vtx1800ryder

Hi all.... new to forum. I am 50 years old and a big guy 270lbs. Want to start riding to drop some weight and get in better shape. No endurance or anything competitive yet. I don't live anywhere close to a local bike shop. So I decided to order a bike on line from bikesdirect.com. Here is what I ordered.... would appreciate honest input from knowledgeable members. Thanks....

This is a Motobecane Hybrid Cafe 3

Frame Handmade Advanced 6061 Aluminum with Rear Rack Mounts (brazeons), water bottle mount Picture Gallery
Fork Motobecane Unicrown Dura-Forte Steel 1.125" steerer with fender eyelets
Crankset RPM by FSA Aluminum Arms with Silver Finish, Single Ring 42T, 170mm
Bottom Bracket Sealed Cartridge Unit S-Taper
Pedals Comfort Platform Resin
Front Derailleur None
Rear Derailleur Shimano Nexus Internal 3 Speed Mechanism
Shifters Shimano Nexus Twist Shift with gear indicator
Cassette/Chain (internal gearing) external cog 20T and 16T / KMC Z-51 3-speed
Hubs Bolt-on, Shimano Nexus 3-speed SG-3R40 Rear
Aluminum Sealed Caged Ball Bearing front
Spokes Stainless Steel, 14 gauge, 36fr/36rr
Rims Alex X-202, Double-wall Aluminum 700c Silver
Tires Hybrid CST 700x38 black-wall with Schraeder Valve tubes
Brakes Tektro V Aluminum Alloy Silver Finish
Brake Levers Tektro Quartz Aluminum
Handlebar Kalloy Aluminum with Comfort bend
Stem Kalloy Adjustable Rise 0 to 60 degrees, Aluminum
Tape/Grip Velo Dual Comfort Density
Saddle Velo Comp Comfort Shaped
Seat Post Aluminum Alloy
Seat Clamp Ultralite Aluminum Alloy

vtx1800ryder

So either a junker that no one wants to comment on.... or no one has ever heard of this before?

javal

welcome to hybrid forum! In my case I´ve never heard of your bike. Judging by the components its a recreational bike. And that seems to be the kind of riding you will do. Motobecane has a long bike building history, and hopefully that means they built a bike for recreational purpose. But, as a starter bike I cant see why you shouldnt go on for longer runs with fitness in mind. Good luck!

Ron B

Hi - definitely NOT a junker! In fact I think it's a real nice bike - 57 here - just started riding seriously a couple years ago with my Mrs............
We have a couple hybrids Treks.........I think that you made a fine choice. Upright (comfortable) - good size tires........and SIMPLE!! Without having a local bike shop around to help adjust bits and that - the internal hub should be perfect for ya..........If you ever decide to get another - whether its a road bike or a mountain bike or a recumbent down the road - I think the bike you are buying will always be your 'all - arounder' that you can just hop on a go - wherever and whenever you want to. So - In my opinion- GOOD choice. I hear a lot of good things about bikes direct as well.......and again - without the fancy derailleurs etc. this should be about as easy to work on as it gets. Now go ride your butt off!!!!! If you start reading/researching you may be tempted to think "more gears the better" - I disagree honestly - and even though our bikes have more gears - I never use em - just an easy one for hills - a mid one for city/general - and the high one for when I want to go fast. Three are all ya need - there's a guy that has traveled around the world - Heinz Stucke I think his name is - and he used to travel with three gears........so NO EXCUSE Mister...........go ride!

John_V 

Not familiar with that particular model, but Motobecane makes some really nice bikes and they have been around for quite some time. Any bike is a good bike as long as it fits and meets your needs. If you can ride this bike and the pounds come off, it then becomes an excellent bike. I'm going to have to agree with Ron B on pretty much all he said. The important thing is that you started in the right direction and are doing something about your health. Stick with it and don't let some small setbacks get you down. Enjoy the ride.

Pistard

This is a very nice bike, good luck with it, just got a hybrid myself... 57 also.... time flies!!

qmsdc15

"The name Motobécane is also used for bikes of Taiwanese manufacture distributed through bikesdirect.com. These vehicles bear no relation to the older French made bicycles, other than the name."

Bunnicula

Of course they're not the French ones. FWIW, I believe my Trek and Cannondale were made in Taiwan too.

qmsdc15

Yeah, it's complicated. Trek is still owned by Trek and based in Waterloo, Wisconsin. Cannondale has been sold to Dorel Industries but still has a headquarters in Bethel, Connecticut.

Motobecane was purchased by Yamaha and currently makes scooters under the MBK brand. Motobecane USA imports bikes made by Kinesis and has no connection with the original company.

javal

This thread is going the wrong way, but most bike frames and components comes from Asia these days. Assembly doesnt mean anything else than assembled in an other country.

justfitme

Nothing wrong with Motobecane name ..even if it is not French anymore.

For last 10 years we had 7 bikes from BikesDirect and 4 of them were Motobecanes (3 Fuji's). Still have 2 Motobecanes and 2 Fuji's.

They are good bikes with good components and decent frames.
My wife had for couple of years Cafe Express, but 8. Great bike.

And they started to keep the value in the eyes of many people.....

himespau 

Not the wrong way just correcting out your point that it must be a nice bike because they have a long history. The current company using that name has a history of 10 years or so, but that doesn't mean the bike isn't nice. It probably is and should work well for the intended purpose.

javal

Which was my point.

qmsdc15

Two different companies entirely.

Which is my point.

javal

(a bit out of hand - sorry OP) To sell a name doesnt mean you sell out your entire history. The bike world is full of outsourcing. Not uncommon supervision is performed by people from original work staff.

qmsdc15

The French company Motobecane was purchased by Yamaha and is currently producing scooters. They are not involved in any way with the manufacture of these bikes from Motobecane USA. Two different companies with similar names.

javal

I´ll settle for that.

tonylumps

To revive an old thread I just bought a Motobecane Cafe 8 from BikesDirect. After looking for awhile I decided on the cafe 8. It is a stiff frame ,With a steel fork. I have an Electric kit I want to install on it. Front wheel Geared motor. And I really like the Nexus 8 speed And the Price was good. I have had a lot of friends who bought Motobecanes From BikesDirect If you are comfortable putting it together yourself It is a good deal on a Nice bike.

ChowChow

The bike you got is a decent starter bike. To me all bike frames are about the same and is mostly made in Taiwan or somewhere in China. The only different is the type of frame like steel, aluminum, carbon etc. What is mostly concern to me is the components (shifters, derailleurs, crankset etc).