Orbea or motobecane?
#1
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Orbea or motobecane?
I was looking at the vent noir https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...ventnoir_x.htm and the orbea aqua T23 https://www.orbea-usa.com/fly.aspx?la...xid=57&pid=435 Its my first real road bike. I have a cross bike now but need a road and didnt want to dive straight into the expensive stuff. The t23 is like 750 or 800 at my lbs.
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I think there's very little comparison between those two bicycles.
I love the price point for a bike with a killer group on BD, but I realize if I had anything other than a very minor problem with the bicycle I'd be paying an LBS full price for assistance.
My LBS gave me a full year of Free Tuneups and Adjustments when I purchased my Trucker. That's GOT to be worth something. It also left the store fitting me perfectly.
I love the price point for a bike with a killer group on BD, but I realize if I had anything other than a very minor problem with the bicycle I'd be paying an LBS full price for assistance.
My LBS gave me a full year of Free Tuneups and Adjustments when I purchased my Trucker. That's GOT to be worth something. It also left the store fitting me perfectly.
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Stick with MTB.
Jeez...
Jeez...
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I would get Motobecane since I don't feel like paying extra 30% for Orbea's name and its components are clearly inferior. But seeing how you don't know which one is better, I'd get Orbea from LBS since you probably won't be able to put the Motobecane together and fix it if need comes.
#7
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If you're a good wrench and are really looking to save some money than the Motobecane would be a good option since the benefit of free tune ups from a shop won't be a benefit financially. If you do rely on a shop then the Orbea is a good move, not to mention that Orbea makes good bikes but I'm an owner so I'm biased.
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I would go with the Orbea, being able to bring it into the LBS you bought it from in case problems arise might be worth it. Orbea Orca is one of the sweetest bikes out, dream bike status.
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Where did i say he would, usually the shop you buy from will offer discounted service if you need it and free tune ups. LBS i bought my bike from offered free tune ups for the life of the bike. If the OP isn't a wrencher, like myself, that alone could be worth it.
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Orbea has fantastic marketing and pays big $$$ to sponsor professional cycling teams. So, if you support them, you are supporting pro cycling. On the other hand, Motobecane doesn't have the big budget. They are American owned now, and so you'd be keeping more of your money to helping out the local economy. Both Orbea and Motobecane source their frames from Asia, so either way your helping out poor Chinese families too. Win-win all around.
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I just bought a Motobecane Champion CF SRAM and love it...but I'm no expert...
I visited 3 LBSs and received bad advice, incorrect data on their bikes, and prices $1k above what I paid for a similarly equipped CF frame...I may find out one day that my frame isn't as good as a 'real' brand...until then, I ride and enjoy
EDIT: I should also say that IF you have a great LBS that can really help with sizing and picking out the right bike for your needs, AND you can get a closeout or other 'deal', the MUCH preferred path would be to buy local. I, unfortunately, could not get the help I expected from the LBS, so there was no reason to pay the premium for their service.
I visited 3 LBSs and received bad advice, incorrect data on their bikes, and prices $1k above what I paid for a similarly equipped CF frame...I may find out one day that my frame isn't as good as a 'real' brand...until then, I ride and enjoy
EDIT: I should also say that IF you have a great LBS that can really help with sizing and picking out the right bike for your needs, AND you can get a closeout or other 'deal', the MUCH preferred path would be to buy local. I, unfortunately, could not get the help I expected from the LBS, so there was no reason to pay the premium for their service.
Last edited by BikeNSail; 09-03-10 at 08:28 AM.
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details please....
On what factual basis did you conclude the bike was overpriced?
#17
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I would get Motobecane since I don't feel like paying extra 30% for Orbea's name and its components are clearly inferior. But seeing how you don't know which one is better, I'd get Orbea from LBS since you probably won't be able to put the Motobecane together and fix it if need comes.
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this one might be a tough call. i've got an aluminum Orbea and i love it, but i got new old stock so i got a great deal at the LBS. i usually always recommend buying local, but you get a big step up in components on the Motobecane. if you are at all serious about cycling, i wouldn't go below Tiagra. have you checked around for previous year's models on closeout? that is where the deals are at the LBS.
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yeah. Im going to road race the bike so I was thinking the Moto. Maybe ill wait until I can afford 1,000 then the window really opens up.
#22
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So don't justify a BD purchase as anything other than "I want to pay as little as possible for a bike and I really don't care about the frame". Because that's what you get. A thing in a box that, unless you march it down to the LBS for assembly, has done little for anyone's local economy. And since BD isn't collecting any sales tax, but LBS's do, it's not hard to see how the amount of revenue BD actually contributes is nominal, at best.
Don't even get me started on all the ways most local shops contribute to making cycling better locally and nationally through organizations like Bikes Belong, League of American Bicyclists, Safe Routes to School and other causes that fight daily to preserve the rights to the road that many drivers would love to see vanish. BD proudly supports none of these, calling them "pet charities". Yeah, whatever....
Now...having said all that, my answer would be "neither". I don't get the Orbea hype. We have a local racer who has an Orbea. He thought it was great until he rode my steel 16lb Waterford R-33. Now he hates his Orbea...... then there's that great BD warranty that in essence states even if it's our fault it broke, you still have to buy a new one-albeit at an undisclosed "discounted" price.
Still, if price is everything, and you're good at DIY, or have a good local wrench, BD can be a viable choice.
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Orbea... definitely.
I went through the same thing you did when purchasing my first road bike. Hmmm, bikes direct, cheap, ok starter bike...
Then a friend showed me his Orbea, so I started looking at the T23. So I asked the lbs what they thought. They said, might as well go with a TVL/higher component group. The parts will last longer, and you only pay a little extra. My TVL came with a full Campy Veloce set. I think I payed 1000 pounds instead of 600. I had to save another month to cover the difference, but it was well worth it!
The only thing with Orbea, they don't always put the parts on there that they say they will. BUT, the good part is they stuff they do put on is almost always an upgrade. I saw a TVL at the lbs with a carbon crank. Mine came with a Campy Centaur crank instead of Veloce (no carbon). My deraileurs are Centaur, and when I got hit by a car and replaced the rear deraileur, I got the upgraded 2011 Carbon! My friends TVL came with a mix of Veloce/Centaur like mine did, but it was a different blend. We bought them at the same time.
I am stationed in the UK so I paid local currency.
Like you said, save up to $1k, and the window opens up. I strongly agree!
I went through the same thing you did when purchasing my first road bike. Hmmm, bikes direct, cheap, ok starter bike...
Then a friend showed me his Orbea, so I started looking at the T23. So I asked the lbs what they thought. They said, might as well go with a TVL/higher component group. The parts will last longer, and you only pay a little extra. My TVL came with a full Campy Veloce set. I think I payed 1000 pounds instead of 600. I had to save another month to cover the difference, but it was well worth it!
The only thing with Orbea, they don't always put the parts on there that they say they will. BUT, the good part is they stuff they do put on is almost always an upgrade. I saw a TVL at the lbs with a carbon crank. Mine came with a Campy Centaur crank instead of Veloce (no carbon). My deraileurs are Centaur, and when I got hit by a car and replaced the rear deraileur, I got the upgraded 2011 Carbon! My friends TVL came with a mix of Veloce/Centaur like mine did, but it was a different blend. We bought them at the same time.
I am stationed in the UK so I paid local currency.
Like you said, save up to $1k, and the window opens up. I strongly agree!
Last edited by retWOWaddict; 09-03-10 at 10:14 AM. Reason: misread
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bikewise1, I have been out of the US for a while, what type of hype is there?