Decathlon b'Twin Forme / Fitnes 5

matt@theforce

I'm more of a Mountain Bike rider but have bought a cheapish Road bike through the CycleScheme mainly for riding to work on.

I tried a number of flat/dropped bar bikes but settled on the Forme5 for a couple of reasons.
1, The riding position wasn't too far from my MTB and felt familiar yet has the ability to lower the bars (which I've already done)
2, It seemed to be the best value for money & the Rockrider gets glowing reviews.

Frame : 54cm 6061 Aluminium
Fork : Carbon Fibre
Stem/Handlebar : JD 362 to 10 ° 100mm Now SuperStar 5° 80mm Stem Handlebar: MTB JD 540cm Now FSA Energy Ergo Road Bar 2009 Black - 44cm 31.8mm - Easton Handlebar Tape Road Bar Tape Red
Seat/Post : Selle Royal Viper Now Brooks B17; Seatpost: 27.2 6061 Aluminium
Shifters : Shimano Deore (R660) Trigger Now Shimano Tiagra 4503 9x3
Front Derailleur: Shimano Tiagra (R453)
Rear derailleur: Shimano Sora
Cassette: Shimano Sora (HG50) 12-25 9sp Now Shimano SLX (HG80) 11-28 9sp
Crankset: Shimano FC453 50/39/30
Chain: KMC Z9000
Wheels/Hubs: Decathlon Rim/Aero 32 Now Mavic Aksium
Tires: Btwin 23c Slick Now Continental Ultra Sport 25c
Caliper brakes/Levers : Double pivot/Alloy black 3 fingers Shimano Tiagra
Pedals : Wellgo road pedals Now Shimano M520 SPD's allowing me to use my MTB shoes
Mudguards : Crud RoadRacer 2
Currently 9.4kg (on the bathroom scales)







Having done a couple of rides so far, I do like the bike and find it very comfortable although being used to the low gearing of an MTB and living/cycling around the Peak Distric I do find the 30 - 25 low gear not low enough especially as my commute is 16-17miles each way with a 12hr shift in between and over 700ft of climbing coming home.

Matthew

MarksMintness

Quite nice that, I hear good things about the decathlon bikes. Looks similar to my tri 7.5fx. Enjoy

matt@theforce

A couple of tweeks have already been made to the bike

I've fitted some Shimano M520 SPD's which allow me to use the same cycling shoes on all of my bikes & I've fitted some Schwalbe Marathon Plus 25c tyres to help stop getting punctures on my commute.

Decathlon advised me that the widest tyre you can fit is a 28c but I found the 25c Marathon Plus is the biggest you can fit relativly easily. There is plenty of room around the brakes but the problem comes when fiting/removing the wheel, I have to remove the wheel skewer as the tyre is against the back of the seat tube and the skewer gets stuck on the rear mech, failing that you could deflate your tyre but that is even more hassle.

Rear Before

Rear After

Front Before

Front After


My next quest will be to find somewhere that sells mudguards to fit such a small gap, Decathlon have looked but have nothing that will fit.

matt@theforce

After around 100miles this week I've started getting used to only having a 25t low gear however I struggle on the same hill coming home from work around mile14, its a 1mile 14% climb and by that point I'm more than shattered having been up since 4:30am and the time currently being around 8pm & resort to getting off and walking up so I ordered a replacement cassette.

A HG80 11-28 cassette dropped on my doorstep yesterday morning and was promptly fitted 8) but having been at work all night all I managed todo was adjust the indexing and have a quick ride up and down the street.



There is also enough chain length and clearance of the jockey wheels so hopefully this will solve my problem. Anything larger than 28t I'm 99% sure an MTB rear mech would be needed & and new chain.

I also adjusted the brake lever reach today and tweaked my saddle position as I keep sliding forward

Roll on my 4 days off at 6:30 this morning when I can get out riding again

jancreighton

hi there Matt

nice bike - just saw them in Decathlon ...
what height are you and what leg length - just wondering as I 'm considering this bike and wondering if the 54 would be big enough - i'm 5' 9.5"

cheers

J

matt@theforce

I'm about 5'9, not sure what my inside leg is but I find it very comfortable. The best advise is to get to Decathlon and get them to check out which size is correct for you and have a ride around on one

PimpMyBike

Nice ! The paint job looks great

tarbot18

nice bike those tyres look like cyclo cross tyres though, they l l slow you up a lot , if your worried about punctures on a road bike i'd recommend conti 4seasons very puncture proof light and fast as fick

matt@theforce

tarbot18 wrote:

nice bike those tyres look like cyclo cross tyres though, they l l slow you up a lot , if your worried about punctures on a road bike i'd recommend conti 4seasons very puncture proof light and fast as fick

The Schwalbe Marathon Plus suit my commute as I sometimes head down part of the Trans Pennine Trail and out where we live I have about 5-6miles where its a proper trail and not a tarmac trail so I can't have a tyre too setup for road use. I've not noticed any difference in commute times between the 2 tyres on the road.

matt@theforce

I've noticed more and more that the space on the bars is quite narrow and my thumbs constantly rub against the gear shifters and the outside of my hands rubs on the bar ends, no matter how I move the brakes/shifters around I don't seem to be able to stop the rubbing on my hands.

Whilst I'm unable to ride (Achilies Tendon & Calf problems) I've taken the plunge and converted to Drop bars.

Being a tight Yorkshire Man the Shifters are 2nd hand to save a few ££'s. The full conversion cost has come in at just under the cost of the shifters new so overall saved me around £45.






I also ordered some water bottle screws and cable ends in anodized red to start adding a little bit of colour to this

Just from sitting on it in the garden I think I'm going to need a shorter stem as it is a very long reach to the hoods/lower bars and it feels very stretched out, otherwise I'm a very happy with how its turned out.

Matthew

clarkey cat

Looks great!

matt@theforce

Bought myself a SuperStar 5degree 80mm stem as the original one felt too long since converting to drop bars, the 80mm is perfect and the SuperStar quality doesn't dis-appoint either 8)




Absolutely love this bike

matt@theforce

I havent updated this for a while.

Back in October I had to remove the Marathon Plus tyres as they wouldn't fit under the Crud RoadRacer 2 mudguards which I fitted to keep myself more comfortable when riding in the rain.

Despite riding all through the winter on the 23c Decathlon tyres I have to admit I'm happy with them and don't see anypoint in changing them.

Not the best pic of the Crud's but its the only one to hand

zx6man

The sora mentions 27T the largest it can handle at the back, any issues with the 28?

matt@theforce

zx6man wrote:

The sora mentions 27T the largest it can handle at the back, any issues with the 28?

No issues at all

rootto

I would like to buy the same bike (it will be my first proper bike:) and use it to commute to work, but I have few questions.

- Leaving the bike as it comes from the shop, would I be able to use it for light trail riding? I'm not talking about off road, just leisure riding in a park.
- Did you fit those (http://www.cyclelife.com/Product.aspx?p ... 25&pg=6271) mudguards?
- Would it be possible to fit a pannier rack, or am I asking to much?

Sorry for hijacking your thread, but the bike looks amazing

matt@theforce

rootto wrote:

I would like to buy the same bike (it will be my first proper bike:) and use it to commute to work, but I have few questions.

- Leaving the bike as it comes from the shop, would I be able to use it for light trail riding? I'm not talking about off road, just leisure riding in a park.
- Did you fit those (http://www.cyclelife.com/Product.aspx?p ... 25&pg=6271) mudguards?
- Would it be possible to fit a pannier rack, or am I asking to much?

Sorry for hijacking your thread, but the bike looks amazing

If you keep the bike as is from the shop then depending on how hard/loose the surface of the paths are you will be able to use it but the tyres are thin and on more trail like surfaces are more prone to punctures.

Yes, I've fitted the mk2 crud road race mudguards. I'm very happy with them although when pushing hard (stood up on the pedals) they do move around a little and make the odd tinging noise as the brush against your spokes (not caused any problems)

I think it has pannier mounts, having not fitted any I'm not sure what mounts these are. There are mudguard mounts on the forks and on the rear triangle and I assume the 2 bolts on the top of the triangle are for the rack of the pannier. Have put some pics up for better clarity

A bit grubby but cleans up like new everytime.
Winter Mode - also showing my Brooks B17 leather saddle, it might not be the prettiest saddle but its the most comfortable saddle I've ever owned (nothing wrong with the Decathlon saddle but had a brooks laying around)


Front Wheel mudguard mounts


Front Wheel mudguard setup


Rear Wheel mudguard mount


Rear Wheel mudguard setup


Rear Pannier bolts


I do all my own maintenance, so far its had a new chain and new brake blocks (general running), nothing else has needed, I took it back to Decathlon last week for them to perform a service (to make sure I hadn't missed anything) and they couldn't fault its condition.
They are very robust and fantastic value for money. I can't recommend them highly enough.

Hope this helps.

ps. My bike might be up for sale (depending if I find something else that take my fancy) at some point around April/May time as I'll be able to spend another cyclescheme voucher and SWMBO say's I'm not allowed 5 bikes :roll:

rootto

Wow thanks for the pics and the explanation. Off to decathlon to give it a try

matt@theforce

rootto wrote:

Wow thanks for the pics and the explanation. Off to decathlon to give it a try

No worries, glad to help

andy9964

Is this the same bike as the Fitness5, I can only find the Forme 5 on the French site.
Might consider this considering the tyre size choice

Cheers

matt@theforce

Andy9964 wrote:

Is this the same bike as the Fitness5, I can only find the Forme 5 on the French site.
Might consider this considering the tyre size choice

Cheers

Yes, they are the same bike. Mine was advertised as the Fitness 5 instore but stamped Forme5 and my receipt also displays Forme5.

andy9964

Thanks for that.
Going to have to justify a 2 1/2 hour drive to the missus just to look at a bike
I'm bang in the middle of Sheffield and Edinburgh

matt@theforce

Andy9964 wrote:

Thanks for that.
Going to have to justify a 2 1/2 hour drive to the missus just to look at a bike
I'm bang in the middle of Sheffield and Edinburgh

Your best bet is to ring both stores and ask them if they have any in before setting off. Then plan a nice day out to one of the cities with the bikes in and just happen to stumble accross a Decathlon

andy9964

Now, that is an excellent idea

scgf

What did you do in the end? I went to the Coventry branch today meaning to buy a Triban 3. Being a mountain bike rider I was really dubious about drop handlebars. Can't see the attraction of cycling on your stomach, lol!

The very helpful assistant got in before I did and said they do a range of bikes virtually the same as the Triban but with mountain bike style handlebars. He showed me the Fitness 3, but he had one Fitness 5 available, the last, in my size which he let me have for £50 off - making it £349. Twenty minutes later I walked out with the Fitness 5 (it says Forme 5 under the sticker on the cross bar) and somel accessories. Went out for a short ride this afternoon and it is a really nice bike. I'm well pleased with it.

I also have a Genesis IO ID mountain bike and sat next to the Fitness 5 it looks an absolute beast of a bike! Hadn't realised how svelte and lightweightroad bikes are. Will be good to have the right bike for the ride. Much better than one hybrid.

I love Decathlon - find them so helpful and their bikes are such good value.

RideOnTime

googly-woogly seems to be popping up adds for Decathlon all over...

matt@theforce

scgf wrote:

What did you do in the end? I went to the Coventry branch today meaning to buy a Triban 3. Being a mountain bike rider I was really dubious about drop handlebars. Can't see the attraction of cycling on your stomach, lol!

The very helpful assistant got in before I did and said they do a range of bikes virtually the same as the Triban but with mountain bike style handlebars. He showed me the Fitness 3, but he had one Fitness 5 available, the last, in my size which he let me have for £50 off - making it £349. Twenty minutes later I walked out with the Fitness 5 (it says Forme 5 under the sticker on the cross bar) and somel accessories. Went out for a short ride this afternoon and it is a really nice bike. I'm well pleased with it.

I also have a Genesis IO ID mountain bike and sat next to the Fitness 5 it looks an absolute beast of a bike! Hadn't realised how svelte and lightweightroad bikes are. Will be good to have the right bike for the ride. Much better than one hybrid.

I love Decathlon - find them so helpful and their bikes are such good value.

I'm glad to hear you had a good experience with your visit. I was just the same, coming from mountain biking but soon converted to Drop bars and looking forward to getting a cyclocross next, it now feels strange going back to my MTB's :shock:

plutus

Hi,

very interesting thread...now btwin sells a model called "fit 5" which is similar to the Forme 5....I can't figure out if it's better than the previous version..

Anyway, I don't see how you fixed the top part of the mudguards....can you explain?

Second point: what kind of racks are compatible with this bike?

I am wondering is a Boardman Hybrid race is a better value (it's also a little less expensive)

RideOnTime

10,000 views!!!

matt@theforce

plutus wrote:

Hi,

very interesting thread...now btwin sells a model called "fit 5" which is similar to the Forme 5....I can't figure out if it's better than the previous version..

Anyway, I don't see how you fixed the top part of the mudguards....can you explain?

Second point: what kind of racks are compatible with this bike?

I am wondering is a Boardman Hybrid race is a better value (it's also a little less expensive)

Sorry, missed this.

The mudguards are held on at the top with a cable tie around the centre brake bolts.

matt@theforce

Update.

I've now had the bike for just over 1 year and thought it appropriate to let people know my experience of this bike & dealing with Decathlon.

During my 1yr, 2500miles my bike has required the following maintenance items
x1 new chain
x3 pairs of brake blocks
x1 rear mech (SRAM powerlink snapped and got lodged in the rear mech snapping the mech as I pedaled)
x1 gear/brake cable set

Other items bought for the bike
* Crud Catcher Road Racer2 mudguards
* FSA Drop Bars
* Tiagra 3x9 shifters/brake levers
* Shimano HG80 11-28 Cassette
* Charge Spoon Saddle
* Superstar 80mm stem
* M520 SPD's
* Red Anodized bottle cage bolts/cable ends (sad I know but it adds a little colour)

Visits to Decathlon
1, Service around 8months, spokes in rear wheel tightened and re-trued

My commute is 34miles per shift (2day shifts every 8 days), I have used the bike in Sunshine/Wind/Rain/Snow/Sleet/Ice/Floods etc etc and has been used on all types of road but mainly A/B roads around Sheffield.
It has coped extremely well with the potholes and bad road surfaces and for its money it has put other higher branded bikes to shame that my collegues ride. I'm still running the Decathlon Slick 23c tyres too, they are starting to square off but haven't punctured.
Not only have I used this bike for Commuting I've also used it for pleasure and have completed many 50+mile rides and 1 60+mile ride (would have done more but my own fitness is the limiting factor)

Having bought it through the cyclescheme I have saved more than it has cost me (including maintenance) and am approximatley £200 ahead

Decathlons service has been great for the 1 visit I've had, I shall be visiting again for another check over and the get the wheels trued again but this is only because I intend to give it to my brother (if he wants it for our York100 ride later in the year) & want to make sure its 100% right for him.

When cleaned it still looks in very good condition and IMO far more expensive than it really was.

Matthew