Ribble Gravel SL review: Is middle of the pack a bad thing?

Today’s best Ribble Gravel SL deals (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) $1,820. 12 (opens in new tab) View (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) $2,831. 86 (opens in new tab) View (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) No price information (opens in new tab) Check Amazon (opens in new tab) Show More Deals We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices At one point, not long ago, gravel bikes were all about utility.

They were go anywhere, do anything, have an adventure type machines. Gravel races existed but they had as much to do with survival as anything else and gravel bikes were wildly experimental. These days, every time a new gravel bike hits the market, it seems to be inching closer to a road bike and gravel bike convergence.

The utility is disappearing in favour of aggressive geometry and brands often sacrifice mounting points to the aero gods. Specifications: Ribble Gravel SL Price: $4,005. 28 / €3,732.

47 / £3,299 standard $5,182. 95 / €4,829. 92 / £4,269 as tested Frame: Gravel SL Frameset Size: Medium Weight: 9.

44kg (ready to ride with 45mm tyres and tubes) Groupset: SRAM Rival XPLR Wheels: Zipp 303 S Brakes: SRAM Rival eTap AXS Direct Mount Hydraulic Bar/stem: Level 5 Carbon Integrated Flared Gravel Bar & Stem Seatpost: Ribble Gravel SL Saddle: Fizik Taiga If it sounds like I’m complaining, I am only doing it half-heartedly. I love fast gravel machines and I’m far from a retro grouch. In fact, it’s the bikes that make up our list of the best gravel race bikes that I’m drawn to.

I like to ride hard, go fast, and sleep in a comfy bed and my preference is for gravel roads instead of singletrack. Still, I want more utility and that’s why I love the idea of a bike like the Ribble Gravel SL. The Ribble Gravel SL is a fast bike that can be almost anything to anyone.

In many ways, it sounds too good to be true and it comes from a brand that many Americans aren’t familiar with. With all this in mind, I’ve taken the bike on as a long-term review. If you are curious to know what a racy, do-it-all bike is like and if this is the right choice for your riding, keep reading to see my initial thoughts.

Ribble isn’t common in the US but it offers a compelling package that’s worth consideration (Image credit: Josh Ross) Design and aesthetics The Ribble Gravel SL claims a position in the Ribble model lineup as the gravel race bike. More and more though, a bike like the Gravel SL doesn’t fit that description. When bikes like the Factor Ostro Gravel , Pinarello Grevil, and BMC Kaius 01 exist, can you really call the Gravel SL a race bike? Especially over the last few years, gravel race bike has started to mean aggressive geometry, a complete lack of mounting points, 700c, and a 2x groupset.

If you jump to the main Gravel SL ordering page, you will see right away that the Ribble offering is different. The Enthusiast level build I’m testing sits in the middle as the least expensive option that also comes with electronic shifting, courtesy of Sram Rival AXS . However, you can take your pick of six offerings and there’s no drastic difference.

The prices range from $3400/£2,799 up to $5700/£4,699 but every one of them comes with 650b wheels and a 1x drivetrain. The stock builds are only a place to start or maybe a place to check delivery times. If you can be a little more patient, Ribble allows you to customize everything about a bike right down to the paint.

I started with the Enthusiast build because the Sram Rival 1×12 groupset is what I always recommend. The 40-tooth front chainring paired with a 10-44 cassette means that while it’s not impossible to spin out on a road descent, I’ve got the climbing range I need. From there, if I was shopping for my personal bike, I would have stuck with the included 650b wheels.

I would know that I’d swap on nicer 700c wheels and the 650b would be a perfect option for occasionally getting rowdy with big 650x47mm tyres. If that doesn’t work for you, Ribble offers the Zipp 303 S as a mid-level 700c upgrade or a choice between house brand Level and Enve Foundation as upgraded 650b options. My test bike actually came with the Zipp wheels mounted with 700×45 tyres that max out the frame clearance.

From there, you can keep customising. The only other swap I wanted to make was to add the Level-branded one-piece bar and stem option. This was an opportunity to tell you if it was good or not but, for most people, one of the two aluminium bar and stem combos probably make more sense.

The one-piece bar looks nice but there are only 90mm or 110mm stems available and you are locked into a 42cm bar with every bar choice or frame size. Image 1 of 4 There’s a metallic flake in the standard orange that is striking in the sun, if you hate it you can make a change but not for free (Image credit: Josh Ross) Is this an aero detail or is the fork extended to add the fender mount? (Image credit: Josh Ross) There are actually a lot of aero details but it’s not called out as an aero bike in any of the marketing material and there are also tons of mounts (Image credit: Josh Ross) A dropped chainstay is pretty common on gravel bikes, this one is more drastic than usual (Image credit: Josh Ross) Whatever you decide though, it’s reversible. The one-piece bar and stem route the brake hose through the stem but you can reroute them.

Then, swap the dust cap at the bottom of the spacer stack, add new spacers, and you are ready for the other bar and stem choice. The fork uses a standard steerer tube and it’s the same regardless of bar choice. Just remember that if you do choose the one-piece, you will need the out-front mount for your bike computer .

Whatever choices you make in the finishing kit and components, the frame is the same throughout. Unlike Trek, which offers a somewhat similar bike in the Checkpoint and has different levels of carbon, Ribble has one frame through the range. It’s a frame that looks to land somewhere in the middle with an appeal to a wide range of users.

The geometry doesn’t match some of the newest gravel race bikes, again like the BMC Kaius 01 , with a long and low design but it hints at being playful too. There’s no massive bottom bracket drop or extra-long wheelbase. The specs for the frame fall in the middle as well.

Anyone who shook their fist at my choice of the one-piece bar and stem will be happy to see a threaded BSA bottom bracket sitting just ahead of the, now ubiquitous, asymmetrical chainstay design. It looks vaguely aero with a design that comes from the “road racing superbike, the Endurance SL R Series” but there is no specific aero claim made. The angular dropped chainstays and D-shaped seat post probably don’t hurt though.

The more interesting feature of the T1000/T800 carbon fibre monocoque frameset is all the mounts scattered around. Each side of the fork has three “carry all” mounts and there’s also a pair for a bento box on the top tube and three places to mount water bottles. You can mount a rear rack and you’ve got everything you need for full coverage fenders/mudguards.

There is a bit of a weight penalty though with a claimed 1600-gram frame weight. Image 1 of 6 The 303 S is an upgrade option available during the build and they are priced much lower than retail (Image credit: Josh Ross) Despite the level of customization available you can only choose a 42cm bar width (Image credit: Josh Ross) I’m not a huge fan of heavily flared bars but it is the style for gravel bikes (Image credit: Josh Ross) It is possible to switch out the one piece bar and stem but it does require replacing the spacers and dust cover (Image credit: Josh Ross) The fork is the same no matter what bars you go with, just reroute the brake cable (Image credit: Josh Ross) if you do get the one piece setup, make sure you also purchase the outfront mount (Image credit: Josh Ross) The build One of the most important aspects of the Ribble experience is that it comes to you the way that you order it. As such, a big part of the design discussion has to do with the choices that you make here.

You can certainly pick one of the five sizes available and take it as it comes but this is one of the things that makes a Ribble a Ribble. Take your time and get what you want. There are some limits to customization though.

The Ribble CGR SL and the Gravel SL are the same bikes but with different build options and a different fork. If you want a 2x build you’ll have to choose the CGR and give up all the mount points. If you want both 2x and braze-on mounts everywhere, you’ll need to select a frame and build it up yourself.

As long as 1x works for you, you’ve got plenty of choices. There are options covering Rival, Rival AXS and Force AXS or Shimano in both electronic and mechanical GRX . I tend to gravitate towards Sram so, as mentioned above, my build is Sram.

Ribble calls it the Enthusiast level but that same tag is actually applied to a few builds at a variety of price points. This particular example is the Sram Rival XPLR eTap AXS version with a 40-tooth chainring and a 10-44 cassette. For wheels, this bike has one of the upgraded options.

There’s nothing you might call top-shelf but you’ve got a few solid mid-range options and the Zipp 303 S was what came in my direction. The 303 S is a hookless, and tubeless compatible, carbon wheelset with a claimed weight of 1530 grams. The internal width is 23mm while the depth is 45mm and the disc brakes are a centre lock mount design.

Our review of the Zipp 303 S is glowing and Ribble prices them close to half off retail. For the cockpit, there are two no-charge options and one upgrade. You can pick either a 16-degree flared bar with a 20mm rise or a 25-degree flared aluminium bar with flat tops for no upcharge.

Stem choices will take you from 80mm to 110mm with the standard bars. Alternatively, the Level 5 Carbon Integrated Flared Gravel Bar & Stem is available for an upgrade and there are choices for 90mm or 110mm stem lengths. Confusingly though, only 42cm width is available no matter the frame size or the handlebar choice.

At the rear of the bike, the seatpost is a carbon D-shaped piece that is Ribble Gravel SL specific. It’s held in place with a binder that sinks into the top tube and there is a rubber cover to protect from water intrusion. The saddle included is the Fizik Taiga Saddle and I haven’t bothered to change it.

Should you have a preference, there is an incredibly rich range of options though, again, none of them is particularly high-end. If you want to swap for something with an oval rail, there’s an adapter you’ll need so be aware of that. Image 1 of 3 SRAM Rival AXS 1x is what I always recommend for gravel bikes (Image credit: Josh Ross) Choosing to spec a 40 tooth front is a good option that can handle higher speeds without leaving you overgeared on climbs (Image credit: Josh Ross) Unfortunately if you want to go to 2x, you will need to buy the frame and build it yourself (Image credit: Josh Ross) Performance When it comes to gravel bikes, there’s a big split between the bike I want to review and the bike I want to own.

The bike I want to review has every cool piece of tech in the world. If it’s made of carbon and integrated, I want it on the bike. If it’s new and electronic and different, sign me up.

A road bike that forgoes bar tape for the sake of aero performance is right up my alley but, sadly, the Ribble Ultra SL already got ride time under someone else. The thing about those kinds of bikes is that they are amazing to talk about. Sometimes I like the innovations and sometimes I don’t.

No matter what though, there’s something to talk about. None of these is the bike I want to own though. When it comes to the bikes I want to own, or review long-term, they are positively boring.

The Ribble Gravel SL is firmly in that category. It’s not a bike that inspires me to get poetic about carving corners. Instead, it’s a really practical bike that gets out of the way and lets me have adventures.

I don’t actually believe in forever bikes, or quiver killers, but it does touch on those ideas. One of the things that so many modern gravel bikes seem to misunderstand is the number of bikes people are willing to put up with. Very few people actually own a lot of bikes, most people have one or maybe two.

That means a fast gravel bike has to be a winter bike, an all-road bike, and a bikepacking bike and that’s exactly what the Ribble Gravel SL is. For the first bit of time with it, I slapped full fenders (mudguards) on and went out for winter training rides in the Pacific Northwest. For most people, the biggest barrier to this bike is likely the 1x-only drivetrain options.

It’s a valid concern and there should be a choice. Ribble is all about choice, so why not that one? For me though, it’s not an issue. I love 1x for off-road riding and even for road riding the Sram 1×12 gearing suits me just fine.

Real fender mounts for metal fenders turn the Ribble Gravel SL into a solid winter do-anything bike. The Ribble Gravel SL doesn’t really match what you would consider a modern gravel race bike but it’s also not as toned down as the Checkpoint (Image credit: Geometry Geeks) Next up I took the fenders off and headed to California with a pair of Hunt road bike wheels. This excursion is when the seat post binder came to my attention as an issue.

I’ve never had it slip but it is a proprietary piece that sits within the frame. There’s no reason to design something that could so easily disappear. That aside though, the bike again performed perfectly as a road bike.

Flared bars stand out in a fast road paceline but the metallic orange is a stunner in the sun. In that setting, the weight might briefly cross your mind as it is 8. 9kg in ready-to-ride form with very light Cadex gravel wheels.

Let’s be real though, that’s only heavy in the context of high-end road bikes. It climbs just fine and, when I wasn’t trying to keep up with professionals, I took my turns at the front with no issue. Don’t worry, when I got back to Oregon, I did finally take it on actual gravel.

Again though, it does what you ask it. It’s a relatively stiff frame overall but, if you aren’t spending all day on rough gravel, tyres are your best suspension. My preference is a 40mm tyre at 26psi but some of the riding I did would have benefitted from going up to a 45mm tyre.

Or, if I did that kind of riding regularly, 650×47 would make a more regular appearance. I might also play with tyres more if I regularly used the bike to bikepack. The capability is there, the frame feels stable enough and there are all the mounts I would want.

I suspect I’d want to change the gearing a bit, but otherwise, the Ribble Gravel SL would happily be a bikepacking vehicle just as it handles everything else. Image 1 of 4 An aero setup is kind of standard fair these days and this one hasn’t failed me so far (Image credit: Josh Ross) The binder is a separate piece though and that seems ripe for problems even though I haven’t had any yet (Image credit: Josh Ross) The seatpost is proprietary and only a 5mm setback is available but there is an adapter for oval rails (Image credit: Josh Ross) You get a ton of saddle choices but this Fizik has served me well enough to stay put (Image credit: Josh Ross) Value A lot of Americans are suddenly thinking about Ribble because there is a reputation for value. When you drill down to the details though, it’s not that clear cut.

Instead, as with almost everything about the Ribble Gravel SL, it sits kind of in the middle as far as value goes. There are a lot of similarities with the Salsa Warbird but the brand is an outlier on price. Frame price is very similar but a full Rival AXS build positions the Warbird as a much more expensive proposition with no clear advantage.

Perhaps the carbon layup is enough to make a case for the price discrepancy but I haven’t tested it and it’s a big jump. Image 1 of 3 A big part of what sets the tone of the Ribble Gravel SL are the plentiful mounts that give options (Image credit: Josh Ross) There are fender/mudguard mounts for the winter (Image credit: Josh Ross) And even gravel races often benefit from a third bottle mount (Image credit: Josh Ross) Trek is probably the closest competitor that you’d want to consider. The Trek Checkpoint SL 6 AXS offers all the same mounts and the same tyre clearance options.

The Trek though has storage in the frame, the IsoSpeed decoupler for extra compliance at the rear, and plastic protection for the downtube all for about the same price. It’s also a bit longer in the wheelbase making it a little more stable but even less exciting to ride. The difference is close enough though that you should let your timing and ability to customize be a guide.

Even things like aesthetics are worth consideration given how close the two are and if you have a Trek store near you, that could be a decider. Then there’s Canyon. Ribble and Canyon are both direct-to-consumer so the comparison makes sense but the Canyon Grail isn’t the same kind of bike.

At the higher end, there’s a proprietary handlebar that is exactly the kind of thing many people want to avoid. There are also no mounts on the fork, only two bottle mounts, and the fender mount isn’t standard. Depending on the frame you might get more tyre clearance but the other reason you might consider Canyon is the low-end options.

There is a very compelling aluminium frame build that comes in much cheaper. Image 1 of 2 More and more, press fit bottom brackets seem to be fading away (Image credit: Josh Ross) There are a few places with frame protection from the factory and while it’s a small thing it’s a nice detail (Image credit: Josh Ross) Verdict In the time I’ve spent with the Ribble Gravel SL so far, the only thing that has been an annoyance is the handlebar and stem setup. It’s my fault that I have the one-piece cockpit but that’s not actually the issue.

The one-piece cockpit would have been a fine companion so far but it’s too wide. I prefer a 40mm width or my shoulders ache after a while. The more unfortunate issue is that 40mm isn’t even that narrow and none of the bars offer adequate choice.

I like the bars well enough but unless you are certain that 42cm is perfect for you, make a cheaper choice and then swap them out yourself. The bigger question is why a brand that lets you customise almost everything only has one bar width choice. Other than that, think about what you want in a bike.

There was a time in my riding career when the bike I wanted to own was the most exciting bike on the market. At a certain point, I started getting slower and what I wanted in a bike became about what it could allow me to do. The Ribble Gravel SL is not all that exciting to ride but it will also never hold me back.

If I decide at some point I want to do some bikepacking, it has the mounts I need. If I want to use it for a winter road bike then it’s got fender/mudguard mounts. It will even do just fine as a road bike although you will either need to build it yourself from a frame or accept a 1x drivetrain on the road.

If you actually want to use it as a gravel bike, it’s solid as the handling is predictable and there is room to play with tyre choice. For a lot of people, that’s an ideal bike. Swipe to scroll horizontally Testing scorecard and notes Attributes Notes Rating Design and aesthetics For colour you only get a single choice without paying more.

I’m a big fan, you might not be but that is similar to Trek so it’s hard to complain. As far as the actual shape it’s an aero look and I’m a fan. 8/10 Build You can customize things a lot but there are also weird limitations.

At a bare minimum there needs to be more options for handlebar width. Pricing for what you get is favourable though and even upgrade pricing is better than buying separately. 7/10 Performance A solid B at doing a lot of things.

No standout details but also no major detractors. 8/10 Weight Once again, a solid B. It’s not a standout but it matches the weight of the competition.

8/10 Value There’s a theme, price wise this is mid-level performance again that’s better than some and worse than others. Value is sometimes more than price though and the ability to do so much definitely adds value. 9/10 Overall rating Row 5 – Cell 1 80% Today’s best Ribble Gravel SL deals (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) $1,820.

12 (opens in new tab) View (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) $2,831. 86 (opens in new tab) View (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) No price information (opens in new tab) Check Amazon (opens in new tab) Show More Deals We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices.