Carerra TDF Vs. B'twin Triban 3

ryan888

Halfords currently have the carrerra TDF on offer for £299 (down from £599)
And the Triban 3 is £299 (which is it's usual price)

Please help me decide which bike to get for my first road bike! any response will be hugely appreciated

Looking at reviews, it's hard to compare a £600 bike to a £300 as I dont know if they are reviewed on quality for cost. But the triban has better reviews.
And from the carerra reviews, I understand I will need to buy new tyres

Here is the carerra:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165710

Specs:
Brake Type: Calliper Brakes
Exact Frame Size: 58cm
Frame Colour: Black and Yellow
Frame Material: Alloy
Front Brake: Tektro alloy calliper brake
Front Mech: Shimano FD-A050
Gear Shifters: Shimano ST-2300
Gender: Mens
Handle Bars: Drop
Headset: Semi integrated
Number of Gears: 16
Pedals: Road pedals with toe clips
Rear Brake: Tektro alloy calliper brake
Rear Mech: Shimano RD-2300
Saddle: Carrera
Seatpost: Alloy 350mm x 27.2
Suspension: Rigid
Tyre size: 23c
Tyres: Kenda road tyre
Chainset: Shimano FCA050 52/39 / Prowheel
Forks: Hi-Tensile Straight Blade
Stem: Alloy
Approximate Weight (KG): 11.7
Cassette: 12-26T
Geometry: Compact
Wheel size: 700c
Rims: Carrera double wall rims

Here is the triban:
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-red ... 74036.html

Frame:
aluminium with a built-in head tube
fork:
carbon with aluminium dropout
drivetrain:
Shimano 2300
wheels:
B'Twin Sport
type of tyres:
B'twin FRC stiff bead
pedals:
Pedals with toe clips for sizes 54cm, 57cm, 60cm and 63cm
weight of bike in size 57:
10.5 kg

I am hoping to get serious about road biking, but i'm a student so £350 is pretty my my absolute max!

I am going to be riding from manchester to holland on my first road bike this summer, so want to take into account comfort of the ride.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

UPDATE*

From the really helpful comments I think im decided on the triban,

But

Before my heart gets TOO set on the triban, Does anyone have any other bikes I shouldbe thinking about in my price range? (£350 max)

And I have just realised that the triban 3 with the carbon forks is not available any more!
Now i've realised that the b'twin with the carbon forks is no longer available for an indefinite amount of time, I think my choice is now between the Carerra and this (prettier) triban 3 version without the carbon forks

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-roa ... #avantages

But as someone said, the carbon forks are low end anyway, how much difference can it make? but more importantly, how is it compared to the carerra TDF?

elderone

The triban is the better buy and is well regarded on this forum,where as Halfords are not liked at all.My first bike was a Carrera virtuoso ltd and I still use it.Maybe if I knew about the triban I would have got that but my Carrera is modded a lot so im happy with it.

Bustacapp

I have a Virtuoso LTD edition which is the same specs as a TDF and can honestly say it's a very sound bike. I think they look a lot nicer than the Tribans but may be a little heavier.

mattrixdesign2

The Triban has a Carbon fork, the TDF has a HiTen Steel fork.

Go for the Triban at an honest price, rather than the bike with a high RRP.

Carbon fork should give added comfort too. Maybe worth getting a Charge Spoon saddle (or similar), hlemet and some decent cycling shorts.

ryan888

thanks for the replies people!

Can anyone help with a comparison of the actual components? All I know is that the triban has the carbon fork which is better, but how about the gears/brakes/wheels etc?

mattrixdesign2

I don't think there is much in it, the low end Shimano stuff is functional and works well. I think the Triban has a Sora front mech. The forks alone would sway my decision. Then if you get the upgrade bug, get some decent wheels/tyres, and replace the rest as it wears out.

I can not vouch for Decathlons workmanship and customer service, but having bought 2 (good) bikes from Halfords the intial setup was worring, although in fairness both issues resolved promptly.

simona75

The Carrera is a £300 bike that occasionally has its price doubled to £600 rather than a £600 bike being sold at half price. The Triban everytime for me

robertsims

Nobody every pays £600 for the TDF it's 'on sale' about 10 months of the year! You are comparing two £300 bikes and for me the Triban wins everytime. That was my opinion 6 months ago when I bought a Triban 3 and never looked back - fantastic bike for the money. Just did 65mile sportive in under 4 hrs without a problem (only changed saddle which are personal things anyway)

ryan888

Thank's so much guys! pretty much decided on the triban 3

Before my heart gets TOO set on the triban, Does anyone have any other bikes I shouldbe thinking about in my price range?

also, Ive just found this
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-roa ... nformation

which I think looks better than the red one, But there is no mention of the carbon forks... should I just go for the red one?

Davdandy

The £600 price tag is a marketing ploy used by many retailers,most notably are DFS.

Bustacapp

ryan888 wrote:

which I think looks better than the red one, But there is no mention of the carbon forks... should I just go for the red one?

I would go for the white one personally.

Guanajuato

The red Triban is only available as a 45" bike - rather small. The replacement model (the white one) also has steel forks, just like the Carrera. So nothing in it between the two. I guess it'll come down to whether you prefer the Shimano or microshift shifters.

Or have a look at a better spec 2nd hand?

ryan888

Guanajuato wrote:

The red Triban is only available as a 45" bike - rather small. The replacement model (the white one) also has steel forks, just like the Carrera. So nothing in it between the two. I guess it'll come down to whether you prefer the Shimano or microshift shifters.

Or have a look at a better spec 2nd hand?

I didnt think about size yet, I just assumed i'd be able to get any if I tried =P

What is the difference between shimano or microshift shifters? Sorry for the newbie questions

I've been looking at some better spec 2nd hand ones too, but so far ive found that unless I can get a £800+ for £350 second hand, then it's barely better than the triban

Ive found a Carerra Virtuoso Olympic (2012) edition for £200, but i assume the TDF is better anyway, and Id rather pay £100 more for brand new.
I have found a felt F75 which RRP is $1500, going for around £400, which I almost bought, before I noticed it didnt have any eyelets for a rear rack (which feels like a bad reason not to get a bike, but when i'm cycling to holland this summer, it's quite important!)

Mikey41

Where are you riding? The TDF has high gearing, which is fine if you're somewhere pretty flat, but the Triban is geared much better for a beginner with its triple chainset.

The Microshift shifters are similar to the Shimano, I don't know if they are necessarily inferior though. Is there not a Pro team that uses them? The biggest loss on the white Triban is the carbon fork IMO, but it is perhaps not surprising as nobody could work out how they could sell a bike with a carbon fork for £300 anyway.

mattrixdesign2

I didn't realise the Red one was an outgoing model! The white one looses the carbon fork and Shimano which is a shame. At least with Shimano it "works" and gives a clear upgrade route.

I would definitly aim for a Carbon fork bike (for the weight/comfort/remove need to upgrade), the MicroShift maybe better perfomance/£ than Shimano but I have never tried it, it certainly looks good, infact I prefer the looks of the white bike.

It seems that Decathlon must have made a loss leader on the Triban 3, or feel the need to make bigger margins. Its a real shame as it bucked the trend, it could have really shaken up the lower end of the market - there was a space between rubbish cheap bikes, and good £600+ bikes. They would have been better off selling it for £350 and keeping the spec.

I think its fair to say there is very little between the Triban and TDF now. Just go and have a look at both, maybe play off one against the other for some freebies?

Guanajuato

ryan888 wrote:

What is the difference between shimano or microshift shifters? Sorry for the newbie questions

No need to be sorry - everyone starts somewhere.
The Shimano 2300 use the brake lever to lower gear and a thumb lever to go higher. The microshift has a seperate lever behind the brake lever to go to lower gears and a little button on the outside of the lever to go into higher gears. Go higher up the spec (Sora, Tiagra, 105 & so on) with Shimano and rather than a thumb shift lever they have a lever behind the brake lever for going into higher gears, but the brake lever itself still pulls the cable to go into lower gears.
Sounds complicated, but you very soon get the hang of it.

I've just switched bikes and have gone from Sunrace (the cheaper version of Microshift, as fitted to the TdF in 2008/9) to Shimano Tiagra and its taken a few rides to get used to the change. I've droped into a higher gear on steep hills when I meant to go into lower gears a few times now. :oops:

The £299 'sale' price at Halfords is marketing nonsense.
The virtuoso you mention is pretty much the same bike as the TdF. The only significant difference is the front Chainrings. The TdF has what's referred to as a 'Standard Double', whilst the virtuoso has a 'Compact Double'. That means the Virtuoso has easier gear ratios, so you'll struggle less up hills. But you'll run out of gears sooner on a descent, though you'll still be able to hit 40mph+ if you're brave enough. For new cyclists, a compact is probably a better bet.
As the previous poster says, the Triban has a triple (three sets of chainrings at the front). My new bike has a triple and I have to say, I think its much better - the jumps between gears when changing the front chainrings are much better. The downside is setup can be a faff.

Try them both out, if you can, before buying.

wod1

I have no exeperiance of the Triban but I have done a lot of miles on my TDF and am very pleased with it. I have been wondering about upgrading but just cant justify it due to not having a lot of spare cash and struggled to see the benefits of a few less kg costing me £1000 when I have lost many more by losing weight costing me nothing. The TDF is a £300 bike the £600 part is just marketing. I have no faults with the TDF, changed tyres after 5k miles when they started to puncture with gatroskins which seem to go well on the bike. probably need to change the chain now but it has survived a snowy winter. Did 130 miles in 8 hours riding time and couldnt fault the bike. doing Triathlon training at the moment and considering fitting areo bars and changing from rat trap to SPD pedals.

LonesomeWanderer

I was on the verge of buying the Carrera TDF when I noticed the Triban 3 (red) was back in stock so went for that instead. The service at the Decathlon store was generally good, they took a fair amount of time to make sure the bike was the right size and everything was set up correctly, gears indexed etc. - much better than Halfords were with my Carrerra Subway. If I was going for the TDF I would probably pop it into an LBS for quick check to make sure everything was setup right...

MarksMintness

Mikey41 wrote:

Where are you riding? The TDF has high gearing, which is fine if you're somewhere pretty flat, but the Triban is geared much better for a beginner with its triple chainset.

This. Quite important if you are new to road cycling. Triban every time for me as well, awesome bike for the money!

elderone

The Carrera virtuoso is better than the tdf as it has sora bits and compact crank.
As I said before even as a Carrera owner I think the triban is better buy,but I wouldn,t have one.People go on about the carbon fork but lets be honest its only lowest grade fork and I wouldn't put one on my carbon bike for sure.
The Carrera I have is the 2012 ltd edition and with the mods I,ve done it now ways 9.8kgs.So its easier to upgrade bits over time if you can,t get a better bike straight away.
either way enjoy what ever bike you get.

simon_masterson

There's very little in it. The Carrera isn't a £600 bike, but neither is the Triban. Try before you buy and go with what you like; and if that's the Carrera then don't be afraid of the gearing!

ryan888

Thank's so much guys

Now i've realised that the b'twin with the carbon forks is no longer available for an indefinite amount of time, I think my choice is now between the Carerra and the triban version without the carbon forks

But as someone said, the carbon forks are low end anyway, how much difference can it make? but more importantly, how is it compared to the carerra TDF?

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-roa ... #avantages

supermurph09

I really don't think there will be much in either bike, I think if you are on the fence just go with the one you like the look of more, whatever anyone says looks do play a part!!! Spend the £300 get out as much as you can and then start looking at your next bike!!!

Bustacapp

elderone wrote:

The Carrera I have is the 2012 ltd edition.

I have a Virtuoso LTD edition and as far as I know it is exactly the same spec as the TDF bar the paint job.

I'm interested in what mods you've made to get it down to 9.8kg?

elderone

Bustacapp wrote:

elderone wrote:

The Carrera I have is the 2012 ltd edition.

I have a Virtuoso LTD edition and as far as I know it is exactly the same spec as the TDF bar the paint job.

I'm interested in what mods you've made to get it down to 9.8kg?

Changed the wheels.tires and tubes.Also changed fork to a time carbon one.Changed cranks and rear sprocket.Maybe even lighter with new seat and post I added.

Bustacapp

elderone wrote:

Bustacapp wrote:

elderone wrote:

The Carrera I have is the 2012 ltd edition.

I have a Virtuoso LTD edition and as far as I know it is exactly the same spec as the TDF bar the paint job.

I'm interested in what mods you've made to get it down to 9.8kg?

Changed the wheels.tires and tubes.Also changed fork to a time carbon one.Changed cranks and rear sprocket.Maybe even lighter with new seat and post I added.

Thanks for that. What wheels did you get?

simon_masterson

ryan888 wrote:

Thank's so much guys

Now i've realised that the b'twin with the carbon forks is no longer available for an indefinite amount of time, I think my choice is now between the Carerra and the triban version without the carbon forks

But as someone said, the carbon forks are low end anyway, how much difference can it make? but more importantly, how is it compared to the carerra TDF?

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-roa ... #avantages

There really isn't anything wrong with steel forks, at all. What you have to remember is that many of the recommendations you'll read in places like this are from people who took up cycling since carbon forks on bikes became prevalent. It is overstated because there is a choice available. There is nothing wrong with aluminium seatposts or steel forks, and there is much more to riding comfort than simply the material that certain parts of the bike are made of.

ryan888

[/quote]

There really isn't anything wrong with steel forks, at all. What you have to remember is that many of the recommendations you'll read in places like this are from people who took up cycling since carbon forks on bikes became prevalent. It is overstated because there is a choice available. There is nothing wrong with aluminium seatposts or steel forks, and there is much more to riding comfort than simply the material that certain parts of the bike are made of.[/quote]

So out of the carerra TDF and the White Triban 3 (with steel forks), which one would you go for based on the other components?

Thanks for the help by the way!

ryan888

Does anyone know anything about the quality of the

Claude Butler Roubaix Road bike

Ribble Audax Road Bike

This: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290879877517? ... 1438.l2649

Mikey41

Between those two, I'd go for the Ribble. Otherwise I'd still go for the Triban because of the gearing.

simon_masterson

ryan888 wrote:

There really isn't anything wrong with steel forks, at all. What you have to remember is that many of the recommendations you'll read in places like this are from people who took up cycling since carbon forks on bikes became prevalent. It is overstated because there is a choice available. There is nothing wrong with aluminium seatposts or steel forks, and there is much more to riding comfort than simply the material that certain parts of the bike are made of.[/quote]

So out of the carerra TDF and the White Triban 3 (with steel forks), which one would you go for based on the other components?

Thanks for the help by the way![/quote]

Aside from geometry and ride quality, I think it would come down to how I found the Microshift bits on the Triban; I've heard plenty of negative reports but haven't ever tried the system. Shimano have a solid track record of producing functional kit, but then again I'm sure that both component sets are adequate for the bike and the rider.

There's only so far wrong you can go...