Ribble Gravel: new three-material, four-model range launches

Ribble has launched a new gravel range that the Preston brand says is "designed for riders looking to conquer off-road terrain." There are four base models, including an e-bike, and three materials: titanium, carbon and aluminium.

The Gravel Ti is, Ribble says, exquisitely handcrafted with a triple-butted, custom profiled 3AL/2.5V titanium frame. Meanwhile the Gravel SL uses a lightweight carbon monocoque with aero profiles, and the Gravel AL is built from 6061T6 heat-treated aluminium – also the material used for the Gravel AL e. Ribble describes the latter as a lightweight electric gravel bike that looks, rides, and feels just like a traditional off-road bike, except it gets 250Wh of extra power from the hub-mounted Mahle EBM X35+ motor, as used in the brand’s lightweight Endurance SL e that was included in our Editor’s Choice list last year.

According to Ribble, every detail has been considered from tube profiles for extra stiffness, geometry tailored specifically for control and handling on rugged terrains. There’s tyre clearance of 45mm for 700c or 47mm for 650b wheels, internal cable routing for clean looks and clean operation, multiple mounting points for maximum luggage carrying capacity including rear rack mounts, mounts on the fork and multiple bottle mounts.

As for the new bikes' geometry, Jamie Burrow, head of product at Ribble, says: “We’ve designed the frames with a gravel-optimised long and low geometry with an oversized head tube, a short stem and flared bars to provide greater confidence and a more planted feel over varied technical terrain. We have optimised the design of the new platform around integration, compatibility and attention to detail to give the rider a bike that will perform whatever their chosen style of off-road riding.”

The new Gravel bikes come in a range of suggested builds or can be fine-tuned and personalised using the Ribble BikeBuilder and Custom Colour tools. Ribble highlights that both the Gravel SL and Gravel Ti feature 13-speed Campagnolo Ekar as one of the recommended builds.

Andy Smallwood, Ribble CEO, said: “Gravel riding has been embraced by the team at Ribble and continues to evolve. covering everything from extreme racing, all-out adrenalin chasing through to the bikepacking adventurer. Our new gravel range has been created from a vast wealth of experience and design expertise, incorporating new R&D technologies and off-road specific details across the platform and will enable riders to experience trails in an extremely new and exciting way.”

The Gravel range is available immediately via Ribble’s website.

• Ribble Gravel AL from £1,599
• Ribble Gravel SL from £2,399
• Ribble Gravel Ti from £2,599
• Ribble Gravel AL e from £2,699