Ribble Allroad SL R e Pro ride impressions and range
The Allroad SL R e is a fast bike, irrespective of the motor assistance. At only 12.27kg, it’s not a heavy electric bike – I’ve ridden non-electric gravel bikes that are heavier.
Without any assistance, it’s easy to pedal the Allroad up past the 15.5mph/25kph limit anyway; the sporty ride position and wind-cheating design make for a quick bike.
With the motor system engaged, as you pedal, the Mahle bottom bracket measures both cadence and power (in Watts), and through the system’s software it optimises the assistance being delivered – irrespective of which power mode you’re in.
That means while the Allroad SL R e may only have a modestly sized 350Wh battery, none of that resource is going to waste. The Allroad achieves quite a hefty range for such a lightweight package, reaching a best of 81.3 miles/130.8km, with 4,042.8ft/1,232.25m of elevation.
Combined with this is Mahle’s phone app, which can be used to record your ride, adjust motor settings, monitor and analyse energy consumption, and link to your heart rate monitor so it delivers the necessary assistance to keep you in the heart rate zone of your choosing.
The control for the system is a unit in the top tube, called the iWOC. This cycles through the modes, and a multi-colour strip light signifies which power mode you’re in and a rough guide to battery reserves.
The iWOC is simple and easy enough to use, although you can only cycle up through the modes, rather than toggling up or down (unlike Bosch’s SX controller).
That said, connecting it to a Garmin bike computer enables you to control the motor assistance from your touchscreen, and get more accurate information on the battery life and a ‘smart’ estimated range. This changes depending on your chosen mode and current riding style.
The smart charger can deliver 80 per cent charge in two hours and a full recharge from empty in just shy of four. The new charger also has a USB port, so you can download any firmware updates to a USB stick and perform upgrades at home without the need to take your bike to an authorised Mahle shop.
The Allroad SL R e handled beautifully in testing – it was quick and responsive and the steering never got unsettled on poorer roads. It flows through fast corners and over rolling terrain like a true aero road bike.
Get to the foot of a hill and it responds to big efforts well, using the X20 motor assistance. I felt as though I could attack big climbs with the verve of Tadej Pogačar.
The ride quality is firm, but not harsh. It transmits plenty of the road surface through the bike, boosting confidence. I find the Selle Italia SLR Boost saddle especially comfortable, but Ribble’s Bike Builder offers options if you should prefer something different.
The UB-2 handlebar offers a good range of grasping positions, although in its untaped form I had to ride with mitts for comfort.
The Allroad name is something of a misnomer, however, at least in the standard pure-road specification. I rode the bike out on some poorer roads and light gravel and, although I didn’t suffer any mishaps, the racy tyres aren’t ideally suited.
Mounted on relatively narrow rims by modern standards, I ended up running higher tyre pressures than I’d prefer, which adversely affected the Allroad’s ability to smooth out chatter from poor surfaces.
I implored Ribble that to be a true all-roader, it needs to make the most of the 38mm tyre clearance – and Ribble listened. It now offers a 35mm Schwalbe G-One Allround gravel tyre option.
Fitting these tyres improved things for gravel riding, but it’s still not a monster electric gravel machine, like the Sonder El Camino or Canyon Grizl:ON.
That said, it’s seriously rapid on unmetalled roads and the G-One tyres offer enough grip and cushion to handle singletrack too – even if it’ll run out of traction before its larger-tyred rivals.
Range-wise, I saw a drop off of around 5 per cent compared to the slick Pirellis, but the trade-off is worth it for the increased versatility.
