Pedrosanchezo
Veteran
- Location
- Perthshire, scotland
Got the Ribble R872 frame and forks last weekend. Had decided to build the bike myself with the following spec:
Dura ace/Ultegra mix groupset
3T Ergonova pro bars 42cm
3T ARX pro 90mm stem
FSA SL-K carbon post 31.6
Selle Italia SLR flow saddle
Planet X no logo carbon tubs (already owned)
Photos of the bike and build can be found here - Ribble R872 photo album
The Review:
First off The looks. Well it certainly is modern! Everything big, straight and direct. The bottom bracket area is large, to put it mildly. In fact the down tube, top tube and head tube are all very much oversized. The forks and seat stays adequately wide yet not thick. The overall impression is of a bike designed for stiffness as a priority. Meant to be raced? It certainly looks fast.
The finish is a mix of matte carbon with a 3k weave and matte black. Emphasis on the matte here as i detect either no lacquer or very little indeed. I suspect the former. This leaves an absolutely glorious finish, which the pictures don't do justice at all. The downside is that this impressive finish might be prone to chips and general scuffing. Time will tell on this front. One tip is to finely cut some black electrical tape and neatly stick to the frame at ALL cables which might cause dreaded rub. The tape is actually installed on the finish build photos and i am betting no one can spot it!!
The build. Well everything was straight forward apart from the internal routing, which needed some redoing, and the BB30 to 24mm Hollowtech2 issue. The internal routing seemed to be perfect and, as per pictures, the internal cables had been pre installed. Whilst most of them were okay, one cable was rattling around inside. The end result was some swearing and a realisation that i needed 3 hands!! Eventually pulled the small inner cable through the BB into the large inner cable. From there installing the Shimano gear cables was easy town. Possibly a one off regarding the detached routing. I decided to fix the BB30 issue with a Praxis BB30 adaptor. These are not overly cheap at £55 but the quality is obvious right from the off. It eliminates the BB30 bearings and reduces the size to fit Shimano hollowtech or similar. Easy to fit. Highly recommend. There are other fixes for the BB30 problem but i was adamant on a non permanent fixture but with emphasis on quality.
All in all the Ribble was a joy to build and ANY bike enthusiast could do it.
The Ride. The first ride out on the Ribble was last Sunday afternoon. It was a beautiful, if slightly cold, sunny day. Couldn't ask for better. First impressions were as predicted - stiff, sharp handling and instantly reacting to user input. Nothing wasted. You get the feeling that all of what you put in is coming straight out on to the road. This won't be strictly true but it sure does feel that way!
After a little while i returned to do some adjustments. Saddle height, front mech, rear mech and a little tightening of the headset. Job done and back out for a 10 mile blast. Couldn't help but go fast! Couldn't wipe the grin off my face either after sprinting out of a corner, then again and again. It's rapid. Feels very light and very responsive. At 7kg's, without pedals, it's no heavyweight. Though a mix of Dura ace and Ultegra is a strong groupset, and fairly light, the bike could still be a good deal lighter with Sram red and a good mix of light carbon components. I chose to keep to a budget on this bike and knew well in advance what was going in to the build. A 6kg R872 is quite doable if one had the inclination.
As is the bike handles very well. Emphasis has to go to the sharpness of the handling at pace. The slightest movement will have the bike reacting and responding in a way you will grow to love. At 40mph+ the bike doesn't budge. Not a hint of wobble or anything to give you the fear. In fact it is almost to empowering! Confidence on a descent is one thing but to feel almost invincible is somewhat a worry. High praise but the handling at extreme speed is just that good. Even better, reassuring.
Value. Build cost was in the region of £1200. The Planet X tubs + Schwalbe tyres around £460 (already owned these).
Bought the majority of the groupset, bars, stem and post in the Wiggle sale so saved a fair bit. The R872 frame and forks can be had for just north of £500. If one shops around the entire bike, as pictured, can be had for £1600-ish. Not terrible for a 7kg, full carbon, Dura ace/Ultegra clad modern road bike! In fact when you consider that the parts were all bought separately, it is a bargain!
If you prefer to buy the bike outright then Ribble have some amazing specs to go with the R872 in their Bike builder section. All at great prices.
Final word. I've heard a lot of negative reviews regarding Ribble's customer service and there seems to be a reoccurring theme here. In my experience though, Ribble have been amazing. 5 emails all replied to in the same day, a 10 day quoted wait for frame and forks turned out to be 6 days and a product that so far cannot be faulted. I have bought previously from Ribble and have been more than happy. I can and will often say the same for other similar merchants such as Wiggle and Planet X.
There is an argument that you are ordering online and therefor not getting a proper fit. This is valid and i would suggest getting a fit for any bike purchase should you not be sure.
The other argument often heard against Ribble is the brand. Now i also own a hand built in Italy carbon road bike but i am no bike snob. In fact i am someone who seeks value in every penny spent. Does it matter that the name on the side says Ribble? Honestly it does slightly. Very slightly. I am being honest!! Though it is one of the added perks of the R872, the name and decals are ALL very subtle. I actually think the bike looks better with the imagery than that of a plain matte black carbon bike. The latter being my original design for the build.
Overall there is no doubt that i am happy with the purchase. The build was straight forward, the finished bike looks amazing, the bike performs excellently and it won't break the bank.
All done and said though, would i recommend this bike?
I most certainly would. From the rooftops.
Pedro.
Dura ace/Ultegra mix groupset
3T Ergonova pro bars 42cm
3T ARX pro 90mm stem
FSA SL-K carbon post 31.6
Selle Italia SLR flow saddle
Planet X no logo carbon tubs (already owned)
Photos of the bike and build can be found here - Ribble R872 photo album
The Review:
First off The looks. Well it certainly is modern! Everything big, straight and direct. The bottom bracket area is large, to put it mildly. In fact the down tube, top tube and head tube are all very much oversized. The forks and seat stays adequately wide yet not thick. The overall impression is of a bike designed for stiffness as a priority. Meant to be raced? It certainly looks fast.
The finish is a mix of matte carbon with a 3k weave and matte black. Emphasis on the matte here as i detect either no lacquer or very little indeed. I suspect the former. This leaves an absolutely glorious finish, which the pictures don't do justice at all. The downside is that this impressive finish might be prone to chips and general scuffing. Time will tell on this front. One tip is to finely cut some black electrical tape and neatly stick to the frame at ALL cables which might cause dreaded rub. The tape is actually installed on the finish build photos and i am betting no one can spot it!!
The build. Well everything was straight forward apart from the internal routing, which needed some redoing, and the BB30 to 24mm Hollowtech2 issue. The internal routing seemed to be perfect and, as per pictures, the internal cables had been pre installed. Whilst most of them were okay, one cable was rattling around inside. The end result was some swearing and a realisation that i needed 3 hands!! Eventually pulled the small inner cable through the BB into the large inner cable. From there installing the Shimano gear cables was easy town. Possibly a one off regarding the detached routing. I decided to fix the BB30 issue with a Praxis BB30 adaptor. These are not overly cheap at £55 but the quality is obvious right from the off. It eliminates the BB30 bearings and reduces the size to fit Shimano hollowtech or similar. Easy to fit. Highly recommend. There are other fixes for the BB30 problem but i was adamant on a non permanent fixture but with emphasis on quality.
All in all the Ribble was a joy to build and ANY bike enthusiast could do it.
The Ride. The first ride out on the Ribble was last Sunday afternoon. It was a beautiful, if slightly cold, sunny day. Couldn't ask for better. First impressions were as predicted - stiff, sharp handling and instantly reacting to user input. Nothing wasted. You get the feeling that all of what you put in is coming straight out on to the road. This won't be strictly true but it sure does feel that way!
After a little while i returned to do some adjustments. Saddle height, front mech, rear mech and a little tightening of the headset. Job done and back out for a 10 mile blast. Couldn't help but go fast! Couldn't wipe the grin off my face either after sprinting out of a corner, then again and again. It's rapid. Feels very light and very responsive. At 7kg's, without pedals, it's no heavyweight. Though a mix of Dura ace and Ultegra is a strong groupset, and fairly light, the bike could still be a good deal lighter with Sram red and a good mix of light carbon components. I chose to keep to a budget on this bike and knew well in advance what was going in to the build. A 6kg R872 is quite doable if one had the inclination.
As is the bike handles very well. Emphasis has to go to the sharpness of the handling at pace. The slightest movement will have the bike reacting and responding in a way you will grow to love. At 40mph+ the bike doesn't budge. Not a hint of wobble or anything to give you the fear. In fact it is almost to empowering! Confidence on a descent is one thing but to feel almost invincible is somewhat a worry. High praise but the handling at extreme speed is just that good. Even better, reassuring.
Value. Build cost was in the region of £1200. The Planet X tubs + Schwalbe tyres around £460 (already owned these).
Bought the majority of the groupset, bars, stem and post in the Wiggle sale so saved a fair bit. The R872 frame and forks can be had for just north of £500. If one shops around the entire bike, as pictured, can be had for £1600-ish. Not terrible for a 7kg, full carbon, Dura ace/Ultegra clad modern road bike! In fact when you consider that the parts were all bought separately, it is a bargain!
If you prefer to buy the bike outright then Ribble have some amazing specs to go with the R872 in their Bike builder section. All at great prices.
Final word. I've heard a lot of negative reviews regarding Ribble's customer service and there seems to be a reoccurring theme here. In my experience though, Ribble have been amazing. 5 emails all replied to in the same day, a 10 day quoted wait for frame and forks turned out to be 6 days and a product that so far cannot be faulted. I have bought previously from Ribble and have been more than happy. I can and will often say the same for other similar merchants such as Wiggle and Planet X.
There is an argument that you are ordering online and therefor not getting a proper fit. This is valid and i would suggest getting a fit for any bike purchase should you not be sure.
The other argument often heard against Ribble is the brand. Now i also own a hand built in Italy carbon road bike but i am no bike snob. In fact i am someone who seeks value in every penny spent. Does it matter that the name on the side says Ribble? Honestly it does slightly. Very slightly. I am being honest!! Though it is one of the added perks of the R872, the name and decals are ALL very subtle. I actually think the bike looks better with the imagery than that of a plain matte black carbon bike. The latter being my original design for the build.
Overall there is no doubt that i am happy with the purchase. The build was straight forward, the finished bike looks amazing, the bike performs excellently and it won't break the bank.
All done and said though, would i recommend this bike?
I most certainly would. From the rooftops.
Pedro.
