Welcome to new bike gear silly season: the time of year preceding the Tour de France when, seemingly all at once, the entire bike industry launches its latest new stuff.
Today’s episode comes courtesy of British bike brand Ribble, hot on the heels of SRAM Force, SRAM Rival, Cervelo’s new Aspero-5, and a host of others in the past week.
Something tells me we’re only just getting started, too. Especially since my recent trip to Emporia unearthed eight as-yet-unreleased bikes at Unbound, and that’s before we get to the crazy Factor prototype and Cervelo S5 my colleague Will spotted over at the Dauphiné last week. Oh, and I’m writing this story from an airport en route to Italy for the press launch of two more!
In an enjoyably efficient move, Ribble has chosen to launch two bikes at once today, named the Ultra-Grit and the Allgrit, respectively.
Ribble Ultra-Grit gravel race bike
Starting with the Ultra-Grit, anyone who followed our Unbound coverage will probably recognise the above images, as they featured in part one of our tech gallery from the race.
Courtesy of the Ribble Outliers pro team, namely their very accommodating – not to mention immensely talented – rider, Ben Thomas, I was able to spend some time with the bike before the race.
It has clear race-ready intentions, hence its pre-launch debut at the world’s biggest gravel race, and is a modern take on what a gravel race bike looks like, with an aerodynamic inclination, decent tyre clearance, and an attention to rear-end compliance.
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The model comes in two forms. The ‘Ultra Grit’ and then a ‘Team Edition’. Its headline figures include a sub-900g frame, which is made using T1000 and M46 carbon fibres complete with an asymmetric seat tube for compliance, aerodynamic tubes, and integrated cable routing.
It also boasts 50mm tyre clearance at the rear, with 53mm up front when using the standard rigid fork.
The bike is compatible with Rockshox’s Rudy gravel fork too, for a £300 upcharge (international pricing tbc).
The bike also comes with integrated downtube storage hidden beneath the bottle cage, and fittings for mudguards, as well as extra mounting points on the top of the top tube and the underside of the down tube.
The Ultra Grit is available in four build specs, all using SRAM groupsets. Starting at Apex level, the bike comes with DT Swiss GR1800 wheels, a separate alloy bar-stem combo, and the price is £2,599.
Stepping up to SRAM Rival, and the remaining spec stays the same, with a small price hike to £3,099.
At £4,399, you can step up to SRAM Force XPLR – launched today – complete with Vision SC45 wheels and an integrated one-piece cockpit.
At the top of the range, the SRAM Red XPLR build comes with the Zipp 303 XPLR (not the SW version) wheels for a total of £7,499.
All builds are specced with 45mm Schwalbe G-One R tyres, and Ribble’s famed custom build functionality allows you to adjust spec before you hit the buy button online. For example, The 303 XPLR SW wheels are available as an upgrade, alongside different cockpits, saddles, and various accessories, although the prices are unconfirmed.
The Team Edition model is available only in the top-tier SRAM Red XPLR spec, in the fetching Ribble Outliers pink and purple colourway.
Ribble Allgrit: The gravel bike(s) for the masses
I mentioned above that this was two bike launches in one, but it could just as easily be argued that this is actually five new bikes, since the Allgrit is being launched here in both Alloy and Titanium, as well as in electric models in both alloy and carbon.
But to keep this from becoming a 4000-word story, I’ll simplify things as much as I can.
All four Allgrit models boast tyre clearance to match the Ultra-Grit above: 50mm at the rear, and 53mm up front.
They all boast extra mounting points for luggage and mudguards, and all four come with a full carbon fibre fork with internal cable routing.
The standard alloy model, called the Allgrit AL and pictured above, starts at just £1,699 with SRAM Apex mechanical. An extra £300 will get you wireless SRAM Apex AXS, complete with DT Swiss G1800 wheels and Schwalbe G-One R tyres.
The Allgrit Ti-X titanium model, made from 3AL-1.5V titanium tubing complete with 3D-printed lugs, starts at £3,499 with SRAM Apex AXS. An upgrade to SRAM Rival, complete with a power meter, will set you back an extra £500, or you can spend £5,298 to get the range-topping model, complete with SRAM’s new Force XPLR groupset, integrated power meter, Vision SC45 wheels and a carbon integrated cockpit.
The aluminium electric bike model, named the Allgrit E AL comes with a 250w Mahle X30 motor, complete with 45nm torque and a 237wh battery. An optional 171wh battery extender is available as an upgrade. The starting price for this model is £2,899 with mechanical SRAM Apex, or £3,199 with wireless Apex AXS.
And finally, the carbon electric model, called the Allgrit E Carbon-X, boasts a similar carbon construction to the Ultra-Grit above, with aero profiling, but with the integration of a 350-watt Mahle X20 motor.
That boasts 55nm torque, and comes with a 350wh battery, alongside an optional 171wh range extender. The starting price here is £3,999 with wireless SRAM Apex AXS, rising to £4,499 with Rival XPLR, and topping out at £5,299 with Force XPLR.
All models, both Ultra-Grit and Allgrit, are available for purchase right away at the Ribble website. Each model be configured via the Ribble Bike Builder functionality, allowing a degree of customisation prior to checkout.
