Talk me out of a Ribble Ultra SLR

[Dude]

Anyone here have any experience with them? They’re inexpensive(ish) and look fast AF. How do they climb and handle and do the nubbins at the Dt/ht junction break a lot?

It’s whiz-bangy enough to catch my eye, but I can’t tell if I’d be trying too hard if I bought one.

[Baron Blubba]

Other bikes will ride better and be just as fast, even if they don’t look it. The right bike isn’t always the one with the ‘best bang for buck’ components; it’s the right bike because it’s the (one of the) best bike(s) for you.
I’d ride a 2025 TCR with Tiagra over that Ribble anyday.

[Baron Blubba]

Ps: You asked for it.

[blakcloud]

Originally Posted by Baron Blubba

Ps: You asked for it.

Actually he didn't. He asked about the Ribble, you went on spiel about your Giant. The question marks in the original post will actually tell you what he/she is asking.

"Other bikes ride better", so does that mean you actually rode a Ribble?

So in other words you added nothing to the conversation much like this post.

[Baron Blubba]

I wrote one sentence about a Giant. I don’t own a Giant.
There is a discrepency betwixt his subject line question and his actual questions. I answered the former, not the latter.
I have not owned a Ribble. Unless Ribble has magically figured out a way to make a (relatively) heavy all-in aero bike ride like a TCR, Aethos, Tarmac, current Madone/Emonda, etc…I’m fairly certain he could do better with any of the above, and a dozen other similar bikes.
The reviews I’ve read confirm this, although yeah, bike reviews are suspect and subjective.
Yes, I get the irony, but he asked.

[tctyres]

I'm assuming you are talking about these bikes: https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-ultra-sl-r/

Some guys I ride with ride Ribbles. They seem like fine bikes. The guys riding those bikes are not held back by the bike.

I'm not particularly brand conscious. What you ride is up to you, really. The most important things are that 1) you like to ride it, and 2) it fits. A bike that doesn't meet either of these criteria won't get ridden.

All that said, the lower Shimano groups just don't function as tightly as the upper groups. Even the line between 105 and Ultegra is pretty distinct. I wouldn't ride Tiagra if I had the option.

[sweitee]

deleting

[Louis]

Originally Posted by blakcloud

Actually he didn't. He asked about the Ribble, you went on spiel about your Giant. The question marks in the original post will actually tell you what he/she is asking.

"Other bikes ride better", so does that mean you actually rode a Ribble?

So in other words you added nothing to the conversation much like this post.

"The Trouble with Ribbles"

[Dude]

I want to want it.

Deep down I know it probably won’t ride all that well but hoping someone out there is like “this thing rides great.” Most of the reviews talk about how aero it is. A few aren’t favorable to ride quality but I’m willing to compromise on that. None talk about how it rides on steeper climbs where aero isn’t a factor.

I’d be more interested in the frameset and swap any cheaper parts to another frame as a spare.

[oldguy00]

Originally Posted by blakcloud

Actually he didn't.......

Actually he did. Read the title of the post.

'Talk me out of a Ribble Ultra SLR'

I too would take a pass and buy a name brand with lower components. Resale will prob be better, will prob ride better, and can upgrade components at any time.

[nmrt]

Curious -- not know much about these Ribble bikes, is this an open mold frame?

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by nmrt

Curious -- not know much about these Ribble bikes, is this an open mold frame?

I don't believe so. Ribble used to offer open mold frames, but over the last 5 years or so, have been investing in their own proprietary designs.

[Dave]

Off brand models will be hard to resell and will sell for less, coming from experience. High dollar major brands may actually cost more to own, if the frame costs $5-6000. There's no way that you're going to get a ride comparison.

I don't know where someone gets the idea that an off brand would ride poorly. My 2022 Yoeleo R12 bikes rode just fine. At $1215 for a frame, fork, aero seatpost and integrated handlebar, that's the maximum loss.

[fignon's barber]

Originally Posted by Dave

Off brand models will be hard to resell and will sell for less, coming from experience.

This. For an aero bike, I'd get a Canyon. Similar price to Ribble, but way better resale value.

[benb]

What exactly do you mean by "want it to ride great"?

If you're comfortable with 10+ cm of drop and you want a really aero position/bike maybe it's fine.

If you want it to feel good over the road, over bumps, etc.. that is not exactly a class of bike that is designed for "feels good" and "feels comfortable", etc..

It is strictly for going really fast, maybe it's OK for some but probably not all.

I am really curious why they don't have pictures.. the bike is apparently not UCI legal in stock form and it has some kind of alternate disc brake mounting system (different posts?) that you have to swap on for racing if someone is checking. It would be cool if they had more info about that and whether or not they ship both sets of parts.

Even $4k for the lowest price one seems crazy if you are at all concerned about anything to do with the branding. They can't be selling too many of the $10k ones.

Personally unless there is actually a Ribble dealer or some kind of maintenance setup that can support you in Philly I wouldn't touch it with a 10ft pole. Having owned a Euro bike that wasn't really 100% "In the US Market" you are setting yourself up for major annoyance if anything goes wrong. That is way too much money for a bike that has any inconveniences around service and support. Broken small parts can be a huge PITA, though maybe for Ribble it's fine cause they're mostly online or something?