Raw textile or clothes are fine, I agree. I’ve seen a lot of issues in anything that implies moving parts or frequent assembling: bicycles, tents, rollers, etc. Nothing extremely bad but, as I said, I preferred to pay a bit more to get better equipment on my bikes elsewhere.
A bit more details on that “throwing away” part: there are often people who come to the workshop and ask to upgrade their equipment. They want to get a new set of tyres/inner tubes before a new bike season, set up new handles, change wrist watch batteries, etc. We were asked to always puncture old tyres, cut handles in half, etc. The watches case was infuriating to me: battery replacement was 5€, the same amount as a new basic watch. We were asked to just offer people new watches and throw away old ones so no one could retrieve it from trash and use it later. I never did anything of those and resigned shortly.
oh man my decathlon bicycle freaking Rocked for 6 years until I sold it when I left the country, and those decathlon one second tents are still my favorite tents from any store.
extremely durable fabric, poles, webbing even zippers.
where are you getting higher quality equipment?
I visited every sports store I could while in Europe and the states comment I couldn’t find anything as high quality as the products I used in decathlon.
I’m traveling again now, so I want to check out recommendations for a competitor.
“We were asked to always puncture old tyres, cut handles in half, etc. The watches case was infuriating to me: battery replacement was 5€, the same amount as a new basic watch.”
man, that is CRAZY! do you think maybe that was just your store?
Might not be as high quality as the big brands, but Decathlon has one of the best entry level models of bikes and rollerskates I have ever seen in europe. Since cycling can be an extremely expensive hobby (entry level starts at 1500-2000 eur at some manufacturers) In my opinion they are perfect starting point for someone, who wants to get into cycling without breaking the bank. The Triban road bike range is a great example (RC120 or 500 for example). I have mutiple friends buying from them and are very happy with their purchases.
Not as fancy components as the expensive alternatives, but great quality frames, good starting point for upgrades, free/cheap initial setup and good after sales support in my experience.
Also where I live they have nice competetive prices for tools and spare parts as well.
Raw textile or clothes are fine, I agree. I’ve seen a lot of issues in anything that implies moving parts or frequent assembling: bicycles, tents, rollers, etc. Nothing extremely bad but, as I said, I preferred to pay a bit more to get better equipment on my bikes elsewhere.
A bit more details on that “throwing away” part: there are often people who come to the workshop and ask to upgrade their equipment. They want to get a new set of tyres/inner tubes before a new bike season, set up new handles, change wrist watch batteries, etc. We were asked to always puncture old tyres, cut handles in half, etc. The watches case was infuriating to me: battery replacement was 5€, the same amount as a new basic watch. We were asked to just offer people new watches and throw away old ones so no one could retrieve it from trash and use it later. I never did anything of those and resigned shortly.
oh man my decathlon bicycle freaking Rocked for 6 years until I sold it when I left the country, and those decathlon one second tents are still my favorite tents from any store.
extremely durable fabric, poles, webbing even zippers.
where are you getting higher quality equipment?
I visited every sports store I could while in Europe and the states comment I couldn’t find anything as high quality as the products I used in decathlon.
I’m traveling again now, so I want to check out recommendations for a competitor.
“We were asked to always puncture old tyres, cut handles in half, etc. The watches case was infuriating to me: battery replacement was 5€, the same amount as a new basic watch.”
man, that is CRAZY! do you think maybe that was just your store?
did you talk to employees at other French stores?
I can see how that would turn you off the brand.
Might not be as high quality as the big brands, but Decathlon has one of the best entry level models of bikes and rollerskates I have ever seen in europe. Since cycling can be an extremely expensive hobby (entry level starts at 1500-2000 eur at some manufacturers) In my opinion they are perfect starting point for someone, who wants to get into cycling without breaking the bank. The Triban road bike range is a great example (RC120 or 500 for example). I have mutiple friends buying from them and are very happy with their purchases.
Not as fancy components as the expensive alternatives, but great quality frames, good starting point for upgrades, free/cheap initial setup and good after sales support in my experience.
Also where I live they have nice competetive prices for tools and spare parts as well.