Originally Posted by
scrapser
It's almost funny reading all the posts here that are wrangling around with concepts about branding, ownership, where parts are made, what level of quality is produced by X manufacturing facility...who's on first, what's on second, I don't know's on third.
The bottom line is this...Bikes Direct sells bicycles with a sticker on them with the word, "Motobecane". I think we can all agree on that...and to that extent, that is all there is to Motobecane today. I think we can all agree on that, too. Case closed. I had a very long discussion once with Sporty Mama. Courtney and I hashed this all out and ended the discussion on amiable terms. I ended up buying a Cannondale Synapse 3 because I still felt scammed going to the "Motobecane" website which is nothing more than a Bikes Direct facade. Motobecane does not exist anymore except as a name.
I like dealing with facts. And them there's the facts.
This reminds me of the day I was talking with a WW2 vet who still venomously hated the Japanese. He was not a happy camper when I showed him his so-called US made Chevrolet "Luv" pickup truck was actually made in Japan (I showed him the place of manufacture on the ID plate on the firewall).
How does this qualify as a scam? You knew the story, and you closed the case on it. You paid more for another 'sticker on the downtube' rather than save yourself a lot of money on what I can only assume is at least an equivalent set of components. The difference are wheels and frame, with a few parts like stem and bars. If the frame and wheels bothered you, of course you had every reason to go another direction, but am I reading this right that you spent more money because of principle? If this were a bike sold on eBay from an unknown vendor in Hong Kong, I could see your point, however BD has a reputation (whichever side you choose), which is more than any other no-name reseller can say.
I think I would take issue with Schwinn if I weren't more savvy - sold in both big box stores as well as local bike shops. Same name, two different levels of quality. Most folks don't know the difference. Motobecane is merely an old name which no one had the foresight to retain the rights to.
Again, not shilling, just approaching it from a logical vantage. To get back on track here, the OP liked his bike and was sharing. Another guy on a bike, cool. Fussing about the name on the downtube being of an extinct original and feeling let down by that is no reason to spend more money just because.
iJen recently admitted that she loved her Mercier Elle before acquiring her Cervelo. Of course that's an upgrade. Pcad loves his Fly Ti MTB. Numerous others on this board have posted pics of their new re-branded steeds. Seems to me that we all understand, as you have pointed out, the storyline, it's a matter of getting past what other people think. Using the Schwinn analogy, I don't think 99.9% of people care. The other .1% are in this forum.