BD Motobecane Fantom Cross Bike, Thoughts?
 

The title says it all. Does anyone have one of these? I posted it on the roadie thread, but not many people have any experience with one. I'm thinking of getting it for a winter/rain bike and possibly some cross next year.

Link for those interested: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...m_cross_cx.htm

Is it a rebadged Fuji?

Never ridden one BUT I do get passed by a guy on one every race (he does have upgraded wheels, Zipps, and legs the size of tree trunks). They are a rebadged Fuji, and a great deal to boot.

The bike is a clone of the Fuji Cross Comp. Goto a local Performance Bike Store to give it a test ride.

I ended up buying the Fantom Cross Pro after riding the Fuji Cross Comp. The Fantom is a very nice bike for the money, $995 with Ultrega compared to the Fuji Cross Comp which was $999 with 105 componets.

I just bought this Fantom Cross from sprtymama on ebay. It is the same bike that BD is selling but she is selling it for $100 dollars less. I have just ridden it 3 times commuting 26 miles rt. It is much heavier that my regular roadie but also much more rugged. Perfect for my needs with a rack and fenders added.
The one you are looking at is not a clone of the Fuji. The one I bought is a clone of the 2006 model of the Fuji Comp. Identical frame and components except for the wheels which have been supposedly upgraded.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...reorder100.htm

http://cgi.ebay.com/2008-ALUMINUM-CA...QQcmdZViewItem

I can't believe they're selling that bottom listing for $650 That's a lot of bike for that kind of money.

Tim

Thanks for the responses. It seems like I probably should get the upgraded model for $190 more - it seems silly not to. But, I didn't really want to spend that much money, so I'll probably just hold out for now. Hmmm...

just wondering for anyone who might have this bike.. how much does it actually weigh? someone mentioned it was heavier, but how heavy could it be?

19-20 pounds (alu/ultegra)

58 cm Fantom Cross was 22.5 with if I remeber right with stock equipment and pedals. I would weigh it again for you but have rack that is a big pain to clamp off or on and now have a long cage mtb rd and mtb cassette on it.

I was at one time giving serious consideration to the Fantom Comp as a bad weather/commuter bike. I am going to wait just a little while longer, until August next year, when Mike is releasing the titanium Fantom Comp CX, for probably under $ 2000. He says that it will be race legal and have sufficient eyelets to mount a rear rack and fenders.

Yeah, I believe he quoted a price tag of $1500 for the Ti Fantom Comp with full Ultegra.

I have a fantom cross and have raced it 5 times so far. it rides great, take a good bashing, the vuelta xrp wheels are dead true after over 300 overall miles (and 5 races, maybe 15 miles each)...it rides like a bike, gets the job done on the cheap. I am happy with it.

I am happy enough with it, it has me thinking of dropping 2 grand on a bikesdirect full dura-ace bike next year

And with Ritchey Pro wheels, Avid 6 cantis, a FSA cyclocross crank and disc tabs on the frame and fork.

That just might have to be my next main bike. Gonna have to do some research on Ti before next summer.

Can we get back to the low budget bike that this thread was inspired by?

I went to the link and clicked on the ugly yellow bike and the beautiful matte grey bike popped up. I want one! Or at least, I want my neighbor to get one (since I already have a cross bike). What's the deal with it? The fork is outta place and the sora components are cheap-o. But otherwise, is it any good? If it's not a Fuji, what is it? Are MB's not MB's anymore? Sorry for my ignorance.

I wish I was not umemployed and needed another bike. I really like the looks of the matte gray bike. It is cheaper now because of the wrong label/sticker/or something. Too bad I am broke.

I've got a Fantom Cross (the red one) that I built up from just a frame/fork. If you remember, the frameset was going for 220 shipped on the 'bay a few months back. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite bikes, just due to it's versatility, and the fact that it's certainly not held me back in the races. I've stuck a Mutanoraptor 44 up front, and a Mythos CX Slick 40 on the back, and done some singletrack. I've stuck road slicks on, and had some decent road rides on it. With the race getup, it keeps me going ok, and shouldering/carrying is much much nicer than the 26 lb. frankenbike I was racing last year. In the spring, it will get racks and panniers (thanks to all the eyelets) and go on a 500 mile tour with me.

The Gray/Yellow versions seem to me to be exactly the same frame as higher spec versions (and yes, it's a Fuji. I've checked. Everything is the same, from tube shapes to welds to cable stops) with a steel fork. Since the headtube is setup for an integrated headset, the steel fork looks kind of funny on it. If it bothers you, sourcing a Nashbar or Redline or Winwood fork shouldn't be too challenging. Sora is Sora, but I'd say the frame is as worthy of upgrade as any other mass produced Taiwanese frame out there.

When I decided to build a dedicated cross bike this year, I looked at all my options, from buying a complete Fantom Cross, to just the frame and fork, or getting the lesser spec'd gray version (which is by far the best color of any of the paint jobs) and swapping parts. It turned out that frameset + parts bin was the cheapest for me, but all options were entirely reasonable.

I have a friend interested in buying his first bike, and I've pointed him in the direction of the gray Fantom Cross. For around $500 bucks, he'll have a good enough bike to decide if he likes it, be capable of touring, maybe jump in CX race, and replace components as they break (I'm looking at you, no-name hubs). I'm not sure he could get a better (new) bike for $500.

Just my 0.02.

Regarding the Truvativ Elita Cross Crankset with 39/49 chainrings that comes on the Red Phantom cross bike, does anyone know whether or not that crankset uses a compact, 110mm bolt circle diameter (BCD) or whether it uses a standard 130mm BCD? The reason I am asking is I want to know whether I could expect to replace the front 39 ring with a smaller ring if I bought the bike and decided to take it touring. Thanks for any answers.

I have the red Phantom. My crank is a 130mm BCD. I believe the smallest you can go w/ a 130 is a 38 tooth ring.

Yeah, that model doesn't seem to be anything like any Fuji's. Is there any weak link on it? Possibly the hubs? The fork?

That's supa cheap. I want to get my wife on a cx bike and that seems perfect.

The Motobecane frame is the same as the Fuji frame. I haven't seen one of the super cheap versions up close, but I'd guess that the hubs and shifters are going to be first up for replacement. Also, if your wife wants to race 'cross, I'm pretty sure she'll find the 50t big ring useless.

The frame? Still? Are you sure?


They got those suckers on ebay for $447 + $40 shipping.

That's insane.

Yup. Compared 'em side by side at cross races, and tested a Cross Comp before buying my Moto. The tubing is shaped the same, the welds are the same, the angles are the same, and most importantly, there's no discernible difference in ride quality. If you look at the geometries on their respective websites, a 56 cm Moto has the same angles and measurements as a 56cm Cross Comp, 'cept for the chainstays. Perhaps the rear triangles are a little different, and welded to the same front triangles.

bikesdirect is saving money by shipping directly to you, not having LBS overhead, spec'ing the cromo fork instead of carbon, and Sora instead of a Tiagra/105 mix. It is a lot of bike for the money.

Thanks for your answer. I was hoping those rings were on a 110mm BCD.

Surprisingly, I just got one almost exactly a week ago. It comes quite well built, IMO. Everything feels solid, and I've already been giving it a beating --on road and off road. For about $150 more, the better one can be had. I would have gone for that one, if I had the money. Instead, I shelled out $500 for the basic Fantom CX. Happy, nonetheless. It's not extremely light, but I figured shedding a few pounds would save more money.

btw, the matte gray color is teh hawt IMO :)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...p/IMG_1165.jpg
oh, and this was with the seatpost ALL the way down. I ride with it about 3 inches up higher.


-Jonathan :)