Ribble Ultra-Road 105 Di2 Aero review: one of the best endurance bikes you can buy – and the price is a bonus

SQUIRREL_13994579

The Ribble Ultra-Road arrives amid a trend towards aerodynamic road-bike design combining with more rider-friendly geometry. No longer is cutting-edge aero only for the pros – riders of all persuasions can now gain the benefits of efficiency when cutting through the wind. 

In the past, I’ve been impressed by Ribble’s bang-for-buck offerings. That said, its bikes have often lacked the sparkle to elevate them to the same level as more mainstream brands.  

However, the Ultra-Road sits comfortably alongside the best endurance bikes, such as the Cannondale Synapse, Giant Defy and Canyon Endurace.  

With the Ultra-Road, it’s the performance that counts – the price is a welcome bonus.  

Endurance aero is now a trend 

Like the recently launched Canyon Endurace CF SLX and last year’s Bike of the Year winner, the Cannondale Synapse, the aero-endurance bike is the biggest trend on the road, with the Ultra-Road bang on it.  

Released back in 2021, Ribble’s Ultra showed the Lancashire brand’s bold ambition when it came to aerodynamics. Since that original aero road bike, the Ultra name has expanded into other genres, with the Ultra-Race road race bike and Ultra-Grit gravel race bike, and now Ribble has introduced this new aero-endurance option.  

While this is the first design not to be aimed purely at racing, its UCI approval means it's still available for racers at the highest level. Accordingly, the Ultra-Road has some of the same design features as the racier Ultra models.

There’s the hourglass-shaped head tube, along with the deep down tube that broadens in its bottom third. Here, it combines with a dedicated aero bottle cage, which shields the bottle from the wind.  

Usefully, the deep and broad down tube also has a secondary purpose, with a large storage port for spares and tools.  

The Ultra-Road has 38mm tyre clearance and, most importantly for UK riders, provision for proper mudguards, which can be installed over 35mm tyres. 

Aerodynamics and comfort combine with the seatpost; its truncated aerofoil shape features a cutout in its top third to enable comfort-giving flex.

Up front, the one-piece bar and stem eschew the racing trend for narrow bars – you can have that still, but Ribble offers a wide range of fit options, including the 42cm-wide bar on my test bike with a 110mm stem length. 

Ribble Ultra-Road 105 Di2 Aero ride impressions 

As soon as I got aboard the Ultra-Road, I could feel it was something special. It has an immediacy in its responses that’s equal to any race bike, delivering the overall feeling of efficiency at getting up to pace and staying there.  

The ride position is certainly biased towards endurance, but it’s not super-relaxed, with my XL-sized (58cm) test bike featuring a 599mm stack and 408mm reach.  

The similarly sporty Cervélo Caledonia in an equivalent size is 6mm taller and 12mm shorter, and the Cannondale Synapse is 11mm taller and 15mm shorter.  

That makes the Ribble the most aggressive of this trio when it comes to fit, assuming you’ve specced equivalent finishing kit. 

I found the position pretty much the perfect balance for long-ride comfort and aggression. Plenty of that is down to the sensible approach Ribble has taken to the cockpit and back end.  

The cockpit has a great shape, the compact drop combining with the frame’s fit to give the ideal position. I found myself spending much more time riding in the drops, meaning I was more aero without pushing my limits.  

The handling responses are quick, yet the bike feels very stable at speed. The wide-mouthed fork seems to swallow up the large 32mm tyre so there’s no detectable wind influence when riding into a slightly off-centre headwind. This meant I was confident to ride that bit harder on the pedals and into corners on fast descents. 

On climbs, this more modest spec rides lighter than its 8.58kg weight would suggest.

The Mavic Cosmic S 42 wheels that come as part of the ‘Aero package' (part of a £700 upgrade along with the carbon cockpit on lower-spec models and fitted as standard on higher-level bikes) are claimed to weigh around 1,660g and are shod with Vittoria’s Corsa N.Ext tyres.  

Neither are at the cutting edge of design, but I found them responsive and the Vittoria tyres are fast becoming a favourite of mine for dry rides on mixed-quality tarmac.

I found the wheelset’s freehub suffered from the occasional sticky moment, but this remedied itself during testing – indicating that Mavic was possibly overzealous with its assembly grease. 

When you consider the Shimano 105 Di2 R7100 groupset, Mavic wheels, a carbon integrated cockpit and seatpost, not to mention the twin aero bottle cages, the Ultra-Road represents good value for money not only in this spec at £3,799 / $5,215 / €4,880, but in any of its specs.   

Cannondale’s Synapse Carbon 4 comes with the same groupset and budget DT Swiss R470 alloy wheels for £3,795 / $4,598.99 / €3,499. Canyon’s Endurace CF SLX with 105 Di2 and Canyon’s own-brand carbon wheels retails for £3,799 / $4,799 / €3,999, and Specialized’s Roubaix Comp is £3,599 / $4,499 / €4,299, again with an under-par wheelset.  

If you want something cheaper, Giant’s Advanced Pro 2 is good value at £3,199 / $4,800 / €3,999 and comes with Giant's own-brand SLR2 40 carbon wheels, although you’ll forgo an electronic groupset.  

Ribble Ultra-Road 105 Di2 Aero bottom line 

The Ultra-Road is a brilliant bike; it blends the speed of an aero road bike with the comfort of an endurance bike. The ride position is racy, yet not extreme.  

The handling is stable, yet willing and fun when you want to up the pace, rail through a downhill corner or sprint against your mates to the coffee stop.  

In the past, I’ve championed Ribble’s bikes for their sensible pricing and solid, dependable specs. With the Ultra-Road, it has made one of the best endurance bikes on sale today – one that’s comfortable and exciting to ride, while enabling you to customise the spec and even the paint for your ultimate year-round ride.  

SQUIRREL_13994579