£1200 to spend... Ribble ok?

Ginger81

Guys,

I'm new to this forum. I have the above cash and I'm looking at two makes of bikes. Trek & Ribble.

Can anyone give a complete novice any buying guide? Ie is it worth spending extra on shimano 105 or the wheels etc?

Are ribble sizing guides pretty good for a general fit?

Thanks in advance

smoggysteve

IF you are a first time buyer and a complete newbie to road cycling, I wouldn't go for Ribble as unless you can get to the factory or borrow one to sit on, you will not be able to guess what size frame you need, or what you are requiring for comfort or position. Get to a bike shop and sit on a few bikes and get a professional opinion. Not necessarily a bike fit but make sure you get a bike that is right for you. Without knowing this and buying a bike online you could get it very wrong and end up with a bike thats not right for you.

letap73

SmoggySteve wrote:

IF you are a first time buyer and a complete newbie to road cycling, I wouldn't go for Ribble as unless you can get to the factory or borrow one to sit on, you will not be able to guess what size frame you need, or what you are requiring for comfort or position. Get to a bike shop and sit on a few bikes and get a professional opinion. Not necessarily a bike fit but make sure you get a bike that is right for you. Without knowing this and buying a bike online you could get it very wrong and end up with a bike thats not right for you.

+1

evs78

I had a similar decision a couple of years ago and eventually plumped for the ribble gran fondo. Had tried 3 or 4 bikes and found them all pretty similar in terms of feel and sizing but went for the ribble as it had the best kit and allowed me to spec it as I wanted (it seems like most £1-1.5k bikes have shimano but I wanted campag).

I did make the trip up to their "showroom" to have a look and try and get a bit of a feel for sizing and geometry but being honest it didn't help a great deal. I still love the gf though and its value and looks are what really stand out; however, having recently hired a trek on an Italian cycling holiday, can say that I had no issues with that either and it was a good ride.

Sure you will enjoy whatever you go for.

fsman

Ribble - No question. Great value for money. I have a gran fondo - superb.
Follow their guide about taking your measurements and give them a call. They are very knowledgeable and will help you to select the right components and sizing based on your measurements.

I've heard some people say that they have had problems with customer service but that hasn't been my experience. they have been extremely helpful

frazered

Ribble are good. But as a first time bike I felt far happier and I know what want from my next road bike after starting with a £299 btwin triban 3 first.

At the very least get to a shop and ride for at least 30 mins a few bikes. Any Shop worth it's salt will let you do this.

fsman

I use(ed) the GF for the weekend. Triban 3 for daily commute. T3 is excelent value for money, but getting a £1k bike you can tell the difference.

If you go for the ribble, use the special edition bike builder - great vfm

you can get all of this for £1100


Frame
Ribble Gran Fondo Carb Road Frame L (55cm C-Top)
Groupset
Campagnolo 2013 Veloce Silver 10 Spd Double Groupset
Show Groupset Data
Wheels
Campagnolo Khamsin Black/Red Clincher Wheels Pair 9/10/11 Camp
Handlebars
ITM Alutech 6061 (31.8) Bars Black 42 c to c
Handlebar Stem
ITM Alutech 6061 (31.8) Stem Black 100mm
Headset Spacers
Trivio Headset Spacers Alloy 1 1/8" Black 10mm
Saddle
Selle Italia SL Saddle Black
Seatpillar
CSN Superleggera Alloy Seatpillar Black 31.6 400mm
Tyres
Continental Ultra Sport Rigid Tyre 700x23mm Black/Black
Handlebar Tape
ITM Cork Embossed Handlebar Tape Black
Price excluding Pedals: £1,076.

Bookwyse

I have a Ribble R872 and love it. As for those saying that the customer service is bad and lead times are weeks, I had mine within a week of oredering it and this was the week before christmas when they were really busy. As with everything service depends if you are willing to call them and ask if it can be delivered sooner than the four weeks. In many cases they can and will.

go for it.

Ginger81

From what research I've done it appears that ribble are excellent and even some of their frames are branded asother manufactures. True?

This will be 2nd road bike and having a bit more knowledge now I would like to spec my own one.love the look of all their frames too. Look gorgeous.

Just weather it's carbon or alloy to go for...

smidsy

From what I have seen of Ribble and riding with several guys in our club who own them they all like them.

For the money they represent good value and seem to be pretty well made.

edhornby

Ribble bikes are mostly deda frames, this is no bad thing

a well made alloy is often just as good as a bottom of the range carbon - have a look at PlanetX they had an advert for an alloy frame SAB I think and if you can get to 1200 you may be able to afford an RX57 or RX58

passout

Ribble, Planet X, Canyon - all good options at the 1200 mark or thereabouts. Makes sure that you get the right size though - maybe speak to someone on the phone & mention your height & inside leg. Some frames are compact & measured differently, so a 52cm can be a S or M...sort of. Also check on this forum for sizing advice before committing to buy.

I had a Ribble & it was good. I also like Planet X bikes - I've had one of those too. People on here rave about Canyon though. Vitus may be worth a look.

I'd also look very closely at Sensa bikes from Merlin Cycles - great value & nice looking. Would be my choice & may even give you some change.http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/b ... -2013.html

Think about if you want full mudguard fittings on your frame or not before deciding.

dodgerdog

I was in the same position 2 years ago. I had a frame fit from a local bike shop (Mud Dock in Bristol) using their jig and had a good look at what bikes they could offer. I then matched the suggested geometry from their print out to the Ribble published geometries and went for a Gran Fondo with Rival. I think for the money I definitely did better using Ribble as the other options offered were a Trek 2.1 and a Scott CR1 both of which were Tiagra mixes and stock wheels. the Trek seemed too long and laid back, the Scott was a nice ride but the offer of Rival and decent wheels instead was the deal breaker.

I have now done many 1000s of miles and still love the bike. Bottom line, know your measurements and check the matching geometry. Ribble have been excellent and I would happily recommend the Gran Fondo should the angles match your needs.