Decathlon is far from a household name in North America, but the sporting goods retailer is a true behemoth in Europe. Think of them as the Target version of REI: plenty of in-house brands offering value-packed goods targeted at the outdoor industry. Their latest round of bikes displayed at the Sea Otter 2023 show off how serious they are about their bikes.
We’ll cover Decathalon and their brands – Van Rysel for road and Riverside for gravel – more down the line. In the meantime, here’s a teaser of what they have now and to come. Notables include solid entry-level carbon road bikes, a titanium gravel bike that somehow costs less than the deposit on a Moots titanium frame, and a high-end tri bike one might see Continental teams use in the near future.
Decathalon’s adventure and gravel subbrand is called Riverside. This one is the Riverside GRVL 900 Ti, featuring a Fulcrum Rapid Red Gravel wheelset, Shimano GRX one-by drivetrain, and a titanium frameset made by Italian tubing manufacturer Dedacciai. (Photo: Alvin Holbrook/CyclingTips)
There are a few things missing from this bike for being a titanium gravel bike. The lack of a top tube bag mount isn’t a big deal, but it is a notable-enough omission. (Photo: Alvin Holbrook/CyclingTips)The Shimano GRX drivetrain is nice to see. The frame is 1x and 2x capable and fits a 700c x 45 mm tire. (Photo: Alvin Holbrook/CyclingTips)The seattube notes the GRVL 900 Ti uses a 3AL-2.5V version of titanium tubing. This isn’t particularly exotic tubing by any means, but based on the tube shapes it should ride pretty well. I would have to see the geometry chart – and ride it on a long-term test – to determine that to be clear. (Photo: Alvin Holbrook/CyclingTips)Some detail on the weld for the downtube cable stops on the GRVL 900 Ti. This is an example of the downtube cable stops. (Photo: Alvin Holbrook/CyclingTips)This is the Van Rysel RCR Force. Van Rysel is Decathalon’s road bike sub-brand, and the brand has some serious ambitions, including racing in the pro peloton. Van Rysel claims the RCR Force was co-designed for ONERA, a French Aerospace Lab known for their aerodynamics work. This SRAM Force-equipped bike is said to retail at $6999 US. (Photo: Alvin Holbrook/CyclingTips)There are two versions of the frame that will be available, including a mid-modulus carbon fiber frame, and a lighter high-modulus carbon frame that Decathalon says pro teams will be riding in the near future. (Photo: Alvin Holbrook/CyclingTips)The RCR road bike uses Deda’s ACR internal cable routing option. (Photo: Alvin Holbrook/CyclingTips) They’re proud that the bike was “Designed in Flanders.” And look at that seattube junction! Look at those aerodynamics in action. (Photo: Alvin Holbrook/CyclingTips)There are few details on the Van Rysel XCR TT bike, but it looks like some serious work was put into their time trial bike. (Photo: Alvin Holbrook/CyclingTips)The coordinates here go to Kipstadium, an indoor gym and sports center owned by Decathlon just outside Roubaix. The dropouts were well-finished, something I find new brands often miss when they’re building new bikes. (Photo: Alvin Holbrook/CyclingTips)Designed in Flanders. (Photo: Alvin Holbrook/CyclingTips)
