Ribble Endurance AL e Enthusiast Shimano 105

The Ribble Endurance AL e Enthusiast offers all the fun, pleasurable handling and ride quality of the acoustic version, but with the addition of a power plant that delivers plenty of smooth assistance for those of us who want or need a bit of help on the hills. It's a decent spec for the money too.

Ride

I'm a big fan of Ribble's Endurance range, having ridden the titanium version and the aluminium option, which I described as a 'loveable bike'.

(If you're reading this Ribble, I really want to try the steel Endurance 725 please.)

The good news is that Ribble hasn't changed much at all, when it comes to comparing the AL with the AL e. Even with the addition of the hub motor, internal wiring, battery and charging point, the geometry has stayed exactly the same.

> Buy this online here

It's way more relaxed than a full-on race machine, but still feels nimble through the bends and when mixing it with traffic, should you be using it as a commuter.

The 72.5-degree head angle keeps the steering on the neutral side of busy, and the wheelbase length brings some stability while allowing for the fitment of mudguards, though at 991mm (medium size) it's still short enough to keep things interesting.

It's no slouch either. Yes, with all the electronic gubbins this AL e tips the scales at 13.35kg (29.43lb), but when that is likely to become an issue, the motor will be taking the strain.

On the flat above the 25kph (15.5mph) cut-off, the AL e belies its weight; I've been hammering along at 25mph on the straights with no feeling of being laden with the extra heft, and it's the same when it comes to bunging it into the corners.

On descents it can actually make it feel a little more planted – the only thing you need to adapt to is that the extra weight is based in the rear hub, and on some tighter bends it can feel like you are being pushed into the bends quicker than you want to be, which requires a bit of extra braking power and an adjustment of your body position. You'll soon adapt, though.

The Endurance is just an all-round balanced bike. It doesn't shine in any one particular area, but it'll never let you down. It lets you get on with your ride; you can push on where you want to, and take it easy when you want, without ever dropping the fun factor.

What helps is the decent amount of comfort afforded by the alloy frame and carbon fork. It's by no means the most supple I've ridden but neither is it harsh. Even with the tyres pumped up firm you don't get rattled around – apart from on those truly atrocious sections of tarmac – which allows the miles to just by without you really noticing.

Smoothly does it

Although it might sound like I've just been smashing this thing around like a standard road bike with a bit of added assistance when the going gets tough – which is true, I suppose – I've also been exploiting its 'cheat' mode.

I've ridden a few road e-bikes now and I bloody love 'em. I'm not saying I want one just yet as my only machine, but they have certainly opened up some new options.

I'm happy to put this out there... I hate climbing. I'll do it, normally because it's followed by a descent, but I get no satisfaction from tackling a monument climb.

I remember a few years back riding a sportive in Italy. The switchback climbs weren't even that steep, but boy did they go on, and after about half an hour of twiddling my chainset around I was so bored I could have chucked my bike off the side of the mountain.

Now, riding something like the AL e means I'm actively seeking out hillier routes, or getting more enjoyment on those I regularly ride with ascents in them.

The Mahle Ebikemotion X35+ gives you a 40Nm boost from the 250 watt-hour battery/motor combination when using full power, which on any climb where you are going slow enough for it to kick in makes a real difference.

For instance, I normally average around 155 to 165bpm for my road rides on a normal bike, and that didn't change on the e-bike.

The difference, though, is that even on tough climbs my HR would sit at around the 100bpm mark; I'd put in the extra effort on the flats and shallower gradients, the sections I get more enjoyment out of, getting a sustained effort out at a high power.

An e-bike has many more uses than just making life easier, though. The assistance can benefit the injured, ill or those who've found their ability but not their enthusiasm curbed by the subtle onset of age.

I found this out for myself, with a niggling hip injury and a knackered back. For the first time I have actually had to do as my body has dictated and not just push through the pain.

On days when I've felt fresh and not so sore, I've been out on the other test bikes or ragging this one about all over the place having a laugh, but when the pain becomes an issue the X35+ motor has been a bonus. It's allowed me to get out for a two-hour ride and enjoy the scenery without having to bust a gut.

What I like most about the X35+ is the smoothness of its delivery. When you aren't using it there is no noticeable resistance from the motor, and as the speed drops below 25kph it just gives you a gentle nudge as if you've got a rather nice tailwind.

It's not as punchy as some of the crank-based motors, but I think this works better for the road. If you want or need the assistance, but don't want the ride to feel so obviously assisted, this is a very good system.

The only downside is on those false flats when you are just above the cut-off speed; it's a balancing act whether to just plough on or back off and let the motor kick in. If you don't back off, the AL e is noticeably heavy.

Frame and fork

Just like the standard Endurance AL frame, the AL e is manufactured from 6061-T6 aluminium alloy tubing, and even with the oversized down tube enclosing the battery it doesn't scream e-bike.

It's surprisingly subtle, with the only real giveaway being the chunky section hidden behind the chainset, between down tube and seat tube, which houses the charging point.

All the welds on this lower section of the frame are also beefier than the rest to cope with the extra forces from the motor.

Away from this, the welds are smooth and it's a good-looking frame. I'm also a fan of the blue paintjob which gives a look of elegance to the frame and fork.

Ribble has tweaked the front end for full cable/hose integration, diverting everything through the tapered head tube. This gives the bike a very clean look. The cables/hoses then pop out of the frame and fork where they are required.

The only exception is the cable for the power to the rear hub, which exits at the bottom bracket shell. This makes it easier to uncouple the junction, should you need to remove the rear wheel, over bikes that run it internally, as most that I've seen do.

As for the design of the frame, there is nothing too out of the ordinary.

It's chunkier on the lower half to deal with the power, while the upper half is more slender to provide some comfort.

The main difference here over the AL is that the AL e uses a press-fit bottom bracket over a threaded version.

There are concerns over water and dirt ingress with press-fit options because of sloppy tolerances between the mating faces, but that has become less and less of a concern over recent years.

My first ride on the Ribble saw two hours of biblical rain and it's been soaked many times since and I've had no issues with any noise from the BB.

So, what else is there to say?

Well, stiffness levels from the frame are impressive should you feel the need to get out of the saddle for a bit of sprinting or attacking a climb, and the full carbon fork copes well with heavy braking and steering inputs when descending through the bends.

The overall finish is to a high standard, and you get plenty of mounts – three sets for water bottle cages and for mudguards front and rear.

Fitting guards will reduce tyre capacity from 32mm down to 25mm, and the physical attachment will require a bit of fender fettling because of the fork crown mount being above the tyre rather than using a hole that doubles up as a rim brake fitment. It's not a huge issue, though, and is easily sorted with a drill – for the guard, not the bike!

Geometry

The Ribble Endurance is so-called because of its geometry. As I said earlier, it's a bit more relaxed than a full-on race bike.

It's available in five sizes and we have the middle option, the medium. Here you get seat and head angles of 73.6 and 72.5 degrees respectively, with a head tube length of 150mm and a top tube length of 550mm in the horizontal plane.

The wheelbase, as I've mentioned, is 991mm, with chainstays of 410mm.

This gives a reach of 388mm and a stack of 548mm.

Full geometry details are available on Ribble's website.

Groupset

Ribble's Bikebuilder means you can, within reason, build your AL e up however you like, starting at £2,399, but the company offers this off-the-shelf Enthusiast build for £2,799.

It's based around a Shimano 105 groupset, including hydraulic brakes, with 160mm rotors front and rear. I won't go into masses of detail as you can read all you need to know here and here.

As a quick summary, though, it's not really a groupset that you can fault, balancing the shifting and braking performance of the higher end mechanical groupsets with a very sensible price.

The AL e comes with suitable endurance gears of a 50/34T chainset paired to an 11-32T cassette. It's easy to neglect the gear shifting, just letting the motor do the work, but to get the best efficiency out of the bike you need to use the gears as you would on a normal road bike.

Motor

The Mahle Ebikemotion X35+ motor system offers a decent range, mileage-wise, though it'll depend on how you use it.

Using the iWoc One control button integrated into the top tube gives you three power modes which, as standard, are all set at 100%, but you can tweak these via the ebikemotion app. I set them at 33%, 66% and 100%.

The iWoc button also gives you all the information you need to know about battery life and what mode you are in, by way of the LED ring that surrounds it. This changes colour to let you know what's what.

The system is also Bluetooth compatible, which allows it talk to the app. You can see exact battery percentages, record rides and tweak the various settings.

It's hard to quantify exactly what distance you can achieve from the battery power, but I've easily completed rides of 80 to 100 lumpy miles with battery in reserve. There are many forum discussions about what you can get away with, so it's worth doing some research depending on your riding style and assistance levels required.

> Get more e-bike news, reviews and advice at ebiketips

Our Dave recently rode a similarly specced Cannondale on a 300km epic, which should help give you some idea of what is possible with an e-bike.

Finishing kit

Level is Ribble's in-house component brand, and it's used throughout here for the handlebar, stem and seatpost. It's all decent quality stuff and is exactly what I'd expect to see on an e-bike of this price.

I get on well with the Prologo Kappa RS saddle – I've used it many times before – though it is worth noting that on an e-bike you might not get out of the saddle much. What works on your acoustic road bike might not necessarily work when you have a motor. We took a little time to bond.

Wheels and tyres

With the Mahle hub being the power source, wheel choices are limited, but the Mavic Ksyrium S 25 Discs are a decent starting block.

On a bike like this, weight is pretty much a non-issue and I found the Mavics dependable and durable. They offer a decent ride quality and have shown no issues over the last month and a half of testing.

The standard spec tyres are Continental Grand Prix GT in a 28mm width, although our test model has 28mm Schwalbe Ones fitted.

Both are decent options when it comes to ride quality, with the Schwalbes taking the edge on grip and rolling resistance, in my opinion.

Value

At the base price of £2,799 for this 105-equipped Enthusiast model, the AL e looks to be better value than the Merida eScultura 400 at £3,000.

The Merida also has an aluminium frame and 105 groupset, but Merida has slackened off the geometry a fair bit compared with the standard Scultura, which has taken the edge off the fun factor. I like the way Ribble has kept things the same whether you are opting for motor assistance or not.

The Merida does have massive tyre clearances, though, which makes it a more versatile bike.

> Buyer’s Guide: 18 of the best electric road bikes

Canyon's Endurance:ON 7.0 uses a bottom bracket-based motor system and weighs a cool 15.2kg, plus it comes with a 1x chainset. Jack wasn't exactly blown away by it, and the 2021 price has edged up to £2,999.

The similarly specced Cannondale Supersix Evo Neo that Dave used for his epic ride in the video I mentioned is £3,800.

Conclusion

If you are looking for an e-bike that'll give you the feeling of riding a standard road bike with just the subtlest of assistance, then the Ribble is a very good choice. Above the speed limiter it rides just like the standard version everywhere but the shallowest of inclines. It's good value for money, too.

Verdict

Carrying over all of the fun, versatility and easy-to-live-with attributes of the AL, but with the added va va voom of a motor