Any one tell me anything about this bike

OK, I am out of my comfort zone here.

I have just grabbed this bike off ebay Listed as a Ribble racing bike.

The description was

What we have here is a much loved cycle that has been hung up in the garage for 8 years ....

There is no front wheel .... the frame is Reynolds 531 .....with a Shimano RX100 group set....with Look Pedels....

It could be used for spares or Riding around on 1 wheel.....

Click to expand...

Can any one tell me anything more about it, manufacturer (I assume Ribble cycles...but are they just badged?...age... original price (always nice to know) where abouts RSX stuff lies (preferably compared to a MTB groupset so I have an idea.)

I really dont know alot about road bikes, but have had my heart set on one after starting my new job in london...where the slicked out road bikes rule the roost.

Cheers all!

Bargain of the century, that was.
It's an ordinary, but OK quality road bike. Perfect for seeing if you like them.
RX100 was sort of equivalent to STX/STX-RC in the 90s. Solid and reliable, it's not worth any money but very popular with club riders because it worked really well.

As far as I know Ribble bought in commodity frames from Taiwan. Not bad stuff.
RSX is entry-level stuff - like Sora these days or Alivio in mountian bike groupsets. It's solid and works well but is a little heavy. Switch to alu chainrings for a quick weight saving - if I remember right the inner (and maybe outer) is steel.

Cheers guys, I'm not looking to sell it on. I am hoping it will become my london commuter. Got tired of burning off the line on my slicked out pace, only to be "rolled past" 100m later by people on actual road bikes

Sounds as though it should be perfect for my needs....and at £25 it'll be no huge financial kick in the nuts when it gets knicked

Aye, nothing fancy, at the low end but still 'quality' components and stuff.
Get a front wheel and get oot on it- performance should be fine, just of course heavier than carbon frame and dura-ace!!

For £25 quid, it's a steal!

Ideal for what you want it for, I would think about some mudguards to keep the worst of the water off and a rack and bags. and dont forget a front wheel. and a bargin.

I would be hard pressed to find anything better suited to fast commuting - and at £25 it's just impossible to go wrong!

Woohoo! turned up today, still need a front wheel for it. But very happy on initial inspection.

It certainly needs a clean, but it does have a rather nice looking 27.2mm Mavic seatpost, stronglight headset and a cinelli stem in addition to the spec that was previously listed.

OK, just taken it around the block on its first spin. I thought the headset bearings were shot, but on closer inspection the lock nut was very loose, quick spanner action and it was toight (like a tiger)

Impressions,

1- Feels fast
2-Feels too fast for London
3- going from top of the bar (comfotrable) to the drops in orderto brake is going to be a learning curve!
4- Indexing is still spot on!
5- Sodding seatpost is siezed...but seems to be at the right height!
6- Its going to kill me in London traffic when I forget about the brakes!
7- It feels fast!

I was planning to leave it locked up at paddington for in order to get from there to work and back again whilst the tube strike is on.

just 2 things, Ive a feeling it will get stolen (I have £100 worth of Abus chain lock to put around it) and I am a bit worried about riding it through the traffic, not sure I am use to it enough yet!

Splendid!
You're spot on though, road bikes need practise before you use them in traffic.
No need to put your hands on the drops to brake hard unless they are set up badly. Usually, you should be able to put your hands on the brake hoods and grab the brakes from the top.