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First Road Bike - B'twin Triban 500 SE vs Specialized Allez 2015

by alexdm50
Wed, May 27, 2015 14:48
10

Hi All,

So I've been looking at bikes for the last couple of weeks and finally came down to 2 options:

Specialized Allez 2015 Road Bike - £480
(50% rebate over 12 months with my Vitality making the final cost £240 but this is 12 months down the line not immediate)
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/allez-2015-road-bike-ec0...

OR

B'twin Tiban 500 SE - £330
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-se-road-bike-black-id_8306187.html

It really is a choice of these 2 and while I intended to go higher I will be taking advantage of bike2work scheme in about 6 - 12 months to get something much nicer but what does everyone think? Does the Specialized warrant the extra £150? I've ridden both and they both feel great but these were test rides and rather short.

The bike will be used primarily for commuting and weekend trips to the market and local parks. 10 mile round trip a day for work. I intend to purchase this Friday!

Thanks in advance all!

A

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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10 comments

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huntswheelers | 9 years ago
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Triban all the way...... and don't be afraid of the MicroShift gears.... they are really good...no I don't have them or a bike with them...but I have serviced and set them up ( I'm a Pro Bike Mechanic) and they are so much easier than Sram IMHO to set up... and equal to Shimano... I'm guessing that in the UK the blinkered will do their Brand Love thing ....but they are missing out....

Avatar
I am a human | 9 years ago
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I was in your situation this time last year and tied myself in knots looking at all the road bike options between £250 and £1000! I ended up saying "Stuff it, get the second cheapest" and got the 500SE. I definitely don't regret it.

A year on and it's still really fun to ride and the gears are still very well behaved. I got a set of pretty nice wheels from Superstar Components just to add a bit of pizzazz. The only thing that I think I'll do to it is change the bar tape to something a bit plusher.

Avatar
Ade-Miller | 9 years ago
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I have the 500se and can't fault it. I am a mere beginner but it has not let me down in 12 months. I was wary of the microshift gears but like I say no issues. Get it and you won't regret it. 1

Avatar
Chez_worldwide | 9 years ago
0 likes

You will not regret buying the Triban. I still ride my Triban 5 to work every day, 2 years after getting it, and don't mind taking it out on wet weekends when I don't want to get my newer, shinier things dirty. You can't go wrong for the price.

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DrJDog | 9 years ago
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Triban has a carbon fork, as mentioned above, and has a triple at the front if that is your thing. Dull colour scheme.

Allez has full shimano claris (which is pretty good), and a compact double, if that is your thing. Probably slightly better than the microshift gears on the triban. The Allez comes in bright orange (this alone might swing it for me).

I think if it was me, and I could wait for the rebate, I'd get the Allez. Better gears, a more racy setup, only downside is the fork, and that should not be a deal breaker.

If I needed the triple to get up hills I might get the triban.

I doubt you could go wrong with either. Maybe the price should be the deciding factor...

Avatar
bfslxo | 9 years ago
0 likes

The B'twin has a carbon fork which will be more comfortable but the spec is slightly better equipped gear wise - personally if your getting a better bike so soon i would go for the B'twin, they get very highly praised for a lot of corners

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alexdm50 | 9 years ago
0 likes

thanks stan it looks like the Triban is a good one to go for appreciate the help. Shame I couldnt find a review anywhere on the specialized

Avatar
StantheVoice | 9 years ago
0 likes

The Triban was voted road.cc best commuter and best budget bike, so I really think there's not much doubt you'll be happy with it. Did you see our review:
http://road.cc/content/review/116333-btwin-triban-500-se-road-bike

We've not been able to get the Spesh in for review for some reason.

Avatar
P3t3 | 9 years ago
0 likes

You said they both feel great so get the cheap one.

I don't think anything you can get on the bike to work scheme will feel significantly better in the real word.

It'll get stolen in 6 months anyway and your stated use doesn't require a high performance machine.

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alexdm50 | 9 years ago
0 likes

anyone?

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