Ribble Cycles began life in 1897 forging steel frames in its first-ever store at Watery Lane on the banks of the river Ribble, Lancashire, England. Recognised around the world, they are a bike brand that is proudly steeped in tradition. With an innovative bike-building design heritage that has seen their bikes being ridden by British Cycling Champions including Sir Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas and Chris Boardman.
As Ribble Cycles celebrates its 125th anniversary with the 125 Campaign, a year-long series of events and brand activation, that aims to proudly celebrate the heritage, legacy and pioneering spirit of Ribble, they now add to their awarding winning gravel bike range and return to their steel forging roots with the new Ribble 725, crafted using Reynolds 725 steel tubing.
The Ribble gravel range already provides riders with a choice of frame materials with carbon, titanium, and alloy across their gravel range. Now with the addition of steel, the range is holistically unified with Reynolds 725 steel offering a unique one-off option, added ride quality attributes and the timeless looks that only steel tubing can offer.
The 725 is available in three models – Gravel 725 Pro, Gravel 725 Enthusiast and Gravel 725 Sport with Ribble appearing to have considered every detail with an impressive-looking bike and specification. With the aim to provide riders with a versatile off-road riding adventure bike that can offer dynamic riding, quality performance and a wider choice of gravel bike options.
Featuring triple-butted Reynolds 725 heat-treated steel tube profiles, a full carbon monocoque fork with a tapered steerer, flared gravel riser handlebars and a progressive frame geometry that is tailored specifically for control and handling on rugged terrains. Tire clearance of up to 45mm for 700c or 47mm for 650b wheels and internal cable routing to create a sleek clean design as well as keeping your cables free from dirt and grime.
Finished in Matt Air Force Blue with gloss blue details that look stunning as is, there is also the option to fine-tune your build color and personalize every detail using the fantastic Ribble BikeBuilder and CustomColour tools. There also includes the option of adding the gorgeous Campagnolo Ekar 1x13 groupset and a choice of Shimano options too.
The sleek design incorporates multiple mounting points for maximum luggage carrying capacity including rear rack mounts, carryall mounts on the fork and multiple bottle mounts. Ribble's attention to detail considerations add to the overall looks, style and ride potential performance of the 725.
The Gravel 725 Pro SRAM Rival XPLR AXS is the top of the line offering with the aim to create a high-performance gravel bike that weighs in at a claimed 10.8kg for a medium size. Equipped with the wireless shifting performance of SRAM’s XPLR eTap AXS groupset, Mavic Allroad wheels wrapped with Halo GXC gravel tires should have you covered across any technical terrain.
The other two 725 models in the range – Enthusiast and Sport – come equipped with SRAM Rival and SRAM Apex 1 respectively and should thrive when off the beaten track. They also come equipped with Mavic Allroad wheels, Halo GXC FD60 tires and the proven LEVEL gravel-optimized finishing kit.
Head of Product at Ribble, Jamie Burrow told us more, “Gravel is an extremely exciting dynamic – embraced and enjoyed by the Ribble team from participating in the inaugural UCI World Championships to bike packing adventures, the Gravel genre continues to evolve and grow. The all-new 725 models complement and enhance our gravel platform where our design focuses on off-road optimized frames, long and low geometry, oversized headtubes and flared bars.
"The gravel 725 offers greater accessibility to the genre providing a more classic aesthetic and unique ride quality that comes with the Reynolds steel frame. Overall, this addition provides greater choice and diversification across the whole platform alongside an exhilarating enhanced riding proposition for whatever your chosen style of off-road riding”
We look forward to testing the Ribble 725 and delivering a full ride review very soon, meantime more information is available at Ribble.
Ribble Gravel 725 pricing
- Ribble Gravel 725 Frameset: £1,299
- Ribble Gravel 725 Sport: £2,099
- Ribble Gravel 725 Enthusiast: £2,399
- Ribble Gravel 725 Pro: £2,899
