Ribble Endurance SL Disc

Ribble's Endurance SL Disc is one bike that I'd happily ride and race all year round. It handles well, remains composed over broken tarmac, climbs quickly, and can hold its speed on the flat too. The customisable spec makes this an easy bike to get right for your riding aims and budget.

• Pros: Bike Builder; same frame features as the SL R; fast yet comfortable
• Cons: Quite aggressive for 'endurance'; weight penalty over R version

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Ride

Considering the cost-saving over the Endurance SL R range, I was expecting more of a performance loss from the SL. It's simply not the case. This is a fast road bike that is pretty well suited to tackling long miles and challenging routes.

As David found when he reviewed the Endurance SL R, this isn't your typical mile-eating sofa of a bike. The ride is smooth, but the geometry is aggressive. Ribble's aim was to make a race bike that would get you to the final climb or sprint to the line in the freshest shape possible. That's where the name comes from.

That aggressive geometry can be seen in how long and low the Endurance SL is. The geometry is identical to the SL R version, so the medium we've got here has a 541mm stack, 390mm reach, 997 wheelbase, 150mm head tube and a 72.5-degree head angle. It's squatter than Canyon's medium Ultimate CF SL Disc and just 1mm shorter in reach, though the slightly longer head tube suggests Ribble is going towards the comfort end of the race spectrum.

Enough numbers. The ride on my local lanes was a great mix of comfort and speed. Out on the flats just south of the Mendips, the Endurance SL was very composed over the broken tarmac. This isn't the nippiest bike that I've ever ridden, but when cruising through the lanes and pushing the pace on group rides, I was happy to lose a little speed out of slow corners in favour of the way this easily holds its speed above 20mph.

Trying to accelerate hard out of slower corners was the only time that I could feel a distinct difference between this and the SL R model that I also got a bit of time on, prior to testing the SL. I believe most of that was down to the wheelset difference – the SL R was rolling on stiffer and lighter Zipp 302 carbon wheels than the Mavic Ksyrium Elites on the SL. The Zipp 302s just felt nippier out of the corners. Once up to speed, though, with the stiffness around the bottom bracket and front end, combined with the surefooted nature of the bike, the SL was very responsive in a fast sprint.

Ribble's own D-shaped seatpost provides a lot of the comfort in the rear end and, working in conjunction with the dropped seatstays, gives ample comfort for long Sunday rides. For further comfort gains, there is space front and rear for going wider than the 28mm tyres fitted, though Ribble's recommended maximum width is 28mm.

I was equally happy to race this bike, take it on faster club runs and head out on general rides on it. The handling is a mix that will suit pretty much everything bar crit racing. It's just a bit on the stable side for the tight circuits, though push this through fast-flowing bends out of the road and that predictability is perfect for inspiring confidence.

Groupset

Shimano's Ultegra R8000 groupset is perfect if you're looking for the best balance of performance and money – a step up from 105 but not as expensive as Dura-Ace. The shifting is snappy and has remained accurate over the test period, and braking is fabulous. There's loads of power should you need it, but the modulation is the key factor. While riding in the rain, on slick roads, it was easy to feather the brakes and I never found issues with locking up.

The compact chainset and 11-30T cassette create a very easy climbing gear with enough speed on the flats for faster group rides.

The threaded bottom bracket is a sensible feature that I'm glad to see; these are generally more reliable than press-fit and then much easier to replace if they wear out. I've had pure, blissful silence from this one so far, and it's been through some really shoddy weather.

While the shifters are a nicer shape than the SRAM equivalent, they still feel a little large to me. Despite the chunky size, I liked using them. They provide a positive click when changing up and down the block.

If you're not too fussed about weight and looking to use this bike more for general riding than racing, I'd suggest saving a bit of money and going for 105. These days, the difference is mostly found in the weight figures and even that isn't huge.

Wheels/tyres

The Mavic Ksyrium Elite Disc hoops aren't the speediest wheels I've ever ridden, but they support the 28mm Continental GP5000 tyres well and the pairing offers good comfort on broken roads. If you were doing a bit more racing, a wheel upgrade to Ribble's carbon Level 40DB wheels would be a good use of £250.

That said, for the general riding, group rides and sportives that I did on this bike, the low-profile rims on the Ksyriums were a great option given how windy it has been lately.

Finishing kit

The Level 3 Aero bar is a comfortable option that feels great in the hands. The 125mm reach and 80mm drop make the drops very accessible and I was happy to spend long periods of my ride here, especially when trying to hide from a headwind. The carbon construction seems to offer a good mix of stiffness and comfort, though I'd say it leans towards the former: hard efforts out of the saddle brought no discernible flex, whether on the hoods or in the drops.

While the aero top section might be marginally faster if not wrapped in tape, most of us will see more of a benefit from resting hands on the tops while climbing and cruising on the flats. I would be quick to change out the tape. It's a standard cork tape and I much prefer the grip and padding from Lizard Skins DSP.

The Level carbon stem is an upgrade that I could live without. It's a carbon-wrapped alloy stem that works without fuss and feels fine, being stiff enough without being harsh, but the 10g weight saving isn't enough to persuade me to part with an extra £50; I'd be more inclined to save for the integrated bar/stem. If you could stretch to the £280 for that then I'd suggest going for it. It allows you to hide all of the cabling, mechanical, hydraulic and electronic, inside the frame for the cable's entire length. It's an upgrade that really adds impressive aesthetics and also a slight aero advantage.

Ribble's seatpost offers a decent platform for your saddle. The D-shape design is meant to be a little bit aero while also being a little forgiving. Over broken tarmac, I was impressed by the lack of road buzz coming through the saddle, though comfort at the rear end is a combination of tyre size/pressure, wheels, seatstays, seatpost and saddle. All that I can say here is that I had no issues with slipping or harshness.

Frame

Ribble has used a full EPS construction method for the frame. It's a pretty standard method these days, where the T800 and T1000 carbon is laid up around a mould. The frame is then cured using high temperatures before the mould is removed. This is designed to leave a smooth internal finish with no excess material. From what I can see around the seat tube, headset and bottom bracket openings, the manufacturer has created a tidily finished frameset.

To keep costs down over the SL R, Ribble has used more T800 carbon, a lower grade than the T1000. This, combined with a threaded aluminium BB insert, increases the weight by about 300g. For me, it doesn't detract from what is a great bike to ride. In fact, 300g is fine by me when the benefit is a threaded BB. Without boring you with tales of my press-fit BB woes, threaded bottom bracket units are much more simple to fit, generally, require less maintenance, and are much easier to swap out when they wear out.

The aero tube design creates forced flow separation for drag and weight reduction. Well, that's what Ribble claims. We have no way to verify that. The claim is '28.5% less drag than the R872' which, if true, is a big saving.

Away from aero data, things that I can verify are the touches that will mostly go unnoticed until they are needed. These are the considerations that make this a brilliant bike in my eyes, and the things that will make living with it very easy.

The first is the silence. I'm yet to hear any annoying rattles from inside the frame. For my sanity, peace and quiet here are essential. The cable routing is also easy to access, which should make maintenance easy.

The second is having cleverly hidden mudguard eyelets. Along with the detachable brake bridge on the seatstays, these make it possible to run full-length mudguards, turning this into a very nice winter bike when the weather gets nasty.

Value

The Endurance name is slightly misleading and I'd say that this would compare well to Canyon's Ultimate CF SL Disc 8.0. It, too, is an aero-optimised bike that climbs well. At £2,349, it is cheaper than the Ribble, but the Ultimate doesn't have the ability to hide all the cables internally like the Ribble does.

The Ribble is cheaper than the BMC Roadmachine 02 Two, though, at £3,300.

> Buyer's Guide: 10 of the best Shimano Ultegra-equipped road bikes

Value is slightly hard to judge here, given the ability for each rider to customise their build through Ribble's Bike Builder. The list of options is really extensive, including custom paint, your choice of wheels/tyres, and loads of other little bits. If buying from a British brand matters to you, then you can throw that into the mix too.

All in, I'd say that you're getting a very good bike for your money.

Conclusion

While the Ribble Endurance SL Disc is slightly heavier than the all-out race-spec SL R, I'd happily use it for everything from long winter miles right through to full-gas road races. The frame offers more speed than comfort, but this is still an easy bike to ride long miles on broken lanes and the small touches will make it easy to live with in the long run.

Verdict

Fast, pretty comfortable and great features for year-round riding