BUDGET
Triban RC500
£649.99 Understated wide-tyre-friendly all-rounder
Weight 10.7kg (M) Frame Aluminium alloy Fork Carbon, alloy steerer Gears Shimano Sora 9-speed, 50/34, 11-32 Brakes Cable disc Wheels Triban Tubeless-Ready 6061 aluminium Finishing kit Triban alloy stem, bar and seatpost, Ergofit saddle and 700×28 Resist+ tyres
The Good
Shimano Sora; good brakes; comprehensive fittings; versatility
The Bad
Slightly weighty; no 34T sprocket
Carbon
This, like many entry-level bikes, combines carbon forks with an alu frame as carbon helps reduce road buzz
Tyres
If you go for tubeless tyres, you can run lower pressures, meaning more comfort, improved traction and less chance of a puncture
Frame
A semi-compact frame’s similar to a compact frame, though the sloping angle of the top tube isn’t as steep
DECATHLON SAYS ITS Triban RC500 is a road bike ‘that maintains comfort if you’re cycling long distances’. It comes with Shimano’s nine-speed Sora groupset, while the semi-compact frame has dropped seatstays and clearance for tyres up to a generous 40mm wide.
The 6061 aluminium frame is paired with a carbon-bladed fork. The geometry is laid back, and the full range of fixtures and fittings includes low-rider rack mounts on the fork with a 9kg carrying capacity, allowing you to load up for adventures.
Nine-speed Sora is a step up from the usual eight-speed Claris. The shifting’s swift, light and accurate. While the chainset’s Sora, the cassette is from MicroShift, which works fine, but I think Triban missed a trick in going for an 11-32 cassette rather than 11-34 that would help riders cope more easily with hills, especially given its near-11kg weight.
The 28mm tyres measure a shade over 29mm once fitted, which should be an ideal width if you’re mainly riding on the road, giving you a good combination of comfort and speed. Triban’s Protect+ tyres are grippy and, while they’re not tubeless ready, the own-brand rims on the wheels are. And with clearance for 700c tyres up to 36mm wide and 650b tyres up to 40mm, loaded touring, gravel riding and bikepacking are also within reach.
It was on longer leisure rides that the laid-back geometry came into its own, though when you crank the RC500 up to speed, it holds its pace well, too. You’re not going to bag hydraulic brakes on a bike at this price, but the Promax cable-actuated discs proved smooth, consistent and pleasingly free of squeaks and squeals.
The comfortable own-brand saddle has a shallow pressure-relieving groove, while the seatpost has handy measurements etched into it for ease of height adjustment.
A final positive feature on a well-priced bike that’s more cruiser than cruise missile is that the frame, stem and handlebar are guaranteed for life, further bumping up the value. Ultimately, if you favour longdistance comfort over speed, this could be the bike for you.
Verdict
A great-value bike that’s big on comfort and could work for gravel as well as road