New Ribble Gravel 725 brings classic looks and feel of steel to the off-road range

Ribble has added a Reynolds 725 steel frame to its Gravel range, which launched last year with carbon, titanium and aluminium base models. 

There will be three specs on offer: Gravel 725 Pro, Gravel 725 Enthusiast and Gravel 725 Sport.

The range-topping Gravel 725 Pro model will be built with SRAM Rival XPLR AXS and will cost £2,899 while the entry-level Gravel 725 Sport is equipped SRAM Apex 1 and costs £2,099, with the frameset available at £1,299.

According to Ribble: “Every detail has been considered for versatile off-road adventure providing an ultimate ride experience with triple-butted Reynolds 725 heat treated steel tube profiles, full carbon fork with tapered steerer, flared gravel riser handlebars with progressive frame geometry tailored specifically for control and handling on rugged terrains.”

The oversized 44mm head tube and extra gusset welded into the main triangle over the bottom bracket shell ought to add to a sharp, direct ride feel on bumpier ground.

There’s tyre clearance of up to 45mm for 700c or 47mm for 650b wheels, internal routing which emphasises the clean look of the steel tubes as well as keeping cables themselves clean too. 

The geometry is the same as that of the existing bikes in the Gravel range - slightly slacker than road geometry but summed as as “long and low” by Ribble’s head of product Jamie Burrow, corroborated by CW’s reviewer James Shrubsall when he tested the aluminium Gravel AL Sport. The reach is designed to be slightly longer and a shorter stem fitted with the aim of supplying faster handling.

As with the existing models, the Gravel 725 has plenty of mounting points for maximum portage capability  including rear rack mounts, carryall mounts on the fork and multiple bottle mounts.

With the best gravel bikes broadly starting to divide into ‘racing’ or ‘adventure’, the Ribble’s Gravel range, including the 725, is firmly on the adventure side of things.

The stock colour is Matt Air Force Blue with gloss blue details with custom colour available too.

The stock specs are as follows:

The Ribble Gravel 725 Pro (£2,899/$2,963) that's built with SRAM Rival XPLR AXS is, says Ribble, “a high performance gravel bike weighing in at 10.8kg (medium) designed without limits for off-road exploration. “ It comes with 650b Mavic Allroad wheels with Halo GXC FD60, 650bx47 tanwall tyres, as do the other two builds.

Meanwhile the Ribble Gravel 725 Enthusiast (£2,399/$2,452) has a SRAM Rival 1x groupset, Mavic Allroad wheels and gravel optimised finishing kit from Ribble’s house brand Level.

And the Ribble Gravel 725 Sport (£2,099/$2,145) has a SRAM Apex 1 groupset and, in Ribble’s words, “provides an accessible and versatile gravel offer whether it’s for a short off-road blast or an epic bikepacking excursion.”

Builds can be fine-tuned and personalised using the Ribble BikeBuilder and CustomColour tools and options including Campagnolo Ekar 1x13 are also available.

Ribble's Jamie Burrow said: “The all-new 725 models complement and enhance our gravel platform where our design focuses on off-road optimised frames, long and low geometry, oversized head tubes 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.”

For more information and all the details of the geometry and specs check out Ribble's website.