Cyclocross - 2009 Motobecane Cross Bikes

Hello all,

My first post -- and I would be grateful for some advice.

I have decided to get a cross bike -- another first. Now the only question is which one.

Today I tested a 2009 Specialized Tricross Sport, and it was very good. On sale at an LBS, I could get one for $1200. Yet: I'd rather spend less, if I wouldn't be sacrificing much in my ride.

Tonight I came across online dealers who sell complete bikes "nearly" put together. The Motobecane Fantom Cross ($800) and Fantom Pro ($1000) look good for the money. In fact, that's what worried me (the Pro is equipped with Ultegra and Ritchey Pro DS wheelset) :twitchy: . On this forum several years ago, some people seemed to like these bikes.

But does anyone have either of these 2009 models? If so, how happy are you with the bike -- especially on trails. Of course I am hesitant to buy a bike for that price (that's a lot of money to me) without having tested it :twitchy:. Yes, there is a return policy, but I'd rather not have to deal with that, if possible. A bicycle is my only transportation, and one of my great joys, and your opinions will certainly be taken into account in my decision.

Here are the known negatives with the "Motobecane branded" bike...
1. Cheap internals. It may have nice cranks but a hidden trashy Bottom Bracket
2. No LBS to make sure it is assembled correctly or that you have the correct size.
3. Return policy......Have fun shipping that thing back.

With that said if you are bike savvy and can wrench your own bike then why not! A good BB is only $40.00 and if you need to swap a stem or seat post to make it fit your that your much ahead of the game.

Here are the known negatives with the "Motobecane branded" bike...
1. Cheap internals. It may have nice cranks but a hidden trashy Bottom Bracket
2. No LBS to make sure it is assembled correctly or that you have the correct size.
3. Return policy......Have fun shipping that thing back.

With that said if you are bike savvy and can wrench your own bike then why not! A good BB is only $40.00 and if you need to swap a stem or seat post to make it fit your that your much ahead of the game.


ya I agree


the 800 buck fantom cross is ideal. expect to wear out and replace the cheap BB soon, and you will want
a better saddle. otherwise it is raceable and the carbon fork soaks up the CX courses well.

OH yeah you will want to junk the stock tires and get some real CX tires. stock tires are heavy

if you wear this bike out racing CX you will know what you want out of CX and either upgrade the fantom
cross as the months go by, or get a whole new $2000 rig because you'll be hooked. I see a lot (well at least 5) of
the 800 buck fantom cross bikes at every CX race.

for a bike you are intentionally trying to wreck, 800 bucks...you get a lotta bike

I had a moto fantom cross for 4 years before it was stolen and it was a nice bike but a friend lent me his tricross one weekend and man that was so much smoother of a ride in comparison. If it was me I would go with tricross if you can afford it. Though I am carfree myself and I really don't like taking anything out that I can't easily replace. Both my friend and I have beaten the crap out of those bikes either will serve you well.

I have both a Tricross Comp and a Fantom Cross Outlaw (my commuter). Hands down the Tricross is a much better ride for the trail. The Fantom Cross is nice on the road but for me it's way too stiff on the trail.

Thank you for the help. GS1, you've made me realize that being in between a 52 and 54, it might be a problem buying without trying. In the Tricross a 54 fits (sort of), but in Kona's Jake the Snake a 52 is more to my size. I am not necessarily going to race, so I am not too concerned about tremendous wear-and-tear. Since it's important that I can take the bike on trails, svtmike and scattered73, you have also made me lean to the tricross. But at that price (1200 bones), if I lean any more, I am afraid that I will fall over into a ditch of debt.

Last: What sort of trails would you avoid on a cross? Of course, no freeride, jumps, etc. But having been mountain biking (basic XC), I'm still somewhat concerned about handling the bumpbumpbumpbumpbump of the trails on a cross.

I think trails to avoid beyond what you mentioned is more about the tires than the bike. I ride my Tricross on rails-to-trails type paths; it's fine on the bumpy stuff in that environment with semi-slick Borough CX tires. If I were riding in dirt I'd probably have real (knobby) cyclocross tires.

I like to take my Norco CCX1 out on some of the local trails. There's a long loop trail near my place that mostly just winds through Florida scrub forest that's a lot of fun on the cross bike. It's fun on the MTB as well but the lack of front suspension and being a bit nimbler makes the cross bike more fun on that trail except in a few spots that have just too many roots to really go fast. But I consider those areas a technical skills challenge. There's a special kind of fear that goes through your head on the cross bike when you're tearing through a turn and you pick the wrong line and have to decide really quick if you can hop the root without ending up in the scrub or just letting it roll over. There's always an image in my head of my front wheel (a 20 spoke Mavic Aksium) grenading as the combined forces of speed and 240 lbs of rider and bike push that wheel into the big root sticking up. Hasn't happened yet but that wheel has made some horrible creaking pinging noises on a few hits yet it's stayed true. Find the trails that the mountain bikers say are easy and boring then tear through them faster than they can hope to go on fat tires and suspension. It's a whole different experience on the cross bike but be careful though because those kinds of trails are also the ones you're most likely to encounter inexperienced riders and family outings on.

I have had a Motobecane road bike before.. and it was ok for a starter bike, but once you ride another brand, in my case Specialized, I could tell the difference in overall quality.

I have since sold the Motobecane and now own a Bianchi and Specialized. Bikesdirect and their brands are ok like others have said, if your experienced in wrenching your own bikes, then its probably a decent deal. However for a starter bike or someone without mechanical skill, I would recommend a brand sold in bike shops.

I got a Windsor Cyclo for Christmas this year and I like it. I haven't taken it on any serious trails, but for commuting it hasn't let me down. I bought it knowing that there would be some things I'd eventually have to upgrade or replace. The Crankset clicks, and the brakes aren't the best (maybe it's just the pads) but it's a pretty solid bike. (very) Long term I'll probably be replacing a good percentage of the parts and maybe even switching over to a Soma Double Cross frame or something similar, but considering the budget I was on I don't regret the decision at all.