Ribble Gran Fondo 2014

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Comments

  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    Rolf F wrote:
    Been practicing with my new camera - need more practice I think but these aren't too bad!

    Now cameras I know all about - wrong forum for me :)

    Nice pics though and nice looking set of wheels too.

    Although I said no more questions I did think of one, sorry :? Is the 105 groupset worth the extra £s?
    I currently only have Sora albeit with the new STI shifters and that seems fine to me, so do I go with Sora as I have now, or upgrade to Tiagra or another step and go for 105?

    From what I read people are saying 105 is the bees knees and looks better to, but just wonder whether for £250 will I notice the difference.
  • evs78
    evs78 Posts: 133
    Tiberius007 wrote:
    Evs78 - Thanks for the reply and advice (and I know the post worked hurrah)

    In your opinion am I worrying unnecessarily about the external cable routing?

    Wasn't something that bothered me and never had any problems with the external cables. As someone else said, I'm pretty certain you will love it if you get one. Great looking bike - far more aesthetically pleasing than the cannondale if I'm honest.
    All the gear and no idea...
  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    Evs78 wrote:
    Tiberius007 wrote:
    Evs78

    Wasn't something that bothered me and never had any problems with the external cables. As someone else said, I'm pretty certain you will love it if you get one. Great looking bike - far more aesthetically pleasing than the cannondale if I'm honest.

    Thanks for the advice. Pricing up the parts for a self build now. What do you think? Adviseable?

    I am good with a spanner and DIY, handy around a car etc so thinking save myself some serious £s for the 105 set up.
  • jameses
    jameses Posts: 653
    Self build can be a good way to go if you're patient enough for some good deals. It took about 6 months to find all the parts within my budget, but it worked out £100 less than the cheapest special edition GF - that's with Ultegra throughout (including wheels) and decent 3T finishing kit.

    Assembly is pretty straight forward, I guess the only part that would give you any difficulty would be adjusting derailleurs if you haven't done it before. Don't forget to factor in the cost of tools, though!
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Go for it. As long as you aren't the sort of person who breaks stuff all the time you should be fine. My theory is that as long as you are careful, it should be possible to get 90% of the way there at least. And if you turn up at your local bike shop with the build 90% done, they'll be happy to complete the job for much less money than they'd have charged if you hadn't tried.

    I'd hope that Ribble would supply the frame with forks fitted so that saves you one of the trickiest tasks. The rest of it is just screwing stuff together for the most part. The real benefit is long term. However much extra you pay for parts, if the self build eliminates the mystique of bike maintenance you'll save a fortune in the long run by being self sufficient in terms of maintenance. A friend of mine was without his bike for a week due to a BB replacement. I can do that myself in about 15 minutes.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    Thanks guys
    i have sort of come to a compromise.
    What did we do without www - hours and hours in a library I guess.
    Anyway your advice has been a big help and my decision to self build the Gran Fondo is on hold. Whilst i think i could do it i heed all your advice/experiences, i think i will practice more on an older bike first, ie maybe upgrade parts etc . or even buy a cheaper frameset and practice that way and over time build it up.
    At least then i can buy the complete bike i want and enjoy it this spring/summer without fear of making a mess of it and still up-skill myself without incurring too much unnecessary expense. it probably is the frame that concerns me at this time. anyway i am going to play the long game and not jump in too soon.
    thank you all again, i do like this forum its very informative. glad i asked for advice.
  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    Decided to take a trip over to Ribble next week :-) It feels like Xmas and I am a big kid again.

    Only so many times I can look at the www and use 'bikebuilder'
  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    Msg to self - don't press send so quickly :-(

    Seems Merlin is over that way to - I liked their MALT CR - anyone any thoughts on them as a company or the bike itself? Got good write up in Cycling Active recently too but not many www reviews which worries me a little.

    Plus you all rave the GF :-)

    But their is a big diff in price with the Merlin sale.

    Appreciate you are all prob GF owners so maybe the wrong Q to ask :-) :-( sorry

    Well just thought I would ask.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Just buy a bloody bike! :lol:
    Faster than a tent.......
  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    :-)
    I know. Sorry.
    Don't think it is too far off now - I think once I have seen the GF in the flesh I will be even more smitten. If its as comfortable and as good as the pics then I think I will struggle to hold back the cc for too much longer.
    Its just a lot of money and don't want to make a boo boo hence the Qs!
  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    Well I could not wait guys, went across to Ribble showroom today. So glad I did as would have bought wrong frame size. I was on the cusp of the Medium and large for my height, but it seems, well no it is fact, the large was surprisingly more comfortable geometry for me. Was good to have a mini fit out, height, reach, leg extension etc - made all the difference and the trip was definitely worthwhile. Seeing and feeling the differences across the different frames was enlightening.

    The GF was such a lovely bike and the carbon frame was nice, and relatively light too, especially compared to my 9.5 alu frame.

    So I just need to decide on the ancillary stuff now, saddle etc. It def looks like the GF is the one.....
  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    ...............the downside I went to Merlin on the way back. Could have been a bad decision.

    They have a complete 105 groupset carbon framed bike for about £830 reduced and incl 10% sale reduction it looks a steal. Even the guy in their showroom seemed genuinely shocked. Was quiet nice and I am so annoyed, arghh. Was hoping to hate it but i didn't. Wasn't as visually nice as the GF but is the GF worth £300 more.

    Sorry guys - what do you think?
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Tiberius007 wrote:
    ...............the downside I went to Merlin on the way back. Could have been a bad decision.

    They have a complete 105 groupset carbon framed bike for about £830 reduced and incl 10% sale reduction it looks a steal. Even the guy in their showroom seemed genuinely shocked. Was quiet nice and I am so annoyed, arghh. Was hoping to hate it but i didn't. Wasn't as visually nice as the GF but is the GF worth £300 more.

    Sorry guys - what do you think?

    Only you can answer that. FWIW, my Ribble was similarly kitted out as my Look - ie mostly Campag Centaur. I have Record mechs on the Look but those were freebies (and most of the Look is now Record anyway!) - point is that they had much the same kit yet one cost three times more than the other. In any rational sense, the Ribble was far better value for money than the Look. But I never once regretted the amount I spent on the Look.

    And of course I think both bikes are great. So probably you'll be happy with either bike but you probably won't regret the extra if you do by the Ribble.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    Rolf F wrote:
    Tiberius007 wrote:
    ...............the downside I went to Merlin on the way back. Could have been a bad decision.

    Sorry guys - what do you think?

    And of course I think both bikes are great. So probably you'll be happy with either bike but you probably won't regret the extra if you do by the Ribble.

    Thanks Rolf. Yeah agree it is my decision and probably did expect that reply. Was just hoping someone was going to say the Merlin is such a great bike hence at that price was a steal. And someone may.....!

    I think though my heart is still with the GF - it was just stunning in the flesh and the livery was so attractive, and I am less concerned about the exposed cabling now on the top tube which was just niggling at me for some reason. The rear triangle on the GF also looked more foregiving which is what i want. And if nothing else the visit did confirm that the GF lge frame is better, which was invaluable else I could have spent £1k on a less comfortable set up. And I got some pics too :D Keep me going until the big day :D
  • jameses
    jameses Posts: 653
    Tiberius007 wrote:
    I think though my heart is still with the GF - it was just stunning in the flesh and the livery was so attractive, and I am less concerned about the exposed cabling now on the top tube which was just niggling at me for some reason. The rear triangle on the GF also looked more foregiving which is what i want.

    Sounds like you've made your decision 8) . Even if the Merlin is a couple of hundred pounds cheaper, in a couple of months you would probably find yourself thinking "If only..." Unless you really can't afford the extra, go with your heart!
  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    JamesEs wrote:
    Tiberius007 wrote:
    I think though my heart is still with the GF - it was just stunning in the flesh and the livery was so attractive, and I am less concerned about the exposed cabling now on the top tube which was just niggling at me for some reason. The rear triangle on the GF also looked more foregiving which is what i want.

    Sounds like you've made your decision 8) . Even if the Merlin is a couple of hundred pounds cheaper, in a couple of months you would probably find yourself thinking "If only..." Unless you really can't afford the extra, go with your heart!

    Thanks - think I agree. Heart and looks go a long way :D
  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    :?
    I have got some pics but the file sizes are just too large
    :?
    Oh well
  • petehurdman
    petehurdman Posts: 7
    I love my GF. Ordered at end of November, after a visit to the factory for a look and sit before committing, and only took 18 days to arrive and that was with a couple of the components out of stock for the first week (they won't built till all parts are in stock) so my advice is to check the stock of each component before you order, that way you'll have an idea of time scale, they aim to deliver within 2 weeks.
  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    petehurdman wrote:
    I love my GF. Ordered at end of November, after a visit to the factory for a look and sit before committing, and only took 18 days to arrive and that was with a couple of the components out of stock for the first week (they won't built till all parts are in stock) so my advice is to check the stock of each component before you order, that way you'll have an idea of time scale, they aim to deliver within 2 weeks.

    :D Another satisfied customer.

    How did you check the components were in stock, is it part of the bike builder or did you do each of the components separately and do it that way?
  • petehurdman
    petehurdman Posts: 7
    I checked the individual components, was advise on another forum to do this and it worked very well, as i say if they haven't got a certain part it could delay your delivery, if you aren't in a rush then most parts come back in stock within a week or so or you could contact them to see when the parts are due in stock. I've messaged them a few times and they've got back to me either the same day or the next day, I've heard of people having slow or no reply but i haven't experienced this, brilliant service if you ask me.
  • Tiberius007
    Tiberius007 Posts: 195
    petehurdman wrote:
    I checked the individual components, was advise on another forum to do this and it worked very well, as i say if they haven't got a certain part it could delay your delivery, if you aren't in a rush then most parts come back in stock within a week or so or you could contact them to see when the parts are due in stock. I've messaged them a few times and they've got back to me either the same day or the next day, I've heard of people having slow or no reply but i haven't experienced this, brilliant service if you ask me.

    Thanks.
    I will do the same before I make any order. Best to check I suppose and manage expectations from outset.
    Like you so far I have had no problems so far but then again i haven't placed an order yet.
    Time will tell.
    Rightly or wrongly that's the gamble with any transaction these days, that said customer service is what gets people coming back if they get it right. And if they get it wrong ......well say no more.

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