pavsci2003

I'm kind of new here, so apologies in advance if this has been discussed to death...but I'm switching over from years of riding a hardtail 26'' Specialized Rockhopper for mixed fitness/trail riding to a more sporty road/gravel ride and can't decide what to do. I'm a borderline clyde (205lb) looking to drop the last 10 or 15, and I live in pretty dry southern california with nice suburban paved roads and a bevy of maintained fire roads in the nearby hills. I have my eyes on the Motobecane Omni Strada Expert from BD as an alternative to the $1500-1700 bikes the LBS in my area sell. Again, I live in california, so even a bike 100-200 more ends up being significant with sales tax. I just can't seem to shake the stigma of on online bike, and part of me feels a little bad for turning my back on my LBS, even though they gave me no discounts when I bought my Specialized or on components or services over the past few years. Here is a link to the bike: [URL="https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/disc-brake-roadbikes/omnistrada-expert-discbrake-bike.htm"]
My thoughts/questions:
1) I've ridden some road bikes and have decided that I prefer the ergonomics and intuitiveness of SRAM double tap over STI. Its a small detail, and could easily learn to love 105 if presented with a good option. Rival 22 equipped bikes tend to be a little pricier than 105, but in this case they are the same.

2) A big question for the community here is if anyone has experience with WTB frequency i23s on a road bike. I know WTB is a major player in the MTB world. I'm obviously not concerned with weight, but more handling of a mtb wheel on road bike. I wouldn't be keeping the 45mm knobby tires obviously...28mm seems more reasonable for everyday riding in comfort.

3) Avid bb7's seem to be pretty standard at this price point for road discs...if I ride them too hard for a few years I could always go the trp hy/rd route...

4) My guess is I'd change the saddle regardless of what bike I buy so typical BD complaint is moot

If anyone has any other options, I'm all ears. I prefer supporting local businesses of all kinds.

dr_lha

Those WTB rims are 29er rims, not road rims. This bike is clearly not a road bike but in fact either a "monster cross" or gravel grinder. I'm sure it can be ridden as a road bike with the appropriate tires though, assuming that the rims aren't too wide.

pavsci2003

frequency i23's have a 23mm inner width, that ought to work, right? I'm not looking for aero gains at the moment, and a sturdy 29er mtb rim wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for my purposes, would it? frame and fork seem to be the same as BD's road oriented turino line found here: Save Up to 60% Off Disc Brake Road Bikes - Motobecane Turino Disc

I could never pull off black and gold though...plus I like the SRAM

dr_lha

I very much doubt that the road frame and forks are the same. Road forks don't have the clearance needed for the huge tires on that bike.

pavsci2003

I think this is where my reservations about BD come into play. The geometry chart is the same for both the Turino and Omni Strada, as well as the description of the fork (with same offset) and description that both are equipped to handle up to 700x45 tires. Either they are lazy about creating product pages for their bikes, or they are the same. perhaps a phone call is in order...

dr_lha

Well if they say it has a fork that fits 45mm tires, then it probably does. I'm just saying that's pretty unusual for a road bike, which often struggle to fit 28s!

Inpd

Email BD directly with questions. They will respond within a few hours typically. Perhaps even call them.

Hiro11

That bike looks like a pretty nice option for the price. The WCS rims are fine, I'm sure. The tires look knobby but I'll bet they roll fine. I'd give them a chance before replacing them. I have a slight reservation about QR wheels and disc brakes, some times they can be a bit tricky to align.

If you're interested in this type of bike, I'd also look at the GT Grade Alloy 105 which is about $200 more.

Jivey74

If you're still interested in this bike, I own one and love it. I could answer any questions you have. It is a great bike with great components. I ride a lot of gravel roads and actually rode 35 miles in the rain this morning with a road bike group. Had no trouble keeping up. Averaged 17mph for the 35 mile ride. It's an outstanding bike. I still have the original tires and rims on it. They do much better on the road than you might think and are great on gravel.