The Triban RC520 is the best beginner road bike under 1000 of any currency. It suits a wide range of riders, especially those who are looking for one of the best beginner endurance road bikes currently on the market. It's low price point makes the specification of the bike even more impressive as it boats Shimano 105 components. Sam Gupta shares his thoughts on why he thinks the Triban RC520 is a great choice for road cyclists, adventure riders and commuters.
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00:00The Triban RC520 has been on the market for a while now, but we still feel like it goes
00:06slightly overlooked in the budget road bike category. Perhaps it's down to the fact that
00:12it's sold by Decathlon and there could be some consumer snobbery around brand names, but when
00:17it's being sold at such an attractive price point you cannot ignore it. That's not to say the bike
00:23is perfect, of course it has its drawbacks, but it's up to you on whether or not those drawbacks
00:29are something you can compromise on. I'm going to look at all of the pros and all of the cons
00:35and then leave it up to you to decide whether or not you think this bike could be right for you.
00:40I'm going to run through the spec, ride impressions and finally give you my verdict.
00:46One of the biggest muscles that the RC520 has to flex is the specification of the bike. It
00:52comes with a partial Shimano 105 groupset, which by anyone's measure is good. Shimano 105 is often
01:00chosen by very keen amateurs and is often found on bikes costing much more. The reason why I
01:06say partial is because only the shifters and derailleurs are at the 105 level, but arguably
01:12these are the components you'd actually want to be of the higher 105 level. The brakes come
01:18courtesy of TRP. These calipers are cable actuated hydraulic brakes, which I know sounds like a whole
01:26lot of gibberish, but to break it down what that means is that we have a cable running from the
01:31brake levers down to the caliper which then activates a hydraulic system which then applies
01:37the brake. The reason why this is better than a standard cable actuated brake is because both
01:42brake pads move to engage with the rotor rather than just one pad, meaning that these are more
01:48powerful. Of course these aren't quite as good as fully hydraulic systems, but I think this is a
01:54fair compromise when considering the price. Lastly, when looking at spec, the rest of the build is
02:00actually pretty straightforward. It's an alloy framed bike with alloy handlebars, stem, seatpost
02:06and wheels. It does have a hybrid carbon alloy fork, which is quite a nice touch. Now, a good
02:13spec is nothing if a bike feels rubbish to ride. I'm going to put the seemingly good value of the
02:19build itself to one side and just focus on the ride itself. Resident bike tester Joe has been
02:25out riding this bike on his usual roads in Oxfordshire, which consists of some longer flat
02:31sections and then of course plenty of climbs. After several rides now, he's gotten a very good
02:37understanding of how the bike feels and says that it does feel good, but there are a few caveats to
02:42consider. Firstly, one aspect which has a big impact on how the bike feels is the weight. This
02:49is not a light bike. The claimed weight from Decathlon is 10 and a half kilos. On the flat
02:56sections of tarmac, you don't notice it so much. Compared to other bikes which sit within this
03:01price bracket, it doesn't take a noticeable amount of extra energy to get it up to speed. However,
03:07when you start climbing is when you start to feel the extra timber that this bike is carrying. This
03:13weight is counteracted to some extent by a pretty decent spread of gears, but say compared to a
03:19specialized Allee, which is one of this bike's competitors, albeit the Allee does cost a whole
03:25lot more, you will find that this bike is a little bit more at home in the hills thanks to the lower
03:31weight. When I rode the RC520 and got it up to some higher speeds on the descents and through
03:37some corners, it felt planted and stable. It wasn't subject to feeling jittery or twitchy.
03:43To be honest, this is probably one of the benefits of it weighing a little bit more.
03:48The only thing I would consider though is switching out the tires. As one of the more
03:52affordable upgrades, a fresh set of rubber would go a really long way to greatly improving
03:57how the bike feels. I'm talking better grip and less feedback coming through the frame.
04:03What could be easy to do is write the RC520 off as just being a road bike. I think that
04:10would be a mistake. It also works really well as a commuting bike and as an adventure bike.
04:16Decathlon did not shy away from loading up the frame with mounting points. If you want to mount
04:21panniers and mud guards to take the abuse of the daily commute, or perhaps you aren't a huge
04:26cyclist but want something really versatile to do a little bit of everything, then I think that's
04:31where this bike really shines. It's available in a flat bar version too. If drop bars aren't your
04:37thing, then you're also catered for. It was only a few weeks ago that I was in Decathlon
04:43for the launch of their first Van Rysel store opening. What I noticed is that a lot of the
04:48entry-level bikes are losing their tri-band logos in lieu of a fresh paint scheme and a Van Rysel
04:54decal instead. While aesthetics of the bike will change, I believe this model will continue to be
05:00made. You might just have to ask what its new name is. Overall, the RC520 brings together so
05:07much of what the majority of new cyclists are looking for. Good value, better than the rest
05:13specification, and a very versatile frame for all sorts of riding. The biggest drawbacks are its
05:20weight and cheap tyres, but the latter can be changed and the former will just make you a bit
05:26fitter. As sub-£1,000 bikes go, I think this is the best.