Been looking at getting one of the
Ribble R872 which is a full carbon bike and looking to get the Shimano 105 groupset + a few other little upgrades.
All of that comes to around £1,200 which is dirt cheap for a carbon bike.
Anyone out there ride Ribble and if so what are they like? It just seems a little too good to be true in all honesty?
Also, how can they provide bikes at such a knock-down cost?
The only downside i have heard RE Ribble is their customer service. I have recently dealt with them a lot and ALL emails were replied within several hours. They have obviously taken the criticism on board, or are not too busy.
The R872 now comes with internal cabling and is Di2 ready. There is no denying that Ribble get there frames from China but i would argue that so would the majority of bike manufacturers these days. It's not because it is dirt cheap, it is simply a combination of quality workmanship and value for money. Ribble take this on board and resell, branded, Ribble carbon. Win win if you don't mind riding a bike that says "Ribble" on the side.
I am all set to take delivery of the R872 frame + forks tomorrow or Friday. Building it up with Dura ace and Ultegra mix. This will be a needed (ahem) alternative to the De Rosa idol i have, which is more suited to distance and long climbs. The R872 is reported to be a pretty stiff frame which is just what i want in my 2nd road bike.
I too love the matt black carbon look. The logo is also very subtle which wasn't a consideration, more a bonus. With matt black carbon 50mm tubs, it will look "stealthy"!! Will post build pics etc over the weekend when i get down to business.
If you are considering waiting for a few days before buying a bike then i'll get in touch with a quick report for you if that helps. Again though i don't think the frames are meant to be anything but quality for the £££.
FYI, Planet X are also fantastic value for money and i very nearly bought the N2A frame and forks but decided the price difference (£300 over the R872) was not justified. You will not go wrong with either. In fact Planet X have many bikes on good deals at the moment.