My Ribble R872 - performance/value build

ironhorse

I have put a lot of thought into this build and I think I have got the best combination of value and performance you could realistically get. Comes out a lot cheaper, for a lot better parts, than Ribble's own bike builder.



The saddle was donated to me by a friend and I am still to dial in the stem length. Once I have, I'll probably go for a Deda Zero 2.

Comes in at 7.3kg without pedals. Once I have cut the steerer and got a new stem, it will be around 7.2kg.

First ride, tomorrow!

Ribble R872 frame, forks and headset - size 52.5 (56cm)
Shimano RS81 wheelset
Continental GP4000s tyres
Ultegra 6800 11 speed groupset
Deda Superrzero seatpost
Deda RHM 2 Bars
Lizard Skin DSP 3.2mm bar tape
Selle Italia SLR Carbonio Team saddle
Shimano 105 pedals
To come:
Deda Expander bung and spacers
Deda Zero 2 stem
Elite Stealth Bottle Cage
Bar Fly 2.0 Garmin mount

DiscoBoy

ironhorse wrote:

I have put a lot of thought into this build and I think I have got the best combination of value and performance you could realistically get. Comes out a lot cheaper, for a lot better parts, than Ribble's own bike builder.

Comes in at 7.3kg without pedals. Once I have cut the steerer and got a new stem, it will be around 7.2kg.

First ride, tomorrow!

So what's the spec then?

ironhorse

Edited!

How Far is too Far

Looks nice,

what was the total spend?

RideOnTime

Ribbly nice...

ironhorse

Total spend was £1686 including bottle cages and Garmin mount.

This doesn't include saddle and pedals, however.

I reckon you could get this build to about £1660 with a decent saddle. Exceptional value in my eyes!

Here is the link to my build sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiyOhpxn0hD5dEMtaFo1ZWoxVkJXQnNES1JhTktKOXc&usp=drive_web#gid=0

buzzwold

I planned out a Campy Athena build with Zonda wheels for jut shy of £1730, but that was including saddle and pedals. In then end had to shelve project. This looks really good, but I just wish Shimano did a decent looking crankset.

Camcycle1974

ironhorse wrote:

Total spend was £1686 including bottle cages and Garmin mount.

This doesn't include saddle and pedals, however.

I reckon you could get this build to about £1660 with a decent saddle. Exceptional value in my eyes!

Here is the link to my build sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiyOhpxn0hD5dEMtaFo1ZWoxVkJXQnNES1JhTktKOXc&usp=drive_web#gid=0

So, have you ridden it yet? Mine was built up from the special edition model with 105 and hand built wheels (H-Plus son Archetypes) comes in about 8kgs. It's keeping dry at the moment until the better weather arrives. Love the comfort/performance of this bike, just the upgrade I needed from my Defy.

ironhorse

First proper ride was this weekend - out to Biggin Hill. It rides beautifully. The combination of 25c tyres, the RS81 wheels, carbon post, 3.2mm Lizard Skins tape and wonderfully pliant SLR carbonio saddle have made for a bike that rides like it is on 60psi, yet when you put the hammer down, is superbly stiff. I swapped midway through the ride onto a Madone and the reduction in ride quality was really quite shocking. The Ultegra 11 groupset is so, so smooth and shifting is faultless. The only thing that I feel I am missing is the autotrim function of Di2.

The fit is great and I will be going in for a bikefit at the end of the summer. For now, I have slammed the stem and will cut the steerer. If it transpires that I need a higher front end, then it probably means I am riding the wrong sort of bike entirely.

Fantastic bike so far!! I really would recommend it them.

The only I thing that I can fault are the appalling Ultegra pads and the Lizard Skin bar plugs.

I have ordered some Kool Stop salmon compound pads which should sort out the situation.

keef66

buzzwold wrote:

I planned out a Campy Athena build with Zonda wheels for jut shy of £1730, but that was including saddle and pedals. In then end had to shelve project. This looks really good, but I just wish Shimano did a decent looking crankset.

Me too. The bit about Shimano cranksets I mean. I know that they are probably superb from a functional point of view, but aesthetically bleurgh. I think it's probably an age thing, but I much prefer a polished alloy retro looking crankset / chainrings.

Having said that, I have 105 on one bike and Tiagra on the other :oops: But I'm still hankering after something shiny and Campagnolo. The different BB bearing systems confuse me a bit though.

Camcycle1974

ironhorse wrote:

First proper ride was this weekend - out to Biggin Hill. It rides beautifully. The combination of 25c tyres, the RS81 wheels, carbon post, 3.2mm Lizard Skins tape and wonderfully pliant SLR carbonio saddle have made for a bike that rides like it is on 60psi, yet when you put the hammer down, is superbly stiff. I swapped midway through the ride onto a Madone and the reduction in ride quality was really quite shocking. The Ultegra 11 groupset is so, so smooth and shifting is faultless. The only thing that I feel I am missing is the autotrim function of Di2.

The fit is great and I will be going in for a bikefit at the end of the summer. For now, I have slammed the stem and will cut the steerer. If it transpires that I need a higher front end, then it probably means I am riding the wrong sort of bike entirely.

Fantastic bike so far!! I really would recommend it them.

The only I thing that I can fault are the appalling Ultegra pads and the Lizard Skin bar plugs.

I have ordered some Kool Stop salmon compound pads which should sort out the situation.

Glad to hear you liked it. Rode mine yesterday, so comfortable and fast compared to my old steel bike. Compliant but stiff when required. Have handbuilt wheels on mine which make the ride really plush. 23mm rides and 25mm tires make no end of difference to comfort.

Lemond2013

Is that 7.2kg an actual weight or a spec'd weight? Interested as I'm building up my R872 with Campag and so far most things are coming out much heavier than the specs.....

ironhorse

That is an actual weight.

I have now cut the steerer and fitted a Deda Zero 2 stem. Total weight including pedals, 2 cages and my Garmin out front mount is 7.28kg.

Camcycle1974

ironhorse wrote:

That is an actual weight.

I have now cut the steerer and fitted a Deda Zero 2 stem. Total weight including pedals, 2 cages and my Garmin out front mount is 7.28kg.

Finished pics? I need to get me some lightweight carbon wheels to bring the weight down to 7.5kgs or so (will never be as light as yours as I have 105 rather than Ultegra) A sub 7kg build is fairly easily achievable with this frame which is unbelievable value and whats best is the bikes snobs turn their nose up at the 872. I love flying past Cevelos etc on mine

Lemond2013

Nice one - that's pretty light! Did you weigh your frame when you got it? Mine came in at about 1.2kg as opposed to the .98kg advertised weight. Bang went my sub 7kg build!

Camcycle1974

Lemond2013 wrote:

Nice one - that's pretty light! Did you weigh your frame when you got it? Mine came in at about 1.2kg as opposed to the .98kg advertised weight. Bang went my
sub 7kg build!

Did you weigh the frame or the frame plus fork? May be why there were two different weights?
If the op is at 7.28kg with his build then surely sub 7kgs is not that hard to achieve?

Lemond2013

It was the weight of the frame only with a headset fitted - fork weight was pretty much spot on. The build will start this weekend, but here's the mass breakdown:


So I was thinking that being as the groupset is meant to be lighter than Ultegra (from spec sheets); wheel comparible and finishing kit fairly comparible, he has done well with getting to 7.3kg and wondered if all the frames were as heavy as mine weighed in.

I'm hoping on build that I'll save about 100g on the cables - we'll see on Sunday! Oh, and I've got to add the headset cap mass in yet which I think will be about 50g.

Anyway - nice bike, and I bet it'll ride like a dream!

thefd

ironhorse wrote:

The combination of 25c tyres,

Interesting. What tyres are you riding? I have the same frame and it will take a 25c tyre on the front but not on the rear. It rubs on the side wall. After speaking to Ribble about it they told me that it will not take a 25c tyre!

Camcycle1974

TheFD wrote:

ironhorse wrote:

The combination of 25c tyres,

Interesting. What tyres are you riding? I have the same frame and it will take a 25c tyre on the front but not on the rear. It rubs on the side wall. After speaking to Ribble about it they told me that it will not take a 25c tyre!

That's strange as I have 25MM Conti 4000s on mine on archetypes rims which are also wider than standard. Having said that there has been some tire rub which when I noticed I corrected by moving the wheel central to the chainstays. In conclusion I would say that they do fit 25mm tires but clearance is tight.

ironhorse

I didn't weigh the frame/forks before building it, unfortunately, so I can't help there. The frame weight from Ribble must be fairly accurate for my bike, given the total weight of the build.

I have 25c GP4000s on Shimano RS81 wheels with no rub, even when sprinting. There is also still a bit of clearance. My bike is the 52.5cm size, so maybe clearance varies with size?

Poor photo, but here you are:

Slo Mo Jones

ironhorse wrote:

That is an actual weight.

I have now cut the steerer and fitted a Deda Zero 2 stem. Total weight including pedals, 2 cages and my Garmin out front mount is 7.28kg.

Stupid question from a relative newbie

When you cut the steerer, what do you actually do? Just hack it off yourself with a saw?

I'd be slightly nervous about doing that to my shiny (or, in this case, matte) new bike.

I do like the look of the r872. Thinking of getting one as I need some carbon fibre and internal cabling in my life, and the Ribble seems excellent value.

ironhorse

Not a stupid question!

There are a few ways of doing it. The most pro is to buy a steerer cutting guide that clamps gently on to the steerer and guides your saw.

I used two very old and unused stems to create a guide. Measured, re-measured and then measured once more (for good measure )

Then, using a large hacksaw with a decent, fine blade, you cut! If you are using the right sort of blade, it should be a clean cut. Any splinters can be gently filed down.

Most steerers come super long - have a practice at the very top of yours if in doubt!

dwanes

Like most bike maintenance, cutting the steerer is a very easy task, you just need a fine tooth hacksaw to 'hack' a bit off, and fine sandpaper to finish off.
I used a Jubilee clip as a guide to make sure I was cutting straight.

Best to cut a bit off at a time, If you cut too much there is no going back.

It is about knowing what to do and being confident in what you are doing which is the major obstacle.
I did mine off a bit of internet searching and watching a few Youtube videos.

A friend of mine has an R872 and it is a very nice frame, I wouldn't hesitate buying one.

GeorgeHotopan

Hello:

My name is George and I have the same frame mode, the Ribble R872. I am planning on swapping to 11 v, the Ultegra 6800. I have some doubts regarding the 6800 FD. Did you have any problems on making it shift properly? Did you have to use the small metal plate for the supporting bolt or did directly enter in contact with the FD hanger? How do you have the convertor of the FD for the cable guide? ON or OFF? If you could also post a picture of that area I would appreciate it.

Many thanks and kind regards,

George.

ironhorse wrote:

I have put a lot of thought into this build and I think I have got the best combination of value and performance you could realistically get. Comes out a lot cheaper, for a lot better parts, than Ribble's own bike builder.



The saddle was donated to me by a friend and I am still to dial in the stem length. Once I have, I'll probably go for a Deda Zero 2.

Comes in at 7.3kg without pedals. Once I have cut the steerer and got a new stem, it will be around 7.2kg.

First ride, tomorrow!

Ribble R872 frame, forks and headset - size 52.5 (56cm)
Shimano RS81 wheelset
Continental GP4000s tyres
Ultegra 6800 11 speed groupset
Deda Superrzero seatpost
Deda RHM 2 Bars
Lizard Skin DSP 3.2mm bar tape
Selle Italia SLR Carbonio Team saddle
Shimano 105 pedals
To come:
Deda Expander bung and spacers
Deda Zero 2 stem
Elite Stealth Bottle Cage
Bar Fly 2.0 Garmin mount