Triban 3 Owners Club

[Tom Hooper]

I would

iv not seen her so cant comment

 

[Speedball]

Hopefully this isn't a stupid question

My T3 has just been delivered but there doesn't seem to be any tools with it. Should you get something with it? Just had to scrounge a correctly fitting Allen key from a neighbour to tighten the handlebars.

Also, should the pedals just screw on? I seem to be fighting a losing battle and looking at the threads on the pedals, they don't to be especially well finished

 

[Speedball]

Ignore the pedal comment, I turned my brain on

 

[Billy Adam]

There should have been pictures in this post but they somehow didn't make it. The pedals i wanted to illustrate are Shimano M520's in Black

I thought I might try the white

 

[Alex11]

Just to share my thoughts, why substitute one pair of flat pedals for another?

The best modification I made to my Giant CRS Hybrid (assembled with love and precision in Taiwan by the way) was to fit Shimano A530 SPD Touring pedals and to buy a pair of cycling shoes with cleats. With these pedals you have the choice of wearing "civvies" and normal shoes/trainers if you just want to pop down to the pub or commute to work. If you want to go "full lycra" and go on a proper ride, you just turn the pedals over and you have the benefit of cleats. For me, these really connect you to the bike and make a massive difference.


When I purchased my Rosso, the first thing I did was to fit these (the black ones of course) before I even sat on it.

This option wouldn't suit everyone of course as we all have different needs and aspirations but if you really want to exploit a road bike's potential I think you need cleats.

Because I like flats and I didn't like the stock "flats" on the Triban 3 as you can only ride on one side of them.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

The girlfriend is looking to buy her first road bike and I've suggested a Triban 3, given how much you lot rave about them (And its actually a better bike than mine lol)
She is 5ft3 and 29inch inside leg. I was thinking a 48cm would be best. What do you guys recommend?
No decathlon store near us to try unfortunately

P.s. used http://www.ebicycles.com/custom/content_files/ebicycles-bicycle-sizing-chart-road-bikes.pdf as a guide.

I'm (female and) 5 foot 6 inches with an inside leg of 32" (roughly) and have the 54cm frame. I did need to put a shorter stem on it because my reach is not as long as the average 5"6' person and i ride in boots that add another inch so you need to think 33" inside leg when actually on the pedals but I think you may find 48cm could be too small.

 

[Radchenister]

I agree about the Campags Rad but I don't think the Fuctums are that bad. They are after all hand built (or so they say) in that that country south of the Alps and each wheel comes with a "passport" signed by the guy that assembled it. Every spoke "pings" with the same frequency unlike the dull "thunk" with Decathlons. They are certainly lighter than the OE wheels - I don't have a means of measuring exactly but I guess around 200 gms per wheel. The weight is not the main issue though, you could lose that amount by missing out breakfast. Apart from the aesthetics which is a subjective issue, its the bearings that are so much of an improvement on the Decathlon wheels. When I removed the old wheels and turned the hubs by hand, it felt that the cages were full of rubble. The Fuctums roll like silk with no resistance at all.

Etna is the active one but Vesuvius is a sleeping giant and overdue for an eruption which could wipe out Naples. I don't know how many bikes if any are made in Naples. I suspect that most come from the industrial north. Dedacciai are based in Campagnola which is just north of Modena. A long way from Etna which is a relief. I haven't noticed any hairline cracks so far.

The Etna issue is a real worry IMO, I would write an e-mail to Decathlon if I owned one from south of the Alps !

... and I admit that there's nothing wrong with Fulcrums, I quite like them in fact but I'm also taken by Mavics and the practical price point of the Shimanos - choices, choices, choices!

Actually, I am feeling a bit tetchy on the wheel issue, as I'd really like some right now but I've set a 2000K challenge to myself before buying new ones, as all practical people will say ride the old ones until you're fit and light, which makes perfect sense but this is now looking like a long old slog and I do like my kit ... I was just yanking the chain of those owners who've already made the purchase to see what reaction I'd get ... terrible trolling I admit, I will reprimand myself via degreasing my wheel hubs and going on a long ride on Sunday (well perhaps just the second bit).

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I have totally failed to find any sticker on mine that tells me where it was made... still never mind. It works and it and I made a 100km ride on Tuesday and it was ready to talk to me again this morning... not sure I was ready to talk to it yesterday mind you - you should have seen the mess it made of the kitchen overnight!

 

[Billy Adam]

The Etna issue is a real worry IMO, I would write an e-mail to Decathloin if I owned one from south of the Alps !

... and I admit that there's nothing wrong with Fulcrums, I quite like them in fact but I'm also taken by Mavics and the practical price point of the Shimanos - choices, choices, choices!

Actually, I am feeling a bit tetchy on the wheel issue, as I'd really like some right now but I've set a 2000K challenge to myself before buying new ones, as all practical people will say ride the old ones until you're fit and light, which makes perfect sense but this is now looking like a long old slog and I do like my kit ... I was just yanking the chain of those owners who've already made the purchase to see what reaction I'd get ... terrible trolling I admit, I will reprimand myself via degreasing my wheel hubs and going on a long ride on Sunday (well perhaps just the second bit).

Thought I was going to have to get some new wheels today. After hitting the biggest fricking pot hole . But the btwin wheels stood up ok. Must be the Romanian build quality.

 

[Radchenister]

Were you distracted by 'Rave Music' on your iPod or something - do I need to quote another rule to you?

 

[Billy Adam]

No I was to busy quoting rule 5 to myself

 

[Radchenister]

OK, let you off - I was out this afternoon as well for 35K - we can both claim 'Rule 9' !

 

[Speedball]

Got everything sorted in the end and managed a quick spin round the block (less than a mile) just to test it out.

Certainly going to take some getting used after years of using an MTB. Hope to get a quick ride in tomorrow night if I can duck out of work in time then a really decent ride in on Saturday morning.

Feels ridiculously light though compared to my Kona, actually looking forward to attacking some hills now.

 

[Billy Adam]

Got everything sorted in the end and managed a quick spin round the block (less than a mile) just to test it out.

Certainly going to take some getting used after years of using an MTB. Hope to get a quick ride in tomorrow night if I can duck out of work in time then a really decent ride in on Saturday morning.

Feels ridiculously light though compared to my Kona, actually looking forward to attacking some hills now.

You'll be hooked in no time speedball

 

[Speedball]

You'll be hooked in no time speedball

I hope so mate otherwise I'm in for a few miserable months before Ride London ;-)