Verenti Rhigos 0.3: Test Ride

At last the Weather Gods have been kind to me. I got out on the new test bike - a Verenti Rhigos 0.3 (Wiggle own brand) - for some reet good road cycling. It was about time too as I will need to return it soon and I haven't dared take it out in the wet and windy conditions we've had of late.

I did about 25 miles in all. This Garmin Connect data was from a 15 miles loop I am riding to compare bikes. It involves a fair bit of climbing up on the moors above Rochdale and then a fantastic fast decent. It is pretty free flowing with only a few traffic lights so a good comparison can be made of time taken to complete the circuit.

Anyway, it was a beautiful day and the bike is very nice. A tad more comfortable than the Focus Cayo due to better grip tape and a slightly more upright geometry, but only a tad. It is specced with SRAM rival groupset and Verenti own branded products. I haven't used SRAM equipment before and it is slightly different changing gears than Shimano stuff but still worked very well. Very happy using a compact double (50-34) chainset. I was down to the lowest gear on part of the hill climb but could have used something higher if truth be told. Had to stop at some roadworks on the ascent and easily able to get going again in lowest gear. The Askium wheels and Vittoria tyres worked well and the ride and grip were outstanding. The brakes were efficient and easy to get to which is what I want from brakes. The frame has a nice glossy finish while the Cayo was matt. I like gloss as it is easier to wipe clean.

The only negative about the Rhigos? you can have any colour - as long as it's black. I'm going to end up with a monochromatic stable of bikes if i'm not careful!

Oh. And 1130 calories burned according to the Garmin. I don't believe it for one minute but nice to know I can have some fish and chips with bread and butter tonight and not feel guilty.

Time For Focus

I've been having lots of fun over the last few days looking at what I can get for my money when I hit target and splurge on buy a new bike. I have scoured several cycle magazines and many cycle related websites. The bikebuilder site from Preston based company Ribble is a great find. You can choose from several Ribble frames and spec them as you want - opt for a less expensive groupset and upgrade the wheels and tyres, etc. 

This has been an education in itself and the bikes also get some brilliant reviews. I have been basing my choices around a Ribble Sportive Bianco. I like the look of the bike but would really want to test ride one before I could consider buying. As Ribble is a web based company (although they have a shop/warehouse in Preston) the chances of doing so are going to be limited to say the least.

That's the problem with buying from t'internet I suppose - you are relying on the opinions/advice of others. Or is it? Wiggle is an internet based company and I've used them a lot for various small cycle related  items. Their service is excellent and prices very competitive (I declare I have no connection to them apart from being a satisfied customer).

I was browsing through some of the bikes they offer and found I could buy one, have it delivered, test ride it for up to 30 days, return it (for free), get a full refund and then do it all over again with a different model - the 30 Day Test Ride. Brilliant! They want it back clean and with only normal wear and tear but that is the least I can do. So, I have ordered one. An Ultegra specced Focus Cayo 2.0. It should be here next week. Really quite excited.

This is purely in the interest of research you understand. I am not going to make a final decision until I have tried a few different bikes and will not make a final purchase until I hit target. But you can't be too clued up really can you?

A Focus Cayo 2.0 compact