biggs682
Itching to get back on my bike's
- Location
- Northamptonshire
Nice review
Ribble CGR Ti
- Thread starter Juan Kog
- Start date
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PedallingNowhereSlowly
Senior Member
I took the bike out for what turned out to be a 58km 'social' ride with the local Triathlon group. I went out with the easy group. Most of the other riders were on what I call race-inspired road bikes with the tiniest saddle bags. I was the only person to turn up to partake in the ride on a bike with full mudguards, a rack and a trunk bag, which was three-quarter filled. ( - why do I insist on carrying so much stuff!?)
The ride was both longer and faster than advertised (this was the easy group). And with over 500m of climbing involved. So I had the heaviest bike and I definitely wasn't the fittest rider ( ... still building up fitness and getting weight down). We did okay - at least until the 40km mark (the advertised ride length) when I started flagging on account of not taking any fuel.
I think the aero advantage of the Mavic Cosmic SL45 wheels helped make up some of the weight penalty - I was freewheeling more than a lot of the riders. That could equally be attributed to the bike still being fairly new with good bearings etc..
I'll quite happily use the CGR for more of these rides. Partially because I don't have a 'fast' road bike but also because I can keep up.
The ride was both longer and faster than advertised (this was the easy group). And with over 500m of climbing involved. So I had the heaviest bike and I definitely wasn't the fittest rider ( ... still building up fitness and getting weight down). We did okay - at least until the 40km mark (the advertised ride length) when I started flagging on account of not taking any fuel.
I think the aero advantage of the Mavic Cosmic SL45 wheels helped make up some of the weight penalty - I was freewheeling more than a lot of the riders. That could equally be attributed to the bike still being fairly new with good bearings etc..
I'll quite happily use the CGR for more of these rides. Partially because I don't have a 'fast' road bike but also because I can keep up.
PedallingNowhereSlowly
Senior Member
Out with the local Tri group again this weekend. That brings this bike up close to 400km. There was no "easy" group this week. It was a slightly longer and slightly hillier ride (63km, 644m). And it was faster paced, averaging 16.5 mph.
I was worried that I'd be biting off more than I could chew, but with some encouragement I pressed on. And to my surprise, despite me still being some way from my old cycling-fitness - quite a long way, in fact - I did hang on. All credit to the CGR, despite being the least racy bike in the group, I managed to keep the pace without slowing the group down. I should also note here, that whilst the CGR was no doubt the heaviest bike in the group, at 9.5kg, the mudguards, rear rack, trunk bag, first aid kit*, and toolkit** all need accounting for. I think all up, the bike is pushing 12kg. 13kg with the two filled 600ml bottles of water (almost everyone else made do with one bottle).
I could drop the pannier rack and swap the trunk bag for a smaller saddle bag - but I was envisaging I'd be doing some light touring, or even some audax events so I'm inclined to leave them in situ for the time being. I'm not dropping the mudguards - the group set is way to expensive to be flinging road detritus all over it. :P If I keep doing these types of rides, I might reward myself with another 'fast' bike for hitting my target weight and getting fitter.
The ride itself didn't feel too bad, and I certainly held my own in terms of not slowing the group down. But I was surprised when I got back to find I was in zone 5 (heart rate) for over half of it and in zone 4 for most of the remainder.
I uploaded the ride to Strava and compared it to some of the other riders. They were 20-30 bpm below where I was, with faster recovery on the descents to boot. I don't know how much of that I can attribute to the bike - Not much I expect. Thus I've got some work to do!
Anyway, back to the bike. Save for the extra weight I was carrying (other riders couldn't help but comment on it!) I didn't really think about the bike, at all. I was comfortable right up until the end - despite not having ridden anything other than my sit-up-and-beg hybrid for two weeks. Titanium really does ride nicely. The semi-deep section wheels didn't make their presence felt either, until we crossed Blithfield Reservoir, where there was a bit of an upredictable cross wind. I don't think anyone notice it took me by surprise - although anyone watching me closely would have noticed.
I think it's the third ride since I rotated the chain (was done @ 200km). I'll probably do one more weekend ride before the next chain goes on. I found it odd, but this chain, despite being cleaned and immersively waxed in exactly the same way as the previous chain, seems noticeably noisier.
Thankfully, the saddle didn't work it's way loose on this ride, so it looks like I might have the issue of the saddle clamp bolts working loose resolved.
The bike came with a Brooks C15 saddle. I'm mentioning that because I realised after this ride, I'd developed some soreness in the barse region. Needless to say, I'll be swapping it out at some point. Trying to decide whether or not to splash the cash on a Selle Italia SLR Superflow.
* I figure someone should carry one.
** I did remove the second spare latex inner tube, spare brake pads and a couple of other items. I also swapped the dual battery front light for the light single battery version
I was worried that I'd be biting off more than I could chew, but with some encouragement I pressed on. And to my surprise, despite me still being some way from my old cycling-fitness - quite a long way, in fact - I did hang on. All credit to the CGR, despite being the least racy bike in the group, I managed to keep the pace without slowing the group down. I should also note here, that whilst the CGR was no doubt the heaviest bike in the group, at 9.5kg, the mudguards, rear rack, trunk bag, first aid kit*, and toolkit** all need accounting for. I think all up, the bike is pushing 12kg. 13kg with the two filled 600ml bottles of water (almost everyone else made do with one bottle).
I could drop the pannier rack and swap the trunk bag for a smaller saddle bag - but I was envisaging I'd be doing some light touring, or even some audax events so I'm inclined to leave them in situ for the time being. I'm not dropping the mudguards - the group set is way to expensive to be flinging road detritus all over it. :P If I keep doing these types of rides, I might reward myself with another 'fast' bike for hitting my target weight and getting fitter.
The ride itself didn't feel too bad, and I certainly held my own in terms of not slowing the group down. But I was surprised when I got back to find I was in zone 5 (heart rate) for over half of it and in zone 4 for most of the remainder.
I uploaded the ride to Strava and compared it to some of the other riders. They were 20-30 bpm below where I was, with faster recovery on the descents to boot. I don't know how much of that I can attribute to the bike - Not much I expect. Thus I've got some work to do!
Anyway, back to the bike. Save for the extra weight I was carrying (other riders couldn't help but comment on it!) I didn't really think about the bike, at all. I was comfortable right up until the end - despite not having ridden anything other than my sit-up-and-beg hybrid for two weeks. Titanium really does ride nicely. The semi-deep section wheels didn't make their presence felt either, until we crossed Blithfield Reservoir, where there was a bit of an upredictable cross wind. I don't think anyone notice it took me by surprise - although anyone watching me closely would have noticed.
I think it's the third ride since I rotated the chain (was done @ 200km). I'll probably do one more weekend ride before the next chain goes on. I found it odd, but this chain, despite being cleaned and immersively waxed in exactly the same way as the previous chain, seems noticeably noisier.
Thankfully, the saddle didn't work it's way loose on this ride, so it looks like I might have the issue of the saddle clamp bolts working loose resolved.
The bike came with a Brooks C15 saddle. I'm mentioning that because I realised after this ride, I'd developed some soreness in the barse region. Needless to say, I'll be swapping it out at some point. Trying to decide whether or not to splash the cash on a Selle Italia SLR Superflow.
* I figure someone should carry one.
** I did remove the second spare latex inner tube, spare brake pads and a couple of other items. I also swapped the dual battery front light for the light single battery version
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craigwend
Grimpeur des terrains plats
Any photos 🤔
You can add to...
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/show-us-your-titanium.56645/
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/show-us-your-titanium.56645/page-73
You can add to...
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/show-us-your-titanium.56645/
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/show-us-your-titanium.56645/page-73
Last edited:
PedallingNowhereSlowly
Senior Member
All in good time 
(I'm not very good at stopping on a ride long enough to take a photo)
(I'm not very good at stopping on a ride long enough to take a photo)
PedallingNowhereSlowly
Senior Member
Sorry still no photos.
Another club ride today - average speed (moving) 17.4 mph; that's with a fair degree of climbing.
I still have a long way to go before I get back to my full fitness, but I'm blown away by how well I can keep up on this bike, next to specialist aero and climbing bikes. Maybe comfort is my secret weapon?
Swapping out the Brooks Cambian C15 for an Selle Italia SLR was a good move.
Another club ride today - average speed (moving) 17.4 mph; that's with a fair degree of climbing.
I still have a long way to go before I get back to my full fitness, but I'm blown away by how well I can keep up on this bike, next to specialist aero and climbing bikes. Maybe comfort is my secret weapon?
Swapping out the Brooks Cambian C15 for an Selle Italia SLR was a good move.
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
The myths about speed and comfort- 'fat tyres are slow', etc- die hard, even when pros are using 28mm if not wider on normal stage racing (let alone Paris-Roubaix etc). A bike that looks after you keeps you stronger for longer.
PedallingNowhereSlowly
Senior Member
Another tri-club ride this weekend. Still no photos (sorry).
The start of this ride involved a good deal of climbing. No problems keeping up with the group on the hilly bits. But as things flattened out, I lost contact with the group for a while, having worked so hard on the climbs.
I was going to get another bike for these club runs - some semi-exotic carbon thing - but with the budget I had, I'd be looking at a bike with heavier wheels and 105 instead of Ultegra. That would mean a bike that was lighter but not by much. Not unless I went for rim brakes, anyway. Instead, I'm going to bling up the CGR. Given how much I'm enjoying the bike as a whole, particularly in terms of comfort, it's an idea that makes the most sense to me.
I haven't weighed the bike - I'll get around to that before I start taking bits off it though. I do recall reading somewhere that it was 9.5kg sans pedals, mudguards etc.. Currently, Ribble state 9.8kg for the CGR Ti Pro, but they have changed the specification slightly.
I'm not going to be very scientific about this. If I were, I'd have removed each of the components and weighed them before looking at potential replacements. I did find out the following:
Frame: 1,600g
Fork: 470g
Wheels: 1,575g
Group set: 2,716g
Total: 6,361g
That means the tyres, tubes finishing kit and other extraneous odds and ends weigh in at around 2,600g. Possibly a smidge less accounting for the things that tend to get excluded when manufacturers give their weights for things.
This leads me to conclude, instead of buying an exotic carbon bike, I'm can even up the odds by putting the CGR on a diet. It is never going to be light enough to threaten the UCI weight limit, but it will be lighter by the time I'm done.
This is the plan:
The originally supplied Brooks Cambium C15 saddle has already been replaced with a Selle Italia SLR Ti 316 on account the Brooks didn't agree with me, saving 265g.
The luggage change alone should net a 1.5kg weight reduction.
I think all of the other changes will net around at least 1kg of weight reduction - but that might prove to be optimistic.
I'm not planning losing the mudguards though - that's a step too far. Whatever they weigh or whatever Watts they waste in extra drag, they more than make up for in practicality.
I was planning on aero handlebars or even an integrated cockpit, instead of lightweight bars and stem - but they seem to be quite hard to get hold of in the sizes I was interested in. So I've saved some money and opted for more conventional flavour instead.
The start of this ride involved a good deal of climbing. No problems keeping up with the group on the hilly bits. But as things flattened out, I lost contact with the group for a while, having worked so hard on the climbs.
I was going to get another bike for these club runs - some semi-exotic carbon thing - but with the budget I had, I'd be looking at a bike with heavier wheels and 105 instead of Ultegra. That would mean a bike that was lighter but not by much. Not unless I went for rim brakes, anyway. Instead, I'm going to bling up the CGR. Given how much I'm enjoying the bike as a whole, particularly in terms of comfort, it's an idea that makes the most sense to me.
I haven't weighed the bike - I'll get around to that before I start taking bits off it though. I do recall reading somewhere that it was 9.5kg sans pedals, mudguards etc.. Currently, Ribble state 9.8kg for the CGR Ti Pro, but they have changed the specification slightly.
I'm not going to be very scientific about this. If I were, I'd have removed each of the components and weighed them before looking at potential replacements. I did find out the following:
Frame: 1,600g
Fork: 470g
Wheels: 1,575g
Group set: 2,716g
Total: 6,361g
That means the tyres, tubes finishing kit and other extraneous odds and ends weigh in at around 2,600g. Possibly a smidge less accounting for the things that tend to get excluded when manufacturers give their weights for things.
This leads me to conclude, instead of buying an exotic carbon bike, I'm can even up the odds by putting the CGR on a diet. It is never going to be light enough to threaten the UCI weight limit, but it will be lighter by the time I'm done.
This is the plan:
- Remove rack and trunk bag and replace with a wedge saddle bag
- Replace tyres and tubes. I'm going to swap the butyl tubes for TPU tubes (spare too!). And the Continental 'silverline' (they look GP4000 ish) tyres for the GP5000 Clincher (which are optimised for tubes and a bit lighter than the GP 5000TR S)
- Replace handlebars, stem and seatpost
- Replace Garmin Vista HCx with Garmin Edge 540 for a 76g saving
- Replace Shimano M520 SPD pedals with Shimano R7000 SPD-SL pedals for a 115g saving
The originally supplied Brooks Cambium C15 saddle has already been replaced with a Selle Italia SLR Ti 316 on account the Brooks didn't agree with me, saving 265g.
The luggage change alone should net a 1.5kg weight reduction.
I think all of the other changes will net around at least 1kg of weight reduction - but that might prove to be optimistic.
I'm not planning losing the mudguards though - that's a step too far. Whatever they weigh or whatever Watts they waste in extra drag, they more than make up for in practicality.
I was planning on aero handlebars or even an integrated cockpit, instead of lightweight bars and stem - but they seem to be quite hard to get hold of in the sizes I was interested in. So I've saved some money and opted for more conventional flavour instead.
PedallingNowhereSlowly
Senior Member
So far then:
The complete bike, with all attachments including a set of lights - with only water bottles and rider unaccounted for is 10.2kg. Was 13.3kg. I don't think that's too shabby as it includes the mudguards.
I still have pedals, handle bars and bar tape to change as/when the bits on order arrive. Hoping to shave another 200g off with that. Especially as the new bars should weigh-in at around 200g, if not
The stock thru axles have some heft (I didn't weigh them, really should have) so I'll look at those the next time I'm feeling flush.
I was really expecting to save less weight on the luggage and more on the finishing kit. The gains on the seatpost and stem turned out to be so small, I may as well have not bothered. It all adds up though, right? It also speaks highly to Ribble's own brand finishing kit supplied with these bikes.
The OEM Conti GP tyres supplied with the bike - I was expecting that they wouldn't be a folding tyre. They are. I was also expecting them to be heavier, but weighing in at 270g, they were very respectable. I bought the GP5000 clincher tyres as they are optimised for use with tubes and thus a bit lighter than the flavours optimised for tubeless setups. I've no intention of going tubless. Cleaning up old sealant seems like more trouble than it is worth.
Staying with tyres for a second, the OEM Conti's are 28-622. On the Cosmic SL 45 disc wheels, they came up 30.5 mm wide. The 28-622 GP 5000s come up at 27.5 mm wide. So that's possibly sacrificing a little bit of comfort, but I suppose they are a smidge more aero.
I took the bike out with the club's development group as I wasn't sure how my legs would be feeling today. Almost the entire ride was in zone 2. Hard to draw any comparisons, as I genuinely don't think I've done a ride that easy with the club. I sprinted the final 8km of the route back to the cafe, which included a couple short steep climbs. The bike does seem climb a lot better. And standing up on the pedals and putting the hammer down makes for a satisfying acceleration surge.
Will hopefully take it on a good ride for comparison purposes over the next week or so.
- Easton EA90 SL stem (-20g inclusive of Garmin mount)
- Easton EC90 ISA setback seatpost (-20g - but only because I shortened it. It was initially the same weight as the Ribble supplied seatpost)
- Tubolito Tubo Road tubes (-200g for the pair, the tubes supplied by Ribble weighing in at 150g)
- Continental GP5000 tyres (-40g for the pair over the OEM Continental Grand Prix silver label tyres)
- Rack, trunk bag and trunk bag contents removed (-3060g - this was a surprise)
- Garmin Edge 540 instead of the old eTrex Vista HCx (-80g)
The complete bike, with all attachments including a set of lights - with only water bottles and rider unaccounted for is 10.2kg. Was 13.3kg. I don't think that's too shabby as it includes the mudguards.
I still have pedals, handle bars and bar tape to change as/when the bits on order arrive. Hoping to shave another 200g off with that. Especially as the new bars should weigh-in at around 200g, if not
The stock thru axles have some heft (I didn't weigh them, really should have) so I'll look at those the next time I'm feeling flush.
I was really expecting to save less weight on the luggage and more on the finishing kit. The gains on the seatpost and stem turned out to be so small, I may as well have not bothered. It all adds up though, right? It also speaks highly to Ribble's own brand finishing kit supplied with these bikes.
The OEM Conti GP tyres supplied with the bike - I was expecting that they wouldn't be a folding tyre. They are. I was also expecting them to be heavier, but weighing in at 270g, they were very respectable. I bought the GP5000 clincher tyres as they are optimised for use with tubes and thus a bit lighter than the flavours optimised for tubeless setups. I've no intention of going tubless. Cleaning up old sealant seems like more trouble than it is worth.
Staying with tyres for a second, the OEM Conti's are 28-622. On the Cosmic SL 45 disc wheels, they came up 30.5 mm wide. The 28-622 GP 5000s come up at 27.5 mm wide. So that's possibly sacrificing a little bit of comfort, but I suppose they are a smidge more aero.
I took the bike out with the club's development group as I wasn't sure how my legs would be feeling today. Almost the entire ride was in zone 2. Hard to draw any comparisons, as I genuinely don't think I've done a ride that easy with the club. I sprinted the final 8km of the route back to the cafe, which included a couple short steep climbs. The bike does seem climb a lot better. And standing up on the pedals and putting the hammer down makes for a satisfying acceleration surge.
Will hopefully take it on a good ride for comparison purposes over the next week or so.
PedallingNowhereSlowly
Senior Member
The very hotly anticipated handlebars and shoes should arrive today.
But, that's not stopped me firing the parts cannon again, for more minimal gains. I've got a pair of Robert Axle Project thru-axles, a pair of Carbon Fibre bottle cages and a PRO expanding carbon steerer bung on the way.
I think that's about all I can do, without getting into silly money by buying a new group set or a seriously spendy set of wheels.
I'll see if I can get the bikes new 'net' weight (what would typically be quoted by manufacturers) worked out whilst I've got the bottle cages and pedals off. I'm not pulling the mudguards though, so I'll have to try and find out what the manufacturer claimed weight for those is.
But, that's not stopped me firing the parts cannon again, for more minimal gains. I've got a pair of Robert Axle Project thru-axles, a pair of Carbon Fibre bottle cages and a PRO expanding carbon steerer bung on the way.
I think that's about all I can do, without getting into silly money by buying a new group set or a seriously spendy set of wheels.
I'll see if I can get the bikes new 'net' weight (what would typically be quoted by manufacturers) worked out whilst I've got the bottle cages and pedals off. I'm not pulling the mudguards though, so I'll have to try and find out what the manufacturer claimed weight for those is.
PedallingNowhereSlowly
Senior Member
Finished swapping out parts and wound up with a bike weighing 10.1 kg, including mudguards, lights, cycle computer and pedals. Estimated to be around 8.4 kg without all of that.
The carbon bars supplied with the bike were 290g. The replacements are 200g (Pro Vibe Superlight), but should have been 160g. Sadly the retailer sent me the old model.
All of the other finishing kit on the bike was not that much heavier than what was supplied by Ribble. With the seatpost lighter, only because I've trimmed it, the replacement stem on 20 grams lighter, the front thru axle being the same weight as the replacement Robert Axle Project replacement and the rear thru axle only 10 grams heavier, the advantages gained were small. Which I think speaks positively to Ribble's own brand finishing kit.
26 grams were saved by changing the expanding plug (fork bung) in the carbon steerer.
In summary, the biggest weight saving to the bike itself has come from changing the inner tubes .
Very fast paced club run this weekend - 28.6 kph (17.8 mph) over 64 km. But that included been stuck behind slow moving agricultural vehicles for some distance and sitting behind another rider as they nursed their broken bike home over the last few km. The average speed would otherwise have been in excess of 30 kph. I set PRs for 10km and 10 miles both over 32 kph. I found holding on to the group at 40 kph on the flat with plenty of reserve.
It's not just the weight of course. The new shoes (Shimano RC702) and turning the shifter's slightly inward to get a narrower profile on the front of the bike have probably also helped. Possibly a small gain from changing tyres.
I'm delighted with the results though. This bike is now a bit of a weapon!
The carbon bars supplied with the bike were 290g. The replacements are 200g (Pro Vibe Superlight), but should have been 160g. Sadly the retailer sent me the old model.
All of the other finishing kit on the bike was not that much heavier than what was supplied by Ribble. With the seatpost lighter, only because I've trimmed it, the replacement stem on 20 grams lighter, the front thru axle being the same weight as the replacement Robert Axle Project replacement and the rear thru axle only 10 grams heavier, the advantages gained were small. Which I think speaks positively to Ribble's own brand finishing kit.
26 grams were saved by changing the expanding plug (fork bung) in the carbon steerer.
In summary, the biggest weight saving to the bike itself has come from changing the inner tubes .
Very fast paced club run this weekend - 28.6 kph (17.8 mph) over 64 km. But that included been stuck behind slow moving agricultural vehicles for some distance and sitting behind another rider as they nursed their broken bike home over the last few km. The average speed would otherwise have been in excess of 30 kph. I set PRs for 10km and 10 miles both over 32 kph. I found holding on to the group at 40 kph on the flat with plenty of reserve.
It's not just the weight of course. The new shoes (Shimano RC702) and turning the shifter's slightly inward to get a narrower profile on the front of the bike have probably also helped. Possibly a small gain from changing tyres.
I'm delighted with the results though. This bike is now a bit of a weapon!
