ccrnnr9

I figured that it might be of interest to some of you if I posted a review on the motobecane I purchased back in April. It seems like everytime someone opens up a thread about bikesdirect/motobecane they are accused of being a shill so I have attempted to make this as unbiased as possible. Here goes it:

Like I said previously, I bought the bike (Motobecane Grand Sprint) back in April during the one week sale. I got the bike for 895$. The components are as follows:
Shimano Ultegra 6600 STI 20 Speed, Front and Rear Derailleurs, FSA Carbon SLK Crankset, 7005 Double Butted MultiShape Aluminum with High Modulus Carbon Fiber Seatstays
FSA Wheelset, Ritchey Comp Bar, Stem and Seatpost.

I received the bike and was glad to find it well packed in a box with no holes. The bike was pretty much fully assembled except the front brake was not on and the handlebars and stem needed to be attached to the bike. The bike was packed in a large cardboard box and the frame was “protected” by pieces of cardboard taped around the frame to prevent scratches. I was a little weary about the quality of this and insuring that the bike was not scratched but it worked so that is all that mattered. I was impressed that the frame/paint job looked nicer than I expected. The silver is very shiny and has a nice metallic undercoat. Looks much better than the pics online. I had no trouble getting the bike assembled.

Enough of the initial stuff. Since that time I have put a little over 1000 miles on the bike. I have done everything from long 60+ mile rides to short 20minute crits. I use the bike for training and racing only so my review will come from a “racer’s” perspective. I know there has been a lot of worry about how well the bikes are made. I was a little worried but I decided to be a guinea pig and take a chance. We will start with the brakes. I was very impressed with the improvement the ultegra brakes made over the tektro brakes on my Masi that I was used to. I actually threw myself over the handle bars braking hard to first time. A little embarrassing but since then I have them adjusted to my liking and always feel very good about the ability to stop.

Cables/drivetrain. As stated earlier, the drivetrain is a full ultegra minus the chain and cassette which are 105. I have been very pleased with the smoothness of operation so far. I am happy to say that I have not had any problems whatsoever. My only gripe would be that the cables seem to be cheaper than what you might find on other bikes with the big brand name. Maybe they cut corners there? They stretched out A LOT after 500 miles (which is normal) but even after getting tune-ups, they continue to stretch quite a bit. I may get some nicer cables in the future.

The tires are Kenda race tires and when I saw them I thought they would be a joke and decided that I would replace them asap. I was told by some of the forum members that they are quite good and decided to give them a try. Sure enough they are great! The grip while cornering is amazing. I will say that I do not have experience with any other “race” tires to compare to but these are truly great. In my first crit on the bike it was pouring rain and one of the corners was at the bottom of a big hill and we were hitting the corner at around 25-30mph and the tires were amazing. I never once felt uncomfortable. The only downside is that I have had more flats on these tires than any other tire Ive ever used. I think this is due to the thinness of the surface and light weight of the tire? I now use some maxis training tires since my team is sponsored by maxis but continue to use the Kendas for races.

The overall quality of the bike is very good, especially for the price. I have FSA SLK carbon cranks along with full ritchey components. The bike does not look cheap and the ritchey components are a definite plus. I have always been a big fan of ritchey so perhaps I am a bit biased, but either way, I was pleased to see that they used name brand quality parts. My biggest complaint of the components is the seat. It was absolute junk. I rode with it for about ¼ mile and knew it was not going to fly. I put it on my old bike before I sold it and currently run a masi brand saddle that is decent at best. I plan to buy a flite as soon as funds allow. The bar tape is wrapped well and has maintained over the 1000 miles I have ridden. The bike did come with some stickers that I was not a fan of that I immediately removed so now the bike only has the motobecane on the down tube and grand sprint written on the top tube. I like the “classic” look of an all silver bike with little advertisement. I have even been complimented on it a couple times.

Now for the most important part, the frame. I can honestly say that I have been very pleased with the frame so far. Granted, it has only endured 1000 miles and I am by no means a large rider (6’, 162lbs) but I can say that no problems have been encountered yet. The bikes rides as smooth as any I have ever ridden. I will say that I do not consider any bike to ride “smooth” because to me smooth is what a lexus sedan will give you, not a road bike. The frame is very stiff, much more so than most any bike I have ridden. It weighs in under 17.5lbs with pedals so it is not a heavy one. I have had the bike inspected and nothing has shown up yet. I wish I would have done a better job fitting myself because I think I might have gotten one size too small (56 instead of a 58) but I have solved that with a fit from my LBS and a long stem. If I could do it all over again, I would get a 58 (and I may be buying a replacement frame used soon) but I do enjoy the bike a lot.

I hope that answers any questions people may have. If anyone can think of anything else to ask, please do! Also, with regards to bikesdirect, they have promptly answered all of my emails and have been great as far as customer service goes. The bike has seen 5 crits and 1 road race and is resting up before another crit tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
~Nick

Cypress

Good review!

There is no reason to be ashamed of liking Ritchey Components. They make wonderfully light items at prices no one else can touch.

HAMMER MAN

nice review and enjoy the ride, {racing}

woodcycl

Nice ride report! Thanks.

derath

Nice review. No pics? Gotta have pics. (I'm a bike pron addict)

blandin

Great review and it sounds like the bargain price delivered good value. I second the request for pics!

ccrnnr9

Did I come off as being ashamed? Well let it be known that I am not. I am a ritchey junky. Our team is sponsored by them, I wear a ritchey cycling cap, all my components (stem, bars, seatpost, etc) are ritchey, my wheels will be, etc. Great company! I apologize for no pics. I had taken some but my family's digi cam was stolen so no pics for now ...I will get some up as soon as possible. Hopefully by then I will have the protocols, flite saddle, and garmin edge 305 mounted. Expect a review of the 305 in the coming weeks.
~Nick

Jaeger

Now that you've had the bike for a while have your impressions changed? Any longer term reviews of this bike?

aecky01

I agree with you about the cheap cables on BD bikes, but the thing that bugs me even more is how long they leave the stupid cables. I just received a Phantom Cross Uno yesterday and when I attached the brakes I had like 7 inches of excess cable. Not to mention the fact that all that extra cable housing and no oil in the housing leads to ****ty braking. Anyway my rant is over. I actually really like the Uno once I recabled the whole thing, but they really need to teach their mechanics how to properly cable a bike.

JimmyA

I have a GS as well. I'll put some pics up in a bit.

Jimmy