New Decathlon adventure bike

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
PH
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by PH »

Sweep wrote:may well end my days without a disc braked bike.

I've had a couple of incidents like that as well, but thankfully I've been able to stop in time.
Bonzo Banana
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by Bonzo Banana »

PH wrote:
Bonzo Banana wrote:Interesting that Decathlon now do a bike with a 170kg total load rating which puts them at the highest of any mainstream brand for total load.

I was reading about this on another site and apparently it's something we're likely to see more of. It isn't necessarily the bikes that have changed but the testing.


The older Decathlon models still have the same older weight ratings and the way bikes are tested is always specifically stated by the certification standards. Also many Decathlon models in the past have had to be recalled due to failing frames and that is when a large percentage of frames are failing. Many brands including Halfords I don't think have had any frame recalls in recent years despite selling over 1 million bikes a year in the UK. I honestly think Halfords bikes generally have stronger frames as you would expect based on their total weight rating which is 60kg more. I think Decathlon have taken a commercial decision to make stronger bikes for a percentage of their customers. These newer bikes will be ideal for touring but also great for obese cyclists plus perhaps commercial use and ebike conversions and carrying small children. There are lots of positives to having a heavier duty bike in their range of bikes which salesman can direct people towards for their optimal use. I actually think commercially it is far more logical to have differing weight ratings for bikes because some people will be obsessed with bike weight but others will need stronger bikes.
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b1ke
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by b1ke »

I will not be buying anything from Decathlon. I can't support a company that promotes products like this
https://www.change.org/p/decathlon-deca ... -en-gb%3A0


Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea and have signed the petition.
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Angstrom
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by Angstrom »

Fascinating thread. There's a new bike line from Decathlon which took several years to design and manufacture, and folks who've only read a web page and seen a photo comment on design issues, sturdiness etc. THere's even a criticism that the pricier version (although never seen before at that price point) being rigged with many parts that are considered on the websphere as being excellent, is less good than the cheaper version!!!!

Decathlon has become the #1 bicycle seller over the years and in markets they serve. THere is a good reason. Their recipe has been the same from the start:
1) design their own products by people who practice the sport
2) determine the value proposition including price point which will make a market segment reach way beyond what it is currently. In other words, sell products that grow the market significantly beyond its current base (which explains that other competitors usually benefit too)
3) not let themselves be bound by the established conventions in that sport
4) not only design products, but work with manufacturers on the manufacturing process to reach the specified outcome, both technical and business
5) commit on the long term to ensure products are improved over time

They have started to do this on bikes and they have very quickly become in France (where they started) the #1 volume seller. Their 90s Rockrider MTBs (steel frame) is still very sought after on the second hand market for building heavy duty touring bikes.
They have done it in so many sports but the iconic product they have done it is camping with their "2 seconds tent".

They are now coming to bike touring and bikepacking.
Just like before, people who consider themselves "experts" are nit picking and criticizing. Decathlon couldn't care less because they never focus on the existing niche's specialists. They care about reaching new customers. And I believe they will change the market with this offering again.

Now we even have detailed information about what they have done during these 4 years because they chose to share very early about their endeavour. One can see the changes they've made. In spite of that, some comments
Not sure I would trust that carrier to any heavy loads. all the weight on that single tube with a turning moment tugging away at where it is attached to the main frame

make me wonder about human psychology.

Now what I think of this product line launch.
I think this new bike line is excellent for everyone. The problem we face today in the bike industry is that there are way too many brands. It is very difficult to differentiate, therefore marketing becomes of the essence. Money must be put into marketing if one wants to sell instead of being given back to customers in the form of lower prices or into true useful innovation. Now non specialists potential buyers have been lured into thinking that the price of a bike shows how good it is. As a result, bikes are way overpriced. It's a vicious circle: small brands think they can have a go even if they can't sell the volumes required to get prices down. They design a bike (very easy to do with CAD systems nowadays), have it build overseas, buy components from brands that have managed to establish themselves as critical in the value chain with items that are hugely expensive, especially for small volume buyers.
Decathlon comes in and they help put things back where they should be price-wise. I find it great that bespoke bikes exists. But truly, there should be a much bigger price difference between bespoke bikes and mid to high range "standard" (industrially built) bikes. Now Decathlon dials down what a good bike should cost. For the small companies, I understand it's going to be hard. But for the market, its sound to have products priced somehow in relation to what it costs to design, build, ship and sell. Again, if you compare the prices of bikes to even prices of cars you'd think that a properly manufactured bike should not cost more than what the new Decathlon line costs. It's "proper value". The "great value" comment that I see used shows how much we've become accustomed to over-priced bikes. I have no doubt Decathlon turns a good profit at this price point.

What I think about the bike
I don't like sloping frames that much.
I hope this frame can accept "standard" racks". I think it's great that they engineer the bike with rack from the start, but for me one of the key points every bike let alone a touring bike must have is versatility.
I prefer the aesthetic of thin steel tubes so I'm not fond of the bike's looks.

I find it great that they design other parts such as handlebars (although I wouldn't want to use the one on the 920).

The next step: bikepacking bags and panniers
That is excellent news. I've been mortified by the prices asked for good and durable panniers and bikepacking gear.
Again, garage-made gear is good for those who want unique gear and agree to pay the price. I don't care. My gear is not myself. I don't post on Instagram. I want bike touring rig at a price level that matches what can be had for backpacks or other outdoor basic equipment. If one compares a set of panniers to a backpack, there is less material, less sewing, less of most everything and yet it costs more? Forget bikepacking. Only Chinese brands on large on-line store sells gear at "normal price"!
Decathlon will bring a new product line and I hope it's going to help more folks get into traveling by bike and not put a huge price barrier to entry.

I did the math once on the whole bike price issue. I checked back in time and compared how much bike the minimum wage monthly salary could get me. The result is stunning. In the seventies, the relative quality (comparison between entry-level and high level) bike one could get was far better back then than now. This in spite of the work being mostly done in far-away cheap labor countries, robots, CAD systems and all sorts of innovations that make manufacturing a bike easier, quicker and cheaper. The reason is very simple: money goes elsewhere: executives, marketing etc. Decathlon is good because it brings volume into the equation and prices their products n a way that expands the market. But it also helps because by doing so it makes other brands get their acts together.

I will not buy Decathlon's new line because what I have is just fine for me to enjoy bike touring. I don't need more. But I think it's fantastic for people getting into bike touring. My son wants to get into MTB Bikepacking and he could not believe the prices of the rig from the Apidura's of the market. Neither could I.
"A cycle tourist doesn't have a track record. Simply memories". Jean Taboureau
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pedalsheep
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by pedalsheep »

b1ke wrote:
I will not be buying anything from Decathlon. I can't support a company that promotes products like this
https://www.change.org/p/decathlon-deca ... -en-gb%3A0


Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea and have signed the petition.

Thank you. Advertising a cartridge specifically designed to kill protected birds is appalling.
'Why cycling for joy is not the most popular pastime on earth is still a mystery to me.'
Frank J Urry, Salute to Cycling, 1956.
Bonefishblues
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by Bonefishblues »

@Angstrom

Thoughtful post, thanks
pete75
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by pete75 »

pedalsheep wrote:
b1ke wrote:
I will not be buying anything from Decathlon. I can't support a company that promotes products like this
https://www.change.org/p/decathlon-deca ... -en-gb%3A0


Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea and have signed the petition.

Thank you. Advertising a cartridge specifically designed to kill protected birds is appalling.


Two points.
1. Decathlon don't sell guns or cartridges in the UK.
2. They sell them in countries where those species aren't protected. Shotgun cartridges need different powder loads and/or shot sizes for different quarry.
'Give me my bike, a bit of sunshine - and a stop-off for a lunchtime pint - and I'm a happy man.' - Reg Baker
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pedalsheep
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by pedalsheep »

pete75 wrote:
pedalsheep wrote:
b1ke wrote:
Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea and have signed the petition.

Thank you. Advertising a cartridge specifically designed to kill protected birds is appalling.


Two points.
1. Decathlon don't sell guns or cartridges in the UK.
2. They sell them in countries where those species aren't protected. Shotgun cartridges need different powder loads and/or shot sizes for different quarry.

They are a French firm and France is bound by the EU birds directive, though in my opinion it is a moral rather than a legal issue. Small songbirds are not quarry.
People may spend their money as they choose but I know where I will not be spending mine.
'Why cycling for joy is not the most popular pastime on earth is still a mystery to me.'
Frank J Urry, Salute to Cycling, 1956.
m-gineering
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by m-gineering »

mercalia wrote:
well looking at the rear wheel etc I think it may be hard to add a rear carrier?



Not sure I would trust that carrier to any heavy loads. all the weight on that single tube with a turning moment tugging away at where it is attached to the main frame.


I've seen this design of rack and method of attachment before and the result wasn't pretty. Not saying it can't be made to work, you just throw enough metal at it untill the problems go away. Efficient it won't be. Fitting a proper rack won't be easy, as far as I can make out the lower (mudguard) attachment is a simple rivnut

And naming a touring bike 520 is pretty desperate
Marten

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Bonefishblues
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by Bonefishblues »

How do you mean - to ape Reynolds Tubing, or something else?
markjohnobrien
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by markjohnobrien »

Trek have a 520 touring bike, in steel, that has been ongoing since about 1983.

Maybe Decathlon are trying to copy - especially as Trek had a 920 steel bike in the 90’s and the top of the Range Decathlon tourer off-road/gravel is the 920.
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by Bonefishblues »

markjohnobrien wrote:Trek have a 520 touring bike, in steel, that has been ongoing since about 1983.

Maybe Decathlon are trying to copy - especially as Trek had a 920 steel bike in the 90’s and the top of the Range Decathlon tourer off-road/gravel is the 920.

Yes, I know. Equally Decathlon have had a 520 in their range for some while as a road bike, too. Interested in what was in m-g's mind when he said it was desperate.
nsew
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by nsew »

Four years in development and they came up with a 12.5kg coke can bike for the obese that you can screw thirty two M5 bolts into. Then the marketing crew opted to call the range “Riverside”, presumably as that’s where it will be thrown from in a few short years. So much of their product range refers to “our designers” and “our testers”. They copy stuff, produce it for pennies and sell it to <edit>
Last edited by nsew on 10 Dec 2020, 7:55pm, edited 1 time in total.
zenitb
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by zenitb »

m-gineering wrote:
mercalia wrote:
well looking at the rear wheel etc I think it may be hard to add a rear carrier?



Not sure I would trust that carrier to any heavy loads. all the weight on that single tube with a turning moment tugging away at where it is attached to the main frame.


I've seen this design of rack and method of attachment before and the result wasn't pretty. Not saying it can't be made to work, you just throw enough metal at it untill the problems go away. Efficient it won't be. Fitting a proper rack won't be easy, as far as I can make out the lower (mudguard) attachment is a simple rivnut

And naming a touring bike 520 is pretty desperate

..ah.. you clearly don’t shop at Decathlon much m-eng!

Most of the Decathlon cycling kit branding uses the 300, 500 or 900 ranges. This denotes whether it’s casual, hobby or expert kit....even the cycle shorts have this branding. So it’s merely denoting it’s a mid range product... like my Triban 540 bike or like these gloves. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/roadr-500 ... R-p-168957

I get a lot of cycling kit at Decathlon...internet prices at physical stores you can visit and try things..what’s not to like???
Astrobike
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Re: New Decathlon adventure bike

Post by Astrobike »

Don't see what the problem with decathlon bikes I own 3 of them , and they
are my first choice when I need any Bike and camping gear all of which is of
Better value and quality than what can be purchased from Halfords.
I have a 6 year old triban on which I have toured carrying 12 to 16 kg of luggage
And clocked up thousands of miles with no problem,s
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