Ribble Gran Fondo

extrusion

Hi

Just bought my first road bike. Ribble Gran Fondo!

Ive been commuting 40 miles a day on a Specialized Crosstrail for the past nine months so i think im justified in making the jump to a carbon road bike :x Wife thinks otherwise :roll:

Bike was only ordered today but i cant wait, anybody know how long i could be waiting? I have a knee injury to overcome anyway so dont mind a few weeks wait.

Anybody else got one of these bikes? Opinions?

centimani

10 working days is their claim...i hope it's somewhere near that cos i ordered a New Sportive Racing from them, this is my 6th working day.
Justifying it ?...if you can afford it, if you want it, aspire to it, whatever....that's good enough in my book 8)

navrig

You will get mixed opinions on Ribble and, generally, positive opinions on the Gran Fondo.

I've two Ribbles including the GF and both have been great bikes. Both are still in use and I expect to get a good few years out of the GF.

My experience with Ribble has been good, others will say different.

You shouldn't regret buying the GF though. It's a cracking bike and exceptional value for money.

Enjoy.

MarksMintness

Nice bike mate, and a great first road bike!
I reckon you can justify that, your fitness and cycling must have come on a long way in those 9 months, and just think about all the cash you've saved by not running a car or public transport etc.
Plus it's keeping you health yand slim (hopefully) which is all good for the missus!
Enjoy the bike (when it arrives)

extrusion

The New Sportive was my first choice actually but ended up going for the gran fondo.

My justification was i was going to get a road bike, that was a given, i could buy a cheaper ally road bike and wonder what a carbon one would be like or splash out a bit extra and get a bike where ill find out and will not look enviously at other bikes (hopefully).

And my 0% credit card seemed happy with this

mr_belowski

I got the Sportive Bianco in January and it took 12 days from ordering to riding. I'd heard bad things about Ribble's service so it was a nice surprise to get it quickly.

It's ace, BTW. The GF looks ace too. You'll love it

extrusion

Thanks for the comments guys! Feeling fully justified now, and can't wait

waynobfc

The Gran Fondo was my 2nd choice had i not got such a good deal on my Wilier! Enjoy it as they do look pretty awesome!

Sunderland Supporter

Im intrigued :!:

Why should somebody expect to receive "diss" over a Ribble bike, I was always led to believe they are decent :?

smidsy

Snobbery.

cyclingsheep

I received my Ribble Stealth two weeks ago, apart from a delay due to them not having the wheels I wanted in stock Ribble were pretty good. Love my Stealth btw sure you'll like your GF too

roypsb

Please post pics when it arrives. Seriously considering a Ribble myself and I'm really not sure which one to go for.

Will try and get up to Preston but it's a bloody long way from Surrey!

stronginthesun

cyclingsheep wrote:

I received my Ribble Stealth two weeks ago, apart from a delay due to them not having the wheels I wanted in stock Ribble were pretty good. Love my Stealth btw sure you'll like your GF too

excuse my ignorance but how was it when it turned up ? ie what build did you have to do ? were the gears indexed properly ect . looking into getting a stealth myself . thanks

FoldingJoe

Only thing I had to put on my Bianco when it arrived was the handlebars, from memeory.

Gears were indexed fine.

mr_belowski

Similar for me - it was fully built and set up except for the bars and seat / seat post

cyclingsheep

Hey stronginthesun.

As with two previous posts, just the handle bars, seat and pedals. However, because it is all built up (including derailers) there can be problems. My rear derailer hanger was bent in transit, if I hadn't checked the bike over before riding it, the first time I changed into my smallest gear I could've destroyed my rear wheel and derailer. I got this sorted by my LBS for a minimal cost so I'm not really complaining just giving a heads up. As for the ride itself I'm over the moon with it, a lot smoother than my old ali Bianchi (which I still love by the way) and it feels fast but won't know for sure till I put a computer on it.

Calpol

cyclingsheep wrote:

Hey stronginthesun.

As with two previous posts, just the handle bars, seat and pedals. However, because it is all built up (including derailers) there can be problems. My rear derailer hanger was bent in transit, if I hadn't checked the bike over before riding it, the first time I changed into my smallest gear I could've destroyed my rear wheel and derailer. I got this sorted by my LBS for a minimal cost so I'm not really complaining just giving a heads up. As for the ride itself I'm over the moon with it, a lot smoother than my old ali Bianchi (which I still love by the way) and it feels fast but won't know for sure till I put a computer on it.

Is your Bianchi a via Nirone? Both the Gran fondo and Bianchi via Nirone 7 are on my shortlist so would be interested in any comparison.

cyclingsheep

Hey Calpol

Sadly my Bianchi is a little older than the Nirone I think but believe it is the precurser to it. It's an ML3 so have no idea how it compares to the modern version

extrusion

Just thought i'd let you know the gf arrived on wednesday and i've ridden it on one 40 mile commute.

Bike just needed seat and seatpost, handlebars and pedals putting together. Its my first roadbike so i was amazed at how light it is and also how small! in fact when i pulled the frame out of the box i was looking for the rear wheel before realising it was already attached!

I had a quick go that evening, attempting to get seat height and handlebar angle right, and also to understand how to change gear. Then the next day i took it on its first commute.

Blimey it was hard work! I was hot and sweaty (and it was a cold morning) after only six miles. I stopped, adjusted seat height and handlebar angle and when i next got on it suddenly felt amazing. Much more comfortable, and head down in the drops it was so much easier flying down hills than on my flat bar hybrid.

My return commute was 10 minutes faster than usual. Awesome!

Im quite surprised at how little road bumps and vibrations get through. I thought i would really feel a difference after front suspensin and fat tyres but honestly its just like the hybrid with the suss locked out.

The only time this was an issue was when going over the 2 cattle grids on the way home. I need to go fast to clear it comfortably but i didnt have right of way and ended up carrying it over the first one. Next one i rode it over and by the clattery plastic bang i presumed id broken the frame!!!

What do other people do with cattle grids? Will i knacker the frame or the wheels riding over them??

Kolraz

extrusion wrote:

What do other people do with cattle grids? Will i knacker the frame or the wheels riding over them??

Hit it straight on with moderate speed and you'll be fine. The bikes are tougher than you think

centimani

extrusion wrote:

Just thought i'd let you know the gf arrived on wednesday and i've ridden it on one 40 mile commute.

Bike just needed seat and seatpost, handlebars and pedals putting together. Its my first roadbike so i was amazed at how light it is and also how small! in fact when i pulled the frame out of the box i was looking for the rear wheel before realising it was already attached!

I had a quick go that evening, attempting to get seat height and handlebar angle right, and also to understand how to change gear. Then the next day i took it on its first commute.

Blimey it was hard work! I was hot and sweaty (and it was a cold morning) after only six miles. I stopped, adjusted seat height and handlebar angle and when i next got on it suddenly felt amazing. Much more comfortable, and head down in the drops it was so much easier flying down hills than on my flat bar hybrid.

My return commute was 10 minutes faster than usual. Awesome!

Im quite surprised at how little road bumps and vibrations get through. I thought i would really feel a difference after front suspensin and fat tyres but honestly its just like the hybrid with the suss locked out.
The only time this was an issue was when going over the 2 cattle grids on the way home. I need to go fast to clear it comfortably but i didnt have right of way and ended up carrying it over the first one. Next one i rode it over and by the clattery plastic bang i presumed id broken the frame!!!

What do other people do with cattle grids? Will i knacker the frame or the wheels riding over them??

I'm surprised. My Ribble Sportive racing is remarkably comfortable, silky smooth over tarmac. Perhaps your roads are particuarly bad, perhaps mine are good. Dont forget you were on (i assume) considerably wider tyres that'd absorb a lot of buzz etc anyway. I'm sure if you'd had a roadbike before, you'd appreciate the difference a carbon frame makes.
For the record, 10 days after order, my sportive arrived, no problems. Handlebars, seatpost and seat were all that had to be fitted (and pedals of course). Gears were set up perfectly...the only minor thing was the FD cable's not cleanly located at the downtube boss, looks a little messy.
Fan-bloody- tastic....i love it.

Sunderland Supporter

Somebody please explain to what the snobbery issue is with ribble.

Id been looking at a gran fondo before and I think they look great. Is the snobbery issue the all too familiar full of sh1t bunch of club dicks dressed in all the gear looking down at ribble or something ? A great bike is a great bike and I dont care what it says on the tubes.

nathancom

Sunderland Supporter wrote:

Somebody please explain to what the snobbery issue is with ribble.

Id been looking at a gran fondo before and I think they look great. Is the snobbery issue the all too familiar full of sh1t bunch of club dicks dressed in all the gear looking down at ribble or something ? A great bike is a great bike and I dont care what it says on the tubes.

I don't understand it either especially since the Ribble Stealth has the same frame as a De Rosa for example just for a lot less money. Branding works though, I prefer Heinz ketchup to Asda ketchup for some reason that is probably just as irrational.

By not investing so much in the brand you end up with bikes for a much lower cost than say a De Rosa, so Ribble customers should be happy about the snobbery

There is something to be said about styling though, Raleigh get great reviews too but their bikes can look at bit out of date when you line them up against say a Focus.

Any chance of a British brand producing frames competing with Cervelo, BMC, Look etc?

Bozman

nathancom wrote:

Sunderland Supporter wrote:

Somebody please explain to what the snobbery issue is with ribble.

Id been looking at a gran fondo before and I think they look great. Is the snobbery issue the all too familiar full of sh1t bunch of club dicks dressed in all the gear looking down at ribble or something ? A great bike is a great bike and I dont care what it says on the tubes.

I don't understand it either especially since the Ribble Stealth has the same frame as a De Rosa for example just for a lot less money. Branding works though, I prefer Heinz ketchup to Asda ketchup for some reason that is probably just as irrational.

By not investing so much in the brand you end up with bikes for a much lower cost than say a De Rosa, so Ribble customers should be happy about the snobbery

There is something to be said about styling though, Raleigh get great reviews too but their bikes can look at bit out of date when you line them up against say a Focus.

Any chance of a British brand producing frames competing with Cervelo, BMC, Look etc?

With the explosion of road bikes over the last few years, It does amaze me that somebody hasn't jumped on the bike bandwagon in the UK. As far as engineering goes we're up there with the best so why the hell aren't we doing the same as Germany, who are now producing top quality tour level frames with high end components for a fair price,
the likes of Canyon and Focus are giving everyone a run for their money and cube are mopping up the rest.
Ribble and Planet X do a good job with entry level carbon bikes and Boardman have done a good job too but we need to go up a step or two.

extrusion

centimani wrote:

I'm surprised. My Ribble Sportive racing is remarkably comfortable, silky smooth over tarmac. Perhaps your roads are particuarly bad, perhaps mine are good.

Sorry, when i said little i meant not much gets through, not that little bumps get through

Its flipping brilliantly smooth!

centimani

I think ribble have upped their game regarding the visual appearance of their bikes. I only really saw their winter trainers around. Good bikes, good value, but shockingly bland and boring (IMHO) TBF i havnt seen any of their Deddacaia frames in the flesh, thy may have looked better.
But, the Grand Fondo, Sportive racing etc, really really look the biz.
Visually, its so so important to me a bike looks good, Ribble dont help themselves in how they portray the bikes...a simple flat one dimensional picture.
But...once my Sportive was out of the box...its a beaut.

i wonder if that blandness of previous models have something to do with how people percieve Ribble.
To me, they're frikkin hard to beat VFM, they certainly aren't short in the looks department either.