CrimsonKarter21

Something like that.

bayareawheeler

dunno as i don’t have eyes in the back of my head passed and complimented on some really nice bikes though...including some very pretty but slow Orbea's
Colnago's
Look's
etc.

to bad the fact that they cost big $$ doesn’t make them fast...prob included somewhere in the small print when overpaying for a name brand boutique bike

caught the most flak for wearing a Republic of California jersey in a race that starts in Utah LoL (very intentional) lottsa grumbling about me being able to train year round LoL.

Ostuni

let me look in my inventory - i think i may have a 110 that you could have extra dirt cheap... will pm you if/when i find it....

lesdunham

Ordered and received the Immortal as well. Got here last Friday ... 2 rides since. 40 and 30 miles it has been flawless out of the box. Just minor adjustments and it is about dialed in now. $1,095 from BD and almost everyone rants the components are more than worth that alone. Awesome ride. Stay tuned.

WheresWaldo

lesdunham, we need more details and pictures. Give a full ride report to add to this thread.

BTW, I am still waiting for the report from blandin's friend, and new IM owner.

blandin

She is scheduled to receive the bike on the 27th. She/we will proceed accordingly.

WheresWaldo

Sorry I am sure you mentioned that before and I probably missed it.

lesdunham

Rides are just up here in Michigan. Stony creek to Armada, and a local ride to Metrobeach area. The usual weekly stuff until the cold wet winter hits ... which will be soon. Will post pictures from our Blue Water Ramble next week. Thanks

blandin

Not a problem - just giving you an update. She is very excited about getting it on the road.

gnug125

I have a question for you guys... I am new to road biking and I am looking to get a bike for my self and one for my wife. I have ridden MTB's and recently put some smooth tires on and road a century. I loved it and my wife and I are now shopping for road bikes. I am just about sold on the IF for my self but I am wondering if it would be as appropriate a bike for my wife, 5' 5" 115 lb marathon runner. She road in the 50 mile ride and loved it, but has very little experience with cycling.

Would you guys recommend this bike for her or should I look for a women's specific, or something different?

Thanks for the help

Caleb

bbattle

This thread should be renamed the BD lovefest forum.

WheresWaldo

Your just jealous aren't you

I wonder how this thread is any different than the Litespeed, Look, Orbea, Trek, Cannondale threads that are also on this board. Oh yes, I know, people actually responded to this thread, that why there are over 480 replies!

WheresWaldo

Caleb, if these are your first road bikes might I suggest that you have a fitting done at a bike shop. It is hard buying a bike on-line that you cannot ride first. That said, many of the IF owners here, myself included have been riding for some time and usually have a pretty good idea of what will fit them and what won't. You could also try some of the on-line fitting sites, like wrenchscience.com, that will get you in the ballpark then you can compare the results to the bike specs. For the Motos the specs are listed at motobecaneusa.com. Personally I think the IF is a good frame with a good component selection at a very good price. A great price if you fit into one of the 06 closeouts. As I and others have noted, there are perils buying online, not the least of which is the ridicule you will suffer from some members of this and other forums, along with not really dealing with anyone in person, having to do all correspondence via email, among other things.

If you are comfortable working on bikes, and you have a pretty good idea of what will fit you, you certainly can do worse than buying an Immortal Force from BD. At the closeout price it would be very hard to pass up. As for your girlfriend, the IF is measured like Trek and Fuji measure their bikes. In other words they tend to run a little small. My daughter is 5'3" and weighs (I better not say as she does frequent this board and will be mad). She is riding a 49cm frame and could ride a 50cm if she needed to. I would think that the 50cm frame would be about right for her size. Since the IF only comes in 3cm increments I think the 53cm might be a hair big. But this is all guesses. Go to the sites I listed and put her measurements in and it will give you a better idea of what will fit her.

lesdunham

Caleb,

Sizing and selecting the right bike for your type of riding are the 2 most important elements in getting the right bike. I take it since you rode a century you know how small misadjustments can wear you down faster than any terrain or distance. Did ride and old Schwinn Worldsport, a newer Diamondback Interval, and now a new Motobecane Immortal Pro from bikesdirect.com. Have you given any thought to a tandem? Carbon stays and forks help with dampening, and the Immortal is all carbon which makes it very compliant.
Also finding riders with similar schedules, pace, and distance is good to do. It reduces procrastination and makes all feel welcome. This may especially important for the other gender. Tho if I get my wife to ride 3 miles twice a year that is alot of work. So I may not be an expert on the other gender. lol
Don't worry about online talk of online purchases. The majority of transactions are excellent whether brick and mortar or online. Do some research, find what fits your needs/budget, and get what you want. If you are happy with your choice and decision that is the main objective. Take care and ride safe.

Les Dunham

palisades

After reading this thread, and riding a bunch of bikes I think I have decided to buy the IF. Anyone have any opinions on the 07's? They are on sale now for $1495, with different wheels, brakes, and crank. Are the new components better? At $1495 my instinct says this is a steal. Has anyone bought the 07 model yet? Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.

WheresWaldo

With the previsos previously stated in this thread, the IF is a very good deal. The changes from '06 to '07 are minor and were done to keep the bike at a specific price point. Some will say that there is very little difference between the quality of the old components or the quality of the new components that replaced them. I would be reluctant to say that the new component choices are better than the old ones, but they certainly are not worse. Either way it is a good bike on a good frame at a good price. If you decide to get one, please add your honest opinions about the bike to this thread and some pictures too (white garage door optional)!

lesdunham

Palisades,

I bought the IF and received it a couple or weeks ago. UPS was one day late in delivery but bikesdirect was all they stated. Yes they are non specific in some of their responses and sometimes late or don't answer. But since receipt assembly was easy, just a LBS help in tightening the headset correctly. Shifting is flawless, ride is firm but compliant, finish is excellent. Some comments say they don't like the saddle or handlebars. I find the saddle outstanding and handlebars not much different than others. But I do not use the drops as much as some.
Bottom line is for the $$ it is an awesome deal. I upgraded from a Diamondback Interval. Have put 100 miles on it in 10 days (3 rides) and will do another 80 next weekend. I would not hesitate to use it for commuting up to centuries. I have read about the star washer in the fork is a less desired way to mount this ... but after the fact there is not much that can be done. Also the left crank arm has loosened up on some that use the FSA Mega EXO but again no problems in my case. I would spend the money and purchase this again. If this bike suits your needs then by all means don't worry about online comments about online purchases. Purchase it and be happy.

mtmtri

I had a Motobecane steel frame and was very pleased but the bike was a little too small. I am considering buying the new Motobecane Immortal Force. Has anyone had any warranty issues that they needed to resolve with Motobecane? If so how were they handled? I love the way the bike looks but I am a little concerned if something does happen if it will be resolved.

Last question do I buy the white or black?

Ostuni

imo and ime your instinct is right....

tekhna

It does look to me like the 2007 is downgraded a bit from the 2006-I'd rather have the Ritchey wheelset than the American Classic "Victory" wheels that are on there-no idea what they are. They aren't rebadged 350s as some have said-The specs on the site are different. Which is too bad. I'm also looking at a Felt '06 F65, which is of course a very different bike.

bulsara

I wrote to them about this change two weeks ago. This is how they explained it:

"Protocols are higher maintenance and race-day wheels while the Victory wheels use stainless bearings and are more lightweight and more durable for daily riding."

I am not sure about the "lightweight" as, according to their respective websites, the Ritcheys are just over 1500 whereas AC Victory are 1637. Maybe the hubs weren't included in the former case... Also, BD mentions their list prices as $660 (Ritchey; about $500 on eBay) vs $500 (AC Victory; too new).

Although I am getting my IF in 2 days, I have never tried the Protocols, so no comparison will be possible.

tekhna

The explination is the American Classic's are cheaper. The protocols are much nicer wheels. BD appears to have setup some kind of deal with American Classic, which is cool, but the AC420s are closer to spec to the Protocols than the Victorys, which is disappointing. They also switched to Cane Creek brakes, for better or worse.

jonnelrc

I have recently received my immortal pro 2 weeks ago. i started riding last summer on a giant fcr 3 bike. I never noticed how heavy that bike was until i started riding the immortal pro. within one week of having the bike i rode my first metric century and i think the bike had a lot to do with my being able to finish the tour. it does shift well and climbing hills is much easier now than it used to be.all in all i am satisfied considering the amount of money i invested.

However, during the tour, I noticed a strange creaking noise, randomly occuring but most heard during bumpy terrain (like cracked asphalt). I hear it whenever I start pedaling from a stopped position, when I stand up and, as i said a while ago, on a bumpy terrain. I thought it could be the bottom bracket, however i can hear it even when i'm not pedalling. i felt slightly embarrassed at one point when I was with a group of 4 riders and I was the one making such a ruckus.

After the tour, I replaced different parts of the bike to see where the noise comes from (pedals, stem, saddle). The last one I did was to remove the skewer on the front hub and turn it around. At the same time I disassembled and greased the headset bearings (I could not find a way to tighten any part of the headset components/rings though). I do not know which worked but now the creaking sound is gone.(though I haven't tried going more than a mile yet after the above changes). I dislike going to the lbs in my area because of the high prices repairing stuff they don't sell. I also have not emailed bikesdirect yet, hoping I can repair this myself.

Anyway, if the sound goes away permanently, I will be completely satisfied about my purchase (except for my need for an extender/riser for the stem; my neck is killing me from stooping down too much).

Just wanted to share my initial experience as a newbie buying from an internet retailer. I guess if I was not inclined about tinkering with things I would have been slightly more disappointed.

WheresWaldo

jonnelrc, sometimes creaks are the hardest things to find. You have to pay very close attention to see precisely where the sound is coming from. Many times the sound will appear to be coming from one place and it might acually be caused by something else. Typical creaking may come from imporperly torqued saddles, handlebars, stems, seatposts, etc. I have a creak that comes and goes, it took me a long time to find it. It turned out to be the saddle rails and tweaking the binder bolt another 5 in/lbs did the trick. I still have a squeek in the front wheel, and someday I will look for it, but right now I don't have the time, and it's not that big of a squeek.

Also glad to hear that you are enjoying your Immortal Pro. If you would be so kind as to take some pics of the components on your bike and post them here, I am sure everyone will benefit. Also, did yo make any changes to any of the components, or is it stock?

WheresWaldo

I just wanted to mention that there are now 500 posts in this thread. Placing it squarely near the top of the threads on the Road Cycling forum. It seems that many people have found this thread useful enough to keep it alive and growing.

BTW made a recent change to my Immortal Force, dropped the Shimano Flight Deck and now use the Garmin Edge 305 exclusively.