Originally Posted by
Dilberto
Those Kenda Klimax Lite tires on the Fly Pro, weigh only 345g each. They are ONLY GOOD for race days, and dry hardpack. Any hint of moisture or wetness, and these tires wash-out like you are riding on greased ice. The 12-27 cassette was obviously included to lower overall bike weight(less than 250g). However, you gotta be in excellent shape to climb anything using a 3x9/12-27 combo. Lastly, Motobecanes are made using very light 7005-series aluminum tubing. They are inferior to 6000-series tubing- which has incredible strength, especially at the TIG-welded joints. I know TWO Fly owners who broke their frames, under light XC trail riding. Their warranties did not cover their damages.....so they were screwed out of a ride. Don't buy one. You can get a similarly weighted new Cannondale XC hardtail for $500 more- and enjoy a better component mix, with a lifetime frame/fork warranty.
Some issues here we've covered.
Tires, check, covered that.
Cassette, check, covered that.
I'm calling BS on the frame issues. 7xxx series AL is generally considered a higher grade than the 6xxx series, your average X-mart bike is 6061 AL. When heat-treated post welding, the 7xxx series is significantly stronger. So as far as the frame issues go, let's get particulars and pictures. I don't believe they failed with light XC riding and were denied warranty coverage. I don't care for Mike's salesman routine, but this is not his M.O.
What $500 Cannondale bikes are you comparing?