Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2013 0:31:26 GMT
T500 looks like it would me my pick of the bunch. Would be good if they did a deal on upgrading wheels though. Alur looks interesting, is like a suped' up Allez. Maybe a too serious bike for me though. Might be wrong but does anyone else think they are focusing on the higher end bikes too much with this new range? I think B'TWIN has only made their name in this country in the last year or two, solely n the value the red T3 represented and that often quoted cycling magazine review. It got a lot of people cycling, me included. I was hoping to see a T3 equivalent with Sora and carbon fork for £340 or so Anyway are these B'twins what you would call 'department store' bikes?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2013 6:56:29 GMT
Found it - BTwin Compact 50/34 and a Tiagra 12/28 . Hmmm, have Btwin made chainsets before?
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Post by Radchenister on Oct 25, 2013 7:58:40 GMT
I don't know, the crank was the first thing I was drawn to, can't decide if it's elegant or a bit flowery.
We need to get a close look at one really to suss it fully.
It has made some simple bold moves this bike, but time to get critical, for example, the hidden rear brake is interesting and whilst I understand the design benefits and additional rigidity, you also have to ask but isn't it the front brake that really needs this when pulling up to a junction fast or catching cars on a descent?
Not that I'm a proponent of hard braking, it just strikes me as post rationalisation for an aesthetic decision and if the back needs it, then why not the front? ...acknowledging you can load the back more if needed of course by shifting back but the front still works hard as you squeeze on progressively in a straight line and push force through straight arms, which is what I find I'm doing sometimes.
Liking it still though, we will ponder further.
Edit - since learnt the brake position doesn't use frame to prop it (I think) - don't follow rigidity idea now?
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Post by ianmoss on Oct 25, 2013 8:06:23 GMT
Great account of events @perniciousviper thanks.
The whole range looks great, the competition, (Spesh and Giant) better keep their eyes out, All B'Twin bikes have been getting good reviews recently. Interesting that the 500SE is the base model replacement, I'm sure it will be a stunning entry level machine, (as we have all experienced) I like the black and blue, make me wonder if you will have to ride in Team Sky kit to match though.
I suppose with the whole black scheme, if you want to add a bit of individualism, them there are plenty of colour choices to be had with upgrades, bar tape, bottle cages etc.
The current T3a looks like it will become a bit of a rarity, must say though I do like my 'Red Horn' very much, it's gonna serve me well for the next couple of years I think.
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echo7
Peloton Rider
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Post by echo7 on Oct 25, 2013 9:53:38 GMT
Many thanks for the review perniciousviper.
I was looking at an FC5 as a fair weather "best" bike as my T3 has turned into an all weather load lugger/ commuter...
But that ALUR700 looks very tempting!!!
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Post by Phil on Oct 25, 2013 11:03:58 GMT
Might be wrong but does anyone else think they are focusing on the higher end bikes too much with this new range? I think B'TWIN has only made their name in this country in the last year or two, solely n the value the red T3 represented and that often quoted cycling magazine review. It got a lot of people cycling, me included. I was hoping to see a T3 equivalent with Sora and carbon fork for £340 or so Anyway are these B'twins what you would call 'department store' bikes? I thought that as well, but, if you think about it a lot of people who got in to cycling in the last couple of years with the T3 might be now thinking of upgrading in the summer to something around the £1000 mark having discovered they are really hooked not he sport. Seems like a good strategy would be to add good VFM at that point to build brand loyalty…
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Post by mattl22 on Oct 25, 2013 12:21:13 GMT
Might be wrong but does anyone else think they are focusing on the higher end bikes too much with this new range? I think B'TWIN has only made their name in this country in the last year or two, solely n the value the red T3 represented and that often quoted cycling magazine review. It got a lot of people cycling, me included. I was hoping to see a T3 equivalent with Sora and carbon fork for £340 or so Anyway are these B'twins what you would call 'department store' bikes? I thought that as well, but, if you think about it a lot of people who got in to cycling in the last couple of years with the T3 might be now thinking of upgrading in the summer to something around the £1000 mark having discovered they are really hooked not he sport. Seems like a good strategy would be to add good VFM at that point to build brand loyalty… but the next generation need to be lured in at the c. £300 price point too keep the cycle (no pun intended) going
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panda
Domestique
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Post by panda on Oct 25, 2013 12:57:57 GMT
Might be wrong but does anyone else think they are focusing on the higher end bikes too much with this new range? I think B'TWIN has only made their name in this country in the last year or two, solely n the value the red T3 represented and that often quoted cycling magazine review. It got a lot of people cycling, me included. I was hoping to see a T3 equivalent with Sora and carbon fork for £340 or so Anyway are these B'twins what you would call 'department store' bikes? I thought that as well, but, if you think about it a lot of people who got in to cycling in the last couple of years with the T3 might be now thinking of upgrading in the summer to something around the £1000 mark having discovered they are really hooked not he sport. Seems like a good strategy would be to add good VFM at that point to build brand loyalty… Yes, I agree with this point. It seems to me that the next whole bike upgrade on most Triban owners shopping list is the PlanetX Pro Carbon Ultegra at £1000. I wonder if any of these new bikes can compete with PlanetX. I expect that the Pro Carbon will become a bit of a classic, some of the more serious club cyclists I talk to can't believe the spec for the price.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2013 13:08:40 GMT
Thanks for your efforts on our behalf, Jon. A very informative write up.
The Alur looks interesting but a question mark has to be raised about the quality of the B'Twin components. The price has obviously been kept down due to their use. Wheels have not been a particular strong point in the past and some will immediately look to upgrade. It will be interesting to see how the chainset performs. The saddle will probably be upgraded by a lot of owners and I would prefer an 11-28T cassette rather than the 12-28T. The upside of these negatives is that the Alur gets 105 gearing which is very good at this price range if you compare that to the Allez Race 105 model at £1,300.
The Sram/Shimano comments are interesting. It puts me right off Sram.
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panda
Domestique
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Post by panda on Oct 25, 2013 13:15:14 GMT
I think that the point made by Decathlon on colour choice is a very 'manufacturing' view point and not very customer centric. When you look at other consumer markets, 'mass customisation' which includes colour choice is where the market is. By running your whole range with essentially one colour is a bit Model T Ford in my view. It is like saying, if you don't like the colour, better buy elsewhere. I don’t really have an aversion to this colour choice, but it makes a lot of bikes look exactly the same, with little differentiation or imagination. Also, I think that the carbon colour scheme my be coming to the end of its 'cycle'. Manufactures tend to change colours to increase the likelihood of upgrading (you think that you have last years bike). Having a look at some other launches, there looks like a lot of colour choice. Have Decathlon gone the wrong way by following a trend which is coming to the end? There is still a lot of black/carbon around, but it has a liberal splash of colour. Finally, I don't think that Decathlon has listened to its customers (in the UK). The message has been that red is popular. I have read interactions with Decathlon in this in this forum and when I visited the Btwin Village in August, the manager even made a bit of fun with "the British and their red bikes". New bike examples, we may not like them all, but Black/Carbon is not where all of them are at: road.cc/content/news/88762-updated-trek-launch-2014-rangewww.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBPXRT58ULT6800/planet_x_rt_58_ultegra_6800_11_road_bikewww.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBPXN2A6800/planet_x_n2a_shimano_ultegra_6800_carbon_road_bikewww.bikeradar.com/news/article/bianchi-road-and-mountain-bikes-2014-first-look-37616/roadcyclinguk.com/gear/specialized-model-year-2014-road-bikes-first-look.html
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Post by Phil on Oct 25, 2013 13:16:11 GMT
I thought that as well, but, if you think about it a lot of people who got in to cycling in the last couple of years with the T3 might be now thinking of upgrading in the summer to something around the £1000 mark having discovered they are really hooked not he sport. Seems like a good strategy would be to add good VFM at that point to build brand loyalty… but the next generation need to be lured in at the c. £300 price point too keep the cycle (no pun intended) going £380 for T500SE looks to be doing that, with a model either side depending on budget.
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Post by Phil on Oct 25, 2013 13:19:51 GMT
Finally, I don't think that Decathlon has listened to its customers (in the UK). The message has been that red is popular. I have read interactions with Decathlon in this in this forum and when I visited the Btwin Village in August, the manager even made a bit of fun with "the British and their red bikes". Not so sure it was the colour that made it popular, more how much bike you got for your money… I know that I would've preferred it in a darker colour…
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Post by fatmanona5a on Oct 25, 2013 13:30:55 GMT
I love my T5A, it's the engine (me) that doesn't do the bike justice. The chances of my upgrading at the moment, to another dark bike is somewhat remote........ If there was something that inspired (red), at a C2W friendly price (£999.99), that could be tempting.... Like a magpie I'm attracted to Titanium (all shiny)! It's nice to daydream sometimes
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2013 13:34:34 GMT
I thought that as well, but, if you think about it a lot of people who got in to cycling in the last couple of years with the T3 might be now thinking of upgrading in the summer to something around the £1000 mark having discovered they are really hooked not he sport. Seems like a good strategy would be to add good VFM at that point to build brand loyalty… Yes, I agree with this point. It seems to me that the next whole bike upgrade on most Triban owners shopping list is the PlanetX Pro Carbon Ultegra at £1000. I wonder if any of these new bikes can compete with PlanetX. I expect that the Pro Carbon will become a bit of a classic, some of the more serious club cyclists I talk to can't believe the spec for the price. As an aside the Pro Carbon frame is, arguably, already a classic. It's not new been around for years and in many ways the frame and geometry is actually a bit 'old hat'. I like that though. It's tried and tested. Fun fact: Cadel Evans' TT bike in 2007 was a rebadged Planet X. They know what they're doing.
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Post by ianmoss on Oct 25, 2013 13:48:13 GMT
All this black, means there will be a flourish of bright colours in 2015/16
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