Sub £1500 endurance bike

pkysela
pkysela Posts: 8
edited July 2019 in Road buying advice
I'm looking to buy a new road endurance bike, I'm not planning on racing, so something that's a bit more comfortable for club rides, occasional commuting and evening rides.

I want a carbon frame, at least 105 groupset and have narrowed it down to these beauties:

Ribble - R872 - £1199 (summer sale with full Ultegra)
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-r872-red-summer-sale/
- possibly too much on the race spectrum, although the frame has changed since 2018 and is listed under endurance on their website

Canyon Endurace CF 7.0 - £1249
https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road-bikes/endurance-bikes/endurace/endurace-cf-7.0/2181.html?dwvar_2181_pv_rahmenfarbe=RD%2FWH&quantity=1
- higher models have great reviews but what about the lower end CF 7.0?

Boardman SLR 9.0 105 Men's Road Bike - 2019 - £1259 (10% with british cycling)
https://www.cyclerepublic.com/boardman-slr-9-0-105-men-s-road-bike-2019.html
- not currently available in L, but I'm being told it will be

Can't find any up to date decent reviews for any of these, so any advice will be much appreciated.

Comments

  • the_rover
    the_rover Posts: 402
    I’m hoping to pick one of these in a few months although it’s a bit more than £1500.

    https://www.evanscycles.com/cannondale- ... e-EV338184
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Of those I'd have the Ribble in a heartbeat. Just make sure you get the right size
  • joe_totale-2
    joe_totale-2 Posts: 1,333
    keef66 wrote:
    Of those I'd have the Ribble in a heartbeat. Just make sure you get the right size

    Same here, a good frame at a bargain price and has a top notch groupset. Even a nice paint job!
  • hadoken
    hadoken Posts: 29
    This is a steal at under £1000! Wish I had waited a little longer before buying mine, paid £1150!

    https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/841/produ ... white.aspx
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    HaDoKen wrote:
    This is a steal at under £1000! Wish I had waited a little longer before buying mine, paid £1150!

    https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/841/produ ... white.aspx

    My son bought the same bike at the same price from the same shop this time last year but with the older 6800 groupset. He loves it. Bit too upright for my taste. And that colour scheme is a bit gloomy (son's has splashes of blue)

    I'd still have the Ribble myself. Nicer, faster colour and you get Ultegra brakes
  • letap73
    letap73 Posts: 1,608
    I always thought that one of the definitions of an "endurance" bike was a relatively large stack in comparison to reach - a higher stack to reach ratio - which generally the "endurance" models from Giant, Specialized, Trek, Cannondale etc have in comparison to their "race" models.

    With this in mind the geometry of the ribble appears to be more aggressive - lower stack reach ratio in comparison to the new supersix evo the Cannondale's "race" model.

    It goes without saying that it is important you can achieve the correct fit with whichever bike you choose.
  • craigus89
    craigus89 Posts: 887
    That ribble looks a bargain.
  • arlowood
    arlowood Posts: 2,561
    I'd suggest the Pro Carbon Evo from Planet X

    For £1400 you get Ultegra 8000 and Vision Team 35 wheels.

    https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXPCEUL ... te-edition

    I had the earlier Pro Carbon incarnation which I built up with 105 5800 and some handbuilt wheels. It was a great bike and the Evo version should tick all your boxes
  • pkysela
    pkysela Posts: 8
    I'm going to visit the Ribble store in Birmingham in the next few days, so I'll get sized there. shame you can't ride them there too :-(
  • pkysela
    pkysela Posts: 8
    letap73 wrote:
    I always thought that one of the definitions of an "endurance" bike was a relatively large stack in comparison to reach - a higher stack to reach ratio - which generally the "endurance" models from Giant, Specialized, Trek, Cannondale etc have in comparison to their "race" models.

    With this in mind the geometry of the ribble appears to be more aggressive - lower stack reach ratio in comparison to the new supersix evo the Cannondale's "race" model.

    It goes without saying that it is important you can achieve the correct fit with whichever bike you choose.

    I compared a few bikes and the differences seem minimal to me. Dividing stack by reach, it would suggest that the Ribble Endurance SL is the most aggressive of them all?!
    bike-comparison.png
  • pkysela
    pkysela Posts: 8
    So, I went to the Ribble store yesterday and got sized. Interestingly, the R872 in XL was too big for me (I'm 187cm tall), whereas the L was pretty much perfect.
    It also confirmed that their Endurance SL, which I also tried, is more aggressive that the R872 and not an "endurance" geometry at all :roll:

    Don't think I will go with the Canyon, because I can't try it. I'm going to pop in to Rutland Cycling today, but looks like it'll be the Ribble (shame about the wait though)

    BTW, well worth visiting the Ribble store in Birmingham, great service, lovely bikes.

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