Ridgeback World Tour

blatantrereg

What do people think of this bike? It is new this year so there are very few reviews around, though everything I have found is very positive. It seems to have a very wide range of gears, if I calculated that correctly.

http://vccycles.com/ri/711-ridgeback-world-tour.html

Seweryn

blatantrereg wrote: »

What do people think of this bike? It is new this year so there are very few reviews around, though everything I have found is very positive. It seems to have a very wide range of gears, if I calculated that correctly.

http://vccycles.com/ri/711-ridgeback-world-tour.html

My friend rides this model and he is very happy with it. He commutes in Newcastle in UK. They looks like very good bikes for our climate.

blatantrereg

Seweryn wrote: »

My friend rides this model and he is very happy with it. He commutes in Newcastle in UK. They looks like very good bikes for our climate.

That's a nice bike. I googled a bit and am pretty sure it's a mercury. They don't make those any more, but the spec was a good bit better than the Tour - and the price equivalently higher.

I did find it on sale in an online store for the same price. Not sure if I'd be able to use the Bike to Work scheme with an online purchase though.

Seweryn

blatantrereg wrote: »

I did find it on sale in an online store for the same price. Not sure if I'd be able to use the Bike to Work scheme with an online purchase though.

Yes, you can buy one online on the Scheme.

Yeah, it is the Mercury model and my friend bought it on sale for a very reasonable money.

blatantrereg

It's on Winstanleybikes.co.uk. There seems to be a lot of mixed opinions on them. Any experiences here?

I suspect they don't actually have the bike in my size - it's marked as clearance stock, but also that they don't have the 58cm ones in stock and will order them in. That contradicts "clearance stock" surely...

How important is the right fit anyway? I am 6'2 and have 34" inside leg. Would a 56cm frame be a bad idea?

rollingscone

blatantrereg wrote: »

It's on Winstanleybikes.co.uk. There seems to be a lot of mixed opinions on them. Any experiences here?

I suspect they don't actually have the bike in my size - it's marked as clearance stock, but also that they don't have the 58cm ones in stock and will order them in. That contradicts "clearance stock" surely...

How important is the right fit anyway? I am 6'2 and have 34" inside leg. Would a 56cm frame be a bad idea?

Probably.

I'm the same measurements and find I'm a 60cm frame on most makes. Unless the manufacturer is known for being 'take a size up' it's probably going to be sub optimal, even with sizing and spacing up the stem.

Tonyandthewhale

Sizing is important, if you can't get the bike you want in a size that works for you then get a different bike.

Seweryn

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

Sizing is important, if you can't get the bike you want in a size that works for you then get a different bike.

I have to strongly agree with that. No matter what bike you ride, the size is the most important factor that may put you off a bike or hopefully make your rides enjoyable.

blatantrereg

Thanks for the replies. How would it compare to the Raleigh Royal, which is a similar bike?

It has an unbuttted Chromoly frame. Whether that's an advantage or a disadvantage seems a matter of opinion.

http://raleigh.co.uk/ProductType/ProductRange/Product/Default.aspx?pc=1&pt=14&pg=9050

The 2012 version seems to have a worse spec at a higher price, as well as not looking as nice as the 2009 version. Here is the 2009 version:

http://www.thebikelist.co.uk/raleigh/royal-2009

edit: A bit of reading up indicates the brakes are Tektra Oryx which are bad, and that the paint chips easily. Looks like the Ridgeback would be the better option. It also has better tyres, while most of the other components are the same.

Odd how much better the 2009 Royal looks compared to the current version.

blatantrereg

A reservation I have with it is that the Ridgeback Rapide range offers bikes with a similar enough spec for a good bit less money. E.g.: The velocity

http://vccycles.com/ridgeback/648-ridgeback-velocity.html

I'd prefer to get the drop bars - I have only used flat bars before, but prefer a bent over position even on those, so I think the drop bars would suit me better. However the Velocity seems to offer much more bang for the buck, which makes me wonder if the Tour is not a great deal.

Am I missing something in comparing these two bikes that justifies the difference in price? Is it just that drop bar setups cost more in general?

blatantrereg

Took the velocity and the tour for a test cycle. Really liked them both, but really preferred the road bike setup of the Tour.

One thing only occurred to me afterwards was that I found I needed to move my hands to the hoods to shift gears down. Only copped on afterwards that this is not the case with all of them :rolleyes:

Anybody have a bike with thumb shifters like this who likes to use the drops? How annoying is this in the long run?

rollingscone

lots of people use Sora, it's not ideal but it will work fine. If you get the opportunity to get something with normal sti shifters .i.e. Tiagra and up, do. But it wouldn't be a deal breaker if you're living with a tight budget.