N+1

shewy
shewy Posts: 62
edited November 2018 in Road buying advice
After a gravel bike for a bit more comfort and struggling to choose between these two

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road/grail ... l-6-0.html

https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr-al/

Anyone better than the other or much the same, the tiagra is hydraulic as well, the 105 version of the grail about the same price as the ribble.
Ruled out the 1x as may be used a fair bit on the road, just after comfort, will be used on canal and Forrest paths as well

Comments

  • akh
    akh Posts: 206
    Ribble have a showroom in Preston and Birmingham so it should be possible to view and sit on one if you can get to one of those places. I saw the Ribble at the cycle show this year. Looked nice but the mudguard mounts are in a stupid place for a disc bike, right down near the thru-axle where the disc rotor might get in the way.

    If you go for the Canyon, would you not go for the 105? It's only £50 more than the 105 version of the Ribble and 11 speed has way better upgrade potential and interchangeability.

    What size do you need and what sort of fit are you after? The Canyon is a bit longer and lower in terms of the frame, although the difference vs the Ribble seems to vary with frame size, in XS the Canyon is a lot lower at the front, but only slightly lower in S or M.

    The Canyon has a 1 1/4 inch steerer tube, so if the included stem isn't what you need you will probably want to order an alternative at the same time from Canyon. Other people do make stems in that size (GIANT OS) but Canyon say you void the warranty if you use a non-Canyon stem.
  • shewy
    shewy Posts: 62
    well I'm currently in a xs frame in a merida as I'v got a long body and dink little legs.
    i popped into Ribble in Preston when I was up north but the frames were not in, Birmingham is around 2 hrs away.
    After a more relaxed ride and the ability to fot 650b wheels
  • akh
    akh Posts: 206
    I also ride an XS. If you want a fairly upright position the Canyon might not be the way to go. The stack is basically the same as their endurance road bikes. Sorry I can't advise if a more upright position would be better off road as I've never ridden a gravel bike. The XS and 2XS Canyon comes with 650b wheels BTW. That might give you some more options off road, but it'll certainly limit slick tyre choice a lot if you don't want to buy a second set of wheels.
  • shewy
    shewy Posts: 62
    Didn't know the xs and 2xs came with 650b, that might swing it to the Ribble
  • lakesluddite
    lakesluddite Posts: 1,337
    The Canyon Tiagra version is hydraulic, but the Ribble Tiagra is cable discs. The picture of the Ribble is a little misleading (I have been looking at this recently as well). To get Hydro on the Ribble you need to go for the 105 version.
  • lakesluddite
    lakesluddite Posts: 1,337
    LakesLuddite wrote:
    The Canyon Tiagra version is hydraulic, but the Ribble Tiagra is cable discs. The picture of the Ribble is a little misleading (I have been looking at this recently as well). To get Hydro on the Ribble you need to go for the 105 version.

    Edit - Actually, it was the CX Tiagra that has the misleading picture (of the 105 build), not the CGR, which quite plainly has the cable brake calipers pictured.

    https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-c ... no-tiagra/

    I'm not sure the CX and the CGR have much between them, other than colour (the CX is a nicer red IMO).
  • shewy
    shewy Posts: 62
    yup I know the tiagra ribble has cable pull, waste of time on this type of bike. Super tempted to get the CGR SL in 105 build and a 2nd set of 650b wheels and sell my roadie and mtb
  • akh
    akh Posts: 206
    shewy wrote:
    yup I know the tiagra ribble has cable pull, waste of time on this type of bike. Super tempted to get the CGR SL in 105 build and a 2nd set of 650b wheels and sell my roadie and mtb

    Bike radar have produced a fair few videos over the last year or so about the difference between gravel bikes and mountain bikes. If you've not seen them check them out, worth a watch:

    https://youtu.be/X0xq0mMPaig

    My next bike will probably be a gravel bike, but more for tyre clearance and geometry rather than off road use.

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