Longteng might be producing frames for Ribble. My bet is - they could be a OEM for Ribble, or they worked with Ribble at one point.
Alisa provided me with enough info about the frame, now it's time to sit and wait for some reviews since I'm debating between RD301, LC LCR017 and Hygge Model S since it's now EPS.
Long teng is a factory, unlike the likes of Hygge or Velobuild, so given you've seen their marketing budget is zero, they ARE an OEM. Question is: who do they OEM for? Also bear in mind that bike brands change models over time, and could also outsource production of the same model to different factories, over time, or for scale (you may need several factories to produce a given frame at a given point in time).
We know that LT OEMs / has OEMed for Argon 18. They never did their TT bikes, because i asked, so road frames only.
I wouldnt be surprised that Ribble would work with them at all.
There are various reports on this forum that Winow OEMs for Hygge, so i'd say, if you want a Hygge, go to Winow direct.
Personal experience: i built 2 LT and 2 Winow in parallel. I recommend LT more than Winow. A general feeling of superior quality from LT, and, specifically, when i installed the PF bbs in the frames, i had constant / consistent resistance on the LT frames, much (much) less so on Winow. And in fact, my crankset spins on my LT so freely, it puts to shame the Winow. Now as i've written on the forum before, with my eyes closed, i m not sure i could tell the bikes apart (i used the same components on all 4 bikes), and my friends are happy with their bikes. But given the brain damage involved with receiving a frame that is "problematic", and the cost of shipping things back and forth, i've been recommending LT, and not Winow.
Also: dealing with LT (Alisa) > dealing with Winow (Terry). Alisa responds to emails, while Terry can ghost you for days if he considers himself to be "busy" or not in the mood. Man vs woman? Cultural? Idk, i dont care. What i know is i'd rather give my money to LT.
On the 301 and LC 17, the tyre clearance and vibe of the bikes are pretty different. Hygge is not on my radar, starting with the ugly paintjobs. Hygge would have to pay me to ride a frame that says Hygge on it. Would be like somehow having to ride a bike that says wallmart on it and be expected to be psyched about it.