wjhet

Tell me. This seems like a steal. I've been looking for a new CX bike. Is this it? It's certainly in my price range. Ebay. Motobecane CX Fantom Cross for 497+shipping (40). sprtmama is the seller.

https://cgi.ebay.com/MOTOBECANE-ALUMI...QQcmdZViewItem

knobster

No, not a steal. You can get it straight from bikedirects.com for the same price including shipping.

Is this a shill?

wjhet

Thank you very much. I frequently look at bikesdirect and hadn't noticed. Thank you. What do you think would be a good CX bike for $750 or under. There appear to be some on bikesdirect site.

wjhet

No. I'm not a shill--didn't know what that was until I noticed it on another thread on another page. I'm simply a novice who's been looking for a new CX for a few weeks. Thought it was a good deal. But, I have been shown the light. I'm still looking. I don't think the Motobecane is for me.

Phantasie

This comment from that seller would make me nervous

"REMEMBER, THERE ARE LOTS OF GREAT CYCLO CROSS BIKES FROM EVERY MAKERS YOU SEE IN A BIKE SHOP - BUT THEY ALLCOME FROM THE SAME FACTORIES IN TAIWAN AND USE THE SAME COMPONENTS. THERE IS NO NEED TO OVER PAY IN A BIKE SHOP."

auk

A good friend of mine bought that bike this past winter. He loves it.

wjhet

Yeah, I don't really want to buy from ebay to tell you the truth. Craigslist is dead in my area, too, as far as CXs go (I'm in northwestern PA) . . . and this bike from bikesdirect is the same price. If I were to buy it, I'd get it from there.

I just discovered a friend at work who used to be really into biking (road and MTB) and he has encouraged me to buy parts and assemble (of which he'd be more than willing to help with). Is this cheaper? I imagine it is . . . but will it be as good as new (with warranty, etc.)?

He was a mechanic at a LBS, so I think he has the knowledge, and he says he has the tools to do it. Hmmm. I JUST WANT A BIKE.

justinb

FYI, if building from zero (ie: no parts in your parts bin), piecing together a bike is rarely less expensive than buying a complete bike. IMO, building from the ground up makes sense only under the following scenarios.

a.) you have a significant parts stash and only need to buy a couple items to complete the build
b.) you or a friend have enough mechanical savvy to not completely screw it up, and have to go running to the lbs for expensive repairs of your mistakes.
c.) you really want to learn how to wrench.
d.) you plan on quickly or immediately upgrading enough parts from a stock build that it makes sense to just spec and build yourself.
e.) you have access to ridiculous deals on parts that bring the total cost in line with a complete bike.

Both the cheapest and middle of the road Motobecanes are pretty good deals, if you or a friend can make the necessary checks and adjustments out of the box. However, don't feel obligated to buy now on eBay... these bikes are always available on the bikesdirect website. Also, bd is planning on releasing several 'cross bikes soon. One of these may fit your needs better, so maybe a little patience and research.

That said, building your own bike is a great way to learn about it, and I highly encourage everyone to try it, as long as they are aware that the costs may increase relative to a complete bike.

mijome07

I want[ed] to order the same bike the [OP] mentioned. Is it worth waiting for the new 'cross line-up? By the way... how do you pronounce Motobecane?

justinb

There's more info on this thread...

To summarize, there will be Ti, Steel (853 and 4130), singlespeed and triple crankset models coming out,though there is no specific date set for most of the models.

KF6AAI

I'm getting pretty interested in the CX for what its costing, it looks like a good extra commuter bike. anyone else riding it to work with a gear rack?

Thanks!

Dean

dzinehaus

building from the ground up can be fairly cheap if you know what you are looking for, already have at least a frame to start from and don't mind waiting for parts... really you can put together a wicked bike just from deore parts for cheap enough... a full deore drive train might cost you 200$ plus frame/fork for another 200$ plus brakes and shifters 200$ + pedals 15$ & up depending where you find it... oh yah wheels and shifters... thats where most of your cost goes... wheels 150$-2000$ and up depending how crazy you wanna go... but a lot of people on ebay sell nice tough cheap wheelsets new.

my bike i put together cost me less than buying new but maybe i should have just bought a cheap setup new and modified pieces on it... eg LBS told me to buy a broadie hybrid and just swap out parts (which would have cost me the same as building my bike but with better parts) and if I did that I would have a bike that matched a broadie Romax but for cheaper...

Build it yourself if you wanna learn and want a bike specifically for you, buy a chap pre-built bike and have them swap out OEM parts as an upgrade if you want something pre-built which would be more geared/tailored for you, or just drop straight cash on a complete OEM STOCK bike from your LBS.

simply put buying a lower-end bike and modifying parts on it costs about the same as building up your own if you dont have spare parts...