Both carbon fibre and aluminium bikes split further into endurance and racing orientated families, dubbed EDR for endurance bikes and RCR or Ultra for race bikes. Built around the same frame as the RC 500, the RC 520 gives you most of a Shimano 105 R7000 groupset for your extra £200, and TRP HY/RD disc brake calipers. decathlon mountain bikes range in price from £300 for the Triban RC100, up to £5,000 for the top-of-the range Van Rysel EDR 940 CF.
As well as being fast road race bikes need to be agile with quick, sharp handling, but the stretched-out and low flat-back position won’t suit everyone, and if you’re new to cycling, can be a little intimidating. If you want to get into road racing, then choose a race bike, but if you don’t have any plans for racing, there may well be better choices. In more expensive frames, carbon fiber becomes a lot more prevalent.
Finally reached a target weight that I haven’t been at since 2014, and finally got my BMI to a relatively safe level. Qualifying purchases could enjoy No Interest if paid in full in 6 months on purchases of $99 or more. Estimated delivery dates – opens in a new window or tab include seller’s handling time, origin ZIP Code, destination ZIP Code and time of acceptance and will depend on shipping service selected and receipt of cleared payment.
It rides and handles well, the parts are perfectly functional, and the company did well to avoid the most critical easy mistakes . Even the external cable routing is ideally suited for someone just starting to learn how to fix their own bike. Would a new rider with minimal mechanical skills have had the same positive experience we did?
In particular, single-piston mechanical brakes can be rather finicky and require a careful setup for peak performance; even small deviations can have outsized impact, and the Promax calipers are no exception. Although marked as 28 mm-wide, the actual width was just shy of 27 mm. On the plus side, they rolled better than we expected, and grip was actually quite decent . However, when we installed a set of 35 mm-wide Schwalbe G-One RS gravel tires — set up tubeless — the RC120 practically grew a set of wings. It suddenly felt lighter and livelier, it was more comfortable, and certainly more capable.
However these tyres should be swapped out if riding in wet conditions.At an affordable price and with quality components, this is a great gateway bike for getting stuck into some off-road riding. The aluminium frame is paired with the carbon forks and put together makes a comfortable decathlon bike set-up. Like before, the geometry of the frame sets you into a more upright riding position, rather than the lower, speedy, slightly uncomfortable aero position. While the Shimano Sora R3000 compact groupset of 50/34 means that really, this is a great bike for the hills.
Seasoned riders would undoubtedly want more still, but considering the RC120’s mission, our opinion is that the RC120 strikes a smart middle ground. The wheels are similarly generic, with unlabeled aluminum rims that are on the narrow side at 17 mm , but tubeless-compatible. Those are laced with 28 straight-gauge stainless steel spokes and brass nipples all around, connected to no-name aluminum hubs with adjustable cup-and-cone bearings. Wrapped around those rims are 700×28 mm Triban Protect steel-bead tires.
The RC 520 is offered in alphabet sizes (S/M/L/XL) instead of numeric sizing like other major brands. In terms of geometry, the RC 520 can be classified as a Comfort/Endurance bike. With a large headtube and more upright position it’s designed for anything from urban commuting, gravel riding, to soaking miles during long century rides.
And I truly believe that if you are riding no more than an hour or two at a time, many of the subtleties and advances wouldn’t make any difference to you anyway. Overall, I was reasonably impressed with the Decathlon gear I tried. The fabrics and materials mostly have a nice hand, the breathability and performance are solid, and the styling ranges from inoffensive right up to pretty nice looking. The 100 level gear is definitely basic, but then again, the prices are ridiculously low, so it’s impossible to complain.