I just ordered a Riverside 520 touring from Decathlon. I before had plans to rebuild an old mtb Nishiki Bombardier frame but then I turned it upside down I saw the fram was damaged under and then I tried to remove the bottom bracket it broke in peaces. So just angry with myself I decided to never buy a used bike again…or at least for some years. But how is the Decathlon Riverside 520? Is it good enough for doing the Euro velo 15? I don’t have much money to spend so.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/touring-bike-riverside-520-blue/_/R-p-332407
by Garrincha88
17 Comments
Yes.
17kg, It’s very heavy!
How much climbing do you have to do on that route? I can’t find details on the gear ratio but it looks close to 1 to 1 and I prefer my climbing gears to be smaller than that.
I have one, it’s tamagochi bike 🙂 It is really good for longer trips, but you definitely have to know, how to do some essential repairs.
Thing that really annoys me, is chain retention. The cogs have to be clean and properly oiled, the derailleur precisely set, the chain has to be in good shape etc., otherwise, you will have frequent chain drops. Narrow-wide chainring might help.
I did EV15 this year. That bike will be great for it. It’s a very suitable bike for most European cycle touring other than the most challenging uphill parts (because it doesn’t have very low gears). But EV15 has very little climbing so no problem.
Is the front rack an extra option? I don’t see it listed with the Riverside 520.
I used to build these, they’re extremely heavy bikes. I recommend a road bike with front and back aluminium pannier racks. This is more designed for urban commuting
If you really want a decathlon bike, get a triban with carbon forks, fit fronts and back aluminium racks – you’ll have a better, lighter bike for less money.
Anecdotally I know someone who rode this bike from the Netherlands to the south of France with little issue.
As others have mentioned you might have issues with components and reliability but it’s viable.
I have one – haven’t made it on a long tour yet, but excited to!
It’s a great bike for the price. Very very heavy is the main issue IMO, but it’s sturdy, straightforward, and feels very sure-footed and safe. The gearing isn’t set up to go thru the Alps I don’t think, but it’s designed to cope with Europe just fine. I assume you can switch out the front chainring to the triple chainring the 920 has if you’re looking to upgrade. The other issue is the tyres, they feel pretty heavy, I’m considering switching them out for something lighter.
I also have an 80s Dawes Galaxy, which is more fun/nippy to ride but I would prefer the Riverside for serious touring as the brakes are much much better, hydraulic disk brakes are awesome.
EV15 is the Rhein, right? I did that trip and this bike would be great for it (as would anything that has a pannier rack and that you can ride on gravel on).
I bought this bike but I returned it to Decathlon after having ridden 20 km only. It is extremely heavy and the crankset very big. Many users use to replace the tyres by lighter ones.
I don’t agree with the opinion that says that no matter the weight of the bike if is for touring.
It is impossible to ride with this bike.
I wouldn’t buy this bike just because they ripped off the 520 designation from the legendary Trek 520. Lame.
I did (most of) this actual route on this actual bike.
It’s great for the job especially when you don’t care about speed that much. Like others said; it’s heavy. Switching the stocktires to some lighter ones helps a lot. (its about getting the wheels in motion)
I also did the route on a 12yo btwin racingbike. I must say that was more fun, but also more repairs. (spokes especially)
Also upgrading mine with a usb charging thing.
The gearing is a bit tight for hilly terrain but doable.
520 was the Trek designation for their tourer. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it is a touring bike.
It may be worth paying a bike shop to tension check the wheel tension before setting out on a loaded tour, as lower-end bikes usually have machine-built wheels that can be prone to going out of true on a long ride with a heavy load.
The spokes are also galvanized as opposed to stainless, which means they’ll probably eventually corrode. Only after a few years though.
Did they really have to name it with 520? Posers
Looks pretty solid. I would swap out the seat post, saddle and maybe a shorter stem.