Ridgeback bikes

SomeMightShay

Just wondering whay experience people have of ridgeback bikes?

I am fairly new to cycling, having lost my compnay car i bought a cheap apollo mountain bkie off my sister for a nominal fee. This bkie has served its purpose in getting me used to commuting on the roads to work but as a steel frame mountain bike it is not exactly the easiest ride (it is bloody heavy) and the gearing is not great. I went to my local bike shop and told him i would prefer a straight handle commuting bike that would get me there quicker than my current bike and also allow joining my friends on their road bikes for short weekend journeys. He has recommended a couple out of the ridgeback catalogue he has. Firstly he has suggested the vanteo with 24 speed and cyclo-cross tyres
http://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bike/Vanteo

This seemed a good bike but then i glanced acrosss the Flight 2.0. 2.5lb less and chrome fork which i think i would notice the difference on the climbs up out of the town centre and might actually allow me to do longer road rides in my free time. £200 more but i don't mind the extra if i will feel the weight/speed advantage

http://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bike/Flight-2-0

To be honest i had never heard of ridgeback before now but that can be said of many brands before my recent venture in two wheels (also been told GT do good commute bikes). I do trust this guy for his honesty and his mechanical skill but at the same time i guess it is his perogative to push the products which he deals with, he only has a tiny store and so can't offer a huge range of brand name bikes.

Any comments from past/current ridgeback owners welcomed.

cheers

phills

What is your budget for the bike?

red17racing

I bought the slightly cheaper one in the range (Ridgeback Velocity) last year, and used it for commuting over the winter - I'm using my road bike now the weather is better.

http://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bike/velocity

Basically they are good reliable bikes - not the lightest things around, but again not excessively heavy - a good mid range bike IMO.

From the research (ie internet trawling) I did when I bought mine I only found good comments on the Ridgebacks - the alternative option I nearly went with was the Evans Pinnacle hybrid, but I preferred the look of the Ridgeback in the end.

The Rookie

Have a look at the Voodoo Marasa at Halfords, a really good value flat barred bike, hydraulic disc brakes and sub £300.

the tyres are a little heavy but an easy swap to some lighter faster road tyres (or with knobblies it makes a decent rigid 29er MTB as well).

SomeMightShay

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19636560#p19636560]phills[/url] wrote:

What is your budget for the bike?

Sub £700 ideally.

SomeMightShay

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19636728#p19636728]The Rookie[/url] wrote:

Have a look at the Voodoo Marasa at Halfords, a really good value flat barred bike, hydraulic disc brakes and sub £300.

the tyres are a little heavy but an easy swap to some lighter faster road tyres (or with knobblies it makes a decent rigid 29er MTB as well).

Bit sceptical about halfords and their bikes considering the bad press they get on here but I'll check it out.

The Rookie

The bikes don't get bad press on here (well not the Carerra upwards), the service at some branches isn't good, but most places you have a choice of 2 or 3 so find a good one.

Matthewfalle

I've a R'back Storm for about 10 years - used to use it for it all round commenting, now it's the loaner bike.

Bombproof, great fun, still perfect (and it's had a ridiculously hard life).

As above, they generally won't set your pants on fire but R'backs are solid, dependable, well specked and generally look cool. Much worse out there.

Ref Halfords: no better or worse than any other LBS out there: caveat emptor applies whatever/wherever you buy. I wouldn't have a problem buying from them.

Snakebite the 2nd

I'm afraid I cannot comment on more recent Ridgebacks, but seeing this thread got me all nostalgic over one I bought in the mid 90's.

It cost £500 (they only did two bikes at that time, one for £500 and one for £1000. Both had the same frame but different components!).
It was a steel frame and it was my main hardtail bike until 2012.

Only original thing was the frame, and even that had been welded twice and resprayed!

Brilliant bike.

jamesco

Not a fan, but aware that I'm a sample size of one.

My 2014 Flight 04 had rear spokes that snapped like dry spaghetti. A colleague who had the same bike had the same problem and there's a thread elsewhere on bikeradar about it. The distributor - Madison - were extremely unhelpful, not just in my case but in denying that this is a defect with the bike.

For £1,000 you'd expect rather better. My £250 Trek T30 was a far, far better bike.

mrfpb

A Ridgeback Speed was my commuter and all purpose bike for 9 years. A great bike, which is now relegated to days when I need to leave a bike at the station. It cost me 100 days bus fare when I bought it (£225), so justifying it's purchase price within a year. It's an aluminum frame with steel fork and managed the hills of Newcastle quite well. It also took me from London to Brighton on a 100km route. I would recommend them as an all rounder. If that's the main brand your local bike shop sells, they are well worth a test ride.

bigmat

I have a couple of Ridgebacks, the first was a 15th birthday present back in 1992 and is still going strong. Absolutely bombproof in fact. I have had some pretty nasty crashes on it and it just bounces off the tarmac and after a quick brush down its still right as rain. Still has original front wheel (!), seatpost, stem, rear shifter and mech, handlebars and handlebar grips. That's pretty amazing. Now relegated to wet day commuter (got full mudguards for the first time a couple of years ago). It weighs a tonne (literally double what my best bike weighs - which came from Halfords, incidentally) but I love it.

My other Ridgeback is the top of the range model (or nearthe top anyway) from the same line that my old one came from. I had always wanted one and picked it up on eBay a couple of years back for £25! Its in fantastic condition, with a full Deore LX groupset and what look like original wheels (with Deore hubs). Clearly had an easier life than my old one. Weighs a hell of a lot less too.

Anyway, I'm digressing a bit, but in short Ridgebacks are great!