Btwin

clarkie28

Hi everybody!

Have just had a butchers around my local Decathlon store and happened to notice the
Btwin Fitness 3 flat bar road bike which i thought looked really nice and seems like a bargain for £450.00.

My question is, does anybody have one of these and can it be recommended?

Are Btwin bikes generally good or is it worth spending a bit more on a Spesh etc?

Many thanks in advance

Clarkie

EKE_38BPM

I've got a cheapest of the cheap Btwin Vitamin as my winter hack and its OK. You can't expect an amazing bike for £70 but it got me through last winter and will get me through the next. It is bloody heavy though (14kg).

I've heard that Btwin bikes in general are very good value for money, but you get what you pay for.
Compare things like the groupset, weight, wheels, finishing kit.
If the Btwin still comes out on top, get that. If its close, I'd probably get the Spesh, but thats a vanity thing. Its a bit like going for the VW rather than the Skoda. Same car but a different badge.
Also, don't forget that you will probably want to change some things like pedals and tyres. For example, if the Btwin doesn't have the pedals you want and you will change them anyway, factor that into the cost of the bike. I would guess that the Spesh would have less things you'd want to change.

On a personal note, I wouldn't get a flat bar road bike. If you're going down the road bike route, may as well get drops: more hand positions = more comfortable and easier to hide from the wind.

richk

i've got a btwin road bike. very good value for money & would happily buy another (bought my sons first real bike there too & have been similarly impressed with that)

miss_mystra

i have the Btwin Fitness 1 ( the lesser spec than the one you're after i think - mine cost £260 and is the women's version) and it's really good, i've had it a couple months now and i can't fault it! So i should imagine a better spec one would be even better, give it a whirl round the shop or what have you and see how it feels for you!

Drysuitdiver

where do I start.

eldest daughters 1st geared bike- Btwin girls thing from Decathlon- still going strong and just needs me to put the v brakes back on it that i used to engineer a solution to get rid of centre pull brakes stopping me fitting a trailer bar to sons 1st bike also a btwin from decathlon. I have a rockrider 8.1 (btwin ) from decathlon. and a sport 1 (btwin) roadbike from decathlon.

I bought her a Diamondback MTB from Go outdoors and wished I had spent the money in Decathlon now !!

the rockrider has taken a winter of abuse from me and is still going strong . Alu frame SRAM X7 RD FD and shifters SRAM cassette SRAM 951 chain (should be an 851 but a 951 was fitted ) deore hollowtech II bottom bracket and chainset , tora rock shox Juicy hydraulic disc brakes. Quick release wheels and michelin CX tyres Bike radar revied an earler incarnation and gave it very good reviews. the one i have comes in at sub £500 and is to all intents and purposes a grands worth of bike. would i buy another damn right i would.

Sport 1 is 2300 kit but the newer ones have Sora, it has a Btwin chainset on square taper but it performs fine selle royal saddle and quick release wheels 23mm tyres (700x23) rides like a dream for a £280 bike.

EKE_38BPM

I think its fair to say that you don't have to be afraid of buying a Btwin. This thread is looking like a Btwin fan club!

I don't know what the other Decathlon shops are like, but I love the fact that at the Surrey Quays store you can take a test ride without leaving the shop. Cool.

squeeler

Only last week I finally stopped commuting on my old Decathlon Chrono racer that was bought for me by my Dad for my 15th birthday, I'm now 36!

By the way I will still keep it as a pub hack.

I know that's pre the Btwin branding but IME Decathlon offer very good value bikes and kit compared to the big bike brands.

clarkie28

Many thanks for the help and comments everyone.

It seems a Btwin could be the way 2 go!

SmellTheGlove

EKE_38BPM wrote:

don't know what the other Decathlon shops are like, but I love the fact that at the Surrey Quays store you can take a test ride without leaving the shop. Cool.

So true - you can spend hours in there, pedalling round, dodging blokes in waders and other sundry pieces of specialist kit. I've ridden just about every one in their range that way (no - not in waders). Good entertainment. Came within a micron of buying the Sport 1 (tho' this seems to have given way to the Triban range) last year before going for a similar second-hand Carrera to save some wedge. I don't believe you'd go far wrong with btwin.

Drysuitdiver

EKE_38BPM wrote:

I think its fair to say that you don't have to be afraid of buying a Btwin. This thread is looking like a Btwin fan club!

I don't know what the other Decathlon shops are like, but I love the fact that at the Surrey Quays store you can take a test ride without leaving the shop. Cool.

lakeside is the same

bobinski

It is cool

bought my son the £300 road bike last friday after he spent 30 minutes riding round the store his younger brother crashed into me and another customer whilst riding another bike but everyone was cool about it. lovely..
The eldest's racer is fab value and i may get one as a winter bike

avoidingmyphd

the only reason to avoid a btwin bike is brand snobbery. they are great bikes and wherever in the range you buy, you're getting great value.

whitestar1

I can only say good things about my Decathlon store M6J9. They have been a great help to me after not riding for 30 years. As for the bike - a 8.0 RR its great, 280 miles so far.

MattJ88

Looks a good deal? http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/triban-3-173178017/

MattJ88

Looks a good deal? http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/triban-3-173178017/