Triban 3

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Lancj1

Active Member
I am 5'11 inside leg 31". I got the 57 triban. The seat is centered on the stem and can be moved backwards or forwards an inch. The seat has got another 6" to extend, far in excess of my comfort - which is toes on floor. I am not used to road bikes so flipped the stem which has reduced the reach a bit and feels perfect for me. It really does feel like a quality piece of equipment
 

ulidia2012

Regular
thanks Edwards80.

not sure if this helps, I'm also 5 ft 11 and got the 57 Triban. Guy in the shop says it was the best fit showed me a few positions and it certainly felt so. they let me have a rattle around for about an hour.
 

phillc

Veteran
Location
North Somerset
Hi all newbie here, l was looking for a new road bike, ( my old bike was a Diamond Back hybrid) and after all your informative posts, l have just bitten the bullet and ordered a Triban 3 from Decathlon. Cost me a extra £14.99 for delivery as no local store to me. l'm 5ft 9in with 31in inside leg so have gone for the 54cm.
Will let you no how it all goes.

happy cycling
phill
 

Steve-W

Well-Known Member
Location
Devon
Final thoughts on Triban 3 . I`ve had the bike 8 weeks now and have just been riding it and doing very minor tweaks to get it setup for me .When I got the bike I didn`t have a tyre pressure gauge that went to 100 psi , so I sort of guessed the tyre pressures.However I bought a good pressure guage and found I was about 20 psi out, when I did the tyres to 100 psi the difference was very noticable and gave me more speed. I try not to use the granny ring on the triple chainset , but living on Dartmoor and being on the other side of 55 yrs old I sometimes have to.:sad: Am now at the stage I am looking at higher spec road bikes ,Giant Defy 1 etc. So in all the Triban is great value for money ,a good path into road bikes and with a little tweaking/riding perfect for most peoples needs . I would recommend as a starter road bike to anyone.I like it so much I think I might keep it as a wet weather bike if I go higher spec on another bike.

Hi Alan,
I am considering buying a Triban 3, if you are still thinking think of selling yours and upgrading give me a shout, I cant promise that I will still be in the market for it at that tiime, but may well be interested if I havent managed to get fixed up, I am in Plymouth so cannot be too far away from you!

Cheers
Steve
 

ian s

New Member
Hi Alan,
I am about to order and am same height and insidee leg (5'9, 33"). Which size did you order in end and are you still happy with sizing?
Cheers
Ian
 

harveymt

Well-Known Member
I have decided to go for a Triban 3. I looked at other bikes from £600 up and was going to get one of them through cycle to work. However, I didn't want to buy something and end up not using so at £300 the Triban 3 isn't too expensive. If I don't end up cycling at all there is decent resale value. If I only cycle once a month, I haven't spent too much and if I cycle loads I can change up and still do it through cycle to work.

I was down in Decathlon tonight and tried two sizes. The 54 and 57. I'm 5' 9'' (175cm) which according to the in-store size guide puts me exactly between the two sizes. The guy in-store said saddle height can be adjusted so both could end up similar enough. The only real difference I could feel was the distance the handlebars were away from me. I felt I was reaching slightly with the 57 which has made to lean towards the 54. I haven't ridden a road bike before so I don't know if this is normal or desirable.

Does the 54 sound like what I should be going for?
 
OP
OP
Alan57

Alan57

Senior Member
I have decided to go for a Triban 3. I looked at other bikes from £600 up and was going to get one of them through cycle to work. However, I didn't want to buy something and end up not using so at £300 the Triban 3 isn't too expensive. If I don't end up cycling at all there is decent resale value. If I only cycle once a month, I haven't spent too much and if I cycle loads I can change up and still do it through cycle to work.

I was down in Decathlon tonight and tried two sizes. The 54 and 57. I'm 5' 9'' (175cm) which according to the in-store size guide puts me exactly between the two sizes. The guy in-store said saddle height can be adjusted so both could end up similar enough. The only real difference I could feel was the distance the handlebars were away from me. I felt I was reaching slightly with the 57 which has made to lean towards the 54. I haven't ridden a road bike before so I don't know if this is normal or desirable.

Does the 54 sound like what I should be going for?

I am 5`10" and had a 57 for 3 months I sent it back, due to a problem, and changed it for a 54 as I always thought the 57 felt too big. On the 57 if I put my elbow in the front of the seat it did not reach the handlebars and when on the bike riding the handlebars did not block me from seeing the front hub. However , these are only very basic indicators of sizing a bike but they do give a reasonable idea of correct size . After having had both the 57 and 54 and being able to compare them over time I can say the 54 is better size wise
 

Edwards80

Über Member
Location
Stockport, UK
Just thought I'd add another post here after having my bike serviced this week.

I've had it for 10 months now and done nearly 6000 miles total on it, I'd maintained it myself up until this week, just learning from guides on the web/videos. Decided to splash out and get it fully serviced by my LBS - all was well according to them, they did the usual brakes/gears etc. and only needed to replace the chain/brake pads (I have replaced them myself previously, not getting 6000 miles out of those :smile: )

Should relieve any fears anyone has about the durability of a £300 bike - It feels tight as a button after the pro-fettle and has survived my mechanic skills!
 

Edwards80

Über Member
Location
Stockport, UK
You are going to race on your's next year too right?

Hopefully not :biggrin: I'm planning on getting something a bit nicer for club runs and racing and will keep this one as a winter trainer/commuter with mudguards etc. - I'd have no problem racing on it though to be honest!
 

400bhp

Guru
Just thought I'd add another post here after having my bike serviced this week.

I've had it for 10 months now and done nearly 6000 miles total on it, I'd maintained it myself up until this week, just learning from guides on the web/videos. Decided to splash out and get it fully serviced by my LBS - all was well according to them, they did the usual brakes/gears etc. and only needed to replace the chain/brake pads (I have replaced them myself previously, not getting 6000 miles out of those :smile: )

Should relieve any fears anyone has about the durability of a £300 bike - It feels tight as a button after the pro-fettle and has survived my mechanic skills!

Would you recommend the LBS? How much was the service?

I'm gonna get a full service at the end of the year on my caad9 - Evans is the easiest for me to get to and charge about £90 for a full strip down.
 

NickJ95GB

Senior Member
Location
Fife
Day 4 of owning a Triban 3 and absolutely loving it - the step up from my hybrid is ridiculous, and riding with drops compared to flats is just awesome. Second day of owning it I shaved 2 mins off my PB time, 11 mins down to 9...it's THAT fun to ride :biggrin:
how far?
 

ian s

New Member
I have decided to go for a Triban 3. I looked at other bikes from £600 up and was going to get one of them through cycle to work. However, I didn't want to buy something and end up not using so at £300 the Triban 3 isn't too expensive. If I don't end up cycling at all there is decent resale value. If I only cycle once a month, I haven't spent too much and if I cycle loads I can change up and still do it through cycle to work.

I was down in Decathlon tonight and tried two sizes. The 54 and 57. I'm 5' 9'' (175cm) which according to the in-store size guide puts me exactly between the two sizes. The guy in-store said saddle height can be adjusted so both could end up similar enough. The only real difference I could feel was the distance the handlebars were away from me. I felt I was reaching slightly with the 57 which has made to lean towards the 54. I haven't ridden a road bike before so I don't know if this is normal or desirable.

Does the 54 sound like what I should be going for?

Hi Harvey, just to throw a spanner in the works, and despite a very helpful conversation with Alan 57, I went for the 57 frame, main reason being there were no 54s anywhere in the country and Decathlon had little idea about when they were coming in. I'd had a go on a friend's 54 and thought I could go a size bigger. I wanted to get a few good weeks riding to work in the sunshine so thought I'd try a 57 straight off rather than wait until mid Oct. My reach is 173cm and inside leg 34".
Turns out it's fine. Been riding three times a week for about 7 weeks plus a couple of longer Sunday rides and love it! It's my first road bike since my 10 speed Elswick Sovereign, aged 13, just before ET came out and I got into BMX then mountain bikes!
I have made a few tweaks (bars tilted upwards, seat shifted forward) and do feel a bit more stretched than the 54 but prefer it personally as I'm a bit more streamlined when on the hoods. My back up plan was to get a shorter stem but really don't feel the need. The top tube is 3cm longer than the 54 and you could always cancel that out with a 90mm stem, rather than the current 120.
You've done the best thing by sitting on them both in the shop (I couldn't face a 5 hour return trip to Lakeside).
I found the whole decision pretty stressful and am glad I found this thread, but I am happy on either the 54 or 57. If in any doubt, and given Alan57's experiences, I would go for the 54cm, especially seeing as they've got them in.
I will gladly confirm what everyone else says and it's a great bike. Plus being half of your budget, you can blow the rest on accessories / clothing with a clear conscience. My wife made me tot up all the 'little' £10-£20 Wiggle essentials and it's just hit £200!
My original plan was to bike in up til half-term (now) but just don't want to stop for the winter so just invested in Crud roadracer 2 mudguards and DhB shoe covers.
Hope this helps. Life's not easy for us 5'9 ers!
 
Top Bottom