Review: Ridgeback Tour | road.cc – Maxi Car Motorcycles

The Ridgeback Tour is just about the least expensive entry into the world of cycle touring you can buy. Straight out of the box it comes with mudguards and a rear rack, it’s comfortable for extended adventures, day-to-day rides and commuting, and the kit is generally well chosen. About the only exception is that I’d have preferred lower gearing – at least for laden touring – but Ridgeback has still delivered a fantastic value long-distance cruiser.

> Buy now: Ridgeback Tour for £899 from Ridgeback

Have a look at our guide to the best touring bikes for more options, but if you have a budget of £900, I highly recommend you consider this one.

Table of Contents

Ridgeback Tour: Ride

I had more than a month on the Ridgeback Tour, and racked up a lot of miles laden and unladen. Once I’d set it up – a pleasingly quick job as it came in the biggest cardboard bike box I’ve ever seen – my first trek was a trip from Bath to Cheltenham for the Fresh Art Fair. Unlike the misquoted Goering, when I hear the word culture, I reach for my bike. (And I bought a small-but-beautiful ballpoint pen drawing of a bird of prey by Cy Baker.)

This was a shade under 60 miles each way on very warm days, on a route that took in a few hills and far too much for my liking of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal that was dry, rutted and hard going.

Oddly, Google Maps threw me into one dead-end cul-de-sac and later tried to direct me along a no-entry for cyclists path. Fortunately, the bike proved a more reliable partner than Google.

It carried weight without issue, gearing and brakes were fine (I said it was easy to set up) and it was comfortable even with the slightly unyielding tyres.

The geometry isn’t as stretched out as you’ll find on some tourers, but its 1,035mm wheelbase makes it much longer than a road bike, so it’s still a very stable ride.

The contact points are good and the tyres tough, though riding the towpath I’d have liked a bit more suppleness – but they look like they’d go on forever.

The riding position is pretty upright, though the stack isn’t quite as high as on the Marin Four Corners I tested recently. But it’s still a riding position that puts no pressure on your back, and helps you to both see and be seen – you do want to see the world when you’re touring.

I did start to feel some tingling in my hands towards the end of a 60-mile day, but that’s down to a lack of miles in me rather than the bike, and isn’t unusual for me these days.

On the return ride Google sent me on a different route which took in a hill that I’d rather have avoided. The traffic was busy and close to me, there was no path, and the bottom gear was too high for me to ride the heavily laden bike, which is something I’ll come on to later…

On flat and gently rolling terrain you just get it up to cruising speed and stay there, with the gearing letting you hit your perfect cadence.

On descents there are no surprises, and when you venture onto slightly gnarlier surfaces, the flared bar offers you very good control.

Ridgeback Tour: Frame and fork

Historically, most tourers, regardless of budget, come with steel frames – though they’re not compulsory. I’ve toured on a titanium frame, and rode 3,000 miles in three months on four continents on an aluminium Cannondale T2000. I was younger then…

The Ridgeback features an aluminium frame, with an oversize down tube, which is paired with a chromoly steel fork – and it’s all good.

Aluminium may not be as comfortable as steel, but with today’s wide tyres you’re not going to get an overly harsh ride.

As with the Marin Four Corners, both the frame and fork have quick-release dropouts rather than the thru-axles that are now more common on bikes with disc brakes. While I would prefer thru-axles, the same comments I made on that review still hold true: quick-release is tried-and-trusted technology for which you can buy spares pretty much anywhere in the world, and I suspect that will be true for quite a few years too.

Also like the Marin, both the frame and fork are very generously appointed with bottle/luggage bosses.

The frame gets multiple sets of bottle bosses, along with top tube bento box bosses, and each fork leg having triple bosses for bottles or a cargo cage such as the Tailfin Cargo Cage.

You’re not going to be running out of carrying capacity here.

Ridgeback Tour: Groupset

Ridgeback’s distributor is part of the same outfit that distributes Shimano in the UK, so it’s no surprise to find Shimano is very much at the heart of things.

The Tour has a Shimano Claris triple chainset paired with a Shimano 8-speed cassette.

The touring bike is pretty much the last home of the once-popular triple chainset – for good reason. When you’re touring you want to be riding at a consistent cadence most of the time; and crucially, you also want the option of a very low bottom gear.

If you’re riding a weighty bike, carrying a shedload of kit and you hit the bottom of a big hill, what you really, really want isn’t a zigazig ah, whatever the Spice Girls might have told us back in the day, but a very low bottom gear. Essentially, you can never have a bottom gear that’s too low. And the Ridgeback doesn’t quite deliver that.

The triple chainset gives you a very welcome 24 ratios, but somewhat oddly Ridgeback has specced a road triple chainset rather than a mountain bike triple.

The Ridgeback’s 50/39/30T chainset and 11-32T cassette do offer a decent 25-123in gear range. Decent for most cycling, that is. But for heavily laden touring you really do need something closer to 20in, and there are other options.

The 8-speed Shimano Acera is available in a 44/32/22T configuration, the Shimano Tourney in 42/34/24T, the Altus in 42/32/22T, while Spa Cycles sells the 8-speed-compatible Stronglight triple in numerous chainring and crank length configurations – inner rings down to 24T and crank lengths from 160-175mm.

A 24T inner chainring and 11-32T cassette would give a much more touring-friendly 19in bottom gear, and if you go the whole hog with a 22x34T pairing you’d have a wall-climbing 17in bottom gear!

> How to get ultra-low gearing for gravel bike adventures

If you are planning an expedition on the Ridgeback, I really, really would recommend going for one of the lower-geared options.

The brakes are a slightly modest pair of Promax mechanical discs, but though they’re a single-piston design (unlike the dual-piston design TRP Spyre-C), they worked well, with a performance not noticeably inferior to the TRP’s.

Why cable discs? Okay, they’re never going to be the equal of hydraulic discs for power and lightness of action. But I’m a mechanic of middling abilities, and even I can fettle cable-actuated discs. If I was by a roadside in the middle of nowhere, I wouldn’t much like to see hydraulic fluid leaking anywhere…

Ridgeback Tour: Finishing kit

While I had one quite major question mark over the groupset, I think Ridgeback has got it pretty much spot on with the finishing kit. Things like saddle choice are subjective, but there’s nothing I’d change here.

The Madison Flux is a popular and longstanding saddle and I got on well with it; it has a classic shape with a groove towards the back and a reasonable amount of padding.

The stem, seatpost and handlebar are all own-brand alloy products, as you’d expect at this price, with the bar showing the influence of gravel bike design. It measures 42cm (centre to centre) across the tops, but flares out to 50cm (c-c) at the drops. The bar has quite a shallow drop.

The result is a very good bar. You can ride comfortably on the tops on tarmac, with the wider drops coming into their own and offering extra control on rougher surfaces.

Finally, it’s a very big thumbs-up to see a rear rack and full-length mudguards with mud flaps on a bike at this quite modest price.

The solid-looking, non-flexy rear rack has an 18kg capacity. Okay, you can go higher with 20kg, 25kg or even 30kg capacity racks, such as the Ortlieb Rack 3, but I wouldn’t dream of carrying more than 18kg on a rear rack these days.

If I was carrying that amount – or more – overall, I’d split it between rear panniers and a bar bag or frame- or fork-mounted bikepacking bags.

Like the rear rack the mudguards are unbranded, but the front features quick-release safety clips. These detach in the event of anything getting trapped between the tyre and the mudguard, preventing any possible issues.

Ridgeback Tour: Wheels and tyres

When it comes to full-on touring you’re looking for tyres from 32mm up to around 45mm or so – potentially even wider. The more air there is between you and the ground, the better for comfort, and it’s even more crucial if you’re heavily laden.

Ridgeback has specced 32mm Vittoria Randonneur rubber, which is a reasonable choice, though it favours toughness and puncture resistance – both important qualities, of course – over suppleness.

The wheels and tyres survived some quite tough riding without grumbling, including quite a few miles of the bone-dry and severely rutted towpath of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.

The tyres have reflective strips too, which I’m always a big fan of.

If I was using the Ridgeback for commuting or general daily riding on tarmac I’d keep the Vittoria tyres. While not overly supple, their width is still enough to take some of the sting out of things.

However, if I was getting more adventurous and taking it on a full-on tour, or riding regularly on towpaths and similar, I would go for rubber that’s a little wider and hopefully more supple too.

I think the likes of the 35mm Panaracer GravelKing Slick TLC would hit the sweet spot, or the 38mm Hutchinson Overide for a little more air-cushioning width. These would get even more air between you and the road and would add a little bit of plushness to the Ridgeback’s ride.

Ridgeback Tour: Value

As I said when I tested the Marin Four Corners, it wasn’t so long ago that there was a whole raft of ‘proper’ touring bikes you could buy for around a grand. There was Dawes, of course, whose legendary Galaxy is but a memory, Edinburgh Bike Coop’s Revolution, Fuji and Trek – but these are either no more, or in the case of the Fuji, not brought into the UK.

The most obvious rival is that Marin Four Corners Sword 1. The Marin is 50 quid more than the Ridgeback, and while it certainly has a much lower bottom gear and arguably better brakes, you will need to add a rack and mudguards, which will make it even more expensive.

The Spa Cycles Wayfarer, for instance, is around £500 more than the Ridgeback, though we liked it when we tested it. But Spa also does its Steel Tourer Drop Bar 9 Speed, a triple chainring-equipped machine that costs as little as £1,250, though you’d have to make do with rim brakes. Both the Spa bikes have the option of high-quality handbuilt wheels, which is always a worthwhile upgrade.

If you’re looking for a flat-bar option, the Genesis Tour De Fer 10, from the same distributor as Ridgeback, could be worth considering (we reviewed one back in 2018). It has a chromoly steel frameset and a 2×10-speed Shimano Cues chainset and costs £1,299.99, though this includes front and rear mudguards, front and rear racks, and a kickstand.

Conclusion

It’s pretty much a full-house of positives for the Ridgeback Tour. It’s great to see full-length mudguards and a rear rack on any bike, let alone one at this price. The saddle and bar are well chosen and get no complaints from me, and the tyres are tough, though I’d go wider and more supple for touring.

But the choice of a road triple chainset, rather than one from an off-road groupset, is a baffling one. If you’re planning to use this as an everyday bike or tough commuter, this isn’t an issue, but for a heavily laden extended tour you’ll be yearning for a lower gear. Even with that proviso, for Ridgeback to deliver a bike of this overall quality without you having to take out a mortgage is very impressive.

> Buy now: Ridgeback Tour for £899 from Ridgeback

Verdict

Very good all-round ride and the least expensive tourer I’d happily recommend – would score higher with a non-road chainset

Make and model: Ridgeback Tour

Size tested: Medium, 561mm

List the components used to build up the bike.

Frame: Alloy frame with Q/R dropouts

Fork: Chromoly steel with Q/R dropouts

Chainset: Shimano Claris FC-R2030 50/39/30

Cassette: Shimano HG31 8-Speed 11-32T

Chain: KMC X8

Brakes: Promax DSK-300R discs, 160mm rotors

Wheels: Shining DB-31 rims, 32 14g spokes, KT68F/KT68R hubs

Tyres: Vittoria Randonneur 32-622

Full-length mudguards with mud flaps, the front with a safety release

18kg capacity rear rack

Tell us what the bike is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about the bike?

Ridgeback says:

“The ultimate great value tourer.

The Ridgeback Tour offers the best in wallet friendly touring capability. Based on our 6061 heat treated aluminium frame featuring all the rack, mudguard and cage mounts you could need.

Utilising the ever-dependable Shimano Claris groupset with a triple chainset and 8 speed cassette you will always the right gear no matter your situation.

Promax mechanical disc brakes provide easy maintenance stopping power where ever your Tour takes you and Fast rolling Vittoria Randonneur tyres help you get there that bit easier.

Mudguards and a rear pannier rack complete the package.

The Ridgeback Tour makes that dream trip that little bit more affordable.”

I think this is one of the least expensive genuine tourers these days, with other budget touring options having fallen by the wayside in the last decade or so.

About the only area where the Ridgeback Tour doesn’t quite meet Ridgeback’s claims is the gearing – it’s crying out for a mountain bike chainset for lower gears rather than the road chainset fitted.

Where does this model sit in the range? Tell us briefly about the cheaper options and the more expensive options

This is the entry-level bike in Ridgeback’s range of four touring bikes. The £1,349.99 Voyage has a Reynolds 520 chromoly steel frame and chromoly fork, with Shimano gearing in the form of a 48/36/26 chainset and 11-34T cassette. Braking comes from Tektro’s mini-V-brakes.

Overall rating for frame and fork

7/10

Tell us about the build quality and finish of the frame and fork?

It may be a budget bike but it’s neatly enough finished, with the usual quite chunky welds, and the paint seems tough.

Tell us about the materials used in the frame and fork?

Perhaps unusually for a touring bike the Ridgeback Tour has a 6061 aluminium frame, rather than the steel that is still the go-to material. This does mean that should your frame fail when you’re in the back of beyond, the chance of getting it repaired is slim to none. Is this an issue? Not really for me. I rode 3,000 miles in three months years ago on an aluminium Cannondale and would happily do so on an aluminium bike again.

The fork is chromoly steel.

Tell us about the geometry of the frame and fork?

It’s touring bike classic: shallower head angle than seat tube angle; longish wheelbase for stability.

How was the bike in terms of height and reach? How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size?

The 593mm stack and 385mm reach compare with 618mm and 403.3mm for the Marin Four Corners. The Temple Adventure Disc 3 brings a slightly racier geometry to the party with a lower 575mm stack and longer 420mm reach.

This puts the Ridgeback’s geometry very much in the touring bike range, with the stack much higher than you’d find on a road bike with a similar size frame. The longish wheelbase also says ‘tourer’ in big letters.

Was the bike comfortable to ride? Tell us how you felt about the ride quality.

Yes. It might be an aluminium frame but biggish tyres take the sting out of things.

Did the bike feel stiff in the right places? Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible?

Yes. There was no evident flex even when loaded.

How did the bike transfer power? Did it feel efficient?

Fine. The tyres aren’t the most efficient but the frameset felt fine.

Was there any toe-clip overlap with the front wheel? If so was it a problem?

A teeny-tiny amount of overlap with the mudguard – so slight it caused no issue. Without guards and even with a much wider tyre, there’d be no overlap.

How would you describe the steering? Was it lively neutral or unresponsive? Neutral.

Tell us some more about the handling. How did the bike feel overall? Did it do particular things well or badly?

The slack head angle makes for quite relaxed handling; you don’t want anything too lively on a touring bike.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike’s comfort? would you recommend any changes?

If I was touring on poor surfaces for an extended period I’d go for wider tyres with a bit more suppleness. The Vittoria tyres fitted major on toughness and puncture resistance, but going for 35-40mm rubber would add more comfort without a noticeable weight gain.

Rate the bike for efficiency of power transfer:

6/10

It’s fine. I never felt like my efforts were being wasted.

Rate the bike for acceleration:

5/10

It’s a weighty bike built for more for comfort than speed – a bit like me these days. As such, acceleration isn’t sharp, and that’s fine.

Rate the bike for sprinting:

5/10

As above, it’s weighty, comfy, leisurely and you’re really not going to be sprinting on it.

Rate the bike for high speed stability:

6/10

Rate the bike for cruising speed stability:

9/10

The longish wheelbase helps to keep things very stable, which is what you want from a tourer. This is where the Ridgeback really shines.

Rate the bike for low speed stability:

7/10

Rate the bike for flat cornering:

6/10

Rate the bike for cornering on descents:

6/10

Rate the bike for climbing:

5/10

It’s weighty, especially with me and a load of kit – and I’d have appreciated a lower bottom gear too!

Rate the drivetrain for performance:

7/10

The performance of the drivetrain is fine – though I’d really like a chainset with smaller chainrings.

Rate the drivetrain for durability:

8/10

It’s Shimano (and not its break-y Ultegra cranks) so I don’t doubt that it would last for years.

Tell us some more about the drivetrain. Anything you particularly did or didn’t like? Any components which didn’t work well together?

They all worked well, though I’d go for a mountain bike triple chainset for lower gears, and possibly even a wider cassette.

Rate the wheels for performance:

7/10

Rate the wheels for durability:

8/10

Rate the wheels for weight:

5/10

Rate the wheels for comfort:

8/10

Tell us some more about the wheels.Did they work well in the conditions you encountered? Would you change the wheels? If so what for?

All good – and miles on a dry and severely rutted canal towpath put them to the test. I’d keep the wheels.

Rate the tyres for performance:

6/10

They major on toughness, puncture resistance and durability rather than suppleness and comfort. I’d change them for loaded touring for wider tyres.

Rate the tyres for durability:

8/10

Tougher than a really tough thing…

Rate the tyres for weight:

5/10

… but they’re not going to be light.

Rate the tyres for comfort:

6/10

They’re 32mm wide so the volume of air between you and and road offers some comfort, but they’re sturdy rather than supple. I’d go wider – 35-40mm – for the heavily laden tours the bike is capable of.

Tell us some more about the tyres. Did they work well in the conditions you encountered? Would you change the tyres? If so what for?

The tyres worked well and will cope with a wide variety of poor surfaces, grit and light off-road trails. That said, for loaded touring I’d probably go up to 35mm or 40mm rubber.

Rate the controls for performance:

8/10

Rate the controls for durability:

8/10

Rate the controls for comfort:

8/10

Tell us some more about the controls. Any particularly good or bad components? How would the controls work for larger or smaller riders?

It’s Shimano STi, the controls work well and should carry on doing so for years.

Anything else you want to say about the componentry? Comment on any other components (good or bad)

Did I mention that it needs smaller chainrings? (At least for touring.) That’s my only real issue, and while a biggie, it’s a reasonably straightforward change to make. And if you did so, you’d probably still be paying less than a grand.

Did you enjoy riding the bike? Yes

Would you consider buying the bike? Yes

Would you recommend the bike to a friend? Yes

How does the price compare to that of similar bikes in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

This really is the least expensive entry into the world of cycle touring – but I’d still happily recommend it. It’s comfortable, practical and it’s fantastic that Ridgeback has managed both a rear rack and mudguards considering the budget-friendly price. The nearest competitor price-wise is the Marin Four Corners I tested recently, but that’s 50 quid more and doesn’t have a rack or guards.

A bit more expensive than that and you’ve got machines from the huge Spa Cycles range of tourers, which start at around £1,100. These have steel frames, you can spec the gearing to suit, and have the option of upgrading to high-quality handbuilt wheels. I liked them so much that I bought the company. Joke. I liked them so much I bought one of its bikes.

Rate the bike overall for performance:

8/10

Rate the bike overall for value:

8/10

Use this box to explain your overall score

The bike is very good overall – albeit with one reasonably large reservation: it needs lower gearing for extended, laden touring.

The value is hard to match for any touring bike that I’d happily recommend. That Ridgeback has managed to include full-length mudguards and an 18kg capacity rear rack is very impressive and to be applauded, so the value is also very good.

Age: 57 Height: Weight:

I usually ride: 2018 Giant TCR Advanced 2 with Halo Carbaura disc wheels My best bike is:

I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, touring, sportives, general fitness riding,

link

Review: Ridgeback Tour | road.cc

Ridgeback Tour: Ride

Ridgeback Tour: Frame and fork

Ridgeback Tour: Groupset

Ridgeback Tour: Finishing kit

Ridgeback Tour: Wheels and tyres

Ridgeback Tour: Value

Conclusion

Verdict

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Ridgeback Tour: Ride

Ridgeback Tour: Frame and fork

Ridgeback Tour: Groupset

Ridgeback Tour: Finishing kit

Ridgeback Tour: Wheels and tyres

Ridgeback Tour: Value

Conclusion

Verdict

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