Most up-right endurance / sportive road bike ?

[ChiasseEnSpray]

Hi Folks

All is in the title.

I'm in still in my quest of a new road bike, I was going for a fitness roadbike with flat bar.
But I stopped at decathlon the other day and randomly tried out a triban 520, and I was amazed at home nice, comfy and upright the position was. I really felt at home.

I almost pulled the trigger on it (the bike just felt so "right"), but I realised they do not offer that geometry with disc, they have a other model alu model with disc but the price goes way up. And the guy was not able to tell whether the geometry was the same, and no display model available.

I'd like to stay with canyon (mostly for value), I look at their endurace cf sl but the position looks much racier.

Weirdly, decathlon does not publish the stack and reach of the triban frame.

Again, ideally I would like carbon + disc.
Any suggestion of endurance / sportive bike with similar position to the triban ?

Many thanks for reading me folks

[Si]

I dont know the geometry of the one that you looked at, but for upright enduro disc, drop bar bikes you might like to look at the giant anyroad range.

[Cyril Haearn]

Hi Folks

All is in the title.

I'm in still in my quest of a new road bike, I was going for a fitness roadbike with flat bar.
But I stopped at decathlon the other day and randomly tried out a triban 520, and I was amazed at home nice, comfy and upright the position was. I really felt at home.

I almost pulled the trigger on it (the bike just felt so "right"), but I realised they do not offer that geometry with disc, they have a other model alu model with disc but the price goes way up. And the guy was not able to tell whether the geometry was the same, and no display model available.

I'd like to stay with canyon (mostly for value), I look at their endurace cf sl but the position looks much racier.

Weirdly, decathlon does not publish the stack and reach of the triban frame.

...

Take a rule next time and measure the frame, take some photos to compare

Best to wait awhile and think carefully for fear of buying something wrong

[ChiasseEnSpray]

I sat on that monstrosity from Giant, indeed very upright, too up right even, it feels like a boris bike (which I like but I need something a bit faster). It is very nice tho.

I could consider it but unfortunately as it's the case with specialised, trek, etc. These are rich people bikes, and you pay between 500-1000£ tax just for the brand. At 1.5k you are still left with no-name components, cheapo wheels, mix-match group set. Being from the north, I cannot cope with that.

[landsurfer]

SPA Steel Touring ...... they have a demonstrator ....

[Brucey]

.....But I stopped at decathlon the other day and randomly tried out a triban 520, and I was amazed at home nice, comfy and upright the position was. I really felt at home.I almost pulled the trigger on it (the bike just felt so "right"), but I realised they do not offer that geometry with disc, they have a other model alu model with disc but the price goes way up. And the guy was not able to tell whether the geometry was the same, and no display model available....

ah, it is a long time ago now but isn't that as per a suggestion to you several weeks ago...?

IIRC the bike geometries are published on the decathlon website.

I would query whether you really need disc brakes or not. If set up right (especially the hub adjustments) most of the triban bikes offer cracking value. If you are relatively new to cycling, it might be best to treat the next bike you buy as an experiment in riding position; there is no real need for it to be an expensive experiment, you can swap stems and bars around on a triban as easily as anything else.

BTW the wheels on a Spa bike are handbuilt, not 'cheapo'. To describe them thusly is to misunderstand completely what is really important in a wheelset, IMHO.

cheers

[Cyril Haearn]

SPA Steel Touring ...... they have a demonstrator ....

Good if one can thoyle it

[ChiasseEnSpray]

I was talking about the giant for the cheapo wheel

Really like the Triban, even the look, it's subtle, and well finished. Without being over the top like some other model.

But remember I'm seriously fat, and it's raining a lot here, I drove this morning by the road I would take with the bike, and there are few very hilly spots, I'm somehow afraid that rim back will fail on me. Given how fat I am, I fall -> I die + severe public property damages to my name.

and I'm not going to lie, i'm sure you realised by now, I'm the typical amateur who can barely walk, completely out of shape but wants the shinny nice top end bike. And frankly, im not the only one, when see on the road the amount of fatsos/geriatrics on 5k£ bikes
But isnt it how those brands enrich them self -> the nicest stuff for the people who need it the less.
and also, having something pleasing to the eye will make me more wanna ride it than something that looks like a WWII bike



Any other suggestion of a upright endurance / sportive bike ? similar to the triban (which has almost a women geometry) ?

[NUKe]

Why carbon ? What about titanium but for this sort of geometry take a look at Spa or thorn cycles. But neither use carbon.

[Si]

I sat on that monstrosity from Giant, indeed very upright, too up right even, it feels like a boris bike (which I like but I need something a bit faster). It is very nice tho.

I could consider it but unfortunately as it's the case with specialised, trek, etc. These are rich people bikes, and you pay between 500-1000£ tax just for the brand. At 1.5k you are still left with no-name components, cheapo wheels, mix-match group set. Being from the north, I cannot cope with that.

I quite liked them, plus in the end of year sales the £1300 one was going for £750. My problem was that although the bars were at a great height and reach for me, the saddle wouldn't come up high enough on the medium, otherwise I'd have had it.

BTW, you can't have it both ways - complain about having to pay for a 'brand name' and then complain about no-name components because they are cheap

[PH]

And frankly, im not the only one, when see on the road the amount of fatsos/geriatrics on 5k£ bikes
But isnt it how those brands enrich them self -> the nicest stuff for the people who need it the less.
and also, having something pleasing to the eye will make me more wanna ride it than something that looks like a WWII bike

Any other suggestion of a upright endurance / sportive bike ? similar to the triban (which has almost a women geometry) ?

It's also a fair explanation for all those young top end bikes you see advertised as hardly ridden.
Bikes are for riding not looking at and while any new toy will give you the short term buzz every time you look at it something that's just right will always be a pleasure to ride. Well, that's what gets me out of the house.
My advice - get the Triban and if it turns out to be just a stepping stone it'll still have been good value.

[Cyril Haearn]

If it looks right it is right

[swscotland bentrider]

Have a look at the Rapide range. Tall stack height and carbon.

[Brucey]

regarding the triban wheels; yes the rear wheels on the basic 'sporty' models are not super-strong. I have seen a few of these wheels fail by spoke breakage, cracking in the rim and a few have folded up in prangs that were not that bad really. I would suggest if you like the bike otherwise and that is the only major stumbling block, consider getting better wheels early on. You can always keep the others as spares, or sell the bike on with them fitted (in due course) and keep the replacements.

I recently built a set of wheels for a chum with H+Son Archetype rims and Deore LX hubs. I chose 36h rear and 32h front. He is not heavy but wanted a set of lightweight wheels that will be good for training, audax and the occasional tour, with a rear load. I'd suggest that a similar wheelset ought to be suitable for you too; the rims are way stronger than others at that weight. The only wrinkle is that with these rims there is a considerable loss in spoke tension when the tyres are inflated; this means that the wheels need to be built tighter than you might normally. If the hubs are set up carefully (which not every LBS will be able to do, not to the highest standard) and they are built well, then they ought to go for many tens of thousands of miles.

cheers

[Cyril Haearn]

regarding the triban wheels; yes the rear wheels on the basic 'sporty' models are not super-strong. I have seen a few of these wheels fail by spoke breakage, cracking in the rim and a few have folded up in prangs that were not that bad really. I would suggest if you like the bike otherwise and that is the only major stumbling block, consider getting better wheels early on. You can always keep the others as spares, or sell the bike on with them fitted (in due course) and keep the replacements.

I recently built a set of wheels for a chum with H+Son Archetype rims and Deore LX hubs. I chose 36h rear and 32h front. He is not heavy but wanted a set of lightweight wheels that will be good for training, audax and the occasional tour, with a rear load. I'd suggest that a similar wheelset ought to be suitable for you too; the rims are way stronger than others at that weight. The only wrinkle is that with these rims there is a considerable loss in spoke tension when the tyres are inflated; this means that the wheels need to be built tighter than you might normally. If the hubs are set up carefully (which not every LBS will be able to do, not to the highest standard) and they are built well, then they ought to go for many tens of thousands of miles.

cheers

Why does the spoke tension fall when the tyres are inflated, does that happen with other rims?