Ribble Ultra-Aero SL R Enthusiast review

Ribble’s Ultra SL R Enthusiast is a road bike that rejoices in speed, speed, and speed. But is that enough for the price and a triathlete’s requirements? I hopped on to find out…

Recent converts to the world of triathlon or road cycling might think that Ribble Cycles is a new kid on the bike-manufacturing block with plush retail showrooms like that seen at nearby (to me) Cribbs Causeway in Bristol, showcasing a flotilla of sleek bikes across all genres, from hybrid to gravel and electric to road.

In fact, Ribble is one of the oldest brands in cycling, with a story that stretches back to 1897. That’s over 125 years of two-wheeled history. But does that heritage, that know-how, shine through in the popular Ribble Ultra-Aero SL R?

• Best triathlon bikes reviewed

Ribble Ultra-Aero SL R Enthusiast development

“Meet the Ultra Road, a road bike designed with a simple brief – to be the fastest aero road bike in the world. Not just designed to be the fastest when tested in isolation, but the fastest in the real world.”

That’s the rather understated remit that headlines the bike’s white paper on release in 2021. (You know when a bike manufacturer means business – and has spent a fair wedge on research and development – as the launch press release is accompanied by a white paper. And chapeau to Ribble, as the white paper doesn’t blind you with impenetrable science.)

Highlights from the white paper are many, including that Ribble’s wind-tunnel tests – at Silverstone, which has become the Mecca for cycling scientific analyses and refinement in recent years – show that the Ultra-Aero SL R saves approximately three minutes over the brand’s Endurance SL R model on a typical 100km ride with average yaw conditions.

The development and refinement process involved the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), which is the go-to when understanding the impact of air on different tubing shapes. I’ll dig deep into that shortly.

Real-world input came via a peloton’s worth of top-notch cyclists from the now sadly defunct Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling and Drops Racing teams. That included Joss Lowden knows a thing or two about slipstreaming after formerly holding the women’s hour record.

She’s also married to Dan Bigham, regarded as one of the leading aerodynamic experts in world cycling. Bigham, a former hour record holder himself and former triathlete, runs WattShop, a manufacturer of bespoke and high-performance gear for triathletes and cyclists. In short, you can’t argue with the innovation and expertise that went into the Ribble Ultra SL R.

The bike has some pedigree, as does the brand, which began life in 1897 in a bike-related shop set up next door to a pub on Water Lane, Preston, where an enterprising gentleman began designing and hand-assembling steel bikes.

The name came from the River Ribble, which wends its way through the center of Preston and through areas of outstanding natural beauty, including the Ribble Valley and Trough of Bowland, before flowing into the Irish Sea at Lytham.

Ribble gained a foothold in the rapidly growing bike industry, especially in the north of England. Their popularity spread throughout the country, and they even sponsored the 1992 Great Britain cycling team that competed at the Barcelona Olympics. But they remained very much a British brand for keen British road riders.

That changed in 2017 when fresh investment arrived along with a new leadership team headed by Andy Smallwood, formerly of Boardman, who has since moved into Pashley Cycles.

Ex-World Tour pro rider Jamie Burrow arrived too, as head of product. Their remit was to design the best-performing bikes at every price point, whether an entry-level hybrid or a cutting-edge road bike. Which brings us to the Ribble Ultra-Aero SL R…

Ribble Ultra-Aero SL R Enthusiast frame and build

I tested the Enthusiast model. There’s also the more affordable Sport version and the more expensive Hero model. At the heart of each is the Ultra-Aero frame, with the quality of components steering the price up or down. At each level, you can tweak components via Ribble’s online bike builder.

Truncated aerofoil tube profiles feature heavily throughout the Toray T1000 and T800 carbon-fiber frameset. In itself, that’s not a new idea, as the likes of Trek were one of the first major manufacturers to use this style of tubing many years ago with its Kammtail tubing. The idea is that you take a conventional aerofoil shape…

The truncated aerofoil tube profile is proven to be more aerodynamic than traditional round tubing. That contravenes the UCI (international cycling governing body) rules on tubing shapes and ratios, so ingenious industry experts simply lopped the end off, which remains mightily aerodynamic.

Ribble has taken and evolved that aero template by experimenting with what, in technical terms, is called the ‘chord.’ In layman’s terms, it’s the bulge of the tube. This is explicitly seen on the downtube, which was specifically optimized around a standard water bottle because, as Ribble says, “In the real world, a bottle will generally be used.”

The idea is that the airflow remains attached to the tubing surface for as long as possible through a wide range of yaw angles that a triathlete will commonly face, leading to reduced drag and faster speeds.

The other real visible standout is the unique aero handlebars. These might look a little Heath Robinson but are the result of analyzing the impact of man and machine, namely the airflow passing the bars and onto the triathlete.

That’s why the rear of the bar features flowing bulges with a truncated aerofoil shape—what Ribble calls ‘wake generators’—designed to cut drag where the triathlete’s legs sit. Purportedly, the vortexes are directed around the triathlete to create what Ribble calls a ‘drag reduction zone.’

Ribble stresses that aero testing took place with a rider on board. This, they say, is a bike that is all about optimizing aerodynamics as a whole, not just the bike in isolation.

Which leads to another distinct feature of the Ultra-Aero SL R: the lack of handlebar tape. Instead, the base is covered with a grippy layer on the carbon to ensure that the rider’s hands don’t slip. Again, the reason is to crank up aerodynamics and speed. The forks and headtube are also ‘aerofied.’

Elsewhere, there’s a degree of freedom with component choice thanks to Ribble’s bike builder, which includes the wheelset. My test bike featured Zipp’s premium 454 carbon tubeless. If it had come adorned with the Mavic Cosmic SL65 carbons, the RRP would have dropped by £1,900 to £5,999.

The Enthusiast comes with Shimano Ultegra Di2 12-speed, which looks after shifting duties. If you go for the Sport, which starts from £4,499, it’s 105 Di2 as standard.

Elevate to Hero status and you’re looking at Dura-Ace Di2, which starts from £7,999. The saddle, atop further Ribble aero shaping in the form of its seatpost, is Selle Italia’s SLR Boost.

You can lop off £80 if you go for Selle Italia’s Model X Superflow or Luce S-Alloy Women’s saddle. It all makes for a pretty package. It certainly looks the part. But how does it perform where it matters?

Ribble Ultra-Aero SL R Enthusiast sizing and geometry

In short, like it’s in a hurry. From the very first pedal stroke, this is one fast bike. It simply reacts to power before running off with it. Three years in development and all those aerodynamic changes have seemingly paid off, as it flows like the River Ribble after an absolute downpour.

Beyond the tube shaping, it’s helped in no small part by the racy geometry, which is long and low. This feeling of speed is heightened on descents, which are memorably exhilarating.

This racy geometry might not suit all, especially if you’re a beginner or, like me, a little creaky. That said, being able to choose crank size really helped in this respect.

I chose 170mm, jumping on the bandwagon for shorter cranks. This opens up the hips at the top of the pedal stroke, which I, for one, appreciate. That opening also helps with the subsequent run.

If you used this for Olympic-distance triathlon, there’d certainly be the potential for a PB, albeit that could be tempered somewhat by two key factors.

The unique shape of those handlebars makes adding clip-ons a no-go. And while all those aero tubes and deep bulges have created a helluva stiff and fast bike, you do feel the bumps and grizzles of broken roads, of which we have many in Great Britain.

Like the frameset, the Zipp 454 carbon tubeless wheels are fast. Damn fast. They feature Zipp’s sawtooth rim design—nerd alert: I’ve always loved this design.

Maybe it’s because Jaws is my favorite film of all time—and are all about speed. And stability, as they’re designed to maintain impressive aerodynamics without hindering crosswind stability. On a windy test period, they did this with aplomb.

The Ultra SL R stops as powerfully as it moves thanks to impressive disc brakes that once again feature an aerodynamic edge, especially up front, where the forks feature a uniquely wide stance with a deep, blade-like shape, helping to shield the legs and disc brakes from the wind, with the disc rotor sitting inside the front fork. Neat.

Up front, I was surprised just how quickly I acclimatized to the handlebars shorn of tape, albeit if this were my bike, the health-and-safety side of me would still retreat to tape if the rains fell.

Which arguably sums up the Ultra-Aero SL R. In a bike industry increasingly dominated by all-rounders, it’s almost incongruous that this bike is all about aero and speed—unadulteratedly so.

In a similar vein to a triathlon bike, this isn’t about everyday riding, but about getting from A to B as fast as humanly possible.

That remit will appeal to many, albeit I suspect road cyclists rather than triathletes, as the lack of a clip-on aero option will discourage many multisporters.

Then again, if you’re not a fan of extensions, prefer a road setup, and have the money, this could well be the bike for you.

Ribble Ultra-Aero SL R Enthusiast specs

Price	$9,999 / £7,999
Weight	8.5kg (L)
Frame	Frame Toray T1000 and T800 carbon fibre
Sizes	XS, SM, MD, LG, XL
Drivetrain	Shimano Ultegra Di2 12-speed electronic drivetrain
Brakes	Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc
Wheels	Zipp 454 NSW carbon
Tyres	Kit Pirelli P Zero Race tyre,
Cockpit	Ribble Ultra Integrated bars (which includes stem)
Saddle	Selle Italia Boost saddle
Seatpost	Ribble carbon seatpost

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