Merlin PR7 vs B'twin Triban

charlie29

Hi,
I have narrowed my search for a first racing bike down to the Merlin PR7 and B'twin Triban 500 SE and wondered if anyone had experience of both/either.

According to online guides, I should go for a 52cm bike, but the B'twin comes in either 51 or 54 and the Merlin in 50 or 53. I have sat on a B'twin but live some way from the Merlin shop, so would have to go for mail order....

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Jules Winnfield

For me it would be the PR7 all day long, I hate Tribans with a passion. It's the triple chainset thing that I personally can't stomach. I nearly bought a PR7 a few weeks back for a winter/turbo hack but decided against it. Nothing to do with the bike I hasten to add, just financial constraints. That and I wanted a new set of wheels for the Ribble.

charlie29

Thanks for the advice - what is a winter/turbo bike?? (I'm new to racing bikes!) :oops:

Jules Winnfield

A winter turbo hack is exactly how it reads, a bike for use in the crappy winter weather, and one I can sling on the turbo trainer if the weather gets to treacherous out to ride.

letap73

Jules Winnfield wrote:

For me it would be the PR7 all day long, I hate Tribans with a passion. It's the triple chainset thing that I personally can't stomach. I nearly bought a PR7 a few weeks back for a winter/turbo hack but decided against it. Nothing to do with the bike I hasten to add, just financial constraints. That and I wanted a new set of wheels for the Ribble.

I hope your "hatred" is based on ride experience!

Anyway - the Tribans as beginner bike is very highly rated by both people who own (search bike radar) and the reviews:

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/reviews/ ... iban-500se

http://road.cc/content/review/116333-bt ... -road-bike

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cate ... -14-48520/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd5SM_3wXEQ

I couldn't find a review on the Merlin -however I really rate Merlin as a internet trader so I do not think they would sell a bad bike with their name.

iga

And as for the sizing, the usual advice is if you're between sizes go for the smaller.

Jules Winnfield

letap73 wrote:

Jules Winnfield wrote:

For me it would be the PR7 all day long, I hate Tribans with a passion. It's the triple chainset thing that I personally can't stomach. I nearly bought a PR7 a few weeks back for a winter/turbo hack but decided against it. Nothing to do with the bike I hasten to add, just financial constraints. That and I wanted a new set of wheels for the Ribble.

I hope your "hatred" is based on ride experience!

No..... And why should it?

I'm sure they are a really good bike, everyone seems to rate them highly and Tribans ALWAYS get mentioned in "What bike" type of threads but like you read in my post above, for me it's just the triple chainset thing. You may think that's a daft reasoning for not liking a bike but that's fine. But if I don't like it for this reason then I don't like it.

There is nothing you can say to make me change my mind unfortunately.

letap73

A triple chain set can be a good idea for a beginner - especially as you can achieve a lower gear with the inner 30 chain ring - this is useful for a beginner who may struggle climbing on steeper gradients.

lakesluddite

iga wrote:

And as for the sizing, the usual advice is if you're between sizes go for the smaller.

...but beware, with the Decathlon bikes, the smaller sizes come with smaller wheels (650 as opposed to the usual 700c on the 49cm and 51cm from memory).

Jules Winnfield

letap73 wrote:

A triple chain set can be a good idea for a beginner - especially as you can achieve a lower gear with the inner 30 chain ring - this is useful for a beginner who may struggle climbing on steeper gradients.

I was a "beginner" to road cycling 9 months ago after a 20 year lay off, yet I had no reason to have a triple on my bike. I knew that it wasn't the bike that stopped me from going up a too steep a gradient, it was my lack of fitness.

letap73

Jules Winnfield wrote:

letap73 wrote:

A triple chain set can be a good idea for a beginner - especially as you can achieve a lower gear with the inner 30 chain ring - this is useful for a beginner who may struggle climbing on steeper gradients.

I was a "beginner" to road cycling 9 months ago after a 20 year lay off, yet I had no reason to have a triple on my bike. I knew that it wasn't the bike that stopped me from going up a too steep a gradient, it was my lack of fitness.

Well good for you. I hope you note the operative use of "can be a good idea" hinting the suggestion that this cannot be applied to all beginners. In fact one of my bikes has a triple which I used on my trip to the Alps for going up steep gradients at a higher cadence which I found more efficient and less taxing on my knees.

apreading

Jules Winnfield wrote:

letap73 wrote:

A triple chain set can be a good idea for a beginner - especially as you can achieve a lower gear with the inner 30 chain ring - this is useful for a beginner who may struggle climbing on steeper gradients.

I was a "beginner" to road cycling 9 months ago after a 20 year lay off, yet I had no reason to have a triple on my bike. I knew that it wasn't the bike that stopped me from going up a too steep a gradient, it was my lack of fitness.

Lack of fitness, or an inappropriate tool which required more fitness than you had, when a different tool would have allowed you to tackle the gradient without stopping? Either could be argued.

I can however see the case that having an inappropriate tool for the job forced you to overcome your own shortcomings rather than live with them in the luxury of a bike that demands less of you. Ultimately this may have been beneficial for you but there are many ways to skin a cat.

charlie29

Thanks everyone for your input.

Just a couple of queries - do more gears = easier cycling or does it not work like that? :?

And would the smaller wheels on the smaller B'Twin be a problem? When I sat on one in the shop, the assistant thought I could even manage with a larger one, as long as one of the parts was changed to be longer, because I had to really stretch for the handlebars. :shock:

Thank you again.

letap73

charlie29 wrote:

Thanks everyone for your input.

Just a couple of queries - do more gears = easier cycling or does it not work like that? :?

And would the smaller wheels on the smaller B'Twin be a problem? When I sat on one in the shop, the assistant thought I could even manage with a larger one, as long as one of the parts was changed to be longer, because I had to really stretch for the handlebars. :shock:

Thank you again.

More gears does not mean easier cycling - it comes down to gear ratios, your lowest gear (easiest gear) will depend on the smallest chain ring at the front and the largest sprocket on the cassette. The 650c wheels is possibly a problem in terms of purchasing new tyres/tubes -you maybe restricted in choice, I normally look for tyres for 700c and I don't usually notice options for 650c. Make sure you are correctly sized, if it is possible take a friend/colleague who is cyclist for help with this.

baznett

As said the 45-51cm bikes at Decathlon (non carbon range) come with the 650c wheels rather than 700c. Depending on your size you may find the 54cm a little on the big size. I do being 5ft8 with the original 100mm stem. Finding myself at a more comfortable position a 1cm or 2cm behind the hoods.
The SE is a decent bike but my only fault on it is the Microshift just feels a bit....cheap.

We have just received some old Triban 5 in size 51cm with carbon forks and seat stays, full sora groupset (bar the calipers) which are at £299.99 down from £499.99. May be worth a look at. Dunno which Store your closest to.

chippyk

299.99 for the Triban 5? That's a good deal. I bought one 12 months ago at 429.99 for winter use and can't fault it for the money. I put it away wet after I last used it last winter and then spent a couple of hours last week releasing the siezed freewheel and replacing the front mech. A lesson learnt.

dombhoy

triban 5 has full sora and imo looks a lot nicer than the merlin adn i would go with that

charlie29

Thank you everyone! I am about 167ish cm tall, so the 54 Triban bike felt quite big, even though there was some clearance when I stood over it. :?

Baznett - are the reduced Tribans at Decathlon?