Hello!
I’m interested in buying my first bicycle as it was something I really enjoyed as a kid, and would like to start practicing it again. I’ve been trying to understand the differences between each bicycle, but I find myself more confused day by day. Also I’m on a budget, so I was searching for bicycles among the Decathlon website. I don’t need anything too professional, but I also want to buy something with quality that’ll last sometime.
I would like to use the bicycle mostly in street (city) and sometimes on gravel. Not for long distances, just casual. I came across these two models (I’ll post it in the UK website, but I’m buying them in Portugal, so the prices are slightly lower):
[Hybrid Bike Riverside 700 – Grey/Orange RIVERSIDE | Decathlon](https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hybrid-bike-riverside-700-grey-orange/_/R-p-341646?mc=8751945) \- 429 EUR
[HYBRID BIKE RIVERSIDE 920 – Grey RIVERSIDE | Decathlon](https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hybrid-bike-riverside-920-grey/_/R-p-300795) \- 789 EUR
[BICICLETA DE TREKKING RIVERSIDE 920 SRAM NX RIVERSIDE – Decathlon](https://www.decathlon.pt/p/bicicleta-de-trekking-riverside-920-sram-nx/_/R-p-352473?mc=8867392) \- 689 EUR (this one I couldn’t find on any English site, but it is currently with a 200 EUR discount)
Between these 3 options, which one would you recommend for a beginner? Is the 300€ justifiable for the 920?
I’d like to spend at most 500€, but if it makes a big difference I could try and stretch it. Also, are there any other models, in this price range, in Decathlon that you’d recommend instead of these 3 models?
For reference, these are what I mean by gravel (maybe that’s not the correct name):
[expo-98.-lisboa.-k1.jpg (1431×1284) (wordpress.com)](https://jardinessinfronteras.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/expo-98.-lisboa.-k1.jpg)
[8146cda6-f5b5-4fe3-8f73-b6e52d959c42.jpg (1600×1067) (cdn-hotels.com)](https://a.cdn-hotels.com/gdcs/production44/d599/8146cda6-f5b5-4fe3-8f73-b6e52d959c42.jpg)
Thank you guys in advance!
by spod3rman
1 Comment
Honestly these three bikes are very similar – the only difference is the quality of the components. The two 920s are essentially the same bike, are you sure that they sell both versions in Portuguese Decathlon?
Regarding wether it’s worth it to spend the extra money: If you’re just riding around the city and not for long, I think the cheaper bike would be fine. If you want your bike to last, taking good care of it (keeping it inside, lubricating the chain, regular maintenance and change if consumables) is a far bigger factor than wether you have slightly better parts. Or, in other words: all three of these bikes are going to work well if you treat them right, but they’ll also all be annoying if you don’t.
Apart from that, I think [this bike](https://www.decathlon.pt/p/mp/cloot-bike/bicicleta-trekking-cloot-tourning-700/_/R-p-153edd1f-a4fa-44d7-ae9e-70c2b957d1b6?mc=153edd1f-a4fa-44d7-ae9e-70c2b957d1b6_c306&c=CASTANHO) would be almost better than either of the three you posted. The suspension fork on the ones you showed basically serves no purpose, and you’d be better off with a lighter bike with narrower tires.
I’d also encourage you to look at the used market (if there is one where you live), many bike shops stock used bikes where 400€ will probably buy you a nicer bike than these Decathlon ones.