Anyone Within Reach of Swindon Have a Ribble or Dolan Bike?

jamiekavanagh

Hey all,

Does anyone within a reasonable drive of Swindon have either a Ribble R872 or a Dolan Ares and would be willing to let me spend half an hour with it? I'll shout for a cake stop or lunch for your time and would be happy to bring my bike along too.

I'm looking for a carbon bike to replace my alu Cannondale Synapse 5 and have settled on either a Ribble R872 or a Dolan Ares SL. Both are slightly racier than the Synapse, which is what I'm looking for. However, both manufacturers are way up north and I don't want to buy blind. I also prefer niche brands instead of mainstream, which is causing problems with LBS etc. While I like mine, I don't love it, so I'm looking elsewhere.

Reviews only tell me so much, the proof is in the ride and I really don't want to have to drive "up north" to Preston or Ormskirk if I can help it...

Thanks in advance.

richard_farrant

Hi, I am in Reading with a Dolan Mythos (not quite the Ares but might help)

tommyl7

pm'd

Ben6899

I'm in North London (near Paddington station) and I own a Dolan Preffisio.

Your call, mate.

Bookwyse

Am in Kent but travle that way quite a bit with a R872.

Jeff

pangolin

Kingston with a Mythos. You don't say what size though?

jamiekavanagh

Thanks for the replies so far, and the PM Tommy.

When it comes to sizing, I think a 56 would be what I'm looking for. I'm 5'11" with an 33inch inside leg. I appreciate that it might not be possible to match that size exactly in my area, so would be happy either side with a view to ordering the correct one.

It's nice to see willingness to help and even if I don't reply directly to arrange something with each of you, I really appreciate the offers. I'll see what comes up here and PM the most likely candidate directly to see when is a good time for you.

tommyl7

For info, Im 5ft 7ish and ride a 48

Bookwyse

I'm 5'11" and my R872 is the 53.5 and fits perfectly.

edhornby

I am the same height and leg as you and I have the similar size bikes (I have a Dolan precursa and the quoted sizes are roughly consistent even though the geometry is different). I have a 110mm stem on mine but you can swap the stem length and position depending on comfort

I'm manchester based so can't help with bike demoing tho, my singlespeed wouldn't be much use.. sorry

Ben6899

Mine is a 56cm. I'm 5'11.5" and averagely proportioned (ignoring my rather thick neck).

weedram

I can't help with giving you a ride, as we live in Scotland.

But here is a pick of my 5'11 son racing his 56" Dolan AresSL



He loves his, it fits him perfectly, oh and it is bl**dy quick.

It is well worth making the trip to Ormskirk if you decide to get one, as they will custom fit it for you, changing the bars (Andy's are narrower than std), stem (100mm) and cranks (175's on Andy's). You can do all of this online, but in the showroom, they can work with you to get the right fit. They even put a youth ultegra cassette on it so that he is legal at Youth A.

jamiekavanagh

Thanks everyone for your input. While the decision isn't any easier, the need to check out the bike and get the right size has certainly been reinforced.