NYMXer

I'm looking for a new bike to replace my aluminum framed Mercier and found this at BD. I prefer the triple up front over a compact set but wanted input on your thoughts.

Maybe you people might have other suggestions for me to consider.

Thanks for the help


Save Up To 60% Off Carbon Road Bikes- Motobecane Sprintour

NYMXer

I forgot to post that I am 215 pounds and ride at 18-19 mph, about 36-40 miles at a time with a few 50 milers and climb 2400' or so per ride. I tend to climb fast and usually a gear higher than the other riders in the group. I club ride usually twice a week and ride 150 miles a week or about 6000 miles a year.
Thanks again

Inpd

Our own @rms13 started a thread on this very topic 2 years ago. See https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...sprint-cf.html

rms13 just reading that thread you were a lot nicer back then ... thanking people, being polite :-)

bobbyl1966

i do wish i can ride 6000 miles the year. I work full time job i fix bikes and that make me i not ride so much as i used to do.

NYMXer

I work a minimum of 60 hours a week and am a landlord, father of 5, grandfather to six and still find the time to ride... My saving grace, I work early mornings so I come home around 4pm

NYMXer

Thanks, that was sort of what I was seeking.
Hey rms13, how did your new bike work out? I know that it wasn't the Motobecane, but the other bike, I just don't recall the name...

bobbyl1966

i finish work at 4pm too but after that most of the times i work in bikes weekends too most of the times or i go at flea market sale thinks. i do ride little but 3 4 miles the week is nothink for me i used do in hilly trail daily 20 miles.

bobbyl1966

Motobecane bike is from bikes direct?

digibud

I think it's a great deal with a mix of 105 and tiagra components it's hard to fault it. It's not a fancy name but it's well known. Hard to beat at that price point, I'd guess.

rms13

It was ok. I ended up finding a great deal on a CAAD9 frame and swapped everything over to it. For $1100 I would wait for 20% off at Nashbar and get the carbon 105 bike.

rms13

People here have just gotten stupider. No offense to you personally

NYMXer

Yes, the bike I am looking at is from BD. I posted it to show what is out there and am open to similar suggestions. What I am really saying is that my budget has limits and my skills do not require a $4,000 bike... even though I might like one, haha

I ride with a group, or a club if you will, of over 100 members. I always laugh to myself when I see a D, C and some B riders with very expensive rides, yet they prefer not to put forth anywhere near the effort or skill level the bike was designed to be ridden at. It's sort of like watching grandma drive the Ferrari to church on Sunday morning when the car was meant to be driven hard on the race track.

shelbyfv

You might want to rethink this kind of reverse snobbery. Not every cyclist is driven by budget. This is especially true for older folks. I expect most cyclists in their 60s, for example, could buy whatever bike they wanted. Probably nobody spending time on a bike forum can fully utilize the capabilities of any bike beyond a BSO. Nice equipment can be appreciated on various levels.

slimyfrog

Also more stupid people like me have joined.

indyfabz

+1. I remember back in the day picking up my new Guerciotti that I had built up to my specs, including that relatively new technology called STI. Some customer asked a store employee whether I "deserved that bike." I wish I had heard him say that. I would have told him "I am paying for it, so damn right I deserve it."
I am a B rider in these parts. Earlier this year I bought a custom ti frame from a sole builder with full DA. Anyone who has a problem with that has a more serious problem.

Maelochs

Ferrari ... most drivers couldn't take a decently equipped Ford Focus to its limits ... cars are that good nowadays (and if they did, it had best Not be on a public road ... )

Nobody buys a car capable of 190 mph to Drive it at 190 mph---there simply aren't many roads where the car could get up to speed and carry on without hitting traffic, corners, whatever. And in most countries you'd go directly to jail if you got busted at that speed.

If we all drove the cars we actually needed, performance-wise, most of us would either be in clapped-out rust-bucket Yugos or 4-cylinder mini-vans.

I cannot take my BikesDirect Dawes to the same levels of performance that Peter Sagan could ... does that mean I should hang up my helmet and ride a Big Wheel (he could out-perform me on that, too, no doubt.) I will never be a WorldTour rider ... does that mean I should only ride 32-lb iron Schwinns?

Laugh away ... If I could buy a $15,000 13-lb CF roadmonster, I would ... and when you passed me, laughing, on your $1500 Defy 1 or whatever, I wouldn't feel the least bit bad. I wouldn't feel bad if you passed me riding a 32-lb iron Schwinn. I'd still love my bike ... just like I love my ugly undersized BD Dawes, which I am about to take out for a ride before work.

Back to the point: Lots of good rides at BikesDirect for riders like you and I who have realistic views of both our budgets and our riding capacities. Some may laugh at your BD machine, but we know what's up with ourselves ...

That looks like a really nice bike. Not sure about the wheels, crankset, or bottom bracket, but I know Weinmann makes Some good wheels (strong if not light) and FSA isn't garbage ... Tiagra is supposed to be really durable, I use it on my Dawes.

Any word on the weight?

What I really like is the geometry chart---gives you a much better chance to get a bike that fits right.

I doubt you will beat the value/cost ... Maybe if Nashbar has a sale or a leftover in your size ... maybe BikeIsland if you don't mind a few cosmetic flaws .... The more I think about it the more I want to wheedle a grand out of my wife (the curse of the joint account.) "No really, I Need another bike ... "

Paul Barnard

If you want a triple, your options are limited at BD. I like that bike pretty well. Two things I would wish for. The Le Champ frame rather than that one and better wheels. Those 32 hole Weinmans and the generic hubs are a bit of a let down. If you are looking for a CF triple though, there's not a lot out there. What size frame do you ride?

Paul Barnard

I have a Tarmac, and am the kind of mismatch you are speaking of. I really enjoyed treating myself to that bike. I enjoy the quality and the feel. It's light, lively and comfortable. Even though I ride it the exact same way I ride my lesser bikes, I can still appreciate what it offers over my commuter.

NYMXer

Thanks for the replies so far, they are informative.

Those that took offense to my expensive bike remark, understand that I laugh to myself, not the other rider. They are entitled to spend their money as they see fit and I am not one to place judgement on them for doing so. It just isn't something that I would do because the practical side of me would use the money I saved (by buying a bike with a little room to grow into, rather than a fancy one) for other items of higher priority. But, like I said, to each their own and I respect that they have a right to spend their money as they see fit. I just don't agree with the logic, so I look for a bike that is slightly above my abilities and needs, not above my limits. I am only looking to impress myself, not others around me.

Paul, it is not so much that I want a triple, rather than I like them because that is really all I have ever ridden. I have a Cannondale with a compact set on the front and so far, I just can't get used to it. Maybe more seat time is in order. I ride a 58cm bike, but I have been told that a 56cm is more my size. I ride both and like the roomier 58cm frame better.

Thanks again for the replies. Still looking for specific alternatives if anyone has a few to toss out there. I'm not an experienced cyclist by any means, just lucky enough to be fast without really having to work at it, but still looking to improve and become faster and stronger as a cyclist. So, I thought maybe something a little better than my $400 bike might be a worthwhile expense. I say a little, because my skill level and foreseeable skill level can not bring me to spend a lot of money for a bike. Maybe some day the light will go on inside my head, but for now, I'm looking to stretch my money for practical reasons.