Last summer Jan Swanwick purchased a Ribble Gran Fondo Disc in order to improve his Audax riding speed. Jan submitted this review of the bike after finishing the simply epic 1,000 km Essex-Wales-Essex Audax. "This is simply an understated superb bike. I bought this with the intention of being able to cover 200 kilometre (124 mile) Audax events quickly and easily. I opted for the Ultegra Climbers groupset option, which has proved a suitable choice. Early rides proved disappointing as all my previous bikes had been steel and setup for touring. A professional bike fit made all the difference and coupled with a Brooks All Weather saddle the bike seemed to spring to life.
First choice bike
It is now my first choice for 200 km Audax rides, and after some issues with the comfy steel bike, it was used all through the winter and into the spring, resulting it being used on a 400 km (249 mile) event. I was really pleased with how fresh I felt after the ride with the bumps being smoothed out by the frame whilst being stiff enough to really drive you up the hills. The Mavic Aksium wheels have proved light and strong and have survived the stresses that local roads have thrown at them. I now use the Gran Fondo Disc for all my Audax rides, including the 1,000Km (622 mile) Essex-Wales-Essex ride where the 10,000 meters of climbing were made possible by the lightweight frame and stiff bottom bracket. 
It has reduced my moving time for a 200 km event by an hour. After nine months and 7,000 miles it has proved to be comfortable, stiff, resilient and adaptable and it really lives up to its name of Gran Fondo. The only change I could suggest is some mudguard attachment points, and that would make it a fantastic all weather Audax/Gran Fondo." Jan Swanwick. 
The Gran Fondo Disc Tiagra is one of our Summer Bike Sale bikes. 