Ribble’s long-running Endurance bike line has been replaced by the new Allroad range, whose design takes inspiration from the cutting-edge Ribble Ultra SLR aero road bike.
The British brand tells us that the new Allroad line is the result of three years of R&D and real-world testing.
The idea behind the new platform was to take the lessons learned and the engineering achievements of the Ultra SLR and implement that technology into a bike with the more relaxed geometry of endurance bikes, while at the same time promising all-day comfort on a variety of surfaces and year-round usability.
The Allroad platform consists of three models: the Allroad SL, Allroad SL R and Allroad SL R e.
Although the silhouette of each model looks similar, there are clear differences between the bikes.
Allroad SL-R
The top-of-the-range Allroad SL R has a deep, aerodynamic seat tube with a recess for the rear wheel, giving the SL R (for road use) generous tire clearance of 38mm.
On top sits an aero seatpost, which resembles a scaled-down version of the Ultra’s deep aero shape.
The SL R’s down tube is aerodynamically shaped to cut through the air and conceal the down tube-mounted water bottle, creating a smoother airflow.
Ribble have also taken advantage of the increased volume of the down tube by creating storage space.
Inside the storage port you will find a special bag system designed and manufactured by the British company Restrap.
Up front, the SL R gets a new handlebar, the UB-2 (Ultra Bar 2). This bar features the wild shape of the Ultra SLR bars, with its patented airflow-disrupting wake generators and sculpted drops, along with direct brake lever mounts.
Unlike the Ultra SLR handlebar, however, this bar is separate from the stem, giving allroad riders more choice to mix and match stem and bar widths using Ribble’s online bike builder.
Like the Ultra SL R, the tops of the bars are too rounded to wrap with bar tape. Wrapping the drops is optional, and there’s a grippy surface to keep your hands from sliding around if you decide to go tape-free.
The SL R is made from a mix of Toray T1000 carbon and M46 fibers, which Ribble claims offers the best combination of stiffness and compliance where needed, while keeping the weight low.
All told, the top-spec ‘Hero’ build (as pictured) is claimed to weigh 7.5kg in a size medium. Our size XL (roughly equivalent to a size 58cm) test bike weighs 8.43kg.
The SL R model starts at £2,999 for the Shimano 105 R7100 model with Mavic Aksium wheels and an alloy handlebar, while the Hero model is available with Dura-Ace Di2 R9200, Zipp’s 353 NSW wheels and UB-2 carbon handlebars.
The Hero model costs £8,299, which is impressive value compared to similarly specced bikes. For example, Specialized’s S-Works Roubaix SL8 with SRAM Red AXS costs £12,000.
Trek’s Domane SLR 9 Gen 4 (with Dura-Ace Di2) costs £10,800, and Giant’s Defy Advanced SL 0 with Red AXS costs £11,499.
Allroad SL R e
The electric bike version of the Allroad design is based on the SL R model and its carbon construction and features Mahle’s compact X20 rear hub motor system.
This is powered by a 350Wh battery that is enclosed in the aerodynamically optimized down tube. Of course, the storage space is skipped and instead of getting narrower under the bottle cages, it remains wide.
That said, it’s hard to tell the SL RE is an e-bike. Its silhouette is similar to electric road bikes like BMC’s Roadmachine AMP , Wilier’s Filante SLR Hybrid , and Scott’s Addict eRide .
Like the SL R, this electric version has generous 38mm tire clearance and full mudguards.
The Pro and Hero models are equipped with the same UB-2 aero handlebars.
The Hero model is equipped with Mavic’s Cosmic SL 45 wheelset and UB-2 handlebars.
The Allroad SL e-range starts with a Shimano 105 R7100 model with Mavic Allroad alloy wheels for £3,999, and runs up to the Hero model for £8,499.
We got our hands on the Pro model, with Ultegra Di2 R8100 and Mavic Cosmic SL 45 wheels. It weighs in at 12.27kg (size XL) and costs £5,999.
Ribble claims a range of up to 140km with the internal battery, which can be increased to over 200km with a range extender.
Get started in Allroad aero with the SL
The Allroad SL frame has the same geometry as the SL R, but does not feature the aerodynamic seat tube and seat post, but a standard round 27.2 mm seat post.
The round seat tube tapers to a point, offering 35mm of tire clearance (3mm less than the SL R).
Like the SL R, it has the same bottle-shielding downtube shape, but lacks the storage compartment.
The carbon layup has also been modified and now consists of a mix of Toray T1000 and T800 fibers.
Ribble claims a weight of 8.8kg for a size medium Pro build (Shimano 105 Di2 R7100 and Mavic Cosmic S 42 carbon wheels). Our size XL Pro build tipped the scales at 9.18kg.
All new Allroads are available now, with a range of options to tailor the specification using Ribble’s online configurator. There are also options for a bespoke finish available through Ribble’s CustomColour programme.