New Triban RC520...?

[rcp_typo]

Thanks Ellis and Geoffers for your thoughts. I’m hoping that my local Decathlon (Surrey Quays, annoyingly) gets stock soon in M and L. I tried a 540 a few months back and the sales team couldn’t help with me being between sizes. Last bike was a hybrid but ended up with a bike fit after my knee cap became misaligned with an intensive increase in use. Don’t want that again from missizing!

 

[MilkRace]

Managed to nip out for a quick 10 miler on the bike today. Feels great in the saddle and can really picture doing long rides with ease. For me, coming from a 10 year old Tiagra system to 105 on this bike the difference is huge! The shifting and gear changes were fantastic and made riding the bike very enjoyable. Also, first time on a disc brake road bike and I was impressed with them!

Thumbs up from me

Sounds like you're enjoying the experience. Good to hear that the bike ticks the right boxes to.

Thanks for the review and keep on riding.

 

[MilkRace]

I've had this bike for a week now, racked up 300km on it. Did a 200km around Kent yesterday, I love it. Noticeably more comfy than my other B'Twin (an Ultra AF 700) over longer distances. New 105 gears are excellent, brakes and excellent but need bedding in. I can't fault it really.

Its always good to read a review and especially when its a positive one.

I'll definitely be looking at this bike when I come over next year. The more I read the more I like.

 

[MilkRace]

Hi all
I've just bought an RC520. I started cycling in June (divorce, new girlfriend, new hobby!) and initially started with a BTwin Triban 500 from Decathlon because it was cheap and I wasn't sure how I would take to cycling. It had a rep for being a very good bike for the price so seemed like a sensible choice. I rode over 1000 miles in 4 months and I really liked it until a couple of things started to break. It was in warranty so I traded it in for the RC520 .... twice the price but more than twice the bike - it's like night and day!

Since getting the RC520 I have ridden a 30 mile social ride and a few commutes ( 8 miles each way). The bike is way faster than the 500 and the wider tyres make it feel much more planted on the road so I'm less bothered about minor potholes. The 105 gearset is so much better than what I had before and so are the brakes. I'm not properly accustomed to the brakes' power - I've locked up once already.

I can't really talk about frame stiffness and all that because I'm not very experienced - I just know that I'm faster (both uphill and down), more comfortable and more in control with better shifting and braking. I'm setting Strava PBs for fun at the moment.

I've got a medium frame and the usual accessories - saddle bag (2 tubes, multitool & tyre levers), torches and spares, 2 water bottles, rear mudguard & garmin. All those bits weigh about 2kg and the whole thing weighs 12.5kg, so I reckon 10.5kg for the bike itself.

One thing - my local Decathlon (Bolton UK) wasn't that great at setting the bike up and so I had a few minor niggles (cable tension on the front cogs, a rattle in the shifter). Nothing to worry about and easy to fix but worth noting if your local branch is setting up for you.

Hope this helps. Now I've registered for this site you'll probably see me knocking about in other threads... mostly lurking because I've got more to learn than to say.

Thanks Geoffers for this review. Very honest and detailed account and certainly one that confirms what I had read elsewhere that the bike is definitely worth consideration, especially given the specs and the price.

Great to hear also from those who have ridden one and reviewed them that they are a comfortable ride....makes a world of difference. Of course all bikes can be made more comfortable when set up correctly, but it seems this bike ticks many of the boxes that I was interested in.

Thanks again for taking the time and trouble to share your thoughts and experience. Appreciate it.

 

[nickAKA]

Haha. I actually think it does look better in the flesh to be fair. Your right their pictures don’t seem to do it justice.

Couple more observations:

Very impressed with the disc brakes. I haven't had any other experience of discs but after breaking them in slightly the stopping power is Impresive and superior to anything else I have ridden.

I'm still getting use to the shape of the drops, feel quite different to drops I have ridden before. I'm sure once I have ridden them for longer they will become more familiar.

Once thing I would say about the bike is how easy it is too ride and that whenever I'm riding it makes me want to continue... for the price in my opinion it's an utter steal.

It looks like quite an upright geometery which would suit me just fine but not the TT/racing crowd, you could always put a longer stem on to get a bit more 'aero' I suppose. Are the bars slightly 'flared', ie wider on the drops than on the hoods?

 

[Geoffers]

Nope - the bars aren't flared - not on my bike, anyway.

 

[ellis]

Hoping to fully winter bike my new Triban so I have started to look at mudguards which is something I have not delved into before! Would I be correct in thinking that the following would work for this bike;

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com...8_1540762461_3258b50b9ae39655bde8f8d06f4a66de

 

[plasticniki]

Hoping to fully winter bike my new Triban so I have started to look at mudguards which is something I have not delved into before! Would I be correct in thinking that the following would work for this bike;

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com...8_1540762461_3258b50b9ae39655bde8f8d06f4a66de

yep.

I bought some Lifeline mudguards which look very nice for the cash, but my hacksaw isn't up to the job of cutting the stays to the correct length so I now need to buy some bolt cutters. You may need to factor that into your purchase

 

[derrick]

Small print.

 

[Geoffers]

I bought "RaceBlade XL" mudguards from Decathlon at the weekend. Bit pricey at £32 but they don't look bad at all on the bike.

 

[plasticniki]

I bought "RaceBlade XL" mudguards from Decathlon at the weekend. Bit pricey at £32 but they don't look bad at all on the bike.

You'd get a bit more coverage if you used proper mudguards (not clip on ones) with the mudguard mounting points. They're more fiddly to fit, though.

 

[rcp_typo]

ooh. those colours! http://www.rwann.fr/mtb/bikepacking/decathlon-triban-rc-520-gravel/

 

[jyo]

Hi guys just bought one of these. Has anyone converted to tubeless yet? Id like to know what width rim tape I would need to use .

Thanks

 

[MilkRace]

ooh. those colours! http://www.rwann.fr/mtb/bikepacking/decathlon-triban-rc-520-gravel/

Not sure I'm that keen on the colours myself....a tad dull perhaps.

 

[Geoffers]

Different paintjob ... wheels look to be bigger but can't be certain (and I don't read French very well)... but that's all. It's the same groupset and cassette so essentially the same bike.

What else would you look for on a gravel bike to make it different from the road variant?