Btwin Triban 540 Road Bike CN (2017) - Review

The Btwin Triban 54 is made using a 661-T6 aluminium alloy frame that is lightweight, sturdy and versatile. The frame design and geometry has been modified on this year's bicycle with a sloping top-tube, a shorter frame geometry, and a head tube for integrated headset. The short frame geometry enables a relatively more upright, comfortable riding position than the standard position for most road bicycles. The design facilitates a non-aggressive, comfort-oriented ride. The frame has a plethora of features to up its versatility. Starting from its unusual riding position to the fact that this bicycle has mounting provisions for front and rear guards and, remarkably, the same for front and rear pannier racks. This means you can use it for light touring too. Additionally, there is adequate clearance for wider tires too. This makes this bicycle a versatile touring-aimed road bicycle. Remarkably, the fork on this bicycle is a Btwin Sport fork with carbon blades and an aluminium headset with a 1-1/8” headtube that provides immense strength and rigidity to the steering set-up. This fork perfectly combines strength, low weight and precision.

The Btwin Triban 54 comes equipped with a complete Shimano Tiagra groupset. At the given price point of this bicycle, the components used in this department are noteworthy and will surely raise eyebrows and thumbs alike. There must be a catch,right? Nothing! The shifting was indeed incredibly smooth and precise, with immediate transition of the gears. The 2-speed gearing provides enormous options in terms of gear combinations, and hence adds to the versatility of this road bicycle – enabling it to be a well performing sportive, tourer or racing bicycle. At the given price range, not much can compare to Btwin's Triban 54.

Developed and designed in Flanders, Belgium, the Btwin Triban 54 is not only a well-performing road bicycle, it also looks phenomenal. The neat design featuring clean lines and colour enhance the sleekness of this mean machine. To add to the eye-pleasing aesthetics, the bar tape on the handlebar and drops is colour co-ordinated with the colours on the frame. It is available in one colour – A blue and red coloured frame with white branding.

The Btwin Triban 54 comes equipped with Btwin Sport dual-pivot brake callipers, with a long-reach pivot for easy mounting of a mudguard. The brake levers are Tektro aluminium brake levers. With great components right across, this is the only area where the performance was a little bit of a let-down. The stoppage power of these brakes wasn’t remarkable. It was powerful when the momentum gathered was not very much, however at higher speeds, braking was not as effective or powerful as one might hope for it to be. The soft, unpowered braking can put a lot of strain on one's hands, especially on descents. This bicycle comes equipped with a Btwin Sport handlebar. The design of the handlebar and the drops ensures an all-round comfortable riding experience. The compact handlebar stem and length ensure efficient control of the cycle, when on the saddle. The reach to the drops is completely non-aggressive adding to the comfort, giving the rider more options when on the saddle for a longer period. The tape on the handle bar and drops offer great grip and added comfort. Very commendable.

The Triban 54 comes equipped with extremely impressive, Shimano RS11 wheels and Btwin Resist 9 tires. The wheels are impressively sleek, and fast-rolling. The impeccable performance in this department adds to the overall quality of the ride. The stock saddle on the Triban 54 is the new Btwin Ergo fit saddle. When tested, the saddle was comfortable for a short distance and then felt slightly on the harder side. This maybe a slight downer when considering making long distance rides, especially for a tourer. That said, this can’t be a major thumbs-down, as there is nothing that a good pair of cycling shorts can’t fix!