Having started out on an ebike and then buying a non ebike my interest is moving to getting another bike. I like the assist of the ebike as it helps with a knackered knee at times. I like the lightweight of the normal bike.

So looking at a Ribble Cgr al-e, they call it a gravel bike and it has a small motor assist, weight is massively lighter than a proper ebike. They also make a hybrid which is all but identical.

Question is could I fit a short travel front fork as Fox make a gravel bike specific 100mm travel one.

Secondly on my doorstep I have the peaks and Sherwood Forest, I wouldn’t use this bike for anything more extreme than forest trails and mtb routes at Sherwood pines. In the peaks it would be cycle trails with the family.

Any advice or comments appreciated

Hullo Mr T Couchy.
No comment on the E ribble apart from to say I tried the alloy Orbea Gain which is v v v similar and was surprised at the weight.
As for short travel forks, I bastardised my trusty Raleigh with a pair of Rock Shox trekking forks.

And in the Black Mountains

Truth was it just created a slightly heavier touring bike with a bit more comfort off road.

Question is could I fit a short travel front fork as Fox make a gravel bike specific 100mm travel one.

It’s 40mm, not 100mm.

I suspect the answer from Ribble would be no, as they won’t have done the safety testing with a longer suspension fork in mind. I also suspect it would mess with the handling a bit.

If it’s just for tame byways I’d give it a go, or maybe somethign like the On-One Free Ranger which has even more clearance for (almost) 29er tyres (2.0″ IIRC). I love my cross bike for riding smoother bridleways, doesnt need to be limited to gravel or fire roads, it’s fine on singletrack as long as it’s not rocky singletrack, conversely if your a Peak local, then it would be rubbish on “roads” like Potato alley.

A 40mm tyre is surprisingly cable and comfortable. The compromise is you run it at pressures not dissimilar to a 2.2″+ mountainbike tyre (25-30psi) because you don’t need it to resist pinch flats on rocks, because you won’t be riding over too many rocks!

Kinda the opposite of a fat bike, which at 10psi is surprisingly unforgiving (because there’s a lot of area at 10psi = lots of force), but still collapses in the fast corners. A 40m tyre at 25psi resists cornering loads, but actually smooths everything out because the contact patch is smaller. n.b. i know at standstill rider weight roughly equals tyre pressure x contact patch area, I’m talking about more dynamic forces.

[edit] I misread the original post, thought you were after second non-e bike. I’d still suggest trying it rigid, a lack of suspension doesn’t really impact on bikes for that sort of riding IME.

Thanks for replies, after much reading looking at specs etc and discussions with mates and realisation I only want a hardtail with maybe short travel forks, I came to the conclusion it was time to drag out my old bike I bought new in 2006 as it fits the bill. A new set of tyres and it’ll be ready to go again. Still looks in good condition today