A Proper Review of the B'Twin Triban 100!
ayank
Posts: 41
Hi,
Firstly a little about myself. I live in the US with my stable of nice bikes (CAAD 12, Custom steel etc.). But I moved to France for just under the year. Couldn't bring over any of my bikes (high import duty and other issues). I thought I could last one year without a bike. Hah!
The Triban 100 stood out because it was: i) Cheap, ii) Had 32mm tires (I wanted to try single track riding) and iii) was available from Decathlon near by.
But was it any good? I had a real hard time trying to find solid review. There were several in French but they seemed fluff pieces but raised serious issues such as chain derailing (chain-skip) when not pedaling down-hill!
Having rode the bike now for about 500 miles I can summarize it as:
"Well Thought Out, Oustanding Build Quality With Limitations". You won't be climbing steep hills (lowest gear you can get is 48/34) or winning any KOMs on it (it weights 11.3kg) but it does everything else really well. Sure the parts are cheap but I was constantly amazed by the build quality.
FrameSet
This is exactly the same frameset as the Triban 500 and 500 SE weighting 1830 grams but with a steel fork that weights 650grams. It's hard to know if there is any frame flex (no FD to test for chain rub) but it seems to go if you put the foot down. I'm 5'11 and bought the size 56 and it fits very well. The tall head tube means you'll only get about 1-2 inches of saddle to bar drop. One down side is that it only comes with one set of brazeons (i.e. only one bottle cage).
Wheels and Brakes
Astoningshly the wheels were perfectly true. This allowed me to adjust the Tektro 540 brakes a mere 5-10mm off the rim and provide pretty good braking with the standard pads. The brakes only felt under-whelming when descending at 25+ mph.
The cones were on too tight but I loosened them and the wheels roll quite nicely.
The front wheel comes in at 965grams the rear wheel at 980grams (remember its a freewheel).
The tires are beasts. Each weights a whooping 800grams! But they are engineered to stand serious stuff so you don't have to baby them. I felt comfortable riding the bike in the wet, on mud and it handles gravel nicely.
Drive Train
It's basic but perfectly engineered. It's a no-name 48t chain ring (no FD), Shimano mega-range freewheel (14-16-18-20-22-24,34) and a KMZ chain but the shift quality was superb. This is probably due to the simplicity of the 7-speed shifting system (lots of room for error) but still they put it together right.
The freewheel (no cassette) is rock solid and in 500 miles not a single mis-shift. The A50 shifter is on the bars (so no aero bars) but it works very well. I could shift up/down two gears with no problem.
The only issue was the chain ring was a little noisy (probably the teeth weren't perfectly formed).
I was concerned with the gearing but could top 25mph on the smallest cog (I ride with a cadence of about 100). Climbing was fine for anything under a mile and under 15 degrees but over a mile/15degs+ and your legs kill.
Contact Points
Saddle is quite firm, bars are a nice compact version with pretty good tape. The pedals are not cheap plastic ones, but actually steel with good grip.
Overall
It's great! So great I haven't changed or had the urge to change anything on it.
Sure it has its limitations (I did a 14 degree climb for 1.5 mile and nearly died) but it also has benefits. It can ride on single track stuff (thanks to the 32mm tires) quite nicely and makes a good commuter.
Decathalon have really thought thru the design (or guessed right). The gear range is nice for commuting.
But the lasting memory I have of this bike is the build quality. Everything works together so well. The shifting is flawless, the wheels roll well and the bike frame is stiff enough to make decent power transfer.
Ask away questions.
Firstly a little about myself. I live in the US with my stable of nice bikes (CAAD 12, Custom steel etc.). But I moved to France for just under the year. Couldn't bring over any of my bikes (high import duty and other issues). I thought I could last one year without a bike. Hah!
The Triban 100 stood out because it was: i) Cheap, ii) Had 32mm tires (I wanted to try single track riding) and iii) was available from Decathlon near by.
But was it any good? I had a real hard time trying to find solid review. There were several in French but they seemed fluff pieces but raised serious issues such as chain derailing (chain-skip) when not pedaling down-hill!
Having rode the bike now for about 500 miles I can summarize it as:
"Well Thought Out, Oustanding Build Quality With Limitations". You won't be climbing steep hills (lowest gear you can get is 48/34) or winning any KOMs on it (it weights 11.3kg) but it does everything else really well. Sure the parts are cheap but I was constantly amazed by the build quality.
FrameSet
This is exactly the same frameset as the Triban 500 and 500 SE weighting 1830 grams but with a steel fork that weights 650grams. It's hard to know if there is any frame flex (no FD to test for chain rub) but it seems to go if you put the foot down. I'm 5'11 and bought the size 56 and it fits very well. The tall head tube means you'll only get about 1-2 inches of saddle to bar drop. One down side is that it only comes with one set of brazeons (i.e. only one bottle cage).
Wheels and Brakes
Astoningshly the wheels were perfectly true. This allowed me to adjust the Tektro 540 brakes a mere 5-10mm off the rim and provide pretty good braking with the standard pads. The brakes only felt under-whelming when descending at 25+ mph.
The cones were on too tight but I loosened them and the wheels roll quite nicely.
The front wheel comes in at 965grams the rear wheel at 980grams (remember its a freewheel).
The tires are beasts. Each weights a whooping 800grams! But they are engineered to stand serious stuff so you don't have to baby them. I felt comfortable riding the bike in the wet, on mud and it handles gravel nicely.
Drive Train
It's basic but perfectly engineered. It's a no-name 48t chain ring (no FD), Shimano mega-range freewheel (14-16-18-20-22-24,34) and a KMZ chain but the shift quality was superb. This is probably due to the simplicity of the 7-speed shifting system (lots of room for error) but still they put it together right.
The freewheel (no cassette) is rock solid and in 500 miles not a single mis-shift. The A50 shifter is on the bars (so no aero bars) but it works very well. I could shift up/down two gears with no problem.
The only issue was the chain ring was a little noisy (probably the teeth weren't perfectly formed).
I was concerned with the gearing but could top 25mph on the smallest cog (I ride with a cadence of about 100). Climbing was fine for anything under a mile and under 15 degrees but over a mile/15degs+ and your legs kill.
Contact Points
Saddle is quite firm, bars are a nice compact version with pretty good tape. The pedals are not cheap plastic ones, but actually steel with good grip.
Overall
It's great! So great I haven't changed or had the urge to change anything on it.
Sure it has its limitations (I did a 14 degree climb for 1.5 mile and nearly died) but it also has benefits. It can ride on single track stuff (thanks to the 32mm tires) quite nicely and makes a good commuter.
Decathalon have really thought thru the design (or guessed right). The gear range is nice for commuting.
But the lasting memory I have of this bike is the build quality. Everything works together so well. The shifting is flawless, the wheels roll well and the bike frame is stiff enough to make decent power transfer.
Ask away questions.
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Comments
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Interesting. Sounds like a solid built budget all-rounder or the perfect commuter bike that can handle the tow path or some light off road if your journey takes you there. A double up front would be a nice addition for a better spread of gearing, but I guess it's put together to hit that price point.0
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MiddleRinger wrote:Interesting. Sounds like a solid built budget all-rounder or the perfect commuter bike that can handle the tow path or some light off road if your journey takes you there. A double up front would be a nice addition for a better spread of gearing, but I guess it's put together to hit that price point.
The reason for the 1x drivetrain is to keep it simple primarily. Hence the 34t large sprocket. The only things I really don’t like about this bike, are the odd shifter system, and lack of Q.R. Skewers, or proper thru axles. Other than that, it’s a great bike to have as a ‘station bike’.0 -
Milemuncher1 wrote:MiddleRinger wrote:Interesting. Sounds like a solid built budget all-rounder or the perfect commuter bike that can handle the tow path or some light off road if your journey takes you there. A double up front would be a nice addition for a better spread of gearing, but I guess it's put together to hit that price point.
The reason for the 1x drivetrain is to keep it simple primarily. Hence the 34t large sprocket. The only things I really don’t like about this bike, are the odd shifter system, and lack of Q.R. Skewers, or proper thru axles. Other than that, it’s a great bike to have as a ‘station bike’.
The shifting location is odd (adjacent to stem) but it shifts very nicely. The front has QR, but not the back which will prove to be a pain when I get a flat.0 -
Given I'm here for only six months more I won't be doing this. But it would be easy to make the bike nicer.
1. Change out the 800gram 32mm tires for some nice foldable 28mm tires and you'll easily take 1+kg of the bike and put it close to 10kg. $30
2. Change out the chain rings and add a FD for more gearing. As I mentioned its the 500 frameset so the guides for the FD cables are all there. $50
3. Brake pad replacement. Some cool stops would improve the breaking. $20
4. Make the rear wheel a QR. $30
5. I've seen people put CF forks on this (like the TRIBAN 500) but the 32mm tires absorb most road buzz. $120
Of the four I think 2. is the best use of money. You could get the Shimano FC310 triple 48/38/28 (weights about 1kg) for $30 and a Tourney FD for $10 and the QF trigger shifter for $10.0 -
Nice thorough review, thanks!
Not sure about pricing elsewhere, but in the UK the 500se and 500 are priced keenly so the upgrades you describe aren’t worth it (at the minute the 500se is on sale for the same price as the 100, giving you the triple crankset and cf fork).0 -
Wilf Roberts wrote:Nice thorough review, thanks!
Not sure about pricing elsewhere, but in the UK the 500se and 500 are priced keenly so the upgrades you describe aren’t worth it (at the minute the 500se is on sale for the same price as the 100, giving you the triple crankset and cf fork).
Yes, that's a good price. The 500SE isn't available outside of the UK. I did find a proper review of the 500SE http://road.cc/content/review/116333-bt ... -road-bike The comments on micro-shift are important.
Who said Brexit isn't going to be good!
I just looked and the pricing of the Triban is funky/good in the UK.
In FRANCE its: 100 $249, 500 $449
In UK in pounds is: 100 $249, 500SE $300 (normally), 500 $349
So if you have the cash go for the 500.0 -
Now done 1500+ miles on it. Great! no squeaks, flats, maintenance what so-ever. Quite a joy to ride. I did a few long climbs which were okay but of course not great given the configuraiton.
I decided not to change anything. The 32mm beast tires are great for riding on dirt trails through parks and grip nicely (look at the thread its like a crop hair cut).
I did replace the brake pads and they are now have much better braking power but not as good as the v-brakes on the Riverside 120.
If I was staying longer I would get 2. done.AYank wrote:Given I'm here for only six months more I won't be doing this. But it would be easy to make the bike nicer.
1. Change out the 800gram 32mm tires for some nice foldable 28mm tires and you'll easily take 1+kg of the bike and put it close to 10kg. $30
2. Change out the chain rings and add a FD for more gearing. As I mentioned its the 500 frameset so the guides for the FD cables are all there. $50
3. Brake pad replacement. Some cool stops would improve the breaking. $20
4. Make the rear wheel a QR. $30
5. I've seen people put CF forks on this (like the TRIBAN 500) but the 32mm tires absorb most road buzz. $120
Of the four I think 2. is the best use of money. You could get the Shimano FC310 triple 48/38/28 (weights about 1kg) for $30 and a Tourney FD for $10 and the QF trigger shifter for $10.0 -
Good review. What did you do with the bike once you had to leave? Did you resell it or donate it? And if you resold it how did you do that knowing you were going to be leaving so soon?0
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I recently purchased this bike and took it for a first ride (about 25km). I pretty much agree with everything in this article. It's a decent 'budget' bike but it's not the best at climbing. The difference between the 1st Gear and 2nd Gear when climbing is a world apart. If you are climbing a hill and change between 1st and 2nd it feels like someone has jumped on your back (it really feels that different).
With that in mind I would like to change the chain rings as set out above. I'm not that technical so if someone could help that would be great.
A couple of questions.
1. I would prefer a lighter double chain ring (as opposed to a triple). Will this help with climbing or is the triple a requirement.
2. The read derailer shifter is on the bars and I don't really want another shifter on there. I would prefer to put one on the frame (like back in the old days). I can't find a shifter online that meets this requirement. Does anybody know of any?
Any help to piece this project together would be greatly appreciated
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Hi, I am also in search to add more gears as I have gigantic issues climbing hills.
If anyone could recommend or give me a list of items I would need, including Brake integrated shifters I would be eternally thankful. I can also provide a few beers if you come to Prague.0 -
I know this is an old thread but will post here in case someone upgrading Triban RC 100 comes along, as I did.
I was very pleased to get this bike for just 120 euros through the Decathlon 'second life' programme about a month ago. I looked at this vélo when it just came out but decided against buying a new one as I already have a road Bianchi and a Rockrider MTB. I used my MTB on sleeks during winter but with a cheap second hand Triban sitting forlornly in my local Decathlon I just took it home.
I am glad I did. All positive reviews are true. The bike is solidly put together and is very comfortable to ride. No rattling and no squeaks. True wheels. Brakes which slow you down (although not stop dead). I now use it for winter training and family outings instead of my much heavier MTB. I do not know what a newcomer to road cycling would make of this bike (could have some unreasonable expectations) but for anybody who experienced a "better" bike the realisation of what 120 euros can buy is truly astonishing. I smile happily every time I go for a ride - it is this good.
Shortly after purchasing I decided to install a double chainset to get more gears. My Triban came with a 44T front and 12-28 cassette (it is a later version to the original post, and now features quick release in the rear as well). The original crankset looked decidedly flimsy and low quality and so I wanted to put something more solid and higher geared. I settled for a 52/42 crankset from M-Wave (35 euros), which is a square taper. It is much better machined than the original crankset but heavier, too. Obviously, 42T is not miles away from 44T for climbing but I live in flatlands and in any case I wanted to try a 52T ring for a long time (my Bianchi has a compact). I also got an 11-30 cassette at the same time but have not installed it yet. Decathlon offers a 48/38/28 triple for 25 euros which could be a better option for this vélo and should work, but I have not tried it.
Once you replace the cranks and try to fit the front dérailleur you realise that Decathlon fitted a longer-axle bottom bracket on this bike. A standard road dérailleur will not swing out far enough to shift to the larger ring. At this point you can either swap the bottom bracket or get a 50mm chainline dérailleur. This is what I did and got a Microshift FD from Decathlon for 11 euros. Although it is rated for 48T and three chainrings, it shifts my 52/42 double equally fine. A word of warning - this Microshift FD has its pivoting mechanism at the back, and it jams itself between the rear wheel and the seat tube. When installed, the clearance between the shifting mechanism is literally 2-3 mm with 32mm stock tires. In hindsight, I should have spent 19 euros on Acera FD without this problem (hopefully) but this will have to do for the present.
For the front shifter, I got the left brother to the already present Shimano SL-A050 on the right. Its codename is SL-A050-LN and I bought it for under 8 euros with cable. Many "specialists" have commented on these shifters but to me the pair of them mounted on the bars looks neat. I also like being able to shift the entire cassette in one motion. People talking about feeling insecure when shifting bar levers should recall the days when shifters were on the downtube and I for one can still remember front wheel spokes swooshing past my extended fingers rather menacingly. Brifters are, I agree, much better, but people who can afford to spend money on brifters as an upgrade will not be buying Triban RC 100 to begin with.
The SL-A050-LN is friction and so its setup is simplicity itself. The lever is rated for 2 speeds and I doubt it has enough travel to shift a triple but who knows. One other thing to remember is to have a length of outer cable housing about 20 cm long. The frame provides all necessary stops and guides including the one below the bottom bracket.
TL;DR: It cost me 54 euros to convert Triban RC 100 to double crankset. Attention must be paid to the selection of the front dérailleur to ensure it swings out far enough.
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An update on the installation of a Shimano CS-HG31 8-speed Cassette 11-30T which I mentioned above.
It went on without any problems - just unscrew the old cassette (remember - I have the current reincarnation of Triban 100 with a cassette hub, not an earlier freewheel version), remove the spacers, slot the new cassette on the hub without the spacers and retighten the assembly. I did not even need to reindex the gears, the new cassette shifts as well as the old one from the get go.
A nice bonus - the 7 speed SL-A050 right shifter and the original Tourney dérailleur combo shifts my new 8 speed assembly perfectly. The shifter actually gives the cable a bit of slack beyond the 7th gear index stop and, once you adjust the screw on the dérailleur which lets it move inwards, the chain will shift.
And there you have it - a Triban RC100 with two chainrings at the front and 8 speeds at the back for 70 extra euros (the cassette was 16 euros). If you have one already, this conversion may be of interest to you.
However, if you are reading this while only planning to buy Triban RC100, I would advise against its purchase, unless you are getting it second hand with a considerable discount. I see that Decathlon charges 350 euros for Triban RC100 in France now. For me, this is no longer good value for this particular vélo. For only 150 euros more you can get a new Triban RC120 which is already 2X8 out of the box, has disk brakes and brifters right and left.
TL;DR: You can easily put an 8 speed cassette on the latest version of Triban RC100. The original 7 speed shifter and Tourney dérailleur will shift your new cassette just fine.0
