Ribble 7046 Review

Ribble Cycles has been going for years. I remember being an excited teenager in the early nineties waiting for the A4 black and white catalogue through the post and then getting the subsequent box of ordered parts after. Ribble was arguably one of the first mail order bike companies focusing on the biking community which back then was a fairly small market compared to that of today. Ribble was the staple of many a cycling club with many Ribbles being ridden and raced all year round. I lost count how many our club had amongst its ranks.

Ribble, was perhaps the Ford of the bike world making good value bikes with options of colour and tubing available to suit almost every need. They did a range of time trial bikes (anyone remember 90s TT bikes?) of varying shapes and typical 90s paint schemes.

When the opportunity arose to buy a road bike after years on a mountain bike, the first place I looked was the Ribble site (the catalogues, thankfully long gone). The current bike range is comprehensive, with entry level frames like the 7005 and the 7046 starting at about £250 and moving up to the full carbon bike such at the Gran Fondo and the R872 - both look incredible and has good reviews from both the Press and owners.

Not wanting a carbon bike, as I wasn't sure at the time how much I would use it and after much research and phone calls to them, I chose a 7046 sportive with a curved top tube and carbon forks (they did a straight top tube also). For some strange reason, Ribble don't package the frame and forks together, but you can't buy one without the other so it cost just £300 which wasn't a bad deal at the time. I have not seen any widespread discounting on frames when compared to the likes of Planet X - it's more so on complete bikes, although they do list clearance bikes and frames via a PDF on their website.

Delivery was quick and having ordered handlebars, a headset and a stem, I was ready to build it having previously taken the parts of another bike. Despite being on the market for a number of years, I was really impressed by the quality and shape of the frame. Instead, of uninspiring cylindrical tubes on some new frames, the 7046 incorporates a lovely shaped curved top tube and a triangular down tube - nice touches. The geometry is short leaving little clearance but room enough for 25mm tyres at a push. The frame, I am told the frame is about 1800 grams which I guess is mid-weight. It also came with standard stuff such as barrel adjusters and bottle cage bolts. The paint design looks a little dated but I'm being fussy.

On the road, the bike feels rigid and you are able to get the power down with little effort. Finding a comfortable position is fairly easy and apart from the characteristic buzz through the allow frame, it's fairly comfortable having done a few long rides. Following a frame upgrade, I have converted the 7046 into a winter bike adorned with Shimano Tiagra, Shimano R500 wheels and mudguards. It handles the daily hammering well and still looks good despite the weather. I must point out due to the lack of clearance, mudguards can fitted, but it's a very tight fit and requires a large degree of patience and time.

7046s on the second hand market appear to be unloved with many being had for little money. I genuinely think this is a very underrated frame and with the winter just around the corner, could make a very sensible investment.

The joys of commuting

Over the last 6 months, I have taken up commuting to work on the bike. This is not a bombshell, millions of people around the country do this every day. For me, the car was the transport of choice to travel to and from work and cycling after work and at weekends. It wasn't until I quickly realised how much money I was spending on fuel each week and other costs triggered by the commute that pushed me to use the bike as much as I could. I am only 6 miles away from work and have access to a shower, so I have no excuse not to.

The main expense is the bike - using the ‘best’ bike everyday just isn’t an option. The route I take is over a multitude of surfaces (some akin to the surface of the moon) which would reduce the life of most road bikes. The bike of choice at the time was a family-owned from new, a 1987 Peugeot Ranger mountain bike, complete with cantilever brakes, a rack and made from scaffolding - weighing, no exaggeration - about 30kgs fully loaded. Riding it takes some getting used to; handling needs careful planning, the brakes are….well... they are on the bike, they’re just not effective and due to its sheer bulk, turns slight inclines into the Pyrenees. Luckily, the route is fairly flat otherwise it would take a calendar to record the time taken to get to work. 



1987 Peugeot Ranger - the stuff of dreams

However, this didn’t matter, I was riding to work each day and saving money and getting fit at the same time. My route mixed tarmac, bridleway and cycle lanes and apart from the bike requiring a near wheel after about a month after the axle snapped, the bike has been spot on. The cost of running the car each week has halved (I still need to use it for work occasionally) and I generally feel better from de-stressing from work on the way home. I try and increase my weekly commute just to get some more miles in, to prepare for longer weekend rides with friends. 

To help make the ride more interesting, I try and use it as a training run making it my aim to catch other commuters in the distance, racing people at the lights and to trying to hold off other riders from overtaking - seeing people’s faces whilst overtaking them on a near 30 year old retro jalopy makes this worth the additional effort. I have failed miserably at ‘just’ riding gently to work, despite my best intentions, I just can’t do it. It’s full speed and nothing less will do. Watching people’s faces whilst overtaking them on a near 30 year old mountain bike complete with panniers is worth the additional effort - albeit, it’s usually short lived come the uphills.

Since commuting more, I’ve now built a dedicated winter road bike and the old Peugeot has been consigned to the shed only being ridden to the pub (it makes an excellent pub bike) or to the shops. The road bike is better in every way, it’s quicker, takes less effort and I can use it for weekends. I’ve bought new cold weather gear to keep my warm this winter and a myriad of reflective tape to ensure that I am seen and I’ve now committed to ride as much as I can over the colder months. I hoping that I won’t be tempted to jump in the car each morning.

I would really recommend commuting to work wherever possible. Obviously, if you live in Bristol but work in London then, of course, this will be difficult. However, just use your bike more - it’s free! In addition, give a nod to the people who commute on their bikes, their commitment to the daily commute takes traffic off the roads, reduces pollution and takes a small burden off the NHS by being healthier. It really couldn’t be simpler or easier.

Campagnolo vs Shimano vs Sram - is one better than the other?

Ok, I expect to get some comments here. This debate has raged on for years and will no doubt continue. It shouldn't matter; it's like comparing a Ford to a Vauxhall, an Iphone to a Samsung. I'll be upfront, I am a Campag man, having bought my first Veloce chainset in the mid nineties when I competed as a teenager. It was a pretty sexy piece of kit and it got me hooked to the brand. Campag is full of Italian charm and more exclusive than other brands on the market.

As plans allowed me to start the build of a new road bike, of course I was going to buy Campag. I bought mostly Centaur, the mid-level spec and then bought some Chorus skeleton brake calipers, which are beautiful. Little things like the Campag Ergo levers which are the same shape throughout the range, whether you go with the entry level Veloce or the exquisite Super Record levers, they will fit into the hand superbly. Shimano on the other hand is different, each level is different and upgrading might mean you have to sacrifice comfort if you don't like the feel of them.

In addition, Campy have always employed internal cable routing as this always looks better. Shimano of old and now anything below 105 unattractively have the gear cables exiting at right angles out of the levers. There's an old adage; 'Campagnolo wears in, Shimano wears out'. Arguably, there is evidence of this. I once bought a late nineties Ambrosio bike furnished with first generation Chorus. Every component looked brand new and worked seamlessly, I stripped the bike, sold the hideous frame (it was horrible) and used the components for a further 2 years without problems. Incredible stuff.

There is also something of a following in older Campag kit. Due to the longevity of the brand, Campag parts can be bought and sold at high prices so you could argue it's a better investment than Shimano. To give an example, a set of late 80's Delta brake calipers can be bought for no less than £175-200, second hand full groupsets can also go for top money.

A couple of months ago, I wanted to build a winter bike to commute with and cost was a big consideration. I initially looked for a second hand Campy groupset, Veloce/Centaur etc. After some time looking, I couldn't find one for sensible money, even incomplete sets were going for mega money. After some sleepless nights, I managed to buy a full Shimano Tiagra groupset for a little over £100. I am not great at compromise and I had a twinge of guilt for even looking at another maker. I didn't like the shape of the levers.

However. And this is a big however....I'm going to have to eat my words....The groupset works unbelievably well. It's super smooth, quiet and very easy to work on. Ironically, the brake levers even if they don't look attractive, are really comfortable. The brakes are spot on and light to use. I love it.

What does the future look like for Campagnolo?

Shimano are dominant team suppliers in the Tour de France. In 2015, out of 22 teams only 4 used Campagnolo groupsets. Shimano Dura Ace seemingly being preferred by most teams. It seems to me that Campag will have to keep up with the pack, I understand that they are designing disc brake components in response to demand from bike manufacturers and racing teams in preparation for the imminent transition for future racing tours - they have been slow in the uptake of disc brakes on road bikes, whereas the brands have been doing this for sometime. Campag have been making changes in their manufacturing, moving processes from Italy to other less expensive countries.

To answer my own question as to whether any brand is better...I am going to sit on the fence, there's no real answer. It's mostly down to personal preference and what you can afford...although Campag does look better.

Planet X Pro Carbon review

Since getting back into road cycling after a number of years mountain biking (which I still do), after some deliberation, I have bought my first carbon frame. I was very happy with the alloy Ribble I already have, it's a cracking bike but having read comments about how well carbon bikes ride and with the added benefit of their lightness I set forth and started looking for a reasonably priced mid level frame.

Cue, a Planet X Pro Carbon. Reviews were positive and the price was extremely good so I ordered one in medium and in white. Planet X charge more for different colours (up to 25% more for the matt black) which does look great but I couldn't justify an extra £100 on the colour - white looks fine.

Delivery from Planet X is swift with it arriving the next day. A word of warning; the frame as I bought does not come with 'standard' stuff such as bottle cage bolts or seat post clamp - doesn't even come with gear barrel adjusters! Obviously, you'll need a fork bung for the carbon steerer tube and maybe a headset but it's not a great deal more money. Overall, it's outstanding value for money.

Bring on the Pro carbon

So the bike...

Building it up was pretty straight forward as I had all the parts coming from my Ribble. I invested in a torque wrench, essential with working with carbon. It simply takes the butt-clenching out of tightening bolts such as the front mech. The overall quality of the frame looks promising and it's comparatively light. There is also room for 25mm tyres which will make the ride much more comfortable, although I'm on 23mms.

I ordered the medium and it's certainly compact, to the extent that it's an awkward task to remove the seat tube water bottle (on the small frame, there are no room for the bottle cage). Getting the right size can be confusing but use the size guide provided by the Planet X. Once built up the bike looks good, it's got a fairly short wheelbase but there's room for certain types of mudguard if you are planning to ride in Winter.

On the road, the bike is instantly more reactive to short, sharp accelerations and it's very willing to transmit the power to the road. Some people say that the Pro Carbons have a tendency of rear flex. I haven't noticed this, maybe due to the more rigid smaller frames perhaps. The steering is quick due to the front end geometry, which in theory is a benefit. However, I feel it makes the steering very twitchy which takes a while to get used to.  As with most carbon bikes, it soaks up vibrations well and certainly reduces the frantic buzziness that can plague alloy bikes. This is a welcome characteristic as I always had to endure this on other alloy frames I have had.

The bike climbs well and I have been smashing my PBs on some of my regular training routes. This maybe the placebo effect of having a carbon frame but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.... for now.

More reviews on the Planet X over the coming months.