The future of road bikes? Up close and personal with the new Ribble Allroad range

Ribble has revealed not one, not two but three brand new bikes with their new Allroad range. Whether you’re looking for a high-performance road bike, a great value road bike or an e-road bike, Ribble reckons they’ve got you covered, we've got our grubby little hands on them so let’s check them out!

The three bikes mark the first phase of Ribble’s new Allroad range. Of course, they're far from the first to call something "all-road", a term which has been batted around the cycling industry for the last few years and usually refers to bikes that don’t really fit into the classic road bike or the gravel bike categories. 

However, Ribble emphasises that the focus remains firmly on the word "road." These bikes claim to deliver world-class aerodynamic performance while being capable of tackling mixed-terrain adventures without sacrificing speed or comfort.

According to Ribble, this is just the way that road bikes are going. These models are the result of designing bikes for riders like you and me - amateurs who want speed and everyday usability - rather than being solely designed for eight very sweaty, very flexible pros who always seem to live in France. With that in mind all the bikes come in a choice of builds designed to suit different riding styles and budgets.

A few years ago, I might have thought Ribble was crazy for releasing high-performance road bikes with space for up to 38mm tyres and internal storage. But given the current trends, this could well be what the future holds.

Allroad SL R

We are going to take a look at the most expensive one first. This is the Allroad SL R which is Ribble's new race-ready road bike with the idea that it's also easy to live with every day. 

At a quick glance, you can see loads of features from the Ultra SL R aero bike. For example, the fork legs are bladed and the downtube flares around where a bottle goes. The bars also have wake generators that are said to cause a wake around the rider so that the system (bike and rider) is more aero as a whole.

This bike, however, features a much more relaxed geometry than most other aero bikes, making it far more likely you can ride it comfortably without needing a seven-day-a-week stretching routine.

For example, the headtube is quite tall, and the bike isn’t as long as many race bikes on the market. In fact, the stack-to-reach ratio is quite similar to the Canyon Endurace we tested last year. However, unlike that bike, and most other endurance bikes, this one maintains a race-inspired seat tube angle that positions you further forwards over the pedals.

As I mentioned earlier, it also has clearance for 38mm tyres which might seem wild for a performance road bike right now. But remember, the Endurance SL Disc was considered pretty radical when it launched with 32mm clearance a few years ago, and now just about every road bike in the Pro Peloton has followed suit.

This extra tyre space means that if you get tired of your usual routes, you can explore the roughest lanes the UK has to offer, ride along a towpath, or take that gravel cycle track along the old railway line when you want to ride the flat way home. 

In fact, even if you don’t want to go near any gravel, that tyre clearance is still really useful because the SL R also comes with hidden mudguard mounts. This means that you can still have your nice plush 32mm road tyres and fit full mudguards - you can tell Ribble are British can’t you!

It also features internal storage for tools and a spare tube to free up some space in your pockets. It comes with a RIFFT wrap to stop everything rattling too.

What else is new? Well, you can't see it but Ribble tells us that this bike also has an entirely new carbon layup which they describe as their most advanced ever. The bike uses a higher modulus carbon fibre in areas such as the bottom bracket and headtube junction and then a more compliant layup for compliance in others. In simple terms, it should be stiff in all the right places but also compliant and buzz-free on our less-than-perfect lanes.

So, prices. This one pictured above is the 7.5kg top spec ‘Hero’ model with Dura-Ace Di2 and will set you back £8,299. There are also plenty of cheaper models though. For example, the All-Road SL R starts at £2,999 and the Enthusiast model with 105 Di2 and Mavic Carbon wheels has a price tag of £3,999. 

Allroad SL

Ribble is known for excelling with their mid-tier bikes, so the new Allroad SL has some pretty big boots to fill. The general theme of wider tyres, more aero and taking learnings from the Ultra SL R continues and Ribble says that the Allroad SL is lighter, stiffer and more aerodynamic than the award-winning bike that it replaces.

You still get a full carbon frame and fork with different types of carbon fibre used across the bike. For example, in the headtube and down at the bottom bracket, a stiffer carbon fibre has been used to help the bike translate your power into forward motion. In other areas less stiff carbon has been used to help soak up the many road imperfections. 

Speaking of which, this bike has space for 35mm tyres and once again it ships with 32mm rubber. If you haven’t given tyres this wide a go on the road, especially if you’re in the UK, then we'd definitely recommend giving it a whirl. For training, many of the staff now prefer using 32mm tyres because they only slightly reduce speed while significantly increasing comfort. 

When it comes to geometry, the Allroad SL has a slightly more upright position which Ribble calls “all-day comfort” and says that it should be better suited to riders who aren’t doing quite the same mileage or perhaps aren’t as flexible.

This model is available in three different versions: the Enthusiast model, priced at just under £2,000 (pictured above), the Pro model at £2,999, which includes carbon deep wheels and 105 Di2, and the Sport model with Tiagra at £1,699. 

Of course, being Ribble there are not really just three options to choose from because if you head over to their website you can not only choose from loads of different colour options but also build your new bike exactly how you want it. You can choose a wheel upgrade, which saddle will suit you best and I think most importantly, you can choose different bar sizes and stem lengths, something that is often overlooked when buying a new bike.

Allroad SL R e

Finally, we have the Allroad SL R e, which is essentially an e-bike version of the Allroad SL R. It features a nearly identical frame and carbon construction, with space for 38mm tyres. Really, the only way you’d be able to tell them apart is the slightly larger down tube, or the new Mahle X20 drive system hiding in the rear wheel…or the fact this one is purple.

The main stats are a claimed range of 140 km, or up to 200 km with the optional range extender. There are 12kg models available and they deliver a healthy serving of 55Nm of torque.

What we really like about this most is that it doesn’t look like an e-bike. Ribble hasn't just thought well, if someone rides an e-bike they’re not interested in how the bike looks, or aerodynamics or how it goes around a corner. In essence, this is the same bike as the non-electric version, but with added assistance for tackling hills.

The Endurance  SLe that this replaces was launched before the e-bike boom really happened and we think that in part it’s definitely a reason why e-road bikes have risen in popularity. 

The outgoing model proved that you didn’t have to compromise a bike feeling like a road bike to have electrical assistance and was one of the first to not weigh an absolute ton. In fact we gave it a 9/10 review but you're going to have to wait a few weeks before you can read the full review of this new one.

The SLR e is once again available in three suggested builds: Sport, Enthusiast and Hero with prices starting at very competitive £3,999.

So, that’s the new Ribble Allroad range in a nutshell but we have been told to keep an eye out for a new titanium model in the near future...

For more information on any of the bikes featured check out the Ribble Cycles website and look out for our independent and unbiased reviews of all three bikes dropping soon.