Ribble Sportive Racing Black review

At £1500 this is what Ribble can produce and it looks like a classy bike but does it live up to its comfort and racing claims? Not quite

Ribble Sportive Racing Black
(Image credit: Cycling Studio)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

Ribble has rebranded and wants to be less cheap and cheerful and treated more like a serious and worthy purchasing option. It has achieved with the Ribble Sportive Racing Black, I've been impressed, it feels planted and predictable as an endurance bike should, though its claims of comfort feels exaggerated to me.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Looks

  • +

    Spec for the price

  • +

    Ride

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Comfort

  • -

    Tyre clearance

  • -

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Ribble has been looking to change its image over the last few years and with new paint jobs, new bikes, a logo change and of course a new UK Pro team, it seems to be working. The Ribble Sportive Racing Black encompasses all of that and on face value looks to be a winner.

The Sportive Racing Black is an endurance bike, although Ribble says that it is a mix of both racing and endurance style geometry to offer comfort yet fast paced riding. Looking at the geometry it really is a mix!

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Symon Lewis joined Cycling Weekly as an Editorial Assistant in 2010, he went on to become a Tech Writer in 2014 before being promoted to Tech Editor in 2015 before taking on a role managing Video and Tech in 2019. Lewis discovered cycling via Herne Hill Velodrome, where he was renowned for his prolific performances, and spent two years as a coach at the South London velodrome.