Decathlon is like the Primark for active people lol. I walk in to get a pair of shorts, I walk out with a dumbbell set, dip bar, fleece sweater and a f'king tube of energy tablets.
The barrier into getting into road bikes is really quite high if you don't know a lot. It's a different world compared to the hybrids and city bikes. Also the fact that you can just buy any bike and ride off but with road bikes you need shoes, bib shorts if you don't want to destroy your backside etc.
I've accused GCN of potentially putting people off cycling. All they showcase are their presenters riding top end bike and components and when they show off a product it's always like a £300+ pair of shoes or a £2k pair of wheels. This video was great though.
@@OllieBridgewood I've been looking to add a gravel bike to my current collection of 1 FS MTB. If I wanted to just buy a bike brand and ride off at about £1300, do you have any recommendations? I have a mix of flats and hills in my area and wanted to experience more speed across the grades than my MTB will allow. plus I realised I need something easier to maintain for my weekly commutes.
Fantastic to see a cycling channel that gives as much time to beginners as it does the more serious riders. It's refreshing to have a presenter like Ollie who can reflect on his first bike experiences and understands that first time buyers do not necessarily have the knowledge to match their enthusiasm for cycling (yet).
Spent £400 on a Triban from Decathlon at the start of the lockdown last March. Knew nothing about cycling at the time, and thought I'd just do a few rides - soon fell in love with cycling and have since done over 3000 miles on it! - including several 100+ mile rides. Now tempted to upgrade, but I absolutely love this bike! Never had any issues with it at all
So get a mountain bike. The difference in muscle groups you will work is surprising. Trail riding will work your back and mid section. I enjoy road, trail and mt biking. Mt biking will drench your shirt in a short time.
OMG THE RC500 !!! I have been saving for this bike for a while and I bought it yesterday ! I will get it after 2 days and I cant wait. UPDATE: I got the bike and its just Perfect. UPDATE AGAIN: Even after 2500km the bike is Perfect. UPDATE AFTER AN YEAR: I only had 2 chains changed for 8 month of riding in 2020 and a new cassette which is normal. Other than that everything else is fine !
Notes: Pay attention to gear ratios (1:32 recommended) and chains (compact or 5:34 recommended) or basically, larger on the back and smaller on the front for climbing up hills Two types of brakes (Rim brakes, and disk brakes). He recommends disk brakes for hilly areas because they offer substantially more powerful brakes that are more consistent especially in wet and provide better control in general but rim brakes are ok and are slightly lighter The frame material has a substantial impact. Aluminum is good because it is light and resistant to corrosion as well as the bikes are more affordable. But he also recommends carbon fibre bikes if you have the budget because it is stiffer and lighter. You can also use an aluminum bike with a carbon fibre fork to reduce vibration -Reputable brand for the frame to make sure it is properly tested and has a good warranty -The more the tire clearance for more tire changing versatility -Mounting points are good for accessories -Bonus if a bike has an outboard bearing in a threaded bottom bracket because they last longer and require less maintenance -Higher wheel spoke counts are more sturdy -Ideally, wide rims (25mm or 28) suit wider tires because wider tires offer more comfort, grip, and less rolling resistance to help you move further with less effort -Saddle comfort is very personal so you can change it -Using clip-less pedals and shoes so you can push and pull with peddling
Finally Decathlon are getting recognised and some needed airtime! I bought my first road bike the legendary Triban 3 which lasted me 6 years and went everywhere! Then I upgraded for the Carbon CF 920 last year and the value for money is amazing. Even the clothing range is fantastic quality at a reasonable price whilst looking great 👌🏼
M A decent condition Triban 3 is still a great first bike or winter trainer and you certainly can get one for around sub £200 easily, aim for one with upgraded wheels for sure. The closest to it (new) on decathlon is the RC120 but personally the £170 extra for the RC500 is worth it and I’d definitely pay/save up for the extra. Great colour, disk brakes, Sora group set, comfy and can easily convert from commuter or a casual racer for the weekend 👍🏼
My ex was into road bikes and all he left me left with is the hobby ;) Looking for my first gravel and this video is very informative! More videos for newbies please! :D
this sounds sad...anyway when i first started,i wish i know about cadence maybe you might wanna know too,its basically riding with high cadence(about >100).and its usually done with small cog on the front and bigger cogs on the back gear
As someone who did this exercise about 6 months ago, I’d say Gravel for sure if it’s your first ‘proper’ bike. Even if you don’t use it off-road, it’s more robust than a road bike for day to day urban use, dodging cars, drains, potholes and kerbs. Nearly as fast as well, with a slightly more relaxed geometry which is probably recommended for newbies. Then you’ve got at flexibility to go more places as well.
Really loaded with helpful info--I have sent this to all my graduate students as they enter the phase of their lives when they can either get into good physical activity habits or slide into sedentary lives with the excuse they are too busy to make time for sports. Cool music track too!
@@KandiKlover get the government to "offer" bike sharing companies subsidies for 1-2years. after the company finds that its not worth it, they will pull out of the country and abandon all those bikes. i'm from singapore when OFO/Mobike left, people took those bikes removed the digital locks and repainted them. its a basic city bike.. that uses airless tires, and comes with a hub dynamo, so you can attach a lamp. not ideal for wet or hilly areas. its not stealing if the bike is abandoned/dumped
you need more discipline...i go in buy what i want and leave. i do browse to see what i may want but i stick to my needs first. too bad the Decathlon in singapore provides basic tools only. i need to but a bottom bracket tool and a masterlink tool online
FINALLY the MIGHTY RC500 gets some Airtime !!!!!!! mine has done: Sportives, 24hr Mountain bike race (solo), Cyclocross, Duathlons, Triathlons, commuting and TT's for just over 500quid it is EPIC!!!!!
I cannot stress how good they are, I tested the cheaper RC120. Instant buy. It was a little more chunky but it was much more sporting than the RC500 I tested. Again, I cannot stress enough just how good the Triban bikes are.
I was quite surprised to read so many reviews praising this particular bike. One site rated is as the best quality bike under 1000e beating many legacy brands like Trek.
@@nugginusslover476 Yes both medium. (I am 5'10" however I like a slightly smaller but raised post and slammed bar, ride.) It's hard to explain. It was a while ago but this is how I worked it out: I found the RC120 Disc frame to be a little bland, quite uncommunicative interms of feedback but it was still quite agile and nippy. It was never much for accelerating but you could get your foot down and really get some good speed going and quickly too. On the contrary for the RC500. I found it more comfortable, urging me to relax a bit more and get into a cruising rhythm. It was significantly more communicative than the RC120 was for me. I could still get my foot and knee down but it felt just a tad more subdued. Like there was more in the tank than it was willing to give. That's not to say it was slow, not at all, just not quite as sporty. They were both excellent bikes but there's just something about that RC120. It's like a pared back experience, all go and no show. I am gonna upgrade because I am ready to graduate to a more premium experience but as far as bikes at that price point go.. best entry bikes 500 odd quid can buy no contest.
Awesome video! Finally one that showcases the less expensive side of cycling instead of the usual high end Canyon, Pinerello etc. Not everyone can afford never mind justify the cost of the bikes ridden by the typical bike snob.
Not everyone who rides a high-end bike is a snob. I’ve even met people who are snobby about their cheap bikes, claiming that they are intellectually superior for not buying an “expensive” bike. People are people no matter what they ride.
Canyon expensive? Canyon has pretty good bikes on budget. There are no other bikes with that high value with prices for road bikes starting at 1299 Euros.
@@simonarends7802 Decathlon might offer better groupsets for the same price, but the frames are heavier than the equivalent canyon bikes. (And most tests I read said, the handling of the canyon is better as well)
I was so overwhelmed when trying to get my first bike, so much conflicting information! But seeing as I live in the city and wanted it to also be a commuter bike, I bought a Trek FX 3. I have to say, for my first ever non Walmart bike, I absolutely love it! I added some clip-less peddles and I am having the time of my life on it. Although, for my next bike I think I'll get one with drop down handles because I find myself wish I could change my hand positions.
I use to put little thought on my bike purchases as well. I'm usually a Walmart and Canadian Tire bike kind of guy, until I found out about GCN. Now I'm a certified cycling nerd
@@LeeviRemes all of the above. As it stands right now I don’t have the money to have separate bikes for commute and hobby cycling. So my FX3 is a nice common ground for all activity’s. 😃
I was lucky enough to do the maratona a few years ago, on my first road bike which retailed at the outrageously expensive cost of £400, at the start I had immediate bike envy as everyone else seemed to have a Pinarello dogma with Di2, but at the end of ride I had a brilliant day a great memory and a bike costing a few thousand more couldn't have possibly made it any better.
One good point here is that budget options get some love, but there are many other online alternatives other than decathlon out there to look and consider too. The advantage of Decathlon is: you can go to a store and look and feel everything without being disturbed by some sales dude. Also, Decathlon has it’s own product lines and especially in cycling clothing offers some cheap and unique features. (Never buy some bike without the advice of an experienced friend, don’t trust bike measurements of sales people, consider the purpose of your riding, be aware of the wheels: read a review and if possible go for higher quality wheels from the get go. I know this sponsored content is GCN’s bread and butter, but I would like to see some of the English and Chinese cheap but trustworthy options. Also Ollie skimped over women’s specifics far too quickly: this deserves it’s own topic.
Thank you so much for this! I am just about to buy my first road bike after deciding to decrease running after many years. For a newbie like me it’s a total minefield and this video makes it much easier to understand. I also love Decathlon ❤️😂
Starts off similar to advice I give, the difference being that I say "Choose your max budget, then double it. That's what you'll actually spend before you leave the store." 😉
My first road bike was a Fuji 10 speed (that is 5 rear sprockets only). It was perfect, but just a bit heavy and cumbersome. Second was a Fuji Esprit 12 speed, which was just awesome. Lightweight, with shifters on the downtube and better gear ratios. I actually shifted the gears up and down in order using the documentation that came with it. Best bike ever.
While I was a kid I was amazed of bikes, the very first time I saw a roadbike it I was amazed of those skinny wheels. Because of GCN I finally bought my first roadbike. Just a secondhand but it was worth the saving. Thank you GCN you've changed my life
Here I am watching this at 47 years old. I have enjoyed riding since I was a kid. I have recently lost over 70# and wanting to start an exercise that I enjoy and cycling is an interesting option. Thanks for all the info!
Damned good video. I thought it was just going to be an ad, but it actually had lots of really sensible and useful information. I’ll b erecommending this whenever I see people asking for advice on a first bike. It did also make me want to visit the local Decathlon store for the first time. A win on both fronts.
Visiting decathlon is always good, even if you don't buy anything. Their mantra is to make sports accessible to the many., They got me into road cycling and hiking. Love the store
I am not the first and definitely wont be that last to say that walking into a cycle shop is a very daunting proposition. I remember buying my first road bike years ago. I didn't have much money so I saved my allowance and went in halfsies with my Dad. That bike got a lot of love for close to 20 years. Recently I have been looking for some components for my indoor trainer and coul not for the life of me get even friendly service. The old addage is true, some cycle shops are complete snobs. Unless they know you, already spent thousands of dollars thhere or just a common face you will be strained to get some service. This is VERY sad. How has something so practical and in many parts of the world an outright necessity, become so elitist? I hope the future cyclists just starting out aren't exposed to this "nose in the air attitude" and your experince is welcoming and encourages you to go further in the beautiful sport that is cycling :)
doesnt matter expensive or inexpensive your bike are, it is all up to your ability(energy) to cycle the bike. its performance is depends on your energy. the lighter the bike does not promise to provide a better comfortability & performance. after all, bicycle is just a bicycle. what matter is our energy to be able to perform work done. its all about biological physics
1 week ago I bought my first road bike. And I'm happy that I checked all the boxes in your video a good entry level/intermediate should have. Aluminium frame, carbon forks, Shimano 105 groupset, 28mm tires with clearance for 32 if I would want to + disc brakes for hills. I'm loving it. Did my first 150 kilometers so it is time to fine tune it for the next 2000 and hit the road.
Finally, an update to Ollie's B'Twin Video from 2016 (back when he was with CyclingWeekly) My first road bike was a B'Twin Triban 500 (now the RC120) but I swapped to the Ultra 700 AF (now the Van Rysel RR900 AF) as I prefer the better components over there.
I am waiting to upgrade to the Van Rysel frame from my RC120 but they don't have a disc version yet. I have been waiting a whole year now. It's stressing me out. 😂
Thank you @GCN. After watching this video, I checked out Triban RC100 and they were selling it on sale. I just bought my first proper Road bike! Perfect timing!
I bought my first road bike secondhand, and never regretted it. I had a road bike in a previous life, but transitioned to MTB's years ago and subsequently went off road bikes. But now I'm older and more delicate, there's less chance of falling badly on a road bike. I now have a Fuji alloy with carbon forks, its beautiful to ride, light enough, and was cheap enough secondhand to be able to upgrade the rear cluster and another (secondhand) derailleur to cope. New bikes are great, but a good secondhand is much cheaper, and cheaper to upgrade. I bought mine before disc brakes became popular, but I would have preferred discs.
My thought as well, butUsed bikes can not pay GCN as well as decathlon. Technically uneducated people often end up with a misfit used bike, I met more ppl getting the wrong bike in decathlon though
I'm no beginner for ages but this guide is very usefull for anybody that wants to buy a new bike, a few of my friends have asked these questions to, now I can just send them this video ;)!
Perfect video for beginners! You've covered everything! 2 weeks ago i was a beginner, I've spent hours to get to this level of clarity so your video was a revision to me. If i had seen your video earlier, i wouldn't have had to invest so long.😊😃
Yeah, I went a little different for my first road bike: a used bike that a local shop took as a trade in and was renting out. I rented it once and ended up buying it. Garneau carbon frame/fork/seatpost/bars, mixed 105/ultegra groupset, cheap mavic wheels, 11/25 cassette and 53/39 chainring. Considering this was 10 years ago, it was a pretty sweet bike for a beginner for ~$1000USD. Though given that I was about 100kg at the time and live in a very mountainous area, the gearing was a little rough. I remember about 6 months after buying it riding up a local hill that averages 8% over 12km. I thought I was going to die. Would highly recommend following the advice in the video and going for more reasonable gearing like 11/28 with a compact chainring. Now that I have ~10 years road riding experience, I actually really like 11/25 as the gears are nice and close. But I'd prefer a compact over a standard chainring given that I'm in the mountains.
I now own a Merida Silex +6000, and I am absolutely in love with this thing. The 1x11 SRAM Force 1 gearing is perfect for my area (ˋmountainsˋ up to like 600 meters, more like big hills, but can be really steep here and there). But I can also ride on a even road to like 40 kilometers/hour speed with ease, if there is no wind. I can modify it to be more like a mtb with 50mm tires or use 35mm ones more used for tarmac. All in all a superb everyday bike.
Perfect explanation. Start with the max you want to spend. Hold back some for the accessories. The graphic showing more money = lighter weight was spot on.
Love Decathlon bikes, excellent at a great cost, and I have 4, an MTB, a basic road bike for commuting, my previous speed road bike and now my new van rysel road bike, love them all! Great to see this video on GCN and presented by Ollie 😁
Glad decathalon are being recognised for their great bikes, had a few, all have been fantastic value and reliable, still have a couple of btwin mtbs that i use. Superb 👌
Go somewhere that will let you test ride the bike. 15 years ago I walked into Evans looking for my first road bike and they let me ride a Specialized Allez and a Bianchi Via Nirone. The latter was a lot more comfortable, so went with that.
Aw yas , decathlon is great , they've got just great parts like tacx components , DI2s , mavic wheels for good prices . I've boosted my bike's performance for a fair amount of money 👌
Yes, however, if any of you are working at Decathlon can you tell them to, bring back the Van Rysel disc frame! I have been looking for the old Ultra AF GF frames in the mean time because I love the Value of Decathlon but I need a faster disc frame. I am tempted to just stand outside the store with a poster and a dark ominous scary outfit just to make the point. Brin back the Van Rysel disc frame! 😭
I already have two road bikes but just watching cuz I like watching GCN. I have a Boardman pro carbon road bike and a giant winter bike that costed me 60pound but is good use and was cheap it could of been 140 but my friend had a discount on it so bought it.
If you buy a cheap roadbike you might as well buy a Gravelbike to begin with. It's good enough on the road to keep up with a roadie groupride - especially if you switch over to some road tires but it leaves you the option to get offroad eventually if you want to. You might have to deal with a slight weight panelty but imo it's worth the extra versatility. On lower end bikes the weight difference between road and Gravelframes are usually pretty minimal anyway.
Finally, GCN recommending some good value entry level bikes outside the scope of expensive traditional brands. Sadly, it still needed a marketing deal with Decathlon to do it...
I could be wrong bot this is the first time I see a segment in which GCN showcase bikes geared towards “normal” people, I enjoy geeking out on gear like the next person, but must of the bikes the presenters use on the show are in the thousands!! Love to see more segments like this one.
I bought a BTWIN bike for my daily commute for $120. It's been 3 years and still it is going strong. No matter how expensive or premium bike you purchase, after all it comes to maintainance and how you take care of it.
Decathlon came to Montreal this year and I bought my first road bike. Triban 540 shimano 105 for around 1000$ Canadian rupees. Bike tend to be expensive here. This bike is one of the best purchase I ever made.
Great video. I will be purchasing my first bike today with no prior cycling or riding experience. Little overwhelmed but great video and love the comments.
I got lucky, six years ago I bought a bike for $950 on Ebay and it turned out to be a great deal, aluminum Trek with 105 compact... 13,000 km later it’s been amazing, looking at it now as I fuel up for tomorrow’s metric century...
Oh, why wasn't a video like that available some 5 to 7 years ago? I could have really used that. As I had to stumble blindly through all of that on my own I certainly learned a lot, but there's obviously quite a bit that I missed. I managed to speak to several people from bike shops, and a neighbor to decide on quite a few things that were a must have: - hydraulic disc brakes - instead of 'normal' disc brakes, in case of a heavy loaded bike - the group set level - cause my old was a really bad mesh of 2 different as I couldn't get any more spare parts of the original - dynamo and a very good light - don't want to pay the fine, especially since they've raised - mudguards - to commute to work without getting all dirty - a front bike rack, for traveling with bulky gear in early spring or late autumn - handle bars with decent width - because I was only used to City and Trekking bikes with wide handle bars and to allow for a KlickFix Ironically, I had to get another saddle after my first bike packing tour, because my feet constantly fell asleep while pedaling and I actually forgot to pay attention to that. Also, I forgot about the different tires and wheels completely and I will pay for that. The tires will have to be changed before I go on another tour even though the profile is still good. I'd still recommend the bike I chose, a Bergamont Grandurance RD 7 (model 2018) with a Shimano 105 group set, even though I do not like the Schwalbe G-One tire. It's very good on the road, pretty good on cobble stone and gravel (depending on size), but horrible on even slightly wet dirt and the sandy grounds of the forest paths in North and East Germanys forests.
I got the Triban 540 and it's has been perfect so far, love my Decathlon's bike. Now I'm going to get my first carbon frame bike and it would be a Vanrysel!
Really glad such entry level stuff is shown. A lot of people can't afford, or won't want to commit to what seems really expensive at first. I'm just waiting for my first road bike which is a bit higher, a Spec Allez elite at 1300 euros, but I really like Decathlon and buy a lot of my accessories and basic stuff there including running clothing (except shoes, my feet are really pretentious), their outdoors section is really awesome for what is affordable day to day wear for me from shoes to winter shirts or hiking pants I wear while biking to work. Like many other people I also go there sometimes and buy a lot of stuff I didn't know I needed. Sometimes - it's a miss. I bought 3 or 4 types of running belts and none of them worked for me, but their running backpacks are quite acceptable for the price, their normal backpacks are really durable and awesome for all kinds of stuff from carrying notebook and work stuff (smaller size) to grocery shopping (bigger sizes). I'm not shareholder or an employee really but if we only had the higher brands I would have a LOT less good stuff.
So excited to find a helpful video. As someone who has spent the last 2 years shredding off a little over 150 pounds of body fat, I am so excited to start picking up new healthy active hobbies, especially cycling! Thanks
I’m 11 I got a frog team sky road bike 4 years ago had clip less pedals on it and 2 years ago I grew out of it I know have a Specialized Allez E5 elite and loving it
"How much money you like to spend? There is no right answer to that question when buying a road bike" familiar opening statement to every time when making another bike purchase to your other half
I just purchased my first road/hybrid bike since I wrecked and destroyed my road bike in college. It’s a 2022 Giant Escape 2 Disc. It has an ALUXX aluminum frame and fork, Shimano Altus shifters and derailleurs, Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, Shimano 8-speed (11x34) cassette with a ProWheel forged 30/46 crankset, and sport flat handlebars just for comfort. Overall I’m very happy with the bike, and it was only $823 USD after taxes and fees; I feel like it’s a great second starter bike.
Instead of buying a prebuilt bike I just built one myself from used parts, a vintage lightweight frame, the wheels, in the end it was quite affordable and suited me well
Wish I’d watched this before I bought my first bike as I would have had a much better idea of what to look for! Although I’m happy enough with my bike as in a total beginner, I’ll look at something better further down the line
Just what was needed from gcn simple informative with loads of helpful tips and info for the novice cyclist trying to up his game love it please keep these kind of episodes coming
Comfort comfort comfort. As a relatively newbie to the growth of cyclings options, it was a bit of a surprise to learn how pleasantly comfortable higher end bike frames were and of course the higher end components made shifting and breaking smoother/reliable adding to the enjoyable factor moving across the terrain. Hard to keep up with the component changes as they are constantly being modified, improved. But I digress. This is about that first bike...they all look so cool. Well done. Good intro to a fabulous activity and a future to the search for the most enjoyable comfortable bike.
