Ribble R872 or PX N2A or??

cat_with_no_tail

I'm thinking of a budget around £1,800 for my first proper roadie.

I've been leaning towards the Planet-X N2A Gran Fondo special, but I keep coming back to the Ribble.

Link to PX - http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBP ... _road_bike
R872 bike builder - http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bbd/road- ... BRC&bike=1

(For my budget, I'd be looking at the R872 with Ultegra group and Cosmic Elite clinchers, ultremo ZX tyres and a mix of finishing kit.)

Other options at this price point include (but not limited to):

Rose Xeon RS-5000
Rose Carbon Pro-RS 4400
Canyon Ultimate CF 8.0

About me -

- Coming from MTBs
- Currently making do with a roadified rockhopper for winter miles (wanted to see how I took to this road lark).
- Fatbastard 100kg, hoping to get down to sub 90 this year. Still reasonably fit though.
- Currently riding on average 140km per week on Manx roads - where we don't have massive elevation, but you have to climb to get anywhere at all. As such, I get about 6,000m elevation per month
- Want something that's fast enough for quick 20mile evening strava hunting sessions, but comfy enough for 100k+ rides on a weekend.


So......... talk to me! opinions, advice, death threats, cash contributions all welcome.

cat_with_no_tail

Oh, I'm also waiting to see what options Planet X are going to do for their Ti frame (I'm assuming it'll be SRAM of some kind with their own wheelset).

zx6man

Mate has got that spec one from Ribble (from an allez elite) and its awesome. The colour is too plain for me though :-)

pnev

Boardman pro carbon might be worth looking at

cat_with_no_tail

Can't believe I'd forgotten about the Boardman. Good shout.

I am also a fan of the Kuota Kharma, purely on looks (spec wise, whilst not bad, it's lacking vs the others above) - http://www.epic-cycles.co.uk/Kuota_Kharma_Evo.html

@ zx6man - I like that flat black / stealth look. Think road bikes look amazing in matte black.

zx6man

Off topic a little, the MRS had a matte black bike...was really nice..

antonyfromoz

The range of choice around this price is amazing. If it was my money, one bike I would be looking at would be the Bianchi Sempre from Wiggle, down from £1950 to under £1300. The tradeoff is 105 instead of Ultegra but it is a long way under your budget limit at that price so you would have £500 to get some other wheels, a new saddle etc. It has really good reviews both on Wiggle and on this site http://m.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bi ... e-11-39818. Must admit that I do have a bit of a soft spot for Bianchis though...

smidsy

zx6man wrote:

Off topic a little, the MRS had a matte black bike...was really nice..

Is that a 308 GTB in the background???

styxd

Canyon or Rose or something like last years specialized/cannondale/trek/giant/felt at a discounted price.

Ribble dont really offer good value at £1800.

rolf_f

styxd wrote:

Canyon or Rose or something like last years specialized/cannondale/trek/giant/felt at a discounted price.

Ribble dont really offer good value at £1800.

I wouldn't say they don't offer good value but, given that the higher end groupsets that you can get on a Ribble for £1800 are 90% bling over substance, it just seems a bit curious to spend that much on one. You might as well get a bit of brand cachet if you are spending that much. That said, a Gran Fondo with Chorus isn't completely mis-spec'd.

cougie

I've the N2A - it's a nice bike. I don't think you can go far wrong with any of the bikes mentioned so far. P

styxd

Rolf F wrote:

styxd wrote:

Canyon or Rose or something like last years specialized/cannondale/trek/giant/felt at a discounted price.

Ribble dont really offer good value at £1800.

I wouldn't say they don't offer good value but, given that the higher end groupsets that you can get on a Ribble for £1800 are 90% bling over substance, it just seems a bit curious to spend that much on one. You might as well get a bit of brand cachet if you are spending that much. That said, a Gran Fondo with Chorus isn't completely mis-spec'd.

The thing is, Ribble frames are cheap carbon jobbies, no pro tour level like you get with Canyon.

dwanes

I bought into one the big names (giant) knowing if anyone is going to make a decent frame, and not a poor one, it would be them. Big brand means less chance of buying a dud.

FransJacques

smidsy wrote:

zx6man wrote:

Off topic a little, the MRS had a matte black bike...was really nice..

Is that a 308 GTB in the background???

No way, that's an early 90s Corvette. The hot Corvette of the era was called the ZR1. But they were aweful - a lot like Aston Martin's of the same vintage, it was all cubic inches over engineering and intelligent light weight like the 911 or 308. Instead they'd shoe-horn the largest V8, i.e. 6.2 liters, into the engine bay and hope for the best.

zx6man

Have to say, not a clue what car it was :-)

rolf_f

styxd wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

styxd wrote:

Canyon or Rose or something like last years specialized/cannondale/trek/giant/felt at a discounted price.

Ribble dont really offer good value at £1800.

I wouldn't say they don't offer good value but, given that the higher end groupsets that you can get on a Ribble for £1800 are 90% bling over substance, it just seems a bit curious to spend that much on one. You might as well get a bit of brand cachet if you are spending that much. That said, a Gran Fondo with Chorus isn't completely mis-spec'd.

The thing is, Ribble frames are cheap carbon jobbies, no pro tour level like you get with Canyon.

Honestly, it doesn't make that much difference. Wiggo wouldn't have lost the Tour for having Ribble written on the side of his frame

dwanes

No, but if he got a crack in the frame a few years down the road his team would give him another one on the roadside.

styxd

Rolf F wrote:

styxd wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

styxd wrote:

Canyon or Rose or something like last years specialized/cannondale/trek/giant/felt at a discounted price.

Ribble dont really offer good value at £1800.

I wouldn't say they don't offer good value but, given that the higher end groupsets that you can get on a Ribble for £1800 are 90% bling over substance, it just seems a bit curious to spend that much on one. You might as well get a bit of brand cachet if you are spending that much. That said, a Gran Fondo with Chorus isn't completely mis-spec'd.

The thing is, Ribble frames are cheap carbon jobbies, no pro tour level like you get with Canyon.

Honestly, it doesn't make that much difference. Wiggo wouldn't have lost the Tour for having Ribble written on the side of his frame

Leeds might have lost the start of the 2014 Tour to Preston though!

rolf_f

styxd wrote:

Leeds might have lost the start of the 2014 Tour to Preston though!

Bookwyse

I have the Ribble and all I can say is that it is a great bike.

As with all of the questions like this, you have got those that prefer the big names and can afford the big prices attached to them. However as a forty year old with a family compromises have to be made and hence the R872 was my choice albeit with the Ultegra groupset and now running a set of Planet X carbon rims..

Is it better or worse than the bigger names, who truely knows, unless you are a top flight racer then the diffrences will be hardley noticable. Just go for a bike that you like and are comfortable on.

Jeff

zx6man

The r872 is a rebadged derosa from what I gather.

dwanes

Bookwyse wrote:

I have the Ribble and all I can say is that it is a great bike.
However as a forty year old with a family compromises have to be made and hence the R872 was my choice albeit with the Ultegra groupset and now running a set of Planet X carbon rims..

Jeff

Wow, you are doing alright. I'm a forty year old with family compromises and I have to make do with a Giant TCR with Tiagra for less money.

zx6man

dwanes wrote:

Bookwyse wrote:

I have the Ribble and all I can say is that it is a great bike.
However as a forty year old with a family compromises have to be made and hence the R872 was my choice albeit with the Ultegra groupset and now running a set of Planet X carbon rims..

Jeff

Wow, you are doing alright. I'm a forty year old with family compromises and I have to make do with a Giant TCR with Tiagra for less money.

Wow, you are doing alright. I'm a forty year old with family compromises and I have to make do with a Halfords TDFwith 2300 less money.

FoldingJoe

Rolf F wrote:

styxd wrote:

Canyon or Rose or something like last years specialized/cannondale/trek/giant/felt at a discounted price.

Ribble dont really offer good value at £1800.

I wouldn't say they don't offer good value but, given that the higher end groupsets that you can get on a Ribble for £1800 are 90% bling over substance, it just seems a bit curious to spend that much on one. You might as well get a bit of brand cachet if you are spending that much. That said, a Gran Fondo with Chorus isn't completely mis-spec'd.

Gran Fondo with Chorus and Zonda wheels, £1850. Gotta be worth a look.

Although around the £2k price point the Focus Izalco Pro 3.0 has to be worth considering.