Triban 3

[Widge]

Hi Ian....

You are at almost exactly the same stage as me with my Triban 3.......it puts a smile on my face too!

Had it about 7 weeks now. Out 2 or three times a week on short blasts and longer rides at w/ends. I am 5' 8-1/2" so went for a 54 inch frame. swapped and flipped the stem for a 90 cm and fit is just right for me...a little upright...but I can flip back and stretch out by moving the saddle back as I become more acclimatised to a road bike. I too have by now spent couple of hundred quid (perhaps a little less-but my wif hasn't made me add it up!) on bits and bobs (including a whole armful of 'Aldi' stuff from their special day last month) and feel I now have t'the Gear' for a very modest outlay.

Like you......I thought I'd probably wind down a bit for the winter by Half Term...maybe revert to my trusty but rusty MTB for the mucky months at least...but am really smitten with the Triban and would like to keep riding her, even though the lanes around here are treacherous in bad weather.

So....I TOO (this is getting spooky) have the Crud roadrace mkII mudguards sitting in the box awaiting the day I am brave enough to face the (seemingly) daunting fitting task. Let me know how you get on!

All Best

w

 

[tribanjules]

Widge i fitted the cruds to my triban3 this week - no problems at all.
just a minor tweak as it sounds like a litttle rub going on somewhere under the front brake assy.
Otherwise no trouble at all

 

[Edwards80]

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.

I took it to Bikeshak in Altrincham. It's 2 mins from the office. £50 + parts for the service and the parts are well priced.

Beware though, they have some extremely lovely bikes in the shop - keep the blinkers on

 

[400bhp]

I took it to Bikeshak in Altrincham. It's 2 mins from the office. £50 + parts for the service and the parts are well priced.

Beware though, they have some extremely lovely bikes in the shop - keep the blinkers on

Is that a full strip down? Cheap for that.

I've been in there - nice bikes

 

[Edwards80]

Is that a full strip down? Cheap for that.

I've been in there - nice bikes

Not sure as to what extent they strip it down but they said they check everything over for wear/play - there are notes on the receipt saying they checked the headset/bb etc.

It smelt of WD40 (or another of the lovely smelling water displacers) too. Bonus

 

[ian s]

Hi Ian....

You are at almost exactly the same stage as me with my Triban 3.......it puts a smile on my face too!

Had it about 7 weeks now. Out 2 or three times a week on short blasts and longer rides at w/ends. I am 5' 8-1/2" so went for a 54 inch frame. swapped and flipped the stem for a 90 cm and fit is just right for me...a little upright...but I can flip back and stretch out by moving the saddle back as I become more acclimatised to a road bike. I too have by now spent couple of hundred quid (perhaps a little less-but my wif hasn't made me add it up!) on bits and bobs (including a whole armful of 'Aldi' stuff from their special day last month) and feel I now have t'the Gear' for a very modest outlay.

Like you......I thought I'd probably wind down a bit for the winter by Half Term...maybe revert to my trusty but rusty MTB for the mucky months at least...but am really smitten with the Triban and would like to keep riding her, even though the lanes around here are treacherous in bad weather.

So....I TOO (this is getting spooky) have the Crud roadrace mkII mudguards sitting in the box awaiting the day I am brave enough to face the (seemingly) daunting fitting task. Let me know how you get on!

All Best

w

Hi Widge,

Glad you're enjoying yer Triban too. Gutted that I missed the Aldi day as there is one less than a mile away. The cruds are reasonably OK to fit but had to resort to watching the vids on youtube for reassurance

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrB6DRk2cwE
is good for an overview and

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuyRZ3hAjrU
is invaluable for tweaking. Took about an hour in total but no rubbing at all, even after bumpy first ride!

Don't be hasty in sawing the front of the rear guard like I did to get it to fit behind the chainset! After my hasty hacksaw surgey, I realised hadn't quite got the guard in the right place, moved it round and found I had a MUCH bigger gap than I needed. Probably didn't need to saw it at all, however it's just still long enough to keep the chainset clear.

They don't spoil the bike as much as I thought and the best bit is that they have obviously included the old mk 1 tail for the rear mudguard which is a lot shorter, looks great and still keeps yer bum and back dry but following riders won't like you! If you don't use the sticky pad as suggested, then you can switch to the longer rear mk 2 tail when / if you're riding in a group and return to the Mk 1 for solo efforts / commuting.

Happy fixing, if you haven't already,

All the best, Ian

PS: Jeez, didn't realise it would actually include the two vids until I posted! Taking up rather a lot of room here, sorry!

 

[harveymt]

I'd been hmming and haaing over buying bikes for ages but starting new contract on Monday which is based probably a 10 min bike ride away but would take 30 mins by car. You have to go a few main roads which are horrific for traffic.

Tried the 54 and 57 again in the shop. 54 still felt good, the bike didn't feel as big. I had a longer ride on the 57. It felt big getting on and off though when I was riding I felt ok on it. I was swaying towards the 54 as I would be commuting on it and a smaller bike would be easier if I was getting on and off it. One of the bike guys helped me out then. I felt a little stretched out on the 57 but he reckoned I looked better on the 57 and called over the store manager who agreed. They spent some time messing around with the bike. They flipped the handlebar stem, twisted up the handlebars a bit and the bike felt a lot better. I rode it a bit more and decided to go for the 57.

They've set it aside for me and I'm picking it up tomorrow. Probably won't be riding it for a few days as I have no accessories yet so I'll have to wait till they're delivered.

I'll report back in a few weeks when I've riden it a bit with what I think.

And a thumbs up to Decathlon too. Good bike and good sales people too.

 

[Randomeur]

Morning all. Another one going through the umms and errs re sizing for the Triban 3. At 5' 10" I ride with the saddle top 76cm over the BB centre (measured up the seat tube), but seem to be a bit of a stunter from the waist up and have always had to fit short stems on 23" road bikes with 57cm top tubes.

So, I'm teetering between a 54 and a 57 Triban 3 - after a childhood of time-trial crucifixion on over-long cast-off bikes (which put me off riding for years after) instinct says go for the 54, but the few details I've seen suggest the actual seat tube length on a 54 is 45cm, which makes me worry that I could end up with the seat post out way above the minimum insert. Can anyone confirm:
a) the actual seat tube lengths on a 54 and 57
b) the virtual top tube lengths for each (measured horizontally stem to seat post centre to centre)
c) the actual height of the stem at the headset (measured vertically from the ground, the better to determine the 'arse in the air' factor).

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer.

 

[Smoggie_87]

Sorry to bump the thread, but this seemed like the right place to put it.

I originally walked out of the store on Sunday with the 57. Having got it home, I wasn't entirely convinced with the fit. I'm 5' 10" with an inside leg of 30". I felt very stretched, even with the seat all of the way forward, and my elbows were fully locked out. Went back today and swapped it for a 54 (they didn't have any 54s set-up on Sunday). Felt so much better as soon as I was on it.

 

[danjanoob]

^^^

I dont understand how youre 5'10 and the 54 feels right, but im 5'7 and the 57 feels right. The 54 felt tiny for me.

 

[Smoggie_87]

^^^

I dont understand how youre 5'10 and the 54 feels right, but im 5'7 and the 57 feels right. The 54 felt tiny for me.

If you look through this thread/forum you'll see quite a few 5' 10" folk leaning either way. Different body proportions, leg measurements, reach, upper body length etc to consider.

 

[danjanoob]

If you look through this thread/forum you'll see quite a few 5' 10" folk leaning either way. Different body proportions, leg measurements, reach, upper body length etc to consider.

Yeah I see what you mean. It makes me worry i picked the wrong size as sometimes i find myself too forward on the saddle. But the 54 just felt cramped. Going to move my saddle forward and see if that helps. People also talk of the 'stem' but no idea how to change or adjust that.

 

[Deleted member 20519]

I'm 5'5 and I have the 54

 

[malcermie]

5' 8" and 54 is perfect

 

[Widge]

5ft 8 and a half" and the 54 is perfect for me. Don't forget....you pretty much have enough adjustment in saddle layback/height and stem length to be able to take a bike up or down a size. Adjust as well as you can to fit.