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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2014 20:29:49 GMT
Evening all...
So as I have mentioned elsewhere, the 500SE is very very delayed and the Red 3s no longer exist above a 51.
So I am very tempted to just jump in for the 3A. Now I know you all love your Reds (the Arsenal fan in me would love to ride red) but is the 3A as bad as it is sometimes made out to be?
Is it *that* much heavier with the carbon forks? Are the shifters *that* much worse than on the Red?
My guess is that, coming from MTB, anything will feel like a bullet to me, so I may be over thinking this. But I don't want to spend what is a hefty sum (not in road bike terms, just in novice terms) and make a serious mistake.
As an aside, talking about spending money, I cannot believe how much better value the Tribans are compared to absolutely everything else out there. Literally nothing else comes close. Astonishing really...
Thanks as always
Nick
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Post by Radchenister on Apr 13, 2014 20:36:04 GMT
Bottom line - how good is the rider?
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Post by Radchenister on Apr 13, 2014 20:39:56 GMT
Serious answer, the steel forks aren't really great but aren't really bad, they are functional, you can upgrade in due course when fitter and putting the miles in as to begin with you'll not notice any difference ... the shifters are fine and dandy, perhaps better than the red's ... just riding 'a bike' will make you a better rider ... it's as simple as that, sitting on the couch um-ing and ah-ing won't ... see Rocket for a full case study on what's possible with a T3a.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2014 20:53:08 GMT
Good advice, thank you! The rider is... out of practise and yes, needs to get off the couch!
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Post by Radchenister on Apr 13, 2014 20:59:55 GMT
It's one of those things, 'best laid plans' n all that ... working with the possible and the now is a good idea.
If you could just ride a MTB for a few weeks and actually did commit to doing it, then that's a valid answer as well.
It's hours in the saddle that count, even if you chug an old rusty shopping bike around for 8hrs a week for say 8 weeks while waiting, then you'll likely benefit just as much, if you're motivated to do it then it all counts.
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Post by ianmoss on Apr 13, 2014 21:14:58 GMT
I have the T3a and I love it, I have upgraded it over the months including new carbon forks. The weight downy make that much difference in my opinion, they are a bit more comfortable.
The microshift shifters and drivetrain are great, I think much better than the lower spec Shimano. When I upgrade to 10 spd the microshift white will be on my list against 105.
If this is going to be your first road bike then I say go for it. It's miles better than anything else from othe retail outlets. Who knows what complications are with the 500SE, you could be waiting months.
Go get it!
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Post by tptmuso on Apr 13, 2014 21:15:20 GMT
I bought my T3A last June, rather than the red T3, because I felt the shifters were actually better for my hands. The whole bike is still exactly as is and I've put in well over 1000 miles on it since then so it's clearly more than good enough to get going. My thinking was that the heaviest thing in the whole set up was easily going to be me so a few ounces/grammes here and there wouldn't really matter so I went for the improved (to me) shifting rather than a carbon fork, knowing that I could then upgrade what is essentially a good frame as and when my own fitness called for it. For the money it's been fantastic and it's only now that I'm considering changing anything.
If it helps any, I have a Scott mountain bike and the difference in riding between the two (even with skinny slicks on the Scott) is like somebody asking you to ride with a wardrobe in tow or not :-)
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Post by captslog on Apr 14, 2014 11:12:08 GMT
There doesn't seem to be a big difference in weight, according to the Decathlon pages, they are only about 400g different.
The white ones look good, and have some features that look better than the Old Red (saddle?, shifters?). If you'd never seen a red one, or they never existed, you'd be delighted to be picking this up for 300 sheets.
The difference will be in your perception. If you buy the bike always thinking that it is 'inferior' in some way, then sadly it will always seem so.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 11:45:26 GMT
I've done 2000 odd miles on my totaly stock 3A and cant fault it. Dont worry about the weight difference you wont notice compared to the mountain bike. I weigh next to nothing for my height but can still probably loose the weight difference between a 3 and 3a by having a wee before riding. As the others say dont put it off you wont be dissapointed.
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Post by Spoakes on Apr 14, 2014 11:50:09 GMT
Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it ! Buy it !
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Post by KiwiBeard on Apr 14, 2014 12:00:03 GMT
I bought my T3A last June, rather than the red T3, because I felt the shifters were actually better for my hands. The whole bike is still exactly as is and I've put in well over 1000 miles on it since then so it's clearly more than good enough to get going. My thinking was that the heaviest thing in the whole set up was easily going to be me so a few ounces/grammes here and there wouldn't really matter so I went for the improved (to me) shifting rather than a carbon fork, knowing that I could then upgrade what is essentially a good frame as and when my own fitness called for it. For the money it's been fantastic and it's only now that I'm considering changing anything. If it helps any, I have a Scott mountain bike and the difference in riding between the two (even with skinny slicks on the Scott) is like somebody asking you to ride with a wardrobe in tow or not :-) I agree. Noticed the weight difference between my T3 and my hybrid yesterday when I had to move some stuff around the shed. Hybrid is about 16 kg and I cycled regularly on it for 5 months. No wonder I lost 12kgs in that time. As Rad says anything is better than nothing. In the back of my mind I think the heavier the better if weight loss is your goal.
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Post by Radchenister on Apr 14, 2014 12:08:42 GMT
If you put 1500 - 2000 miles on a T3a and then treat yourself to forks and wheels, you'll have earned it and will probably be fit enough to notice differences - but you'll have to be pretty attuned to do it, which you should be by then you'd hope.
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Post by don1976 on Apr 14, 2014 12:44:38 GMT
It's a fantastic bike for the money. I bought mine back in June (having not ridden for a number of years) and over the months I've upgraded the wheels (shimano R501 Β£80 the pair), saddle Β£30 and a different cassette to give me some extra gears on the Yorkshire hills, and also some better brake pads.
I'm just short of 15 stone myself, and I have a rack with rackpack, so weight difference between the 2 versions for me isn't really an issue.
I've slowly built up my miles over the months and yesterday I hit a personal best of 81 miles in a single ride.
It's an ideal bike for somebody who is dipping their toe into roadbikes, or for someone who is buying on a budget (I fell into both categories).
Next week the T3A is taking me on a 250 mile sponsored ride from London to Huddersfield.
Last year, I was 'umming and erring' about what bike to buy, so many reviews, so many bikes. In the end I opted for a good bike at a fantastic price point.
(I'm now looking at a 2nd bike via the cycle to work scheme)
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 16:14:35 GMT
I walked into Decathlon with a budget max of Β£500. I tried the 3Ta in store then spent then next 15 minutes trying to get it in the back of my car till I figured I shouldn't have lifted the rear sear squabs up . The shifters did it for me, much better than the Tiagra brifters I had tried earlier. Buy it!
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Post by Radchenister on Apr 14, 2014 16:23:57 GMT
Eh? Wouldn't go that far - 8 speed v 10 speed? Pushing the issue a little too far there IMHO.
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