btwin triban 520 vs claud butler sr3d

[ChrisOntLancs]

Hi, i'm currently shopping for a <500 road bike and i'm just wondering if anybody has anything to say about either of these bikes.

i've found a few posts on the btwin and i'm pretty confident that i'd be happy with it, but there's this spanner in the works over on the halfords website. it's tempting me for a few reasons

claud butler sr3d pros- it's a little cheaper, so i can get some different pedals, and it's got disc brakes which will make the transition from hybrid much less painful (possibly literally). cons - i'm not really sure on the geometry, not much info elsewhere, not sure on tyre clearance, recommended size has me buying a frame size that i would usually say is too big (and out of stock)

btwin triban 520 pros - i know it will take a set of land cruisers, i have some info on geometry, positive reviews all over the web, tripple chainrings because 'why the hell not', i can try one out cons - i like to go off road when it's mostly dry, but in this country it's usually a bit damp so i'd prefer discs, price limits the tweaks i'd like to make.

they're both ugly but what can you do for that price.

i should just add that disc brakes are not really that much of a deal breaker, i'd prefer them but i know plenty people are going off road on rim brakes. i'm leaning towards the btwin as it's clearly an attempt at a budget adventure bike, but the butler is a little more vague.

i'm 5"7', though my bad posture takes about an inch off that and i'm never sure if i should take it into account, and my inside leg is 30". i recently had a 52cm (helpful units eh) boardman comp that i found a little cramped, but that had a much sportier geometry.

this is an emergency bike to replace my workhorse that was stolen, luckily i've managed to borrow* a little bit of extra cash to save me from having to compromise on something that was both bad and still expensive, but i know you can get a reliable bike for under 500

any info on either of these would be really helpful, cheers!

[rotavator]

I recently bought a B'Twin Triban 520 with flat bars and I am quite pleased with it. Even though it was meant to be a cheap bike that I wouldn't worry too much about it been stolen or damaged, I have spent a bit on upgrades. I changed the tyres to 28 mm Schwalbe Supremes and these have made the ride much more comfortable on rough paths, they are pretty good at ploughing through loose sand and I reckon they would be OK on forest roads. I also swapped the cassette to one with 32 max teeth to get some lower gears for slogging up hills. I bought some Ergon grips which offer 3 hand positions but I am not yet convinced that these are worth the expense.

One downside is that the thumb shifter for the front mech needs a mighty push to change to a bigger ring and this is proving to be a pain literally because I currently have a sore ?arthiritic left thumb.

It has fixing points for front and rear pannier racks and mudguards so it is a quite versatile beast.

[ChrisOntLancs]

my old bike was a flat bar and sounds only slightly more offroad than your current setup. may i recommend bar end levers? i used to love gripping them and dancing away from the lights though to be honest your ergo grips probably offer this.

the tripple chain ring as well as sora groupset is tempting. i'm really really light so i think that cassette might just work for me. i must admit besides the extra ring i've not considered gears as much as i should have so cheers for bringing that up!

[Vorpal]

Go ride them. Only way to tell.

[TrevA]

I have a Triban 520 and it's a great bike, but I wouldnt use it off-road. It's got clearance for 28mm tyres, perhaps even 32mm at a pinch, but the clearance is not as good as a cyclo cross bike and you may find it clogging up in wet conditions. It's got a full Shimano Sora groupset including chainset and Shimano brakes. The wheels are the weak point on mine, as they keep shedding spokes.

[ChrisOntLancs]

thanks for the warning there, that might be another thing i've been taking for granted as a disc user ha.

taking that into account i'll probably have to lower my expectations a bit. what i call "off-road" is rarely mud and bumps though, more of those little stones, and dusty lanes.

the sort of roads i have to deal with are very bumpy though so i'm concerned about the wheels.

the problem with the claud butler is that i cant go and have a look at one as they are web only, and nobody in the world seems to own one... but they are cheaper, and if i'm really having to cut out the mud i at least want to be confident in the rain.

here's the page for the butler if anybody is interested
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/r ... bike-black

i have also noticed specialized allez going just about in my price range which i really like the look of

thanks for the input guys. starting to become a little clearer now!

EDIT if i knew the butler would take 28mm tyres i'd be going with that. if nobody reviewed a bike, i'd review that bike

[ChrisOntLancs]

quick update! cheers for the input everybody, the headline is i'm back on two wheels

decided to go with the triban, there were a bunch of other bikes that i was sort of into but for some reason or other they ended up getting binned (usually 8 speed cassettes. i just will not. ...and i could be riding some really nice frames if it wasn't for this prejudice)

the wheels do feel really cheap, and the brakes are awful, but apart from that i'm pretty happy with it. the 23mm tyres i used to ride really put me off road bikes but it's amazing what an extra 2mm can do, i reckon 28mm will do me fine.

decathlon sizes seem to have a bit of a reputation for being a little off, which was confirmed when i tested my size and found i was too big.

they've got some really nice looking MTBs in too, but i had to get out of there.

[landsurfer]

decathlon sizes seem to have a bit of a reputation for being a little off, which was confirmed when i tested my size and found i was too big.

So it wasn't your size then ......

I've had 4 BTwin bikes .... all brilliant ..... yes the wheels can be a bit weak, but i've always made it home. They exchange them without any argument, on the 2 occasions i've had to take them back ...

[ChrisOntLancs]

So it wasn't your size then ......

not my usual size no. the size guide had me down for a small too but the chap in the bolton branch said i'd need a medium. seems to be a common "problem" but i guess it comes down to vague sizes. just a warning to future searchers that might be tempted to order online.

and re the wheels, just wanted to confirm treva's warning. i can live with them until i upgrade. it's a 500 quid bike after all.

[MikeF]

decathlon sizes seem to have a bit of a reputation for being a little off, which was confirmed when i tested my size and found i was too big.

So it wasn't your size then ......

I've had 4 BTwin bikes .... all brilliant ..... yes the wheels can be a bit weak, but i've always made it home. They exchange them without any argument, on the 2 occasions i've had to take them back ...

"Wheels are a bit weak". What went wrong with the wheels?

[landsurfer]

Out of the saddle climbing fast my 120kg frame seems to be able to break the occasional spoke ....

[reohn2]

Seems to me neither of those bikes will do what you want of them.
If it were me I'd keep my eye open for a s/h Genesis Croix de Fer or similar.

[ChrisOntLancs]

Out of the saddle climbing fast my 120kg frame seems to be able to break the occasional spoke ....

my problem goes the other way, 57kg, which is great for cycling, but terrible for everything else. not many men or women into what i call 'skagbod'... and i'm still waiting at the bar for my 18th birthday drinks

Seems to me neither of those bikes will do what you want of them.
If it were me I'd keep my eye open for a s/h Genesis Croix de Fer or similar.

no you're right, i am going to have to change my routes somewhat. i read a few positive reviews from people that switched to shimano's LR set, so i guess it depends on how much room they leave me with.

[landsurfer]

my problem goes the other way, 57kg, which is great for cycling,

57kg !!! thats my legs ....

My son, the amazing Drag Queen, Miss Titty BonBon .... went down to 60kg, but decided that having no costumes that fitted ( too big) was a good excuse to visit various fast food emporiums on a daily basis ... IT WORKED.
Everything fits again ....

However, all attempts to get him to cycle have failed ......
He has the use of various TREK and BTwin bikes but would rather go swimming ...

Kids today !!! (ok he's 32) ....

[reohn2]

Seems to me neither of those bikes will do what you want of them.
If it were me I'd keep my eye open for a s/h Genesis Croix de Fer or similar.

no i am going to have to change my routes somewhat. read a few positive reviews from people that switched to shimano's LR set so i guess it depends on how much room they leave me with.

I don't understand what this reply means