#crossiscoming will soon be trending on social media as fans of the winter sport will soon start gearing up for the new season, and right on time for those shopping for a new race bike is the Ribble Cycles CX SL, described as a “thoroughbred race machine.”
Setting its stall as a race-focused bike is a frame and fork made from T1000 and T800 carbon fibre that will keep weight low and stiffness high, with a “race-proven” geometry to deliver the necessary quick handling for tackling tricky courses with lots of turns.
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The frame is oversized at the bottom bracket, chainstays, head tube for maximising power transfer. Mud clearance has been optimised around the frame and fork with plenty of space, with max clearance for up to 40mm tyres. That gives it some crossover appeal to gravel and commuting usage.
One of the standout details is the threaded bottom bracket, which will surely get a round of applause from all the press-fit haters reading this. Another sensible detail that provides versatility is the inclusion of mudguard mounts.
There are disc brakes with 12mm thru-axles and all cables and hoses are internally routed. There are two bottle cage mounts.
Ribble’s signature dropped seat stays with a horizontal bridge to the seat tube, as seen on the recently tested Endurance SL R, provides a degree of compliance when pounding over bumpy ground.
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The CX SL can be specced with the same Level 5 one-piece carbon handlebar and stem as also featured on the Endurance SL R, for those CX racers that want to gain every marginal aerodynamic gain.
Buying options include the frame only for £1,299 or complete bikes starting from £1,599 and topping out at £3,249, with just three models. Two builds use SRAM Apex and Rival 1x while the most expensive bike uses an Ultegra Di2 2x groupset.
You can customise the bikes, speccing different saddles, seat posts, handlebars, bar tape and so on, and also choose from Challenge Grifo Comp wire bread, Grifo Plus folding and Baby Limus Plus folding tyres options. There are also numerous wheelset options from Mavic Aksiums up to full carbon fibre wheels in a choice of rim depths.
The bikes are available to pre-order now with delivery expected for 30th September, just in time for cyclocross season. Check out the bike at www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cx-sl/
Here's a video of the new bike in action.
David has worked on the road.cc tech team since July 2012. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds.