No I won't buy my bike from Decathlon
19 Apr 2024
- Version française
I'm a big fan of Decathlon. Really! In fact, I just came back from there, where I bought some merino t-shirts: comfortable, lightweight, super practical for traveling, and affordable. For me, Decathlon is a bit like the IKEA of sports: I always have something to buy there, in one department or another. And yet it always bothers me when I hear a friend say: "I'm looking for a mountain bike/gravel/road bike for 200/500/1000€ and I found a Rockrider/Triban/Btwin that fits the bill"
In almost all cases, it's more advantageous to buy a second-hand bike: either sold by a private seller, or refurbished by a professional workshop or a community bike workshop. I would say the only exception is when you absolutely insist on buying new, and with a limited budget.
0 to 200€
It's simply not possible to manufacture a quality bike at this price point. A bike is a frame and components: brakes, derailleur, crankset, fork... At this price, you can expect these components to be low-end and to go out of adjustment or break quickly. It's better to buy an older, better-equipped bike. Even a second-hand Decathlon bike, but a higher-end one! And for more style, there are plenty of bikes from the 90s in this price range (like my Vitus 🌈🐎). But let's be honest: if you want to fix up the bike yourself, it will probably exceed the initial budget. I still think it's worth it in the long run.
200 to 500€
This is the sweet spot of the second-hand market. You can find a huge variety of models on Le Bon Coin: Specialized, Trek, Orbea, carbon bikes, steel bikes... In this price range, you can buy a bike and replace the most important wear parts while staying within budget: brake/derailleur cables, tires, chain, handlebar tape.
500 to 1000€
In this range, Decathlon bikes become quite competitive with models from other brands. But at this price, you can find very high-end second-hand models! Especially on troc-velo.com where sellers are on average more knowledgeable than elsewhere. But you can also find some rarer brands on Le Bon Coin, like Surly or Salsa. At this price, it's worth traveling a bit to see a bike before buying it, which allows you to widen your search area. And if you're not handy, you can take the bike to a bike shop to have it refurbished.
I've already talked four friends out of buying their bike from D4 ✌️ And they're all super happy. Life's too short to ride a crappy bike!