new ribble sportive bianco or 2nd hand boardman team carbon

mjw123

I've been looking at buying a carbon bike for a while as an upgrade from my Trek 1.2 and was set on a Boardman Team carbon, however new thewy are over my budget and second hand commanding around £800-900 for a decent example.

However i've just noticed the ribble sportive bianco can be purchased for under the magic £1K mark new meaning it becomes very tempting as i could purchase through the cycle to work scheme.

So my questions is is their really going to be much difference between the 2 bikes ? - i'm only an occasional rider using the bike for a 10mile commute and weekend 20-40mile rides in the dales

Going for the Ribble woiuld allow me to buy a brand new bike for around £600 whereas i'd be paying quite a bit more for the boardman for a second hand bike.

Please convince me the Ribble is the better option ? - i'm no bike snob so the badge doesnt bother me.

Thanks,
Mike.

rolf_f

Here's what BR thought of the Bianco - http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cate ... o-12-46198

Once nice thing about the Ribble is you can spec it exactly how you want it. As far as "which is the better frame", I doubt that many are going to be able to tell the difference aside from, as far as I understand it, that the Boardman is more a racer, less a sportive bike than the Ribble.

I think under the circumstances the Ribble is likely to be a no brainer.

centimani

Because you spec the ribble, its difficult to get a clear comparison between the two...and its the wheelsets where you may feel the biggest difference.
I just got a New Sportive Racing / Veloce...and love it. I already had fulcrum 5s so i specced the standard Rodi Airlines, then swapped straight over. Bloody hell, the Rodis felt heavy. They are fairly well regarded i think, but heavy. I'd look at the weights of the Boardman wheelset and see if there's much difference.

The standard saddle on Ribbles isnt that comfortable either. Without padded shorts i get uncomfortable quite quickly. That said, 59 miles the other day with padded shorts, no problem.

Geometry wise, i think the Sportive Racing and Bianco are similar if not the same. I adapted very quickly to the ribble and find it very comfortable. By comparison, i got out my Bianchi the other day...and it felt so wierd and low, i'd adapted so well to the sportive.

I guess its all in the detail, do the homework because i suspect if you go for the cheapest spec components on the ribble, the extra weights will soon mount up. Go for better components and the cost soon racks up.

Again, if the Bianco and sportive racing frames have similar characteristics, it'll be very comfortable. Little or no road buzz coming through, feels very responsive, light enough, stiff..i'm very impressed.

b45her

can't go far wrong with a ribble sportive , i got one as my first proper road bike .
thier comfortable ,light and very good looking bikes .

mjw123

Thanks Guys - is the sportive the best ribble option for price ?

benkxk

Don't forget, with 2nd hand you can't insure it as easy. Unless the owner has the original receipt or you can prove it is yours to the Police

vectra0

I have the racing sporting. It really is a Great bike for the money. I ride with boardmans all of the time. There is very little between them that anyone but a pro would notice... Always get loads of good comments about the looks etc. Only thing I would have done differant would have been to go for better wheels, but my itm 2.4 are fine for regular use.
It was delivered bang on 10 days after ordering. Very happy all round. Not much between the frames. Just depends if you want the "racy" feel or "sportive" feel