dsaul

Bikesdirect frames are made by Kinesis. They make frames for a variety of other brands, as well as making them under their own brand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinesis_Industry

HerrKaLeun

What exact model is that? (link?) I looked on their horrible website, but didn't find that specific one.

My experience with buying a Motobecane Al fatbike:
- frame built by Kinesis and had excellent quality. Better welds than my giant bike. Obvioulsy yours being a CF bike, it may be made elsewhere.
- has threaded BB, they don't do proprietary s$$t. It will be much more serviceable in the future.
- easy assembly (just front wheel in, handlebar). If i could charge $75, or even $250 for assembly, I would give up my professional job and do that all day :-)
- components on a higher level than most LBS bikes
- the geometry may be dated depending on which bike and what you consider modern. that is the reason i upgraded my frame to an RSD Mayor (slacker HT, lower standover). BTW, the Motobecane frame was about 200-300g LIGHTER than the Mayor. Obviously you need to research geometry if it works for you. I don't see a need to follow every new trend, but the slacker HT is a big improvement (70--> 67°)

I don't have experience with FS bikes, but am looking at getting one. Obviouly geometry matters, but the rear linkage and bearings are important. Look how replaceable they are, if they sue bushings only, or bearings etc. Some shocks are kind of proprietary for that bike.

VernMoto

I have a hard tail Specialized I got for $4500 back in 2007. Sometimes I wish I had a full suspension. Some of the rough spots of my 30 mile run are killing my ars. Bad trail maintenance. Pot holes, large rock filled sections and several curbs hard to "hop" over. Plus, my old bike is heavy and I feel like I am placing more energy in moving the bike than enjoying the challenges the trails have to offer.

VernMoto

You can find the bike I got here. https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...tain-bikes.htm

This is my first FS bike as well. With very little info about other riders opinions, I guess I will soon find out what this bike is capable of. Again, all I am really looking for is a good trail bike to replace my dated 2007 Specialized. that can handle some rough spots on the trail without killing my ars. The trail I ride is about 15 miles in one direction, making 30 max. It is safe and away from traffic and cars trying to kill you. Just wild pigs, snakes and spiders.

mattcalifornia

Well, for one thing, you've got about 10 pounds worth of lights, bags, kickstands, doo-dads and a massive saddle and cover on that thing. Also, when you ride a hard-tail on a rough trail, you need to lift off the saddle and use your legs as suspension for any gnarly bumps and drops. What kind of tires do you have on that thing? You might be able to go a bit plusher.

Unless you are riding really rough (think big rocks and tree roots everywhere) single track downhills or bombing a bike park at a ski resort, you seriously don't need -- and probably are better off without -- full suspension. I still have my 1995 Barracuda 'Cuda Comp hard tail (with a newer suspension fork), and I can ride pretty much any of the trails around here. I wouldn't take it on the lifts at Big Bear or Mammoth, but for the type of riding being described in this thread, it's more than adequate. Why add the weight, complexity, cost, flex and bounce of a rear suspension unless you really need it. It makes no sense for most people.

Heck, we've got guys out here riding a lot of the MTB trails on gravel bikes. Check out SAFA Brian on YouTube if you want to see how fast you can ride a smooth-ish trail on a gravel bike with no suspension. He's even taking jumps at speed on his Scott Addict.

VernMoto

[QUOTE=mattcalifornia;21716298]



Well, for one thing, you've got about 10 pounds worth of lights, bags, kickstands, doo-dads and a massive saddle and cover on that thing. Also, when you ride a hard-tail on a rough trail, you need to lift off the saddle and use your legs as suspension for any gnarly bumps and drops. What kind of tires do you have on that thing? You might be able to go a bit plusher.


Unless you are riding really rough (think big rocks and tree roots everywhere) single track downhills or bombing a bike park at a ski resort, you seriously don't need -- and probably are better off without -- full suspension. I still have my 1995 Barracuda 'Cuda Comp hard tail (with a newer suspension fork), and I can ride pretty much any of the trails around here. I wouldn't take it on the lifts at Big Bear or Mammoth, but for the type of riding being described in this thread, it's more than adequate. Why add the weight, complexity, cost, flex and bounce of a rear suspension unless you really need it. It makes no sense for most people.


Heck, we've got guys out here riding a lot of the MTB trails on gravel bikes. Check out SAFA Brian on YouTube if you want to see how fast you can ride a smooth-ish trail on a gravel bike with no suspension. He's even taking jumps at speed on his Scott Addict.[/QUOTE


I know this trail. It has long stretches of crappy parts. My legs work great as a suspension, but on long stretches, a full suspension would allow me to stay in the seat and go way faster. I was watching the girl I ride with with who bought a 10K Specialized full suspension, and she flies over those spots with ease. Her suspension takes all the beating, her 29" wheels make my 26" look gay leaving her with pushing it hard and me on a bad rollercoaster slamming around beating myself to death. She can go over a 8" curb by a simple lift off the seat. I have to jump it. And there are a few hill climes pretty steep, her 1x11 drivetrain allows her to go way harder than my bike. I can kill her when we road bike, but her FS bike is just WAY better and way more fun than mine to ride on the trails. I don't have $10,000 to spend on a Specialized Stump Jumper with the same gear I got on my Motobecane. She already calls my bike a Moto-be-can't. We will see. I think what I have and the trails we ride can give me the edge.


Her bike. https://www.specialized.com/us/en/s-...ext=93320-0402

veganbikes

Exactly as I thought. A fit is super useful and quite important for any rider and any bike. To build a bike and get a Retül fitting for that price is a bargain and I would have jumped on it. Fits are usually much more expensive than that and their bike build rate is pretty cheap (though maybe on par for other shops in Houston). $40 is quite low and I wouldn't trust a carbon fiber bike even if the name is lifted from a defunct French brand to give it a sliver of faux-prestige. Maybe he is good and giving away time and money which is up to them but it is more than just throwing out some cardboard and putting pedals on no matter what the importer or manufacturer says. Very few boxed bikes come ready to ride and need a proper tune up. Especially on a full suspension bike of unknown origin.

Why would they want to get you a good deal on labor for a bike you bought online though? What is really in it for them? I generally wouldn't cut a break on labor as that is high margin for a shop. Parts maybe especially on a new bike purchased from the shop but random internet boxes not at all.

Charliekeet

[QUOTE=VernMoto;21716460]What did the girl you ride with say when you told her that “Her suspension takes all the beating, her 29" wheels make my 26" look gay leaving her with pushing it hard and me on a bad rollercoaster slamming around beating myself to death.“? Did she agree, or did you have to reminder her that you “can kill her when we road bike, but her FS bike is just WAY better.”?

It sounds like you are really annoyed at the shop for pushing you to buy an expensive bike, but you really want one of those expensive bikes. So you got a better deal buying direct for one that also seems very good. Ok,
Hope it works out, and you can now do what your riding partner does on the trails.

VernMoto

Yeah, being that I almost bought a bike from BikeBarn and talked to them a lot, they know me. I would be embarrassed to bring them my Motobecane...LOL Slowtwitch and Bicycles of South Side are two shops that are in business to do mechanical work not sell name brand bikes. So, I figured they would be good for assembly.

Kimmo 

Bikes in boxes are most often merely assembled, not built.

I'd say the difference is usually worth the money...

hounslow

Please tell me this is a typo and it was 450 not 4500. We joke round here about the Specialized tax but wow.

mattcalifornia

I think it must be a typo. To be honest, I would have guessed that bike is much older too. And, on further inspection, I'm pretty sure that's a hybrid/town bike, not a mountain bike. But the photo isn't very sharp, so I may be wrong. OP, what Specialized is that? It's not a Rockhopper or Stumpjumper.

rosefarts

Any basic hardtail with an 80mm fork, disk brakes, and capable of running 2.25 tires will blow the doors off that grocery getter. Brand wouldn't matter.

I don't hate Moto's and I'd buy one in the right situation, happily. I would worry about replacement parts on a FS but thats unfounded, since most people shop for a new bike every few years.

I know it's a different moto than this, but here's a picture from my living room.

VernMoto

I wish.

mattcalifornia

I honestly can't tell if this is a put-on. That's a Specialized Crossroads hybrid/city bike. It's not a mountain bike. It retailed for less than $350. **********???

VernMoto

It is a town bike. I started using it as a trail bike when Harvey killed the road bike trail in Houston. It came all decked out with a front rack a rear rack a suspension seat post large mirrors that attached to the end of the handle bars a lighting kit and a bike computer. AND, it was a Christmas gift for me to ride all over Houston, even to work. Not anything I would have picked out, but...

VernMoto

That is pretty funny because it certainly surprised me when I found out how much they paid. I am sorry, I should not have said "I" paid. I would have never paid that much and it is so cheap looking. But I am not exaggerating, I got it brand new at a Specialized shop in Houston. As I said in another post, It came all decked out with a front rack a rear rack a suspension seat post large mirrors that attached to the end of the handle bars a lighting kit and a bike computer.

VernMoto

Yes, that is exactly what the old bike was intended to be, a grocery getter. Huge stupid baskets, mirrors I took them all off when I started riding trails. It was meant as a shoping bike for the Heights area. I never rode it to the store, but my brother-in-law used it more than his car.

I love that old school French made Motobecane.

billyymc

For the riding you're doing, that bike will function just fine. Get it built properly, maintain it properly, and it will serve you well for a long time. Contact BD to see if you can get a bushing/bearing rebuild kit to have on hand in case you ever need it - it's relatively cheap and eventually you might wear our some of the linkage parts.

nomadmax 

That ^

Don't turn a prom date into a due date

gsa103

The geometry is a little dated, but that looks like a solid bike. The basic 4-bar suspension is off patent now, so Bikes Direct can offer a good suspension design without issue. The geometry and suspension design are probably similar to a Specialized from 5-6 years ago, it's not like it's a terrible design.
BikesDirect are somewhere in between Trek/Specialized/Giant and the generic open-mold Chinese frames. It's a US company, importing frames from reasonable suppliers, so they have deal with liability and support issues that the open-mold Chinese frames don't. BikesDirect has a long history, and for the money it's hard to beat the components.

VernMoto

I was looking at these two. I know the Specialized is superior, but is it worth the price to me? I say no. Great bike, STUPID money. What "geometry" is 5 to 6 years old?

zacster

The should shorten "MOTO" to "MT" then it would become MTBecane. A little more descriptive. It actually isn't that bad an idea for them.

Trakhak

Unlikely that they'd do that for the MTBs given that all their other models would still have "MOTOBECANE" decals.

VernMoto

My (much richer) friends who spent the 5k to 10k on Specialized and Trek call it the Moto-be-can't. I don't think that is funny.