Triban RC120 Disc Road Bike

The Triban RC120 Disc is an entry-level road bike with mechanical disc brakes from Continental budget bike maestro Triban/Decathlon. With almost faultless ride manners, a perfectly practical spec and the extra incentive of that enhanced stopping power, the RC120 Disc has more potential as a high-mileage road machine than its price might suggest.

• Pros: All-round surefooted ride performance, easy-to-live-with frame geometry, brakes better than expected
• Cons: Little bit heavy, shifters feel a little plasticky, misses just a touch of excitement

> Find your nearest Decathlon store here

The Ride

I've mainly been testing flat-bar commuting bikes and hybrids over the last 12 months, but hopping aboard the Triban RC120 Disc was like reconnecting with an old friend. That's great news for the new or lapsed road cyclists who this entry-level bike is aimed at. Handling is absolutely secure with very little upsetting the Triban's progress. It's comfortable too, both in terms of position and in its ability to filter out the worst of your route's road surfaces.

That bump isolation doesn't come at the cost of efficiency. Start turning up the wick a little and power delivery is decent: keeping a high cruising tempo is a particularly satisfying pleasure. Fast flat sections or moderate climbs are dealt with ease and even more testing challenges benefit from the RC120 Disc's stable ride, which allows out-of-the-saddle efforts to be handled without drama. It is pretty much exactly what anybody wanting a friendly, benign road bike would hope for.

Really take the bike by the horns, though, and there is a slight blemish. The most noticeable is that accelerating and sprinting are less rewarding than high-speed cruising. Part of the reason for that can be attributed to some of the speccing and design choices, such as the 28mm tyres and sturdy wheels, which are hardly unrefined bloaters but just enough to take the edge off from-the-line sprightliness.

Meanwhile, the relatively large (by contemporary standards) rear triangle and tall head tube creates a nice 'n' high riding position that, while far from turgid, feels just a little less lively than some.

Frame

Of course that geometry does have its perks. Even for creaky old fools who prefer life on the hoods, it's not too intimidating and actually tempting to get down on the drops. If you'd rather stay upright, it's a bike that you could happily tick along on for hours. The overall weight of almost 11.5kg seems a tad lardy, though.

In terms of the frame, the 6061 T6 aluminium has been manipulated so we have a range of tube shapes, such as the massive square-edged down tube.

The RC120 doesn't have the undersize rear triangle found on other Tribans further up the range, but that's fine – I quite like the fact that Triban's lower models eschew fashion and retain some more traditional design details. Indeed, even the compact frame's sloping top tube is probably seen as slightly old-fashioned these days.

Leading the way out front is a carbon bladed fork. It's effective at taking the sting out of the road and it even features front rack mounts should you want to turn this into an ultra-fast tourer.

Front-end control is excellent, as I am very happy to attest to. During testing, it was certainly responsive enough to steer me out of the way of an oncoming car that had careered three-quarters of the way across my lane, desperate to nip up a side road. (It's the only time I've had drivers pull alongside me afterwards like a team car to compare notes about how close I was to being squashed.)

Gears and brakes

When it comes to mechanical performance, the Triban exceeds expectations and the relatively low-rent componentry has a secure feel to it all. Connoisseurs won't confuse the Microshift front mech (not Shimano front derailleur, as listed on Decathlon's website), rear mech and shifters with Mr Shimano's finest – they're not as smooth or quiet in operation – but gear changes are positive and didn't miss a beat in the Triban's time with me. The shifters are probably the weakest part of that trio because, although the hoods are comfy, the general operation feels just a little plasticky.

One gift from Japan via Malaysia is the Shimano Tourney compact (50/34) chainset which, combined with the 8-speed 11-34t Microshift cassette, offers a really broad range of gearing ratios. To be honest, I've become so used to using 1x systems recently, I rarely got out of the big ring at the front, but everything performed well.

Rather against my expectations, that positivity extends to the Promax mechanical disc brakes, which are quietly impressive. Modulation is definitely better than the typical cheapo calliper brakes found at this point in the market and outright power is good, too. Add in the potential to retain your braking ability in the rain, and any potential purchaser who decides to upgrade to this model over the £350 rim-braked Triban RC120 is, in my opinion, making a very wise choice.

Wheels and components

Part of the reason for the brakes' effectiveness comes thanks to the 28mm ResistProtect+ clincher tyres I mentioned earlier. As I said, they might dampen bursts of acceleration slightly, but high-tempo cruising seems to run a nice course between comfort, stability and efficiency. They provide really good grip and just enough security without completely taking the edge off of the Triban's quest for speed.

In any case, you might not want to keep these clincher tyres as they are because the Triban RC120 Disc has another ace up its sleeve: tubeless ready wheels. The own-brand aluminium rims roll smoothly on sealed hubs and certainly don't detract from the ride quality, and having the option to go tubeless on a £400 bike (yeah, okay £399.99) is very nice indeed.

While the fairly standard aluminium stem and seatpost spark few thrills, there are some other quite positive speccing touches.

For the type of newbie riders who are most likely to buy the Triban RC120 Disc, a saddle will no doubt be an exciting first upgrade but there's no need to rush into it because the Triban Ergofit is more than good enough to get you started.

I also liked the ergonomic, almost wing-like handlebar, which provides plenty of room to rest your palms on top of the chunky bar tape.

Value and conclusion

There was a time when Triban/B'Twin completely ruled the roost at the entry end of the 'proper' road bike market, but the brand doesn't have it all its own way anymore. The £420 Pinnacle Laterite 1 has a classy and slightly more sporty aluminium frame, carbon fork, Shimano Claris 2x8-speed setup and Tektro calliper brakes. Meanwhile, over at Halfords, the Carrera Vanquish Disc features an alloy frame, carbon fork, Claris gearset and Tektro mechanical discs for £425.

> Buyer's Guide: 9 of the best road bikes under £500

But another aspect in the Triban RC120 Disc's favour is its obvious potential versatility. For relatively inexperienced riders, it's a very safe welcome to the world of fast drop-bar bikes. With rack mounts front and back, it could also be a high-speed commuter. And for more experienced hands, with that potential to go tubeless, it could make for a surprisingly effective aluminium winter training bike too.

It also unquestionably upholds its forebears' honour as an entry-level option that offers a real road-bike ride experience. If you prefer long-ride comfort, stability and efficiency to occasional short blasts, it would be hard to better the Triban RC120 Disc at this price.

Verdict

Fast, stable and ultra-reliable entry-level road bike that forgoes fireworks for long-term and long-distance enjoyment