Having recently celebrated its 125-year anniversary, Ribble has released a new steel gravel bike, the Gravel 725. The steel frame adopts the same geometry and frame features as the brand’s carbon fibre, titanium and aluminium Gravel variations, but Ribble promises the new bike will offer a different look and ride feel to the existing options.
Fabricating the design in steel also means Ribble can offer extra build options at the more accessible end of its gravel range.
The Gravel 725 is available in three models: the Pro, Enthusiast and Sport, and prices start from £2,099 / €2,446 / $2,576. Price-wise, that puts the new bikes just above most of the Gravel AL models but below the Gravel Ti and Gravel SL options.
Well-proven formula
In recent years, Ribble has launched several other steel iterations of its existing bikes, such as the Endurance 725 and CGR 725, the latter standing for ‘cross, gravel, road’, so adding a 725 steel variation to its gravel range is a natural extension for the brand.
Ribble says the Reynolds 725 tubing it uses is triple-butted and heat-treated, to reduce weight and improve robustness, and has been paired with a carbon monocoque fork.
According to Jamie Burrow, the brand’s head of product, the Gravel 725 offers the ‘classic aesthetic and unique ride quality that comes with Reynolds steel’, combined with the performance of the modern groupsets available with the bike.
Designed for off-road adventures, the frame includes several bottle cage and luggage mounts, with carry-all mounts on the fork.
It’s a fairly conventional looking design with a sloping top tube and slightly dropped seatstays. The quirky gusset reinforcement nestled above the bottom bracket is arguably its most distinctive feature.
The Gravel 725 offers tyres clearance up to 45mm for 700c or 47mm for 650b wheels, and the frame uses internal cable routing so that the bike looks neat and the cables are protected from grotty conditions.
As we’ve come to expect from Ribble in recent years, the bike is tastefully finished in matt Air Force blue paint. For those wishing for something slightly different, custom colours are available and can be chosen through Ribble’s online BikeBuilder.
650b Mavic Allroad wheels and Halo GXC tyres are standard on each model, and the rest of the bike is equipped with a LEVEL gravel-focussed finishing kit, including flared riser drop bars.
Whilst the Pro build is fitted with SRAM Rival eTap AXS XPLR , and Rival and Apex 1 is used on the Enthusiast and Sport builds respectively, the rest of the specification remains the same across the models, excluding the saddle.
Ribble says that the medium Gravel 725 Pro weighs in at 10.8kg, just 0.5kg more than the Gravel AL Pro and 0.3kg more than the Gravel Ti Pro.
As with the paintwork, custom groupsets are available, notably the Campagnolo gravel-specific Ekar 13-speed.
Ribble Gravel 725 specs and prices
Ribble Gravel 725 – Pro
Groupset: SRAM Rival XPLR eTap AXS 1×12 Speed Disc
Frame: Reynolds 725 Steel, Triple-Butted, Heat-Treated
Fork: Gravel 725, Full Carbon, Tapered, Carryall Mounts
Wheels: Mavic Allroad 650b Disc, 12x100F/12x142R
Tyres: Halo GXC FD60, 650bx47, Tan Wall
Bars: LEVEL Gravel Riser Flared, 420/510mm
Stem: LEVEL 2 3D-Forged Alloy, Black, 31.8mm
Saddle: Fizik Taiga
Price: £2,899 / €3,379 / $3,558
Ribble Gravel 725 – Enthusiast
Groupset: SRAM Rival 1×11 Speed Disc
Frame: Reynolds 725 Steel, Triple-Butted, Heat-Treated
Fork: Gravel 725, Full Carbon, Tapered
Wheels: Mavic Allroad 650b Disc, 12x100F/12x142R
Tyres: Halo GXC FD60, 650bx47, Tan Wall
Bars: LEVEL Gravel Riser Flared Alloy, 420/510mm
Stem: LEVEL 1 6061 Alloy, Black, 31.0mm
Saddle: Selle Italia X3 Boost
Price: £2,399 / €2,796 / $2,945
Ribble Gravel 725 – Sport
Groupset: SRAM Apex 1×11 Speed Disc
Frame: Reynolds 725 Steel, Triple-Butted, Heat-Treated
Fork: Gravel 725, Full Carbon, Tapered
Wheels: Mavic Allroad 650b Disc, 12x100F/12x142R
Tyres: Halo GXC FD60, 650bx47, Tan Wall
Bars: LEVEL Gravel Riser Flared, 420/510mm
Stem: LEVEL 1 6061 Alloy, Black, 31.8mm
Saddle: Selle Italia X3 Boost
Price: £2,099 / €2,446 / $2,576