£4,199 Miles of smiles – and value
Weight 8.8kg (L) Frame Toray T1000/T800 full carbon monocoque Fork Full carbon Gears Shimano 105 Di2 (50/34, 11-34) Brakes Shimano 105, Tektro CL 160mm rotors Wheels Level DB56 Sport Carbon clincher Finishing kit Level 5 Carbon Integrated bar/stem (42cm/110mm), Level carbon seatpost, Prologo Kappa RS saddle, Continental Grand Prix 28mm tyres
TRUE TO FORM, RIBBLE’S Endurance SL R has by far the best specification of our quartet, backing up Ribble’s reputation for great value. In fact, the stock SL R Sport that comes with Level’s DB56 carbon wheels is the cheapest here, although we upgraded to Mavic’s excellent 1,575g-a-pair Cosmic SL 45-disc wheelset, as featured on the Enthusiast Ultegra Di2 build, which retails at £4,999.
The good-looking SL R frameset boasts Ribble’s usual aero-profile tubing, integrated fork, radically dropped stays and an aero seatpost. With a claimed sub-900g weight, it’s race-bike light too. While Ribble claims that comfort is a consideration in the frameset construction, the geometry of the SL R is firmly rooted in race-bike dimensions, not to mention a lot of aerodynamic design.
Aero gains
Ribble states that the SL R reduces drag over the previous model by 28.5% thanks to the truncated-aerofoil down-tube and aero fork blade profiles, along with truncated aerofoil tube shapes on the seat tube and D-shaped carbon seatpost. Then there’s full cable integration and the aero-shaped one-piece carbon cockpit (which saves a claimed 40% of drag over a conventional bar and stem with external cables). It still manages ample tyre clearances (32mm) and provision to fit mudguards for year-round riding though.
The SL R combines a steep 73.3° seat angle with a classic road 73° head angle. The 45mm fork offset (and 32mm tyres) gives a 59mm trail, which is what I’d expect of a full-on race bike. The stack and reach are similarly sporty with a low 562mm stack on our Large test bike; the shorter reach of 396mm is more akin to an endurance bike, however. The short 415mm chainstays and short 1,004mm wheelbase are back to race-bike proportions.
The core of the SL R Sport build is Shimano’s 105 Di2. While I’ve become accustomed to the slick shifting of Shimano’s semi-wireless 12-speed group, the front mech rubbed the chain when in the upper reaches of the cassette (from the 27t) in both front rings. The system also dropped power completely a couple of times. I discovered one of the cable connections on the battery came loose due to a not quite fully clic
