# Guess what!!



## RoubaixCube (13 Dec 2015)

Just won a B'TWIN TRIBAN 540 off ebay for 423 notes!! what a farking score!!!

Owner claims to have had it for 4 months. but upgraded to a Triban Ultra 700. According to the pictures it looks virtually new. Tyres have a little wear on them obviously but the frame looks pristine!!!

absolute steal!



























Will be picking her up from oxfordshire on Tuesday


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## vickster (13 Dec 2015)

Ask him for proof of purchase before handing over cash, get a copy as if you sell it on, your purchaser may well ask for the same and get a receipt

Enjoy


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## screenman (13 Dec 2015)

I would need a parachute to get off that saddle, bit of bad weather and it will have snow on it.

Hope you get as much pleasure from it as I do my bikes.


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## RoubaixCube (13 Dec 2015)

vickster said:


> Ask him for proof of purchase before handing over cash, get a copy as if you sell it on, your purchaser may well ask for the same and get a receipt
> 
> Enjoy



Im asking about paperwork right now. I asked for a copy of it just for warranty purposes. unfortunately i jumped the gun and already paid for the bike :| (I pray to god the bike isnt stolen and the police wont come and take it off me lol)

::EDIT::

I asked for paperwork for warranty purposes, He says he will try and dig out manuals and whatever that came with the bike but no mention of proof of purchase.

99.5% positive Feedback out of 1,045 transactions. I dont think he could be _*THAT*_ shady.

I'll ask if its possible to have or see an original copy of the invoice when i go collect the bike.


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## vickster (13 Dec 2015)

Well I assume if you paid PayPal you are covered if it's stolen. The with those PayPal w@nkers who knows! You shou,d be covered on the credit card used otherwise
Bike needs a respray though 

And how much seatpost is showing!?


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## Milkfloat (13 Dec 2015)

Looks like the photos were taken in summer and it still has some paperwork attached to one of the cranks. I suspect these are his photos from when he first got it. If you paid by PayPal then you will be covered if it turns out to be not so good when you pick it up.


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## Cuchilo (13 Dec 2015)

£600 new ?


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## RoubaixCube (13 Dec 2015)

Milkfloat said:


> Looks like the photos were taken in summer and it still has some paperwork attached to one of the cranks. I suspect these are his photos from when he first got it. If you paid by PayPal then you will be covered if it turns out to be not so good when you pick it up.



Yeah. I got a friend coming with me along for the drive as where he's located is about 2hrs out of london (Witney)



Cuchilo said:


> £600 new ?



Yup  save me a fair amount of dosh - Even if do have to pay for diesel to drive 75miles there and back

I was tempted to catch a train up there and ride the bike back to london  But i want to take the bike and get it inspected by a tech first before i do anything serious with it.


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## Crandoggler (13 Dec 2015)

Hell of a bike, stolen or not!


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## Dave 123 (13 Dec 2015)

Nice.

Won? 

Bought?


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## winjim (13 Dec 2015)

> *Frame*
> New, sloping, 6061-T6 aluminium BTWIN SPORT frame with integrated headset socket. Short-frame geometry, *1760 kg* in size M, strong, versatile frame: mudguard and front and rear-pannier racks can be mounted.



Seems a bit heavy to me, and that's just the frame!

But in all seriousness, did you ask for any recent pictures of the bike? As pointed out upthread, those are old photos, the bar tape's the wrong colour for starters.


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## welsh dragon (13 Dec 2015)

Nice looking bike. Well done indeed. Hope you like it.


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## RoubaixCube (13 Dec 2015)

winjim said:


> Seems a bit heavy to me, and that's just the frame!
> 
> But in all seriousness, did you ask for any recent pictures of the bike? As pointed out upthread, those are old photos, the bar tape's the wrong colour for starters.



I think thats a typo on Decathlon's website. Its actually 9.5kg without pedals If you go right down the spec list. Pretty light if you ask me. My hybrid weighs in at 10.5kg all stock. Add in the 38mm Marathon Plus tyres and It becomes such a lumbering beast  I feel like an idiot for speccing such big tyres but its served pretty well as a training bike if you think about it. Gonna kit the new bike up with some 32mm Marathon Supremes which are so much lighter though not as bombproof as the marathon plus's.

If the auction description he says he changed the bar tape. He has 99.5% feedback out of almost 1.5k trades. I have no real reason to doubt the guy. He seems pretty legit in his messages.

If i do turn up on the day and it does turn out to be a wreck then no worries. paypal has my back and i will contact ebay and recover the money spent on gas and whatever food stops i took along the way. If not at least its a day out. I'll take the camera with me and do a little sightseeing 

I know im kind of going in blind but I'll give the previous owner the benefit of the doubt and hope hes a decent non-red light jumper like the rest of us.

I cant wait to see how much faster i am on my commutes. Things to do - get 32 spoke wheels & add a rack and change the seat to a charge spoon


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## Crandoggler (14 Dec 2015)

Why change wheels? And 32mm's on that bike? No chance? Surely.


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## RoubaixCube (14 Dec 2015)

Crandoggler said:


> Why change wheels? And 32mm's on that bike? No chance? Surely.



Cuz i want a 'do it all' kind of road bike that can handle me (16 stone) and some light touring (loads up to 5-10kg. I dont do a lot of off roading. The question you ask was debated quite heavily in my window shopping thread (surely you remember it as you posted there also) - Im starting to get the feeling that not many people read my original posts before commenting.

I looked around for a good CX bike that for £600 that came with Shimano 105s or cheaper Tiagra groupsets but i found none that fit that price range. Anything that I had a look at came with Sora or Apex groupsets but my heart is set on getting a 105. I even found a £800-850 boardman CX bike with an SRAM Apex groupset..... 

a member suggested a Planet X london bike. I dont think i liked the groupset it came with at the time, and it was more expensive than the Triban.

Ribbles was also suggested but it was an alloy bike without the carbon fork - went up to £750-800 as soon as the groupset was changed to 105

I asked folks to link bikes which fitted the same criteria as the 540 but able to carry light loads and there was barely any feedback.

a Cannondale CaadX 105 2016 is just under £1000 a 2015 model costs £700-800 where found. Though there are loads of them on ebay. Even one with chips in the paintwork is going for £800.

Nobody was able to beat the price on the Triban 540.

32mm tyres is possible according to the product description on Decathlons website

Road.cc's overview also states the same thing in their overview of Tribans new 520 and 540 bikes

I was honestly going to wait till next year to buy a bike in the march sales but whats the biggest discount Decathlon will give on their new range of bikes??? Its christmas and not once was the price of the 540 or 520 even dropped by 5% and even if they did, i doubt they would drop the price down to 35% off. Saw it on ebay and I just couldnt pass it up. Had the bidding went over or close to £500 then i would have stopped bidding,


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## Crandoggler (14 Dec 2015)

That's absolutely fine, but you have Mavic aksium wheels fitted to that bike. Far better than the standard triban wheels - some even call them bombproof. As for weight, I used to ride standard triban wheels 2 stone heavier than you. The aksium's will be fine.


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## vickster (14 Dec 2015)

Nowt wrong with SRAM Apex


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## RoubaixCube (14 Dec 2015)

Crandoggler said:


> That's absolutely fine, but you have Mavic aksium wheels fitted to that bike. Far better than the standard triban wheels - some even call them bombproof. As for weight, I used to ride standard triban wheels 2 stone heavier than you. The aksium's will be fine.



Your point of view conflicts with those that were given in my window shopping thread.


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## Crandoggler (14 Dec 2015)

There have been crossed wires. I was talking about the atrocious standard wheels that are fitted to the Triban range, below the 540. The standard B'twin ones. I was totally unaware of the fact that some Triban's had branded wheels. 

The Mavic's are already an upgrade that many people were talking about and do not need upgrading. You're going to be spending £3-500 on a wheel that is good enough to feel the difference.


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## vickster (14 Dec 2015)

I think one issue with Mavic wheels in general is getting spares for them and depending on how many spokes the aksiums have (?20/24) you might find you ping a few on a London commute if you weigh 100kg+

Might be worth trying to get hold of some spokes now before you actually need them in a hurry...unless you have a spare bike or two

Mavic recommend not to exceed 120kg including rider, bike, luggage etc on the aksiums...only 20 spokes on rear....low!

http://www.mavic.co.uk/wheels-road-triathlon-aksium


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## RoubaixCube (14 Dec 2015)

Spoke to our resident wheel builder and he quoted me £220 on a set of handmade wheels which should do nicely. I dont mind that at all


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## Crandoggler (14 Dec 2015)

Get some Fulcrum Quattro's for £170. They're hand built too...

Whatever floats your boat mate! But they're very good wheels on it already.


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## Crandoggler (14 Dec 2015)

vickster said:


> I think one issue with Mavic wheels in general is getting spares for them and depending on how many spokes the aksiums have (?20/24) you might find you ping a few on a London commute if you weigh 100kg+
> 
> Might be worth trying to get hold of some spokes now before you actually need them in a hurry...unless you have a spare bike or two
> 
> ...


You worry too much! Campagnolo state 109kg! Never had so much as a loose spoke, let alone a failure.


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## vickster (14 Dec 2015)

I had to get handbuilts to replace fulcrum 5s on my steelie..the rear kept going out of true with my weight, the 10kg of the bike and trunk/pannier bag and rack
Indeed fulcrum (aka campaign)state a far lower weight limit for warranty cover (sub 90kg)
Ymmv of course


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## Crandoggler (14 Dec 2015)

Crazy. Never had a problem with any wheel apart from btwin's £20 plopper. I weigh nigh on 120kg, plus 8.5kg bike.


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## winjim (14 Dec 2015)

Crandoggler said:


> Get some Fulcrum Quattro's for £170. They're hand built too...


Those are 16/21! The OP wants 32/32 for touring. Break a spoke on a 16 and it could be a long walk home. 32 spokes give you peace of mind.


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## vickster (14 Dec 2015)

I went 32/36 with better quality lighter spokes

The hand built wheels look much better on the genesis than the fulcrums ever did, they now grace the carbon and are much happier


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## RoubaixCube (15 Dec 2015)

Happy days, Just got a message from the bloke and he has found the invoice & documents for the mavic wheels.


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## RoubaixCube (15 Dec 2015)

Met the bloke, got the bike. Checked out all the paperwork and its legit. Wanted to have a piddle around but it was pissing diwn with rain and he'd already taken the pedals off and couldn't find the stock ones. Hes done a few upgrades. New bar tape. Upgraded the cassette for something thats better for hill climbing and switched to a pair of schwalbe tyres. Bike looks prestine. 

Looking forward to putting my own pedals on and having a littke scoot around town


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## RoubaixCube (15 Dec 2015)

got the bike home now so i can give it a better inspection. It seems that the chain has some rust, the cassette that he 'upgraded' also has a little rust though just a few small spots. There are odd marks and scuffs on the frame and the cranks where he looks like he might have fallen off or something... real light damage though. nothing major.

I dont like the rusty chain so that will be replaced. The cassette i can hang on to just a little bit longer i think. or get the stock one put back on. Its too dark and wet to take the bike out for a test run at the moment so i will leave that for tomorrow. 

Pictures to come shortly,


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## vickster (15 Dec 2015)

Why not just clean the chain?


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## RoubaixCube (15 Dec 2015)

vickster said:


> Why not just clean the chain?




Because ive just got home after spending 4hrs in the car?

Pics will be up soon. I just need to have a shower and a cuppa as i was out in the rain getting soaked


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## vickster (15 Dec 2015)

RaveInAGrave said:


> Because ive just got home after spending 4hrs in the car?


I meant instead of replacing it, not now. The new one will get rusty soon enough on a winter commute


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## RoubaixCube (15 Dec 2015)

vickster said:


> I meant instead of changing it, not now



I hate the idea of a rusty chain. When people see my bike, i want them to see that its well cared for even if its second hand. The scuffs on the frame i can do nothing about but the drivetrain is something i can do something about


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## vickster (15 Dec 2015)

You can clean the chain though, no need to replace it unless it's stretched and what not

Don't forget to insure it properly and get it registered


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## RoubaixCube (15 Dec 2015)

vickster said:


> You can clean the chain though, no need to replace it unless it's stretched and what not
> 
> Don't forget to insure it properly and get it registered



theres quite a bit of rust though :| specially between links.


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## vickster (15 Dec 2015)

Get mickling


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## RoubaixCube (16 Dec 2015)

vickster said:


> Get mickling



Im new to cyclist slang - What is this mickling you speak of?? Also... Pics incoming


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## vickster (16 Dec 2015)

Google or search for mickle method


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## RoubaixCube (16 Dec 2015)

Doesnt get rid of the rust though :/ Just stops it from rusting further which is the point i guess.

ANyway. time for pics!!

The bike:





Note the Schwalbe Durano Plus tyres which are worth a pretty penny each.

All the other bits and bobs hanging off the bike such as lights, cycle computer and the mud guards are my own.

New Prologo bar tape:





Heres a little scrape on the crank - Im not sure how he done this but he might have been trying to remove the pedal and the wrench or whatever he was using scraped against the crank.





Here you can see the paint work on the left part of the frame (not sure what its called) - Notice the sh!tty paint job and and the scrape on the quick release lock. The black specs on the back of the cassette is actually mud





Now for the rusty chain - I gave the chain a bit of a scrub and put some lube on it, thats why it looks a little wet.





















As you can see, the rust is literally EVERYWHERE.

There was still a little mud caked underneath the bike where he might of taken it off road a little.

In those 4 months of usage he probably got his moneys worth out of the bike. Rust on the chain tells me he probably didnt give the bike the TLC it deserved or was always out on the bike in damp/wet conditions.

He was a pretty serious cyclist though, we had a quick chatter about what he upgraded to - he planned to do more sportifs and such. This 540 was his training bike but he wanted something more suitable for his training which was his main reason for sale.

Got the proof of purchase, documents for the mavic wheels and the stock cassette that he took off


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## roadrash (16 Dec 2015)

looks like a good buy to me


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## Spoked Wheels (16 Dec 2015)

Ahhhh, that is the new bike. It looks like you did well. Congratulations!!!!

A wire brush might help with the rusty chain. I also hate rusty chains


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## Racing roadkill (16 Dec 2015)

RaveInAGrave said:


> Just won a B'TWIN TRIBAN 540 off ebay for 423 notes!! what a farking score!!!
> 
> Owner claims to have had it for 4 months. but upgraded to a Triban Ultra 700. According to the pictures it looks virtually new. Tyres have a little wear on them obviously but the frame looks pristine!!!
> 
> ...


It's a brilliant bike, just be careful, when the front calliper comes loose (and it will), you tighten it with an Allen key from behind the fork, and don't over tighten it (easily done, and it will knacker the forks).


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## RoubaixCube (19 Dec 2015)

Not actually had time to road test the new bike yet. I want to ride it to work but im afraid if something goes wrong while on route and i get stuck having to mess about with it to get it running again.

part of the problem is I dont have a pannier rack installed and transporting my entire uniform to work (shoes included) on my back will feel extremely bulky.

The other problem is Im not used to having so many gears and definitely not used to the whole STi shifters.

(I might actually be over analyzing things...) 

But then again, 'You Only Live Once' right?


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## Mrs M (19 Dec 2015)

Very smart bike, enjoy


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## summerdays (19 Dec 2015)

Nice bike

That doesn't look like a really rusty chain, I'd definitely start with the mickle method, given you are intending tips ride it at this time of year. You have nothing to loose by continuing to use that chain, if it's going to be ridden on salty wet roads.


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## RoubaixCube (20 Dec 2015)

Finally had time to road test the bike and went for a mixed route that had some flats and some inclines.

First impression as someone who's ridden nothing but MTBs & hybrids with fat tyres 

-Turning: is extremely sensitive due to the thinner tyres, When i turn, the bike turns with me.

- Acceleration: I think i literally had an orgasm. It doesnt take a lot of effort to pull away from a set of traffic lights. I encountered a few slower cyclists on hybrids and the cheap that from Halfords and overtaking them was easy. I was able to keep up a decent climbing speed up an incline around the Finsbury Park area but it still left me a little out of breath.

-Rolling speed: As heavy as my Hybrid was i think it took a little less effort to pedal slightly because that bike would just keep on rolling and rolling and rolling due to the fat tyres (Less rolling resistance???) I 

- Positioning: first time EVER on a road bike. my lower back and shoulders feel a little sore due to the positioning. My nuts felt sore at one point too but I stopped outside sainsbury's and adjusted my saddle and everything was all good. I still think the saddle could need a little angle adjustment but I was happy with it while on the last leg home.

I might need to take it to a shop and have them check the bike over and to make sure its set up properly for my height etc etc (im a noob dont forget) 

stopped off at Halfords for a pannier rack but they couldnt fit it till next wednesday so i didnt bother.

I need to familiarise myself with the gear shifting more but i'll get better at it with time.

Im starving, Im slightly out of breath from being out of the saddle for at least over a month due to the poor weather here in london and I just made it home about 10mins before the skies roared with thunder and it started to piss down.

Pretty good result - Mavic wheels felt pretty solid lugging my chunky butt around.


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## Spoked Wheels (20 Dec 2015)

RoubaixCube said:


> Finally had time to road test the bike and went for a mixed route that had some flats and some inclines.
> 
> First impression as someone who's ridden nothing but MTBs & hybrids with fat tyres
> 
> ...



Sounds familiar, after riding a MTB for a while I get similar positive feeling from a road bike, A MTB feels more comfortable though, wider tyres and they aren't as hard.

Turning is easier, thinner tyres and less surface resisting the turn.... it's nice.

I understand how you must feel about acceleration, lighter wheels accelerate faster.... once you get used to the bike there wont be any more orgasms 

Fat tyres less resistance? Well, I think that is also an exaggeration of the many that floats on the internet. There is data that says 25c tyres roll better than a 23c but up to some speed, after that lost of aerodynamics takes over. You just have to see what tyres the racing pro use.

About the saddle, unless you are going for a proper bike / saddle fit, in which case you need a good specialist, I think you can do a better job following some good advice on youtube. Sometimes, finding a good position can be easier than finding the right saddle 

I'm glad you are enjoying the experience


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## Tim Hall (20 Dec 2015)

RoubaixCube said:


> <snip>
> - Acceleration: I think i literally had an orgasm.


You _think_ you had an orgasm. You don't know?


> My nuts felt sore at one point


Perhaps these two things are related.

(Next week we discuss the use of the term _figuratively)_


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