Ribble Allroad Ti Launches With 3D Printing and Down to Earth Price

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Today Ribble is launching the Ribble Allroad Ti. Although Ribble isn’t as well known in the US, this is a brand that delivers outsized technology at prices you don’t expect. The Ribble Allroad Ti might not be exactly budget friendly but no one else is offering this much at these prices.

The Ribble Allroad Ti frame

At the heart of this bike is a corrosion-resistant 3AL-2.5V titanium frame with a carbon fork. The bottom bracket stays away from press fit opting for a T47 and there’s room for up to 35 mm tires. Weight for frame and fork in size medium is 2.19 kg (1720g frame, 470 g painted fork) and generally speaking things are about what you’d expect for a Ti bike frame. At least until you look at it.

The Ribble Allroad Ti looks more like a carbon frame at a casual glance. The most obvious joins at the seatpost and headtube, where you expect to see welds, are smooth and curved.Look a little closer and you’ll notice that it’s definitely metal not carbon. Each frame carries unique polishing marks from the individual hand polishing and if you look to the bottom bracket, seat stays, or chainstays you will find typical titanium welds. So what’s happening?

What’s happening is 3D printing. The headtube and seattube clusters, which join two or more tubes together, use additive manufacturing to create otherwise impossible shapes and forms. It’s not just for the headline either. The only other option to create rounded and organic shapes like this in metal would be 5-axis milling. The problem with that process is it would require multiple resets and would yield a heavier, more expensive, end product.

The end result in this case isn’t completely unique. It allows for the otherwise impossible shapes, including a clever debossed headbadge, but there are other brands doing the same. There’s also the internal routing and clean lines but again, that’s not unique to Ribble. The Ribble Allroad Ti isn’t even the lightest bike like this. What’s unique here is that it’s being done at a price far below the competition.

Those crazy handlebars

One of the reasons that Ribble claims 3D printing makes sense for the Ribble Allroad Ti is aerodynamics. According to Jamie Burrow, Head of Product at Ribble, “The additive manufacturing process has allowed us to take aerodynamic features from our Ultra range and apply them to this bike to create a high-performance titanium road bike with distinctive ride properties.” In case you don’t remember, the Ultra Range bike he’s referring to is where we first saw a completely unique handlebar. It’s available on this bike as well.

Still not jogging your memory? The UB-2 handlebar uses molded carbon to create a layered shape that doesn’t require bar tape. Behind the controls there are “wake-generating bulges that disrupt the airflow around the rider to create a ‘wake’ for the rider’s legs and body” while also matching the shape size of the hoods for a seamless interaction between the two. Further reducing the need for tape is a texture finish on the drops that keeps your hands from slipping.

Of course this is also an internally routed system but it’s not a one-piece bar and stem. The bars take the cables from the controls through the tops with an exit in the center of the stem clamp area. The RS-2 stem then funnels the cables through its center and into the headtube.

Obviously this is a wild setup. It comes as standard on the top three builds of the Ribble Allroad Ti but there are choices. You can still bar tape on it if you want. If a wild aero handlebar still isn’t your thing though, Ribble allows customization and “all Allroad Ti specifications can be upgraded / personalised via the Configurator, including Wheel options, Bar options, Saddle options.”

Ribble Allroad Ti builds, prices, and availability

The Ribble Allroad Ti is available direct from the Ribble Website starting today.

Every build includes the same Ti frame, carbon fork, and 250 gram carbon D-shaped seatpost. Prices are listed in British pounds and will be directly converted to USD based on current exchange rates.

Allroad Ti Sport

£3,499 / ~$4,632.33, Groupset: Shimano 105 12 Speed, Wheelset: Mavic Aksium 1 with Pirelli P7 Sport 32mm tires, Handlebar: Level Alloy bar, Stem: RS-2 stem, Saddle: Selle Italia Model X Superflow, Weight: 9.91kg (medium)

Allroad Ti Enthusiast

£4,099 / ~$5426.67, Groupset: Shimano 105 Di2 12 Speed, Wheelset: Mavic Aksium 1 with Pirelli P7 Sport 32mm tires, Handlebar: Level Alloy bar, Stem: RS-2 stem, Saddle: Selle Italia Model X Superflow, Weight: 9.85kg (medium)

Allroad Ti Pro

£5,499 / ~$7280.13, Groupset: Shimano Ultegra Di2 12 Speed, Wheelset: Mavic Cosmic S with Pirelli P Zero Road 32mm tires, Handlebar: Ribble UB-2 carbon bar, gloss black, Stem: RS-2 stem, Saddle: Selle Italia SL R Boost Saddle, Weight: 9.35kg (medium)

Allroad Ti Hero

£7,999 / ~$10589.88, Groupset: Shimano Dura Ace Di2 12 Speed, Wheelset: Zipp 303 Firecrest with Pirelli P Zero Race 32mm tires, Handlebar: Ribble UB-2 carbon bar, gloss black, Stem: RS-2 stem, Saddle: Selle Italia SL R Boost 3D Kit Carbonio Superflow, Weight: 8.7kg (medium)

Allroad Ti Hero

£9,799 / ~$12972.90, Groupset: Shimano Dura Ace Di2 12 Speed, Wheelset: Zipp 353 NSW with Pirelli P Zero Race 32mm tires, Handlebar: Ribble UB-2 carbon bar, gloss black, Stem: RS-2 stem, Saddle: Selle Italia SL R Boost 3D Kit Carbonio Superflow, Weight: 8.5kg