Cyclocross - Motobecane Fantom Cross UNO

Just got the first production unit in. This bike was built based on lots of input from this and CX forum.
Thanks

I love this bike - spacing wide enough for 38c [and maybe 42c] tires
eyelets; rack brazeons FRT & rr
38T x 16T stock gearing
precision sealed hubs; dbl wall rims
all 4130 tubing; super nice fork
Avid cantis

better photos soon
booking available soon at intro price of $399 delivered
comes in BLACK or WHITE
49, 52, 54, 56, 58, 61, and 64

Landing around Sept 10th or so -- could easy sell out first load before they land [I think]

Sorry my first photo is not too good [the imaging guy in the office will do a better job than I]

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t213/bikedoctor/UNO.jpg

I love SS/FG and CX - so this is a great combo to me
lots of fun to ride too

Mike

not having hoods on a cross bike is wierd to me

still looks like a fun bike to me

+1.

Tektros are like 20 bucks though, so I guess it's not a big deal. If these are cheap enough I might take a serious look.

Any details on geometry?

are the decals removable?

whats the white look like?

I've got a beater 70's? Peugeot I converted to SS, (my first bike since the rockhopper I had through high school), and I was wondering if anyone had input about this bike being a good fit for someone inexperienced considering the price, as of now. I really like the idea of having more utility with the bike; as I'm mostly riding for commuting/transportation and social rides. Thanks in advance for the input.

are the decals removable?


Decals are under clear coat
but people remove decals often with a hair dryer

whats the white look like?


Decals are White
so they almost disappear
you see just a thin silver/red outline
ghost type decal

here is better picture in Black

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t213/bikedoctor/uno_side_2100.jpg

Any details on geometry?


GEO is like a Messenger
but with wider and bit longer RR Tri
and wider fork

what's the rear spacing?

what's the rear spacing?

120mm

with precision bearing flip-flop hub

comes with 16T fixed coog installed
and with 16T freewheel in parts box

gear seems right to us - 38x16
but is easy to change with rear gears available from 14T to 20T

why is the cable routed on the bottom of the tt? i'd rather have aero levers than chicken levers. if you love cross so much, seems to me both of these factors wouldn't be configured as is.

thanks! yeah that's a good call. i love my 132mm singlespeeds, but most ss wheels on the market seem to be track wheels, so 120mm makes sense.

38x16 is right in between my street cruising gear and my trail/race gear. works for those who dont want to change up themselves.

Can't wait to see the white, could be my new bad weather commuter. Definitely agree about the lack of hoods though, those will be the first thing to upgrade.

why is the cable routed on the bottom of the tt? i'd rather have aero levers than chicken levers. if you love cross so much, seems to me both of these factors wouldn't be configured as is.

On the first run of a bike; it is hard to get exactly what you ask for: like rr brk cable on top of TT

Another example; this 4130 C-moly frame has a 6061 AL frame tubing sticker.

Sometimes it takes us a year to get exactly what we want.

On levers; cost and target price point were an issue. And mix of users. About 80% of the buyers on this bike will be street/commuter types. And I am very concerned about the increasing cost of bikes and I am trying to make some great quality bikes at price pints people feel good about.

The new 2009 prices on road and CX bikes have blown me away. I really want cyclists to be able to get a nice CX bike as a second or thrid bike and stay under or close to $500.

Example - there will be a new Dawes Lightning Cross 18-speed at under $500; but it will have cables under the DT. I see lots of 'cross' bikes without TT cable routing and it seems some think that is fine.

So we are going to try to come out with lots of CX options; spec & price. By October there should be 7 Moto CX bikes on the site; and one Dawes asnd one Windsor. With 7 of those 9 CX bikes at under $1000.

By next season; we will add more based on ideas I can hear from the forums and from our customers.

This shot was taken in the rain - a most crispest pic coming soon...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3295/2854428402_ba85246739_o.jpg

Here's a pic of mine with some mods made today:

http://i37.tinypic.com/2j4qyk7.jpg

with smarter cable routing and proper brake levers standard, this would be a good bike and i'd probably buy one. only offering top levers, even for commuting, was not a smart idea. i know this is far fetched, but if BD would offer free aero levers (like the tektro r200's they sell), or even for an extra $10, i'd buy a white one and deal with the horrible cable routing.

also, can anyone tell me what this bike weighs?

19.8 lbs. is the figure I saw.

i want one of these bad.
Been dooling over them for a month or so now and the price is just right.

not having hoods on a cross bike is wierd to me

still looks like a fun bike to me

I raced all last year with this set up. It's almost like riding a flat bar mountain bike especially when you run 46cm bars, lots of top space. Then of course you have the benefit of the drops. I had a single ring and a barcon to change the back. Every once in a while like a steep climb I felt like I wanted to grab hoods but it's a nice setup and keeps the front end really light.

Mike,

Long time no speak. I'm looking into getting a cross bike, but torn between 3 bikes:

Surly Crosscheck (steel frame) - around $950
An offering from Performance (Aluminum frame with 105 componentry), the X560 - around $900
Fantom Cross Pro with Ultegra spec - $1149 per your website


Ideally, I'd prefer steel frame over aluminum, but the components on the Surly are inferior to the other choices I mentioned. I promised my signficant other I'd stay under $1k so although I'm attracted to ultegra, I don't know whether I would even feel the difference between aluminum with ultegra vs. 105's.

Any options out of the 7 you're coming out with that includes steel frame + 105's? I think the difference between 105's and ultegras are getting so small that apart from weight, don't think they're perceptible.

Mike,

What is the drivetrain on this bike? What crankset? What cranks? How long is the stem? What is the headset? What saddle does it come with? What pedals and toeclips are in the box? What kind of tires are on it?
Thanks!

Mike,

What is the drivetrain on this bike? What crankset? What cranks? How long is the stem? What is the headset? What saddle does it come with? What pedals and toeclips are in the box? What kind of tires are on it?
Thanks!


http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/uno.htm

Why don't you go to Bikesdirect.com, all of that info is there....

edit: fb

Posted this over in the Singlespeed forum....

Here is mine. Right after riding 20 miles of technical single track and 24 miles of road to commute to said single track and back. I am lucky enuf to live near to a nice single track network that gets ridden ALOT so the trails are hard packed and fast. I love not having to load my gary fisher RIG in the car to go ride. If the trails are relatively dry - the UNO Cross will get the call. Overall I was pleased with the gear ratio for road and trail. I think i cud go to a 36 tooth... but i would loose my 18mph pace on the road.
Added aero levers and put on 700x34 hutchinson tires. Haven't take the bash guard off yet...but i will be. Gunna try to lighten her up a bit more.

Bike came without the brake cables installed and the wheels were terribly out of true. Had to tighten and go over the entire bike etc - maybe a total of 3 hrs of tinkering to get it right and rdy for assualt.


http://www.wdg.us/eric/cx/uno.jpg

that looks pretty good actually.

I have desided, i will be ordering one early next week.

Nice looking bike ^^^. Did you remove the decals on the downtube? What did you use?

That's a hot bike in white. i'm impressed. Looks like they are already sold out of the whites in a couple of sizes. Any idea if / when another shipment of those might be coming in?

Mike,

Would you please post the geometry for a 64cm frame? The geometry chart only shows up to 61cnm.

thanks

Any updates on this? I really want one in white but they're still sold out. Also, what is the confirmed weight?

Any updates on this? I really want one in white but they're still sold out. Also, what is the confirmed weight?

I am also interested in this bike so I emailed BikesDirect on Sunday, March 22nd. Here is the reply:

"Hello,

We are expecting more Fantom Cross Uno bikes in the spring but currently do not have an exact date. Please subscribe to our news letter for automatic updates on bikes arriving and specials. Send an email to newsletter@bikesdirect.com

Thanks,
ST"

Hello I see no one has been on this thread for awhile but I will leave my two cents anyway. I got my Fantom Uno on friday and put it togather right away ( I really do need a nice stand). I took it out today and rode about 12 miles on it on the road. it feels great and handles real well. I love the look of the single speed with the cantilever brakes and do not get me started on having an actual, albeit sloping, fork crown. I jusr need to find somne nice skin wall x25s or 28s for it. OH I have measure it again but I don't really think this is a 1.25 headset it looks more like a 1 1/8.

hey is there any way you can ship this bike out mike with a larger front sprocket? i love the bike!

Bianchigirll,

It looks like the decals are different than the ones online the website. Are they acctually silver now? Also it looks like the rear brake cable got moved to the top of the top tube is that true? I really like this bike and think with a few changes it could be really sweet.

Also are you still happy with the bike now that you've had it for a bit?

The decals are different as this is the 2010 model. Looks like the changes for 2010 are what you noted: rear brake bosses at 11 o'clock. aero levers instead of cross levers, and different stickers.

Here's mine. . ..Have about 100 miles on it so far. Did a couple training rides on it and then commuted to work with it once (22 miles each way)

Bought it as a commuter and seems to work well so far. I will be putting bullhorns on it though as soon as my reverse levers come in.

700x42 kenda cross tires

http://inlinethumb38.webshots.com/44645/2580224970065956132S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2580224970065956132zmSPrk)

whats the durability like? I will probably pull the trigger on one once I sell the MTB

whats the durability like? I will probably pull the trigger on one once I sell the MTB

It's a steel frame, probably pretty heavy so it'll take some abuse.

Single speed wheels aren't rocket science to make, and are pretty heavy. Should be durable if everything is tensioned right.

If anything, I'd swap out the BB, but nothing other than that. It should be more than durable.

The decals are different as this is the 2010 model. Looks like the changes for 2010 are what you noted: rear brake bosses at 11 o'clock. aero levers instead of cross levers, and different stickers.

Here's mine. . ..Have about 100 miles on it so far. Did a couple training rides on it and then commuted to work with it once (22 miles each way)

Bought it as a commuter and seems to work well so far. I will be putting bullhorns on it though as soon as my reverse levers come in.

700x42 kenda cross tires

http://inlinethumb38.webshots.com/44645/2580224970065956132S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2580224970065956132zmSPrk)

Looks like they fixed all the "deal breakers" I've heard the BD haters complaining about. Are those front rack brazeons I see on the fork?

Has anyone who got this had a problem with pedal strike on trails?

Pedal strike should only be an issue on the fixed side.:thumb:

Looks like they fixed all the "deal breakers" I've heard the BD haters complaining about. Are those front rack brazeons I see on the fork?

Yes

It's a steel frame, probably pretty heavy so it'll take some abuse.

Single speed wheels aren't rocket science to make, and are pretty heavy. Should be durable if everything is tensioned right.

If anything, I'd swap out the BB, but nothing other than that. It should be more than durable.

Yeah thats what I would have thought, but I have heard some horror stories about the Moto 29er singlespeeds getting fragged on the trail. I am thinking that the 120 spacing is a nice touch too. I think im gonna go for it though, I just sold the MTB so now my stable only includes a roadie. Im psyched at the prospect of having a cyclocross bike and I think this is just the ticket for the single track I ride. Is anyone riding a 52 frame? I can ride a 52 roadie, but 51 is a better size for me, especially if the geo isnt compact . I dont know if 49 is too small of a frame for me. The pics almost look as if the TT slopes downward slightly like an oldschool TT bike.

just ordered a 49 cm in white. i figured I better go with the smaller frame for ease of mount and dismount. I can wait to lay leg to this thing.

took my 2009 out on the trails this weekend.. such a fun bike. I'm on a different rear wheel after taco'ing the original last winter.

Built an Uno from the frameset last year due to the rear cable routing; I shoulder the bike a bunch. Simply shaved the guides and all of the brake mounts and went coaster brake. Super clean look and as hard as I've tried, I've been unable to break it; coaster wheel or the frame/fork. I'm 215lbs of masher, so I'd say this is a fair testament to Mike's bike. Use it as a commuter/cafe/sscx/just about everything bike. More than 3K hard miles on it. With the new 'fixes' on the rear cable guides, I'll be ordering a 2010. I get tons of crap for riding a Moto, but you just can't beat them for the $. The laughing stops when they get spanked by a guy on a $400 bike. Like King Eddy always said; just shut up and ride. Matters not if you're riding a $4K custom rig, if you have legs of lint... This is easily the best deal I've come across on a quality sscx mount; no fears about Mike's stuff in this camp.

Okay, so I get to thinking... How about a version of the 2010 Fantom CX Uno done in Titanium?! And, as a bunch of us are certainly NOT BD or Moto haters, how bout some apparel options? At this year's AppleCiderCentury in Michigan, a HUGE amount of people were riding Motos and none of them in Moto gear. I got to looking, and can't find anything other than 'vintage', read 'EXPENSIVE' stuff. I, for one, tend to display my loyalty to a brand even if it isn't 'popular' or 'elite'. Hell, they made fun of Toyota and Honda 30 years ago... So, how bout it, Mike; More Ti goodies and some apparel in 2010/2011? Maybe a BD/Moto ride event? I hope I'm not hallucinating due to this flu and fever...

Okay, so I get to thinking... How about a version of the 2010 Fantom CX Uno done in Titanium?! And, as a bunch of us are certainly NOT BD or Moto haters, how bout some apparel options? At this year's AppleCiderCentury in Michigan, a HUGE amount of people were riding Motos and none of them in Moto gear. I got to looking, and can't find anything other than 'vintage', read 'EXPENSIVE' stuff. I, for one, tend to display my loyalty to a brand even if it isn't 'popular' or 'elite'. Hell, they made fun of Toyota and Honda 30 years ago... So, how bout it, Mike; More Ti goodies and some apparel in 2010/2011? Maybe a BD/Moto ride event? I hope I'm not hallucinating due to this flu and fever...

Not a bad idea at all. I like the jersey idea. Original Motobecane jerseys were really good looking.