Mountain Biking - Motobecane bikes...

I'm looking into the new Motobecane Fantom 29er... It seems like a nice bike, but the reviews are all over the board...

What does everyone else think?

4 is highest, 1 is lowest. = )

thanks.

I haven't seen any of the reviews (where are they?), but I've taken a look at the specs and it seems worthy of a first try with a 29er. You can't touch a similarly speced geared 29er for that price. If you don't like the frame, you could swap it out and still come out ahead.

I voted 2 so the reviews would still be all over the board, hahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can do a bit better than something from Motobecane.

If they'd put the decals loose in the box, I'd buy 2 or 3 of 'em.

Seriously, if you do your own wrenching, the bikes are more than decent.

But if you don't know your wrenches.... you're better off cozying up to a LBS. A BD bike is what YOU make of it. You can make it into a killer machine. Or you can make it into a machine that kills you. But YOU are the artisan, the craftsman, the ultimate creator of what you get.

Seriously, he (Mike) needs to decide whether he's selling cheap generic umm crap or if he's building a brand.

If he's selling cheap generic crap then nobody wants his damn stickers on it telling the world, YEP, I'M RIDING CHEAP GENERIC CRAP BECAUSE I'M TOO CHEAP TO BUY THE REAL THING.

If he's building a brand, then he needs to 1) pick a brand and stick with it and 2) stop selling it like its cheap generic crap. IE. "this bike is 2x the price elsewhere". No, that bike isn't 2x the price elsewhere. its the same price whether we buy it on ebay, or walk into one of your stores and buy it.

Pick your price and sell it (and the more you can let it sell itself, the better), but don't sell the price comparision, because doing so makes you the perpetual knock off, the me too screaming for attention in the already crowded sea of predatory originals. The lowest common denominator who can never add value, who can only copy copy copy and lower price.

It's the archetype of everything annoying about chinese and indian knock offs of people who actually bother to do real design work in all fields of design. From knock off LV bags, to indian clones of popular websites, to chinese Jinbei minivans, to copies of a 30yr old 125ccc honda motorcycle, to watches that Rolex never dreamed of designing yet still say Rolex.... they always say its the same thing... just as good.... yet, inevitably, if you look close enough.... it never really quite is just as good.

But for the money, it just might be way more than good enough.

Now if only they were secure enough with themselves to trust in that. And leave stickers in the box, so I can create my own masterpiece from the ingredients they provide.

I love mine alot... best boat anchor ever

I don't know what the real opinion is here...it's all over the board, but I ride a Fly Team and it has been awesome and I use it to race or ride on my own. Aside from crappy wheels I have been very happy. I will say that it did require a once over mechanically but other than that the frame has been very nice and tough, other than that the componenets are excellent. If you were to trash/crack or even hate the frame the components alone are more expensive than the bike.

I've never ridden a Motobecane bike, but the mechanic at my bike shop (we kind of know each other given my constant mechanical problems) rides a Motobecane Fantom Comp. He says the frame is solid and the welds are good. Basically that sets the bike to last for a long time. The components are all good (especially given the prices of their bikes) but it is important that a good LBS sets the bike up for you to make sure everything runs smoothly if you buy it online.

I guess that means he'd recommend the brand :)

Bikes Direct is known for selling mostly average or older other manufacturers fames with a good component spec. I bought a road bike and stripped it for the parts and put it on another frame.