00:00The Triban RC520 has been on the market for a while now, but we still feel like it goes
00:06slightly overlooked in the budget road bike category. Perhaps it's down to the fact that
00:12it's sold by Decathlon and there could be some consumer snobbery around brand names, but when
00:17it's being sold at such an attractive price point you cannot ignore it. That's not to say the bike
00:23is perfect, of course it has its drawbacks, but it's up to you on whether or not those drawbacks
00:29are something you can compromise on. I'm going to look at all of the pros and all of the cons
00:35and then leave it up to you to decide whether or not you think this bike could be right for you.
00:40I'm going to run through the spec, ride impressions and finally give you my verdict.
00:46One of the biggest muscles that the RC520 has to flex is the specification of the bike. It
00:52comes with a partial Shimano 105 groupset, which by anyone's measure is good. Shimano 105 is often
01:00chosen by very keen amateurs and is often found on bikes costing much more. The reason why I
01:06say partial is because only the shifters and derailleurs are at the 105 level, but arguably
01:12these are the components you'd actually want to be of the higher 105 level. The brakes come
01:18courtesy of TRP. These calipers are cable actuated hydraulic brakes, which I know sounds like a whole
01:26lot of gibberish, but to break it down what that means is that we have a cable running from the
01:31brake levers down to the caliper which then activates a hydraulic system which then applies
01:37the brake. The reason why this is better than a standard cable actuated brake is because both
01:42brake pads move to engage with the rotor rather than just one pad, meaning that these are more
01:48powerful. Of course these aren't quite as good as fully hydraulic systems, but I think this is a
01:54fair compromise when considering the price. Lastly, when looking at spec, the rest of the build is
02:00actually pretty straightforward. It's an alloy framed bike with alloy handlebars, stem, seatpost
02:06and wheels. It does have a hybrid carbon alloy fork, which is quite a nice touch. Now, a good
02:13spec is nothing if a bike feels rubbish to ride. I'm going to put the seemingly good value of the
02:19build itself to one side and just focus on the ride itself. Resident bike tester Joe has been
02:25out riding this bike on his usual roads in Oxfordshire, which consists of some longer flat
02:31sections and then of course plenty of climbs. After several rides now, he's gotten a very good
02:37understanding of how the bike feels and says that it does feel good, but there are a few caveats to
02:42consider. Firstly, one aspect which has a big impact on how the bike feels is the weight. This
02:49is not a light bike. The claimed weight from Decathlon is 10 and a half kilos. On the flat
02:56sections of tarmac, you don't notice it so much. Compared to other bikes which sit within this
03:01price bracket, it doesn't take a noticeable amount of extra energy to get it up to speed. However,
03:07when you start climbing is when you start to feel the extra timber that this bike is carrying. This
03:13weight is counteracted to some extent by a pretty decent spread of gears, but say compared to a
03:19specialized Allee, which is one of this bike's competitors, albeit the Allee does cost a whole
03:25lot more, you will find that this bike is a little bit more at home in the hills thanks to the lower
03:31weight. When I rode the RC520 and got it up to some higher speeds on the descents and through
03:37some corners, it felt planted and stable. It wasn't subject to feeling jittery or twitchy.
03:43To be honest, this is probably one of the benefits of it weighing a little bit more.
03:48The only thing I would consider though is switching out the tires. As one of the more
03:52affordable upgrades, a fresh set of rubber would go a really long way to greatly improving
03:57how the bike feels. I'm talking better grip and less feedback coming through the frame.
04:03What could be easy to do is write the RC520 off as just being a road bike. I think that
04:10would be a mistake. It also works really well as a commuting bike and as an adventure bike.
04:16Decathlon did not shy away from loading up the frame with mounting points. If you want to mount
04:21panniers and mud guards to take the abuse of the daily commute, or perhaps you aren't a huge
04:26cyclist but want something really versatile to do a little bit of everything, then I think that's
04:31where this bike really shines. It's available in a flat bar version too. If drop bars aren't your
04:37thing, then you're also catered for. It was only a few weeks ago that I was in Decathlon
04:43for the launch of their first Van Rysel store opening. What I noticed is that a lot of the
04:48entry-level bikes are losing their tri-band logos in lieu of a fresh paint scheme and a Van Rysel
04:54decal instead. While aesthetics of the bike will change, I believe this model will continue to be
05:00made. You might just have to ask what its new name is. Overall, the RC520 brings together so
05:07much of what the majority of new cyclists are looking for. Good value, better than the rest
05:13specification, and a very versatile frame for all sorts of riding. The biggest drawbacks are its
05:20weight and cheap tyres, but the latter can be changed and the former will just make you a bit
05:26fitter. As sub-£1,000 bikes go, I think this is the best.
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