Is this the best new bike i can get for £200?

[Big John]

I went into Decathlon in Telford today and took at quick look at the 120 on display. Looked Ok for the price. I've got cheap components (Shimano Tourney) on my winter bike and it all goes smoothly. I think the key to a trouble free bike is to keep it cleaned and well maintained. As things wear out make sure you've spotted it and get it replaced e.g. brake blocks, cables, chains, cassettes, tyres, etc. Look after it and hopefully it'll look after you. Even a bike kitted out with Dura Ace will play up if it's not looked after.

 

[Peter Salt]

Is it a good bike? No.

Is it about as good as you would expect for £200? Yup.

I'm assuming you're absolutely set on a new one? That money can get you a lot of bike on the second-hand market.

 

[vickster]

Is it a good bike? No.

Is it about as good as you would expect for £200? Yup.

I'm assuming you're absolutely set on a new one? That money can get you a lot of bike on the second-hand market.

It can if you know what to look for but it can throw up lemons (including stolen ones) too if do not know what to look for

 

[FishFright]

You will get much more for your money buying second hand.

Or much less if you're not confident in spotting the signs.

 

[Grant Fondo]

I want to use this bike for riding around the city and casually in parks
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hybrid-bike-riverside-120-grey-2021/_/R-p-300806?mc=8405304&c=GREY

Not sure how this cheaper one from Argos compares?

 

[AndyRM]

Not sure how this cheaper one from Argos compares?

View attachment 664752

Purely because of the suspension, unfavourably as it will only add weight for no actual benefit.

 

[bonzobanana]

The Riverside model has decent freehub based gearing and is a very simple design which is very easy to maintain. I think its probably Decathlon's best entry level bike. The only issue I can think of is Decathlon bikes have quite low weight limits so if you are a heavy rider maybe not ideal but that's it. I think their 20km range thing is because its a 1x gearing setup so has a limited gear range so could be more tiring. I really don't see any issues with the components and what wears out will be easy to replace with better parts. The only thing unknown perhaps is the bottom bracket everything else looks fit for purpose and long lasting. I'm sure the V brake mechanisms will be fine although brake block replacements could be a time for a better spec product. It's not a performance bike for sure just casual but I don't see a problem with that.

As I often point out over 95% of bikes sold in the world are steel, low cost bikes make up a huge percentage of sales in richer countries but when you move to Africa, Asia and South America it goes even more extremely to steel. There is nothing wrong with high tensile steel, its durable, dependable, comfortable and very long lasting but does have a weight penalty. A low value bike like this is far less of a thief magnet so there is a freedom to where you can ride it too.

I can't think of anything at Halfords at the same price with a freehub based gearing system. I'm a huge fan of the Carrera Subway as a general purpose high quality bike but that is well over £100 more than this.

I also like the quill based stem of this Decathlon bike, not only does it have a range of frame sizes but the quill based stem means easy handlebar height adjustment so over time you can get the perfect bike fit which is difficult and expensive to do with threadless headsets. Once you have found your perfect bike fit you can use measurements from this bike to choose a more expensive bike with an accurate size as such bikes have far less sizing adjustments typically due to being more focused on being lower weight.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

it will certainly do the job .... never seen this in the blurb before though?
The Riverside 120 is designed for occasional rides up to 20 km.

.......... I think their 20km range thing is because its a 1x gearing setup so has a limited gear range so could be more tiring. I really don't see any issues with the components and what wears out will be easy to replace with better parts...........

I admire Decathlon for adding such text, I was recently looking at panniers and the Decathlon ones had Not suitable for cycle touring. In other words they are as good as you could reasonably expect for the price and the price is quite a bit less that say an Ortlieb (https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/500-w...-bike-bag-20l/_/R-p-120036?mc=8355657&c=BLACK)

The RC500 has This bike is not however a bike for travelling. We do not recommend overloading it with larger travel bags on the pannier rack, for example. (https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/road-bike-triban-rc-500-disc-brake/_/R-p-308097?mc=8554410&c=GREY)

Again bucking the trend to oversell, it's only £20 and is fine for a world tour!

I presume that this is a strategy to reduce warranty concerns and bad reviews from overly high expectations. If you look at reviews on the Halfords site, there are many that to me suggest overly high expectations.

Apollos which are close seem to last quite a long time for real world users but a few years ago I nearly ruined an Ultegra crankset as the bike came with a pair of those cheap resin pedals. They lasted less than a hundred mile before slowly seizing up, coming lose and rocking on the threads. So there are still bad components on the market.

Not sure how this cheaper one from Argos compares? .......

It's unclear to me if the £40 saving offered by the Argos bike is significant, both are heavy 14.7kg/15.5kgm which isn't bad for a steel frame, but if it were me buying I would definitely value the 8 gears offered by the Decathlon over the 6 offered by the Challenge.

I know that the OPs requirement's seem to suggest mostly flat, but that little 15% hill that is only 30 yards long may have been forgotten. and a 36 tooth chain ring and an 11-34 (11-13-15-18-21-24-28-34) cassette is possibly a bit short of going downhill gears though.

Bye

Ian

 

[Cycleops]

As I often point out over 95% of bikes sold in the world are steel, low cost bikes make up a huge percentage of sales in richer countries but when you move to Africa, Asia and South America it goes even more extremely to steel. There is nothing wrong with high tensile steel, its durable, dependable, comfortable and very long lasting but does have a weight penalty.

Can only speak for here but if you're talking about new bike sales in high street shops and supermarkets most are steel yes, but would be out of reach for most people . Many buy on the 'home used' market where aluminium frames are valued above steel. Might not be the case among rural communities where a bike is more of a workhorse.

 

[bonzobanana]

Can only speak for here but if you're talking about new bike sales in high street shops and supermarkets most are steel yes, but would be out of reach for most people . Many buy on the 'home used' market where aluminium frames are valued above steel. Might not be the case among rural communities where a bike is more of a workhorse.

Admittedly I got that figure from a Chinese site a few years ago. I was really interested in the bike industry and was looking around for as much information as possible and was trawling Chinese sites and forums and translating postings there. So it was stated over 95% of bikes exported from China were steel and at the time China was producing the majority of bikes in the world and you also had other countries who tended to be supplying cheaper bikes; Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia etc.

However its important to understand how they are used. In Africa bikes are the main transport for many and are often used pretty much everyday and for decades sometimes but I feel in the UK many people buy cheaper bikes for casual use and these people may only ride 3 times a year in the summer as a bit of a novelty. Saying that I do see a lot of people commuting by bike on entry level steel bikes.

 

[T4tomo]

I want to use this bike for riding around the city and casually in parks
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hybrid-bike-riverside-120-grey-2021/_/R-p-300806?mc=8405304&c=GREY

yes, ideal. Its relatively cheap because its simple. frame is steel, which is comfy and durable, but slightly heavier than Alu. It has simple 1X8 gearing, but that said its a decent range 36 X11-34 and v brakes which are cheap simple and effective. the micro shift gearing stuff works well.

and thankfully not saddled (pun intended) with cheap suspension or dodgy cheap mechanical disc brakes etc

 

[fossyant]

The Riverside is OK for what you want. If you aren't charging through loads of muddy tracks, or getting it thoroughly wet all the time then it will be fine. Bear in mind the bearing seals etc, will be cheap end. But, if you are prepared to maintain it (like you do any bike) and it's just for bimbling about, it's fine.

2nd hand is an option, but finding a non-knackered bike for £200 will be hard. I've been looking recently and there are some shocking bikes people are asking silly money for (they aren't selling either).

 

[Oldhippy]

If you look in the current issue of the Cycling UK magazine there is a good spread on second hand cycles and well worth a read.

 

[si_c]

The Riverside is OK for what you want. If you aren't charging through loads of muddy tracks, or getting it thoroughly wet all the time then it will be fine. Bear in mind the bearing seals etc, will be cheap end. But, if you are prepared to maintain it (like you do any bike) and it's just for bimbling about, it's fine.

2nd hand is an option, but finding a non-knackered bike for £200 will be hard. I've been looking recently and there are some shocking bikes people are asking silly money for (they aren't selling either).

For sure, I routinely check ebay for decent deals, I got a Trek Domane ALR for £300 in near unused condition a couple of years ago and I'm still trying to replicate that. A lot of them seem to be entry level bikes and/or those with a hard use and trying to recoup close to full retail price.

 

[tribanjules]

I want to use this bike for riding around the city and casually in parks
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hybrid-bike-riverside-120-grey-2021/_/R-p-300806?mc=8405304&c=GREY

I had top of range model but yes it’s v comfortable and handles well. Lots accessories too ! (Mudguards) but it will come with basic lights