The normal brakes are Microshift’s SB-R480S Classic brake levers which have been specially adapted for smaller hands. TheTektro RL 576 Cyclocross brake levers are on the tops of the handlebars for those more used to riding on the tops, in a more mountain bike decathlon road bike style. Kitted out with Decathlon’s new Triban Evo carbon/aluminium forks, the bike is designed to carry a front mounted pannier rack of up to 9kg, ergonomic aluminium handlebar for better grip and comfort with a range of sizes for the bars and stem.
Surprisingly missing were e-bikes, which the brand sells in some other markets and which are awaiting U.S. compliance. Until its own e-bikes are available in the U.S., Decathlon will be selling e-bikes from Pure Cycles. And lastly, it found U.S. customers wanted authentic store help, people who actually used the products sold by Decathlon, so the brand needed to hire experienced runners, cyclists, swimmers, skiers and triathletes.
The 130 mm travel suspension is supplied by SR Suntour, though it doesn’t offer much in the way of adjustability. The XCR 34 fork relies on a coil instead of an air spring and the Raidon air shock has no rebound adjustment, which is the biggest drawback, as it turned out later. There’s a 10-speed Shimano DEORE drivetrain taking care of the gears, which reaches its limits on steep climbs due to the small 11–42 t cassette and 381% gear range – conventional eMTBs with 12-speed drivetrains have gear ranges of up to 520%.
Decathlon plans to launch an online sizing tool very soon, and it has a 365-day return policy with prepaid return shipping. This commitment to reduced environmental impact is a big part of what drives Decathlon’s innovation. To achieve its ecological goals, the company is transforming its product design process, putting technology at the center of that process. Its ambition is to reduce the carbon footprint of the billion pieces of equipment it produces each year.
The site — in the same neighborhood as an Ikea, Super Target, Home Depot and Best Buy — was chosen as it had good public transit, road and cycling access and is within an hour’s drive of six million consumers. Maybe my least favorite of the items I tried, these lugged-sole, SPD-compatible shoes worked fine but felt cheap and a little clunky. The shape was boxy for me, and although the problem was alleviated a little by cinching up the straps, the plasticky-feeling synthetic leather upper then bunched up. More important, the hard plastic outsole proved slick on rocks and in stream crossings. These are adequate, but footwear specialists like Shimano and Pearl Izumi make superior products for not much more money.
It is no accident that the French firm, based in Villeneuve d’Ascq on the Belgian border , chose the San Francisco area for its U.S. reboot. With three of the world’s leading tech brands based here , it is ground zero for online sales migration, new retail approaches and savvy year-round sports consumers. In the end, I like that Decathlon is working to cater to the meat of the market, not just the high end. Cycling has become exorbitant over the years, and it’s nice to see affordable, if not perfect, options to alleviate some of the crunch. I am a solid size medium in almost every other cycling brand, but in B’Twin I could fit only size small, which took several returns to figure out .
B’Twin’s uses a simple coated polyester with a full front zip, a high collar, and a drop waist. It weighs just three ounces, rolls up smaller than an orange, and is nice and affordable. The same design from other brands costs three and four times as much, and few of them offer much more for features. More power, more battery capacity, faster, further, better, and more bling! No doubt about it, the bike industry is good at outdoing itself with superlatives and high-performance products.
Advertised as both Triban’s and Decathlon’s most comfortable bike, the RC500 models are the best steeds to really get going as a regular road rider. The RC120 Disc, as you may have guessed, is basically the same bike, but with disc brakes. It also has Triban Tubeless ready wheels in comparison to the standard RC120 that has Triban 700 wheels. Both bikes come with a bell and front and rear lights for necessary visibility when riding through towns and cities. The Triban bikes fit under the ‘cycle tourism’ category and suit beginners through to advanced riders, whereas the Van Rysel Ultra range is for those who have a performance element to their riding. The specification of this bike includes a single chainring on the front with 10 speeds and Promax DSK cable disc brakes, which offer very effective stopping power yet are straightforward to maintain.
Decathlon has also committed to marketing outreach at local schools; it drove its cool 1970s vintage Citroën van to one elementary school in Oakland and distributed 800 athletic balls to a throng of screaming students. Since leaving the U.S. market, the company has developed more higher end house-brand products. It’s less about performance and due to the low price, it will never be as feature-rich either.
Its store network and website stocks some of the best value sports equipment available, and an ever-increasing part of this comes fromDecathlon’s own bicycle brand Triban(formerly B’Twin). Our bike sale section is the perfect place to find new gear without breaking the bank. Electric bikes that get you where you need to go without breaking a sweat. Whether on a tough road or ascending a big hill, these bikes will make sure you arrive at your destination no matter your skill level. The simple side-folding system using the lever means it takes up little space at home, at the office, in the boot of a car or in a camper…