Decent road bike?

[anonymous-user]

Steve vRS said:

It's much more fun riding in the open as well. You see the country and the differing terrain makes your training infinitely more rewarding than plugging away on rollers.

Steve

last night was amusing, rain and cross winds, i dont mind that but then the epic race against the fading day light to get home without being a bonnet mascot was a bit too much, when i got back i must admit, i did a quick search online for rollers or a trainer...

[thiscocks]

pablo said:

last night was amusing, rain and cross winds, i dont mind that but then the epic race against the fading day light to get home without being a bonnet mascot was a bit too much, when i got back i must admit, i did a quick search online for rollers or a trainer...

surley easier just to buy some lights?

Remember when I bought my first racing bike from Ribble in Preston (when they had a shop), certainly was nice wheeling it out. I think the fact that that bike was so reliable bacause it had decent stuff on it (Campag mirage circa 2003), good wheels (mavic ma3 on mirage hubs-bomb proof) kept me intersted in cycling. If it needed fixing when I was cycling just intermittently back then it would have probably have just sat in my garage for years...

[Dixie]

Certainly worth getting out on the roads. I'm desperately trying to make the most of any decent weather we have left.

I did actually dribble today as well :S

[chris watton]

OK, I had an email saying that Ribble aren't starting to build my bike until the end of November. this is a bit of a shock, as I thought it would be about two weeks max. I asked if they could move the build date up a little, I got a snotty email back, with the punchline - "I can cancel the order on your say so"

Now, I realise they are busy, and I am being impatient - but the impression I got was that I am lucky they are building me a bike at all!

Is that Moda Bolero Road Race Bike as good as the Ribble bike? If yes, I may cancel the Ribble build and buy the alternative. Or should I just be more patient and less child-like...

[okgo]

They're fking tts and don't deserve the business. I had similar when I bought from them.

[okgo]

I always found the slating them on twitter with their handle included got the desired response. fk em.

[shouldbworking]

Certainly they were far from rapid in producing my bike when I ordered it. At the time there wasn't as much quality competition as there is now.

[TKF]

I've heard mixed reports about Ribble.

When they are good they are fine. But when they are bad they are terrible and there are a lot of bitter people around with similar experiences.

It seems the customer service leaves a lot to be desired when things go awry.

[chris watton]

I'm not bitter as such, it's just that I think they ought to put some warning on their website about lead times, if they know they are busy. The email I received back does grate slightly. I put in a £1000 order (all in), which is quite a lot of money to me, but the impression I get (rightly or wrongly) is that Ribble couldn't care less if I ordered the bike and accessories or not, perhaps even a slight sense of arrogance!

That’s why I asked if the Bolero Road Race Bike is a good equivalent, as I am now tempted to take them up on their offer of cancelling my order and going with that.

[Roman]

The Moda is better.

I had no trouble ordering my Ribble Gran Fondo but I wasn't in a hurry. It's the compromise you have to make to get a custom build at a keen price as opposed to an 'off the peg' bike in stock.

Did I mention get the Moda?

[anonymous-user]

thiscocks said:

pablo said:

last night was amusing, rain and cross winds, i dont mind that but then the epic race against the fading day light to get home without being a bonnet mascot was a bit too much, when i got back i must admit, i did a quick search online for rollers or a trainer...

surley easier just to buy some lights?

I'm sure like me, you have roads near you which you wouldnt ride at night regardless of the size and quantity of lights you had fitted to your bike/person. Its just one of those best avoided in winter rather than risking.

as for the Moda Bolero, yes its a nice bike and comparable to the Ribble, the weheelset in particular is fantastic. just check its fitted with eyelets for guards etc.

[chris watton]

Have now cancelled the Ribble order and have now ordered the Moda Bolero instead.

I guess I can always change the gear set at a later date if I want...

[Roman]

chris watton said:

Have now cancelled the Ribble order and have now ordered the Moda Bolero instead.

I guess I can always change the gear set at a later date if I want...

Easy to just replace the shifters with 105 if you don't like them - or even just buy an additional wider ratio cassette.

The Bolero has a lighter frame, forks, wheels (all pricey to upgrade) and also tyres. You'll feel the benefit on every climb.

[TKF]

chris watton said:

I'm not bitter as such

Bitter is perhaps the wrong word. Annoyed is probably a fairer representation.

But your experience is not unusual across various fora and you'd think a predominantly web based company would be one that thrives on reputation. Their customer service and attitude seems very old school.

[chris watton]

Roman said:

Easy to just replace the shifters with 105 if you don't like them - or even just buy an additional wider ratio cassette.

The Bolero has a lighter frame, forks, wheels (all pricey to upgrade) and also tyres. You'll feel the benefit on every climb.

I realise this now (knew next to nothing about bikes before this thread - I love Pistonheads!), that the frame, forks and wheels are important and the most costly - so if this combination is more or less correct from the start, the rest can be treated as 'add on' or 'modular' parts, and chopped and changed to suit a particular riding style.

TKF said:

Bitter is perhaps the wrong word. Annoyed is probably a fairer representation.

But your experience is not unusual across various fora and you'd think a predominantly web based company would be one that thrives on reputation. Their customer service and attitude seems very old school.

Yes, I guess I was 'annoyed' with the attitude, real or perceived - kind of like I should be honoured for the great Ribble building me a bike at all. As other's have mentioned, there are plenty of other viable options now....

[chris watton]

Would you believe it!

After cancelling my Ribble order and placing an order for the Moda bike, I get a phone call half an hour later saying that all those Bolero bikes are now sold!

However, I was told that I could get a good deal on this bike, which is due in within the next 7-10 days, which I have accepted:

http://www.eurobike.uk.com/details.aspx?p=375

Haven't had much luck, really......

[Vocal Minority]

That is pretty....

[mcelliott]

Bad luck on the bikes, my advice would be to get onto Wiggle - they must have tonnes of bikes there for the budget you've got, and they can get a fully built bike, I imagine, to you within 2 - 3 days.

[Roman]

chris watton said:

Would you believe it!

After cancelling my Ribble order and placing an order for the Moda bike, I get a phone call half an hour later saying that all those Bolero bikes are now sold!

However, I was told that I could get a good deal on this bike, which is due in within the next 7-10 days, which I have accepted:

http://www.eurobike.uk.com/details.aspx?p=375

Haven't had much luck, really......

Wow - that's a seriously nice looking bike! Looks like it could be the same frame as the Stretto which gets rave reviews and you may be able to get some race blade mudguards to fit if you want to.

[chris watton]

Finally, my Moda Bolero arrived today - it is a thing of beauty, and so light!

My first bike since I was 16 - better get training on those rollers........