Ribble SLe Electric Road Bike - The Choice of a Champion
When sitting down at the drawing board during the initial design phase of the SLe project the directive was pretty simple. The lightest, sleekest, most stealthy electric road bike possible.
SEAN YATES IN THE 1993 PARIS-ROUBAIX
The Concept
We had just finalised the concept for our latest flagship road frameset, the SL series. A bike designed to meet and surpass the needs of our UCI Professional road team. It begged us to ask the question why can’t we use this technology in an e-bike? We had spent countless hours developing the SL. Carefully crossing all the T’s and dotting the i’s.
The SLe really comes into it's own on the climbs when the rider needs it the most.
The Construction
Every single intricate part of the frame designed and studied for a reason. The highest grade of Toray Carbon fibre. The latest and most technically advanced one piece monocoque frame construction, featuring a seamless EPS inner core. CFD (Computational fluid dynamics) testing also proved the frameset to be our most aerodynamic yet. Smashing our previous R872 race frame against the wind with an incredible 28% aero gain.
The answer to the question was simply, we can.
A hidden battery mounted within the downtube preserves the sleek lines of the SLe.
To view the SLe electric road bike click here
Pedal Assist System
The ebikemotion X35 system has a discreet, user friendly button to select your power level.
The majority of current e-road bikes on the market are heavy, cumbersome looking machines. Often featuring external batteries with more resemblance to a small moped rather than a high end bicycle. Spanish electronic experts e-bike motion proved the perfect partner to power up our new vision.
The EBM X35 system is a lightweight hub driven motor setup with a sleek internal fitted battery. With a simple, user friendly button offering the rider 3 levels of assistance. The 250 watt output offers assistance up to 26kph and a battery range of up to 100km.
The resulting combination is a premium endurance road bike with the performance enhancing advantage of smooth and controlled power assistance at a market leading weight.
The hub mounted pedal assist motor is built into the rear wheel and supplies assistance when you need it most.
The Legend
'The Animal' gets his hands on his very own Ribble SLe, electric road bike
I was already super happy with the final outcome of the bike, having personally tried and tested it during its development journey. A lightweight road bike that handles and performs as well without assistance as it does when you hit that “magic” power button. The more people that tried the bike, the more it opened our eyes to the unlimited possibilities of who would ride and benefit from this bike.
It was with immense pleasure that I discovered one of my childhood heroes, the Legendary Sean Yates had singled out the SLe as his next bike. A former British champion and Tour de France yellow jersey, Sean’s health is not as good as it once was. An e-road bike offers him the chance to carry on riding any terrain with the same passion as he did during his 15 year professional career.
Sean’s specific build lends itself to the thoroughbred race style road bike that he has always been used to as a pro rider. Slammed handlebar position, 130mm stem and 180mm cranks stand out as the Yatesy signature setup along with Shimano’s latest Di2 electronic gear shifting, Vittoria Corsa G 25mm tyres and Fizik Arione saddle.
Sean's slammed custom build specification.
To view the SLe electric road bike click here
Want to Read More? View theThe Ribble Bike Range 2019