Review: Ribble AllGrit Ti-X

I sat up and said out loud, “Not again – how the hell did that happen?”

Only that’s what I meant to say. Outside my head, it sounded more like the siren of a police car in a 1970s American crime caper that had ended up in a lake, the wailing sound comically slowing as it slipped beneath the water. I tried again, but could only huff a few breaths and so resorted to just saying “Feck”.

I looked up and down the ramrod straight farm track and saw no one, no obstacles, no hazards. Just the Ribble AllGrit Ti-X at my feet, rear wheel still spinning dramatically. After checking that nothing was hanging off me or the bike, and that nothing was dripping or hissing out of either of us, I gingerly stood up, straightened the right shifter and remounted.

I was 70km into a 90km gravel ride which had, up until that moment, passed serenely, albeit with a couple of cheek-blowing climbs and washboard descents, and this was all down to the titanium spaceship I was riding.

My first real road bike was a Ribble Audax, back around 2010 – I’d just got into cycling, and it was ideal for me. I moved on to a Ribble R872 as my first carbon road bike a couple of years later, and since then I have also tried their CGR AL e and the Endurance SL e gravel e-bike. I’ve had steel bikes of my own, but this beauty is the zenith for me, a titanium all-road bike with a RockShox Rudy Ultimate suspension fork.

First impressions of the Ribble AllGrit Ti-X out of the box are of sleek and sophisticated lines with no shouty graphics (though the bubblewrap had left a rather pleasing, but temporary, effect on the top tube). The smooth 3D-printed lugs blend seamlessly with the frame tubes, and the seat post clamp is cleverly hidden up on the underside where top meets seat tube. Slightly frustrating to locate and place without losing it down inside the frame, but once positioned, all is forgotten.

Cage and accessory mounts are neatly dotted around the frame, barely noticeable except for the bolts. The carbon seatpost is topped with a very comfortable Selle Italia Model X, and the stock finishing kit is nicely subdued. (I was pleased to see that the Level marque Ribble used some years ago has either been rebranded – it did irk me on a previous test bike that the logo across the stem and bars couldn’t say ‘Level’ when it was actually level.)

The bars have 20mm rise with a noticeable gullwing effect when viewed from the front; this affords a slightly more upright position when riding on the tops, which is welcome when cruising on rougher terrain.

The wheels are sturdy DT Swiss G1800 Splines, booted with a pair of Schwalbe G-One R tyres in 45mm width, supplied with inner tubes. It’s a decent middle-ground choice for mixed road and gravel riding; if you want to go wider, you can – the AllGrit takes up to a 700x50mm tyre. And of course, the supplied wheels and tyres are tubeless compatible – more on that later.

Assembly out of the (massive) box takes a matter of moments: tighten the bars, add pedals, adjust the seatpost height and you’re good to go. My first ride on the AllGrit Ti-X was on the road, a quick jaunt on the ferry over from Lymington to the Isle of Wight and along the north coast to Cowes. The AllGrit felt smooth and silent along the well-maintained Hampshire roads with the fork locked out, and the one-by SRAM Rival AXS 13-speed drivetrain enhanced the experience; the simplicity of the single press up and down makes it one of the go-to options on a lot of bikes these days, not just those suited to off-road shenanigans. The massive 46T bottom gear on the back can get you up all but the steepest of climbs, and the 40T front cog, combined with the 10T on the back, scoots you along the flat at a more than respectable speed.

The weight of the AllGrit Ti-X in this Rival build is quoted as 9.8kg, and while our test model will be slightly heftier than that with the suspension fork, it rides like a lighter bike. Even with the fork locked out, the 45mm tyres and the frame glide you along all but the most pockmarked and drain-cover-strewn highways, and the silence of the DT Swiss rear freehub merely adds to the serenity.

Second time out, I got into trouble. On my way to meet up with a friend for a Sunday morning gravel ride, I lost the front end at low speed as I turned from a tarmac path onto a dusty trail through some woodland. A scratched and scabby knee was the only injury sustained to me or the bike. Some hours later, halfway through the ride and on quite a steep climb, I began to notice the handling getting sluggish and it harder to pedal. Looking down, I saw that the Puncture Sniper had bagged a brace and both wheels were running on the rims. Despite the use of some sealant at the trailside and much mini-pump action, my day was done.

Finally, the big test for the AllGrit was to be the Glorious Gravel Sainsbury Plain Epic. I took the precaution of getting new tubes installed and primed them with tubeless sealant first. I did the same course five years ago on my steel gravel bike and had to bail to the shorter course on the day.

Salisbury Plain, and I confirmed this to myself earlier this year, has no flat sections; it’s all up-and-down (although I suspect the laws of physics don’t apply here and there’s more up than down). Much of the course is on all-weather crushed stone, with some grassy farm tracks, dusty loose limestone gravel and the odd section of wooded single-track, all of which have their own special way of sapping your physical and mental endurance. It’s a tough course, but I’m more than convinced the comfort of the frame, and the excellent Selle Italia saddle, helped me through the day, up to my 30kmh involuntary dismount.

I’d been battling the parallel troughs along miles of standard grass-up-the-middle farm tracks when I came to a nice straight downhill. I picked the flatter of the two wheel ruts and cruised on the hoods, building up a nice head of steam when the front wheel twitched, and there I was with my head ringing, my mouth huffing out drowned siren noises and my hip starting to hurt like a bastard. Just like my slow-speed foot-out moment the previous week, the grip on the Schwalbe’s failed close to the edge; the lack of a decent shoulder on the tyre had me moving off the perpendicular with just one wheel in contact with the ground.

Thankfully, apart from the cosmetic blemishes on the right shifter, the bar tape and the rear mech, everything was fully functional, and the adrenaline rush from the spill got me back on the bike and over the line – it also kept me awake for the drive home. I eagerly await a visit from the Bruise Fairy to turn my hip and ribs a lovely shade of violet.

Aside from the tyre issues – as you might guess, I’m not sold on the Schwalbe G-One – I found the Ribble AllGrit Ti-X a joy to ride. It’s comfortable, agile and precise, even on the roughest of terrain. The Rudy fork is an excellent upgrade if the bulk of your riding will be off-road. For me, I’d probably be OK without the front suspension on most of my rides and maybe make do with something like a Redshift suspension stem to smooth the worst of what my local trails throw at me.

I love SRAM’s AXS system, and have had it on nearly all of my bikes – this latest 13-speed offering is as good as it gets. The extra cog helps you keep a good cadence and smooths the ratios even better than the 12-speed version. I love the updated crank arms, too, and it seems that the T47 standard BB is being adopted by more and more manufacturers. The inclusion of a crank-based power meter is another welcome touch. It’s not so long ago an upgrade like this would have required investment north of a grand, and the overall value in this package is genuinely impressive.

You can pay a lot for a titanium bike, and many boutique brands will serve you up a machine at twice the price of the AllGrit. Don’t drop a deposit on one until you’ve had a go on the Ribble; it might save you quite a bit of dosh. It has certainly narrowed down the market for me, should I ever give in to my desire for an N+1 in Ti.

Ribble AllGrit Ti-X builds start at £3099 from www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-allgrit-ti-x/