Titan Switch Sport or the Triban GRVL 520

[Keegan Murrell]

Hi all,

I'm looking to get a gravel bike as my first bike and have narrowed down my choices to the Titan Switch Sport and the Triban GRVL 520. The Triban has great components and lots of positive reviews, but I've heard excellent things about Titan bikes, especially for the price.

Has anyone had experience with either bike? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[RossTopher]

no experience with either but just a comment: that triban is currently on an insane sale price. 12k but only in size small (although their sizes are big).

[Keegan Murrell]

Hi Ross! 

Thanks for replying! Thank goodness I am a small, the titan is also on an insane special at the moment 

 

[RossTopher]

hey Keegan. on paper, my money would go in the direction of the Triban.

Triban wins on the following fronts: groupset, gearing, brakes, geometry
Titan wins on on: wheel size and thru axles 

the real downside of the Triban is the Quick Release dropouts. not the end of the world but upgrading wheels down the line may be a pain to find QR end-caps. it also isnt an ideal setup for a disk-brake bike. the rims are tubeless ready and you get nice chunky tubeless ready tyres. 650b tyres are harder to find if you're changing, but the hutchinsons are quality and will have a long life. the bike also works for 700c wheels (up to 42c)

the sram apex groupset is superb. an 11-42 cassette and 40t chainring is perfect for gravel riding, and its reliable as anything. the TRP HY/RD brakes are also a neat option, the reliability of cables if you're out in the wilderness, with almost all of the power of hydraulic brakes. the Rear Derailleur can be pushed, and you can change the chainring if you want more speed (i went to a 44 up front on a similar setup)

the titan is a slightly racier geometry, but the gearing is appalling for a gravel bike. an 11-28 cassette is not fit for purpose, and it has a boat anchor crank and bb (square taper). the wheels are neat, and depending on the shop you may get tubeless ready Vittorias (see if they have it on the side). some shops give you the garbage tyres. the tires also get eaten real quick, expect to have about 1000km tops. the frame is pretty much maxed at a 40c tyre.

thru axles mean wheel upgrades will be easy, and they're just a better solution than QR.
the rear derailleur and shifters are 9 speed, so you'll be fairly limited on gearing, but at least new cassettes, chains etc are super cheap. the derailleur will need an extender if you're going to 34 at the back. Microshift say 30 is the cap.

the brakes are full mechanical and many will say they are garbage, but i have 2 friends riding bikes with those calipers and have never complained about the braking.

[RossTopher]

another thing to consider is where additional costs may come from. i am thinking changing bar and stem to get the fit right.

i think the titan comes with a standard width bar, which is quite wide and very flared. the Triban bar and stem combo's complement the frame size, as to the crank lengths

[mecheng89]

Titan, 5 year warranty. Full stop.

[RossTopher]

46 minutes ago, mecheng89 said:

Titan, 5 year warranty. Full stop.

Decathlon have a lifetime warranty on the frame, bar and stem, and 2 years on components. 

Keen to be corrected, but isn't the titan only valid if you don't change components. 

 

Anyway, not to deviate, either will be perfectly suitable for Keegan as a starter bike. 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Get the one that gives you goosebumps on your scrotum when you look at it. The rest you can adapt to 😉

[Mongoose!]

33 minutes ago, RossTopher said:

 

Keen to be corrected, but isn't the titan only valid if you don't change components. 

 

A while back there was a threat of the importance of servicing the bike at an "authorized" dealer yearly not to void the "warrantee". Scott was lucky to get out of the warrantee claim as it was not "serviced". 

Any experiences if this is applicable for these entry level gravel bikes as well? 🤔

[Spy007]

What about the rook Scout. Love mine and see there are a few on sale

[Bike Dewing]

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/gravel-bikes/730281/scott-speedster-10

My Scott speedster in this same colour way has brought me so much joy.! I love it so much.. 

thinks to note however.. those shifters are really sh$t, I replaced them with ultegra hydraulic and the breaks work really well now and much more positive shifting experience.. but if the ones on that bike are working nicely then they are quite a big profile and actually really comfortable.. the tyre clearance isn’t great for a gravel bike, I bought mine with 40’s on and they were actually rubbing the frame and damaging the carbon forks I went to 35 and it’s enough clearance..(with no mud though, if mud is involved you might still have problems🤷🏼‍♂️) if you want big tyres it’s not for you.. I ride mine mainly on road so doesn’t bother me.. 

I just love mine so much I wanted to talk about it.! 😃🤣🤣

Edited June 19 by Bichael Dewing

[Keegan Murrell]

Hey Guys! thanks for all the responses! I ended up pulling the trigger with a Triban GRVL 520. It's got plenty of reviews and the majority are great, especially since this is an entry-level bike! Huge shoutout to @RossTopher, you ultimately helped me make my decision!  

[RossTopher]

Nice one @Keegan Murrell. 
I am sure you will be more than happy with your purchase, and no matter what you ended up with, you're on 2 wheels, so you've won already.
happy riding, i am sure the bug will bite hard, enjoy it.