Itstheradman

hey guys,

i'm thinking of finally getting my first cyclocross bike, and looking heavily at the motobecane fantom cross. my main concern is not being able to ride it before buying. i was wondering if owners of any of the motobecanes could help out with sizing info.

i'm 6'1 with a 33" inseam, so in a road bike i'd lean towards the bigger sizes. i've tried some other cx bikes and definitely noticed that the geometry is different. should i go for the 56 or 58 (or even bigger)? how big do they actually ride? and would it be safer to go with a bigger frame over feeling cramped on a small one?

any help would be really appreciated. thanks!

svtmike

I'm 6'2 with a 34" inseam. I have a 61cm Fantom Cross Outlaw that fits me well. I also ride a 61cm Specialized Tricross; I checked the geometry of the Fantom against that when I selected my frame size.

You'd probably be well served by the 58 based on your inseam and height; I'd think the 56 would be too small.

You could also find a Fuji dealer (my local Performance Bike carries them) and see how their cross bikes fit you; it's reportedly the same frame as on the Fantoms. You might even find one in stock that is as cost-effective as the BD bikes.

cs1

56 Would be too small for you. I'm only 5' 9.5" but have a long 32.5" inseam and I ride a 56 on my roadbikes. You would be way too cramped on a 56. The TT would be too short for your height. Using a long stem to compensate for a short TT puts too much weight too far forward. That results in strange handling.

Itstheradman

thanks for the help guys... i'll look into the 58.