Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

TECH NEWS

Just In: Ribble Endurance SL R with SRAM Red eTap AXS groupset

High-spec Ribble endurance aero bike arrives for review

Ribble is aiming high with its new Endurance SL R road bike, pictured here with the brand new SRAM eTap AXS 12-speed groupset and Zipp 302 wheels and costing £5,999 - a lot of money but cheaper than most similarly specced bikes.

Ribble Endurance SL R Series Disc - down tube.jpg

As it’s just landed in the office for review we wanted to share it with you by way of a quick first look. It’s a bike that Ribble reckons is ideal for road racing and endurance riding. As the name suggests, it’s designed for endurance riding but Ribble has also ensured it’s suited to road racing cyclists and cyclists who generally like to ride everywhere as fast as they can.

“With a carefully considered geometry resulting in a frameset that offers precise handling, excellent responsiveness, stability and long distance comfort with enough adjustability to suit both endurance riders and those looking for a more performance optimised riding position,” explains the company.

The frame has clear aerodynamic influences, from the truncated profiled down tube, the bowed fork blades, the seat tube and post and the dropped seat stays, to the one-piece aero handlebar and stem, all features that mark it out as a bike designed for speed as well as the comfort the name suggests. Ribble claims the aero features have reduced drag by 28.5% compared to the old bike.

Ribble Endurance SL R Series Disc - stays.jpg

As well as the effort to coax more speed out of the new bike, Ribble has also paid close attention to comfort requirements of a bike with endurance in its name. Naturally, there’s is plenty of tyre clearance, it’ll take a 30mm tyre and the test bike is specced with 28mm wide tyres. Key parts of the frame have been designed to provide some compliance, so there are the skinny seat stays, seat post and handlebar which Ribble hopes will deliver enough comfort for the long rides.

Ribble Endurance SL R Series Disc - frame detail 2.jpg

Underneath the stealth black paint is a claimed sub-800g frame made with Toray T1000 carbon fibre. Other common details expected on a high-end race bike and present on this Ribble are the full internal cable routing, tapered head tube and a press-fit bottom bracket. Might have expected a British company to shun a press-fit in favour of an external bottom bracket but there you go.

Ribble Endurance SL R Series Disc - front disc brake.jpg

All that and the most important detail (as it’s pouring with rain as I write this) is that you can fit mudguards with hidden eyelets on the fork and rear stays. Nice one Ribble.

As you can see, we’ve got a disc brake model, with 12mm thru-axles and flat mount callipers. If you don’t like/want/need disc brakes you’ll be pleased to know Ribble offers a rim brake variant.

Ribble Endurance SL R Series Disc - drivetrain.jpg

The Endurance SL R Series starts life with a Shimano Ultegra groupset costing £2,499 but you can spec it right up to a frankly ridiculous £8,999 with a SRAM Red mechanical groupset and smattering of exotic German carbon components, including a THM crankset and Lightweight Gipfelsturm. 

Ribble Endurance SL R Series Disc - shifter.jpg

Which makes the £5,999 for the brand new SRAM Red eTap AXS spec with Zipp 302 wheels seem like a bit of bargain. And it is; this Ribble is one of the cheapest ways to get a brand new carbon road bike with SRAM’s latest wireless groupset. It's also specced with Zipp 302 wheels, a more affordable carbon model that forgoes the iconic dimples, and they are shod with excellent Vittoria Corsa 28mm tyres. The bike also has the aero one-piece handlebar and stem and a Fizik saddle.

- 25 of the best SRAM Red eTap AXS road bikes from Specialized, Canyon, 3T, Cannondale and more

We slung it on the scales and this size medium weighs 7.8kg (17.19lb) on the nose.

Ribble Endurance SL R Series Disc - stem.jpg

The Endurance SL R is available in five sizes from XS to XL. We’ve got a medium for test and it has a 541mm stack and 390mm reach with a 991mm wheelbase, 150mm head tube and 72.5-degree head angle. That compares quite closely to a Cannondale SuperSix Evo though the Ribble has a longer wheelbase to provide that level of stability you want from such a bike.

Now to see how the numbers work on the road, so stay tuned for a full review soon. More info at www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-endurance-sl-r-series/

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

Add new comment

9 comments

Avatar
Bryin | 4 years ago
1 like

Can't stand - Press fit BB....  electronic shifting....  disk brakes...  thru-axels...  carbon wheels....  integrated cables in bar/stem...  17lb bikes that cost 6000 pounds...  

A "cheap" version of today's "cutting edge"...    NO THANKS

Avatar
Tinbob49 replied to Bryin | 4 years ago
2 likes

Bryin wrote:

Can't stand - Press fit BB....  electronic shifting....  disk brakes...  thru-axels...  carbon wheels....  integrated cables in bar/stem...  17lb bikes that cost 6000 pounds...  

A "cheap" version of today's "cutting edge"...    NO THANKS

Doesnt sound like it’s the bike for you, does it then?

Avatar
handlebarcam | 4 years ago
3 likes

Welsh boy wrote:

Grow up, if you don’t want to buy this stuff then don’t

I'm not the one name-calling a fellow member of this community, such as it is, because they poked a little fun at a corporation. If you don't like reading my comments then don't.

Avatar
dassie | 4 years ago
0 likes

Wonder if it will take 28mm tyres with full mudguards...   I guess if marginal gains are important light, low drag frames may be worth something, but stick a potentially weighty/high drag human on, and...

Avatar
jayinjapants replied to dassie | 4 years ago
0 likes

dassie wrote:

Wonder if it will take 28mm tyres with full mudguards...   I guess if marginal gains are important light, low drag frames may be worth something, but stick a potentially weighty/high drag human on, and...

Apparently not, only up to 25mm according to their website. Shame as I was getting all excited about having the reasonably priced alloy version on 28s for commuting. Would love to be proved wrong.

Avatar
peted76 | 4 years ago
3 likes

But you've got to admit, that Bauke Mollema moment is pretty darn funny. 

Can you imagine the sponsors apoplectic reaction! 

 

FWIW, I just specced up a Ultegra DI2 model of the above for £5.2k. It's a good looking well priced bike, looking forward to the review.

Avatar
handlebarcam | 4 years ago
2 likes

Quote:

This Ribble is one of the cheapest ways to get a brand new carbon road bike with SRAM’s latest wireless groupset.

Please use the full product name, as announced by spokesmodel Bauke Mollema recently at the Giro.

Avatar
Welsh boy replied to handlebarcam | 4 years ago
3 likes

handlebarcam wrote:

Quote:

This Ribble is one of the cheapest ways to get a brand new carbon road bike with SRAM’s latest wireless groupset.

Please use the full product name, as announced by spokesmodel Bauke Mollema recently at the Giro.

You don’t like the new Sram stuff, you latch on to one short video to support your dislike. Grow up, if you don’t want to buy this stuff then don’t, free choice is a great thing, more options mean more choice, not everything brought out is going to be to your liking. 

Avatar
kil0ran replied to handlebarcam | 4 years ago
4 likes

handlebarcam wrote:

Quote:

This Ribble is one of the cheapest ways to get a brand new carbon road bike with SRAM’s latest wireless groupset.

Please use the full product name, as announced by spokesmodel Bauke Mollema recently at the Giro.

 

Lol - bit like Aru last year with the epic slagging of that lovely Colnago. Had to phone Ernesto personally to apologise, you have to imagine that was a bit like the opening scene of the Godfather

 

Latest Comments