This was another favorite, mostly because I’ve always thought these gossamer wind pieces are horrendously overpriced. 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.
How your bike fits you is critical; get that right, and you’re ready to hit the road. The frame is the heart of a road bike, and is made from the likes of carbon or aluminium. When shopping our range, be sure to choose the optimal size and shape – keep in mind the type of riding you’ll be doing. Speaking of the frame, it’s decathlon mountain bike aluminum with a carbon fork, which helped soak up bumps under the front wheel, smoothing out the ride and alleviating some of the upper body fatigue that comes from buzzing down rough roads. The slightly wider road tires helped with this as well—the bike comes with 28mm tires , and can accommodate tires up to 36mm wide.
Specification wise the Riverside 120 has 8 speeds which is changed using the B’Twin TS39 shifters and is also equipped with B’Twin Trekking hybrid road and trail tyres meaning you can venture off along city bike paths or dirt roads. It’s also compatible with many extra accessories such as kickstands and mudguards. Although Pete was a big fan of the practicality of the Hoprider, he wanted to try out a lighter and slightly faster bike – while still enjoying the perks of front suspension and slightly chunkier tyres. With these bikes, they may not be your top of the range super duper fancy racing machines, but the cycling market is a lot more than just that. The range of bikes that you’ll find in Decathlon will more often than not be made out of aluminum, which when buying a budget friendly bike, is the best material to choose when seeking durability.
They are easy to mount thanks to a built-in plastic ratchet system, while the IPX 4 rating means they can withstand rain. The Moon Helix Max-W is a great option for a front light as it emits 180 lumens from a very small package. Capable of running for 2.5 hours, the Helix Max-W has an aluminium body and is IPX7 rated, so will keep running in even the foulest conditions.
Carbon is very sought after by performance minded cyclists, but it is worth remembering that you might not always get the lightest or most well kitted out bike if you do choose a more affordable carbon road bike. No list of essential beginner bikes would be complete without a Boardman, as the brand manages to cherry pick some mighty fine components for the decathlon road bike price, meaning there’s an awful lot of bike here for the money. For the same price there’s also a woman’s version, dubbed the Women’s Beginner Road Bike, with a woman’s saddle, shorter stem on the smallest size and extra brake levers on the tops of the handlebar. For the record, I am 156cm tall with a 78cm inseam and am comfortably riding the XS model.
Pete bought the Riverside 500 after his previous Decathlon bike (the #1 ranked Hoprider 100) was stolen. Making these bigger purchases much more attainable and flexible for customers, which of course only adds to the value and affordability of their bicycle fleet. Pete, the co-founder of Discerning Cyclist, is a big fan of Decathlon bikes due to the great value they provide and has owned several Decathlon bikes over the years. Here we explore whether Decathlon bikes are actually any good, whether they’re durable, how Decathlon are able to produce such cheap bikes and ultimately whether Decathlon bikes are good value or not.