f

Check Ribbles Special Edition bike pages first - cheaper and less choice so life much easier!

You'll get loads of recommendations for all three groupsets. If you are keeping your old bike, there will be spares compatibility benefits of staying with Shimano. I like Campagnolo myself.

Wheels - they've changed these and I notice that the total wheel weights now quoted don't always add up! However, usually you will find that the cheapest upgrade option will be substantially lighter than the standard at little cost and is a very obvious value for money choice (eg in the Campag option, about £30 or so extra saves you 300 grams at least over the standard wheels. The next option up saves about the same weight for 10 times the price!)

Tyres - are a bit crap in Special Edition. Either stick with the standard Nitros which are evil to get on and off the wheel or maybe take a £10 punt on the other options (all of which are rigid).

richard36

Thanks Rolf

I doubt I'll get £1500 to spend on a bike again (or at least not for a very long time) so wanted to get what I could without spending it unnecessarily.

I'm quite happy to spend extra on a better groupset (will probably stick with Shimano) and wheels/tyres if they are good quality but not sure whether there is any point, for example, in spending an extra £125 to get the Mavic Elites or whether I should just upgrade to the Mavic Equipes.

This is where I need the expertise of you lot!

Thanks

rc856

Hi mate.
The beauty of the bike builder is that you can take your time and go through the different choices.
Means you can see what the price will be with say, the better 105 groupset and lesser wheels or vice versa.
You might want to stick with Shimano if that's what you're used to but have you tried Campag?
The Campag ergo levers suit the size of my hands.
Personally, I'd get the better groupset just now and you can always get nicer wheels after winter. I think the wheels are an easier upgrade rather than swapping the whole groupset but the wheels give you your rolling resistance etc.

If the Gatorskins have been good, again might be worth keeping for the winter.
I'm happy with my 25mm Gatorskins but I've got GP4000s for the better weather.

esudfu

I'll be looking at a new bike in the next 12 months, albeit at the £1000 mark rather than £1500.

At that price point it seems that Ribble (various carbon frames and builds) and Planet X (Pro Carbon SL with SRAM Rival) are hard to ignore.

Groupsets are a bit of a mystery to me. I know the order that the manufacturers put them in on price/quality stakes but now that Tiagra is 10-speed, is the upgrade to 105 really worth the extra outlay? How does SRAM Rival compare to both of those (seems to be a bit more expensive than Tiagra but not as much as 105).

richard36

Thanks RC856

You advise getting the better groupset. I take it you mean going for 105 rather than Sora. In what way is this a better groupset? Is it better quality or just lighter? Is the braking power better?

I'll use my existing bike as a winter bike and would therefore get the better wheels/tyres for the new bike but due to my lack of knowledge and not knowing anyone else who has a roadbike with this kind of groupset/Mavic wheels etc I need to ask for advice on the forum.

Cheers

StorckSpeed

If you already have shimano on an old bike then stick with this. If you upgrade components on your new bike then you can swap them onto your old one.

Shimano 105 is a better quality groupset, lighter, harder wearing with slicker shifts and better brakes than Tiagra. Tiagra is lighter etc than Sora.
SRAM Rival is equivalent to the 105 and gets very, very good write ups (never used it myself). SRAM components are also compatible with Shimano, I believe the Rival groupset is lighter than the 105 and has better braking.

Tyre question - Gatorskins are super tough, tougher than 4000's or Ultremo's but a bit heavier and slower. Conti, Schwalbe and Michelin tyres can be fitted by hand without the use of a tool which lessens the chance of a pinched tube when fitting. Ultremo's got a very good write up in Cycling+ but I have a pair of both 4000's & Ultremo's and can't notice any difference.

richard36

Thanks Storckspeed

Hadn't really heard anything about the SRAM Rival. The cost of upgrading on Ribble Bikebuilder from Sora to 105 is £286 and the cost of SRAM Rival is £258 so they are a similar price.

Interested to read that the SRAM Rival may have better braking. The braking on the Sora is woeful and often very scary on steep descents so would very much like to improve on that.

Assuming I go for the 105 or SRAM then any comments from anyone on the wheels. Fulcrums 3's or Mavic Equipe or Elite?

As I have said I don't want to spend the money simply because I've got it but will gladly do so if the upgrades are better quality then the cheaper options.

Thanks

racingcondor

Richard36 wrote:

Secondly, the wheels. Assuming I go with Shimano then I suppose it's a choice between the Fulcrum or the Mavic. Is there any real difference between the 2? If I went for Fulcrum then again is there any difference in quality between the 5's and the 3's. Similarly is there any difference in quality between the Mavic Ksyrium Equipe and Elite?

Can't help with the Mavic wheels but Fulcrum 3's are a noticable step up from 5's. I'd rate 5's and 7's as tough well built wheels that are built for training and commuting (but flexy and aren't exactly exciting), 3's are a lot stiffer while still being built to last (and as a result are a lot more fun to ride).

richard36

Thanks racingcondor - that's useful to know

Cheers

richard36

Having spoken to Ribble I find that whilst they have bikes in their showroom they won't/can't allow a test ride. Something about being on an industrial estate! I find that very odd and a bit annoying especially when I might want to spend about £1500 with them.

Pickled Pig

Richard36 wrote:

Having spoken to Ribble I find that whilst they have bikes in their showroom they won't/can't allow a test ride. Something about being on an industrial estate! I find that very odd and a bit annoying especially when I might want to spend about £1500 with them.

I had the same experience which is why I bought my bike elsewhere.

rolf_f

Richard36 wrote:

Having spoken to Ribble I find that whilst they have bikes in their showroom they won't/can't allow a test ride. Something about being on an industrial estate! I find that very odd and a bit annoying especially when I might want to spend about £1500 with them.

The showroom is just populated with a single sample of each model so you'd be fairly unlikely to find the right bike in the right size. The showroom isn't really a shop so it isn't really worth them having a large stock of effectively second hand bikes built up. This is one of the reasons why they are so cheap in the first place. The best you can get is the chance to sit on a bike if they have the correct size of completed customer bike on site.

It's the downside to bargain price mail order. I wasn't bothered as I just made sure I knew the bike was correct size and geometry for me.

Pickled Pig

Rolf F wrote:

Richard36 wrote:

Having spoken to Ribble I find that whilst they have bikes in their showroom they won't/can't allow a test ride. Something about being on an industrial estate! I find that very odd and a bit annoying especially when I might want to spend about £1500 with them.

The showroom is just populated with a single sample of each model so you'd be fairly unlikely to find the right bike in the right size. The showroom isn't really a shop so it isn't really worth them having a large stock of effectively second hand bikes built up. This is one of the reasons why they are so cheap in the first place. The best you can get is the chance to sit on a bike if they have the correct size of completed customer bike on site.

It's the downside to bargain price mail order. I wasn't bothered as I just made sure I knew the bike was correct size and geometry for me.

But they had my size and model padlocked to the wall. If they explained it was a cost issue I might have been a bit more understanding but I got the same sort of BS that Richard36 did. After having told me they had the right bike in they might have added that I couldn't test ride it before I made a 100+ mile round trip. As I was going to collect in person it wasn't a mail order sale.

satnavsteve

Hi Richard36,
I have recently upgraded the groupset on my Secteur sport from sora triple to 105 double compact. The difference is staggering. Smoother shifting, more positive feel and I have not missed the granny ring at all.

105 is highly recommended from me.

richard36

Pickled Pig - I just can't understand why they wouldn't allow a test ride. Surely they must appreciate that some folk might actually want to sit on a bike and ride it before they part with lots of money. Having said that I live miles away from Ribble and if I decide to go for one of their bikes will probably get a bike fit first and at least I'll then know what size to go for. However in another post of mine about test rides quite a number of folk have said how even a 5 minute ride of a bike beforehand can give you some idea of whether it's the bike you want to buy.

Satnavsteve - thanks for that. I have decided to go either for 105 or SRAM Rival.