I must say after watching hundreds of bike videos, this models does seem the best value to me. I think it will be my first bicycle after 20+ years of not cycling
Had the Gravel version since Oct 2020. Really comfortable bike if a bit heavy on the climbs. I swapped the very average Overides for Panaracer Gravelking SK 32mm and it transformed the ride. Found the stock saddle really good and the HY RD brakes very powerful. 1000 miles in a cracking gravel/winter bike. The tyres were tricky to change but make sure all the tyres/wheels are warm and soapy before attempting to change!
@@Anachkin_Adventures sounds good. I eventually bought a Contend 1, which arrived only 10 days back (India is not getting bikes at all). Would love to see your upgrades. Maybe I'll be inspired to put some in mine.
A great review. One correction : the frame for the Gravel edition (of the same year) is different from the Road edition as there are extra welds on it for durability. They've added a newer version ( 2024 ) of the Gravel bike now with 650b wheels, wider tyres, a new frame, and single chainring (the way a lot of pro bikes are going). The 2024 Road version has new wheels as they've taken onboard the feedback about tyres being difficult to change on the old version. At the moment (summer 2024) Decathlon is selling some Gravel frames for a 20% discount due to problems with the paint ( it's 2-tone paint. They paint the bike normally (in green) and then layers on black paint details. This 2nd layer didn't stick properly in all cases ). So you get only a 1 year paint warranty. I bought one. My bike showed up _zero_ visible paint problems. The Decathlon guy said that it was the 4th one that he'd seen like this. Result !
Oh, I didn't know they're extra welds on the gravel frame. Where are they exactly? My wife has the "old" gravel RC 520, I should compare it to mine with more attention 😁
And me just ordered today now they are back in stock in UK.I'm very inexperienced and after watching several reviews may change the tyre to continentals or similar( I think) haha. Thanks for the great review fya. thumbs up from me.
I'd suggest you to ride the bike as it comes from he shop for a while. Then you'll get a better idea of which parts you need to change, if you need to change them at all. The stock tyres aren't bad at all, actually, I certainly wouldn't want to give that impression. It's just that I like going off asphalt, that's why I changed them.
Thank you for the video. It was good to hear the opinion of fellow Triban RC 520 owner. I have bought my Triban also at may 2020 and I consider it as a very good purchase. When it comes to wheels and tyres change, I have similar opinion. At my first tyres change I have had some major difficulties, but when I learned the proper way of changing them, I was able to switch between diffrend tyres quite easily. Previously I have ridden on 38mm CST PIKA tyres for a while, but I prefer to ride on tarmack, so now I have put on a 28 mm Vittoria Rubino tyres.
@@abrahamktm123 Hi, to experience as little difficulties as possible when removing/mounting a tire, you have to make sure that the wires of the tire (the part that makes contact with the rim) are in the middle of the rim, as the profile is deeper there and this creates more space on the opposite side of the tire to get it over the side of the rim (outside or inside depending on what you're doing). That's the most helping trick. From there on it shouldn't cost too much effort.
@@Anachkin_Adventures Hmm, let me try to understand this. Do we still start with the tyre lever as far as possible from the presta valve, in order to get the tyre off the rim? Or are you suggesting we start in the middle instead?
@@guojing88 Hi! In my opinion it doesn't matter where to start with the tire lever. By the middle (in my previous comment) I ment the middle in width of the rim, between the two sidewalls. If you look at your rim, you'll see that it's deeper where the spoke nipples are situated than where the tire comes when inflated. I'll try to make a proper video about that.
Yeah, I'm afraid this is the situation with all bikes nowadays, all sold out and no new restocking... covid-19 making its own corrections on the bicycle market.. Good luck finding a bike!
@@asdasd01 They are sold out... and for this there are two main factors: 1. Due to the pandemic, there is a huge increase in the demand in bycicles, as people are massively starting cycling, all around the world. So this causes a shortage on the market. 2. Due to covid-19, again, there are issues with production. Components, such as Shimano transmissions, brakes etc, are in production pause (factories in Asia). I've heard about 14-18 weeks of ETA for ordered components. And with no components, no new bikes can be produced...
@@asdasd01 Because people are buying the whole stock before it even gets to the physical shops. I'm following close the Dutch website and yesterday there were Small and Medium frames, they are all gone now.
Spasibo tovarisch! У меня коллега такой недавно купил, тормоза совсем не тормозят, но я думаю, они должны приработаться некоторое время. Осталось дождаться, когда он появится в наших австрийских декатлонах. появляются очень редко и сразу уходят :(
Nye za chto, tovarisch! Лично у меня тормоза ни разу не вызвали никаких вопросов. На велосипеде вашего коллеги возможно плохо настроены тормоза. Я недавно сделал небольшой апгрейд по тормозам (скоро будет видео об этом) для чего пришлось отцепить тросики и соответственно снова их настроить (тормоза). Так вот настройка довольно сильно влияет на последующую работу тормозов. И я подозреваю, что не у всех механиков Декатлона одинаково прямые руки... Удачи в охоте! Сейчас со всеми велосипедами большие сложности...
The difference in specs is really worth the price difference between the RC500 and RC520, so if you have enough patience to wait untill restock of the 520, go for it! 😁
Thanks a bunch for this review! I’m looking forward to getting this exact model and changing the tires for the bike to be more suitable for gravel riding. By the way, do you think changing the stock flat bar handlebar to drop bar is worth it?
Hi! You're welcome 😁 The problem with the flat bar is that you cannot just change the bar, you'd also need to change the brake levers and the shifters. I never tried this model with a flat bar, so Idk if the drop bar version is so much better. I'd definitely go with the drop bar.
Hi, if you mean the one on my forehead, then yes, it is one 😁 I think you won't regret the buy. Now, good luck finding one that's in stock, or being patient waiting for restock 😉
@@Anachkin_Adventures Every scar is a story waiting to be told! How did that happen, if you don't mind me asking? :) Yeah well i checked Decathlons website and they don't have 1 bike in stock ;_; What a bummer, gonna have to wait for a year or two to get it lol
@@ADCFproductions This scar is the result of a "fight against the bathtub" 25 years ago. Conclusion: soap on your feet and a bathtub is quite a slippery combo 😁 Try to look for one on the used bikes market while waiting 😉
@@Anachkin_Adventures Hahah damn that's gotta hurt!! My brother has a tiny scar on his chin from slipping on the bathtub as well, those things are death traps! Well i live on Madeira Island so there's not a market for used stuff, you either buy new or don't buy at all lol I guess i'll just wait and keep my eyes open!
Thanks! 2 questions ➡️ 2 answers 😉 1. Yes, it was very easy to remove. The only slightly trickier part is the reinstalling of the handlebar clamp, as it actually consists of two apart vertical pieces. But it's not a big issue. 2. Here you go: www.bike-components.de/de/Schwalbe/Marathon-28-Drahtreifen-2er-Set-p71805/ The price increased very slightly apparently, but it's only a euro per tyre more.
@@nrummage to remove the stem from the fork, you need to undo 3 bolts - two on the stem itself and the one that holds the headset cap and to remove the cap. Could it be that you forgot this one?
Could you do a video on inverting the stem. I too would like a more relaxed position. I increased the height by moving one of the spacer rings from top to bottom
No, I haven't tried that yet. But I have a rear 28" city bike mud guard that's not installed on any bicycle right now, so I'll try to see if it fits. I think that the biggest clearance issue would be on the rear.
The Grvl seems to have a different tire spec now: Kompatibel mit Reifen mit einem Querschnitt von bis zu 700 × 42 und 650 × 47 That might be the space needed for fenders. The RC 520 still has 700x36 or 650x40 which made me hesitate. But now Decathlon makes me hesitate because none of the bikes seems to be available.
I was thinking of switching to carbon rims and wondering if you have any tips on carbonfiber rims? also thought to change the handlebar and the stem to carbon all to make the bike as light weight as possible.
Good video, thank you for sharing. My idea is to do the same as you've done but i have a question: what do you think if i buy a 520 RC 'Flat Bar' and change this one with a gravel bar? Is it the same that doing on a RC 520?
As far as I know, only the RC 500 exists in the flat bar version, but maybe in your country the RC 520 does also exist with a flat bar. The problem that you'll have with changing the flat bar to gravel handlebars is that they use different type of brake levers and gear shifters.
Hi, nice setup you got there. Where did you get these crazy Handlebars for only 20,- Euro? And, are the Schwalbe tyres exactly 37cm wide? Thanks, have fun riding !!
Hi, thanks! The handlebars are from the brand Red Cycling Products, which is already quite a cheap brand. And those were 50% discounted when I bought them from bikester.be As for the tyres, I actually never really measured them. I'll do that later and will let you know 😉
Thank you so much. Very good video. The model I bought has a Prowhell Crankset as a Crankset, what do you think is the difference between it and Shimano, does it make sense to change it?
Hi, thanks for your comment. I'm not aware of the characteristics of the Prowheel crankset, but I don't think that Decathlon will put really shitty components on their bike, that is in the middle price range. So I wouldn't bother to change it right away. Use it and if there's a problem, then swap, otherwise just enjoi!
Hi there, thank you for the video. In my country (Turkey), they don't have the RC 520. They sell only 520 Gravel with Sram Apex-1. It has 650x47 tyres. Aren't they too wide? I checked their website in France. Now they are selling three versions of 520 Gravel. The other two are Subcompact-Shimano 105 with 700x40 tyres and Shimano 105 with 700x35 tyres. As I understand from the reviews, both of them are better than the Sram Apex in terms of components, wheels and tyres, right? On top of that confusion, I also wonder if I should check hybrids. Speed is not that important for me. I just want a good bike with good components and a decent comfort level. Decathlon's Riverside 900 or 920 seem to be good alternatives.
Hello there! Thanks for your comment! Personally, I do not know much about Sram components, so I couldn't advise you if Shimano 105is higher or lower level than Apex-1. As the bike you have in Turkey has 650 wheels, the 47 mm tyres are ok for the frame. Together with the 1x transmission, those thicker tyres are supposed to make the bike more suited for a more offroad terrain with steeper climbs. Depending on what exactly your plans are for the use of the bike, it can be a good thing (if you're planning real gravel rides) or an overkill and limiting sometimes (if you want to do more road riding). I hope this helps a little. As for the hybrids, they are a good alternative, but it's a different type of bike. I'd suggest you to try both types in real life in the store and decide which one suits you better. If you chose the Riverside, I'd take the 950, as it's equipped with a quite decent transmission - Sram NX (but this is a MTB transmission, which will give you an advantage with climbs, but limit you in speed on flat). Take care!
Simple video but so informative. Thank-you 😉👌👍 I'm looking to buy this bike when it become available, however i have the GIANT CONTENT1 in my sight too. Please what do you think ? GIANT or TRIBAN? Is the Triban RC520 nervous when you want to start quickly? is it feel light ? The geometry of the stem give the triban around 70.5 deg. is this make it feel heavy and non responsive in the turn? Sorry for the questions? 🤦♂️😅
Hello! Thanks for your comment 🙂 Personally I don't have any experience with Giant, so comparing the RC 520 to the Contend 1, I only can base my arguments on the listed specs. - Rim brakes on the Giant vs disk brakes on the Triban. Disk brakes are in my opinion better because they are evenly powerful in all conditions, no water or mud affects their working. But good rim brakes are more than enough in most cases of use of a road bike. - Maximum tyre width: 32mm Giant vs 36 mm Triban (I'm now trying to put some 40-622 gravel tyres on mine and maybe even they will fit). This parameter can be important depending on the intended use of the bike. If you're only going to ride on tarmac with 25 or 25 mm tyres, it doesn't matter. - The Triban has a more expensive transmission. I've never used Sora, but I don't think it's really bad. The cheaper transmission has advantages too - when you'll have to replace any of its components, like the chain or the cassette, this will cost less. Depending on your use of the bike, you'll notice the difference more or less. - The Triban doesn't feel extremely light, but as it is my first road bike, I have nothing to compare with. It's not very nervous, but you can accelerate quite well. I think that at this level, it's more a matter of your physical condition 😉 Even if I would go for the Triban comparing the two on paper, I'd suggest you to test ride both models, if you have the possibility and choose based on how you experience the riding. And if you can't decide like that, take the one you like more visually 😁 Hope this helps 😉
@@Anachkin_Adventures Thank-you my friend. This really help , I don't think that the GIANT will be any better than RC520 in accélération. I think i will do like you and will get my self the RC520. My aim is 1 hour ride maximum 2 hours, because i have not much time because of my professinal life and private. Thank-you a lot for your support and wish you a lot of fun and health. take care and stay safe.
I have the gravel 520 and my mate has the Contend. Contend feels lighter but his doesn’t have 105 group set which is fantastic on the 520. Try them both!
Hi, I didn't experience any problems with the 37 mm Schwalbe Marathons, but I am not sure that other models of the same size will fit in the frame. As for the wheels - no problem.
Hi. Thanks your your heads up. That was the decathlon gravel handlebar? At first I thought was a Salsa handlebar but this one cost 4 times more the price you paid for your new handlebar😅.
@@Anachkin_Adventures very helpful, thank you! Mine was pure curiosity, however. I'm happy with the stock handlebar for the moment but I'm always alert for gravel handlebar. My only fear is that if I want to attach a bag to it with a gravel handlebar I'll have a very tight room
@@lucagiangrande9514 of you mean a bag that attaches in front of the handlebars, there will be definitely more space with more gravel-style handlebars than with normal road dropbars, as they are larger and more open downward. But of course, the most space is offered by flat bars 😁 It also depends a lot on the model of the bag you're about to use 😉 Have fun riding, that's the most important! 👌🏻
I can see the Hamax attachment so I have to ask. How well does the rear child seat work on the RC 520? I've got a carbon bike and looking for another bike to use for hauling the kid around since the frame isn't good for carriers. I thought about getting this one to use with my kid and if I wanted to get into gravel riding too.
Hi i just bought this bike, i have a question about the wheels, i want to change tyres to tubless cyclocross or gravel tyres, do the wheel comes with tubless tape pre-applied?
Hi, the wheels are "tubeless ready" so I guess the tape used on them is tubless tape, but I'm not sure. I think the best is to remove one of the tyres and check the tape yourself, maybe you can tell the difference by seeing it. Good luck! And have a lot of fun riding!
@@Anachkin_Adventures Hi. No, the "stock" tape on the Triban wheels is not tubeless but normal rim tape. In order to convert to tubeless you need to apply a 19mm tubeless tape.
@@lucagiangrande9514 thanks for the clarification! I have no experience with tubeless, so I can't tell the difference between the tapes visually... yet 😉
was changing out the handlebar very difficult since the brakes are hydraulic? I've read that changing out the bar with hydraulic brakes is extremely hard and expensive, how did you do this? edit: I now read that these brakes are only half hydraulic and the connection from the handlebar to the wheels is actually mechanical, so it shoudn't be very hard right?
Hi, indeed, the brakes are hydraulic, but they are actuated by a cable from the brake levers. I've personally never had the opportunity to work on hydraulic road brakes, so I am not 100% sure of what I'm going to say... But I think that simply swapping the handlebars shouldn't be a problem. When changing the handlebars, I didn't have to disconnect any of the cables, nor the brake cables, nor the shifting ones. So I don't see why you would have to do it with the brake hoses of hydraulic brakes. Of course, if you want to un/install a handlebar with internal routing, it's something different, as you'll have to disconnect the hose from the lever to get it through the bars. But even in this case, this in not something that's extremely hard to do. You'll have to bleed your brakes afterwards and the connecting-disconnecting could get messy 😁
Hi..I saw ur reveiw and bought this bike recently. It was great but I unfortunately had a flat tyre with in 200kms of usage...I just used this bycycle off road for 2km on a gravel road and it got flattened. I was so worried abt this. Can you guide me on how to set right this flat tyre for this model of bike
Hi, repairing / replacing a flat tire on this model of bike is not different from any other bike that has tubes. What exactly would you like to know? Would you like me change the tires to a model that's more likely to get punctured when going on gravel?
@@Anachkin_Adventures I made 3 more punctures while replacing tube. I bought new one and again made punctures while fitting the tyre. May be it's hard bcz tyre is too tight..do u have any suggestions to avoid it.
Oh, that sucks... The rims of the RC520 are indeed not the easiest to change tires on, but it's quite ok still. You just have to make sure that you push the wires of the tire towards the middle of the rim when taking it off or putting back on. This way there's some more room for action. I'd suggest you find someone who knows how to do it properly and who could show/teach you. I'll maybe make a short video about changing tires, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to do so.
Thanks for your comment! Actually, I was more experimenting than anything else. I like to ride my bike off asphalt a lot and wanted this to be as comfortable as possible within the bikes limitations. Since then I've tried 40 mm wide Schwalbe G-ones, but they were just a bit too wide on the rear, so changed them to a pair of Decathlon's 25 mm slicks I had. The bike got (at least feeled) quite quicker with those, but became almost limited to (good) asphalt. So now I've got a pair of 32 mm Kenda Small Block tires on. I unfortunately didn't have the time to test them extensively yet. But they seem to be a good compromise between speed, grip and comfort. I'm planning on doing an update video about my bike soon, there will be some (subjective) info about the tires and some other modifications/upgrades that I've done in the meantime.
It's a Lezyne Macro Easy GPS and yes, I'm quite happy with it. It's very basic, has no navigation, as far as I know. But it has a very long lasting battery and a very reasonable price. Actually I could make a review of it, if there is any interest 😁
Hi, the Marathons in the video are 37-622. I'm riding with even wider ones now, I'll make a short update video about that shortly. Actually i never had the opportunity to compare in speed with other road bikes. Anyhow, the extra comfort the larger tyres offer, are for me a much better characteristic than extra rolling speed 😉
Hi there, thanks for the video, very helpfull indeed! I got the bike for a while now, a month or so, didnt have chance to make enough miles on it yet, but I noticed some lag on pedals not a big one but annoying enough. Also, the gear change is not as smooth as I expected, sometimes pretty noisy and clunky, even not under high pressure. This is my first bike after a while, like 10 years and I dont have much knowledge on casette/crankset/chain to identify what is the exact problem. Any suggestion welcome, with a huge "THANK YOU" in advance :) I am just hoping its a simple adjustment issue rather then faulty component. Also, do you think marathon tyres 32-622 would make enough difference at confort level for a tall and heavy rider, 1.91cm and 93 kg, or it doesn't worth it?
Hello there! Thanks a lot for your comment! What exactly do you mean by a lag on the pedals? As for the gears, I suppose there are 2 possibilities: they haven't been correctly adjusted when the bike was assembled or there is a problem with a component in the transmission causing your issues. I'd suggest to go to a bike shop and ask them to check/adjust your gears, explaining what exactly you don't like about them :) With my bike I had the chance that it was assembled correctly by the mechanic who prepared it for the rack in the store (mine was exposed in the Decathlon and I took it "from the shelf"). But as Decathlon is a huge chain with dozens of bike mechanics, I suppose that the level of their skills can vary a lot. As for the tires, I think that you will experience some comfort increase for sure with the 32mm marathons, but of course I cannot predict if it will feel as a big enough difference for you personally. Hope that helps a bit.
Hi, it depends of your ambitions. It's certainly good for starting racing, you get much for your money. But bare in mind it's not the lightest one out there. Decathlon has some models beter suited for racing. But with some training and with a good pair of tyres, you can do a lot already 😁 Good luck with your purchase!
@@FERHEL-eh2ph Merci! Je vais peut être en refaire une sur les petites modifications que j'ai encore apporté ai vélo depuis. Reste à trouver le temps pour 😅
Hi, I think it definitely will be enough. I'd just recommend to go for the RC520 if your budget allows it, as you get slightly more for your money with the RC520. In terms of riding capability, there shouldn't be much difference, except for the braking and shifting gears.
