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Comparing two bikes

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Old 02-16-20, 03:16 AM
  #1  
starkmojo
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Comparing two bikes

So I found two bikes in my height/weight/price range
Motobecane mulekick 63Cm https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...e-xx.htm#specs
and the Toughroad SL GX1 https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/to...-slr-gx-1-2020

They seem pretty close in a lot of ways. My general preference is the the Giant because they have a bike shop near-ish me, I bought a Liv for my wife and she likes it and it (appears to come with rack.) it also has a max rider weight above my weight which is nice.
IDK motobecane as well, plus there isn't much recourse if there is something wrong but ship it back - plus the price is only $70 more for the Giant. But am I missing something here? I was going to buy the Omni Strada but they appear to have discontinued the 63cm version which was several hundred cheaper. I feel like its ok to accept some risk for a price savings but why bother if the bikes are relatively equal? I guess i should add that I fine with any kind of shimano shifters because I have been beating my bottom-tiered shimanos on my XC bike for 10 years and had no issue until the front derailleur decided it was a 2x not a 3x., but I really want disc brakes,.

I was hesitant to buy a "XL" bike as i am amost always an "XXL" kind of guy but the stack and reach of the Giant is the same as my 63cm road bike,

Any opinions?
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Old 02-17-20, 07:57 AM
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c_m_shooter
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I would get the Giant. I hate flat black paint. Once you get it narrowed down to 2 or 3 bikes, pick the color you like best.
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Old 02-17-20, 11:16 AM
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Originally Posted by c_m_shooter
I would get the Giant. I hate flat black paint. Once you get it narrowed down to 2 or 3 bikes, pick the color you like best.
When you are my height you rarely get a choice
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Old 02-18-20, 06:28 PM
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I would lean towards the moto. Those included racks look pretty nice on the Giant, is the only plus I see there. Also the feelgood and goodwill of supporting LBS. Maybe also the shop would set the wheels up tubeless for free?

But shimano 11sp + shimano hydraulic brakes + shimano crank vs sora 9sp and giant brand hydraulics and fsa? That's I think why the Giant is competitively priced, because of lower spec in those areas.

I've bought a number of motobecanes from bikesdirect in the $1000 range, I was happy with their support. In one case the derailleur hanger was mangled, they promptly mailed me another one. In one case they sent me the wrong bike! (new model instead of sale closeout I ordered). I probably could have kept it and they'd be none the wiser, but they exchanged it, just took a couple more days. The rest were fine.
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Old 02-26-20, 10:47 PM
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1- you are comparing bikes with very different drivetrain specs. Not sure if you recognize this as it isnt mentioned in the first post and only $ is compared.

2- how tall are you? the giant claims a really tall height range, but the geometry doesnt match, in my view. I am 6'5 and find the stack and reach of the giant to be on the small end(for both), so not sure what a 6'7 person would think of it. Pretty odd claim on giant's part.
Along this line, if you do consider the motobecane more seriously, I would suggest you find out more about the geometry. That site is notorious for limited geometry info and it is totally unjustifiable. They claim stack and reach isnt good way to help decide bike fit, which is absurd. Bb drop?...kinda nice to know that too.
Just odd that they put such little effort into displaying details when it's an online only company. They should want to be accused of providing too much info!
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Old 02-28-20, 06:05 AM
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
1- you are comparing bikes with very different drivetrain specs. Not sure if you recognize this as it isnt mentioned in the first post and only $ is compared.

2- how tall are you? the giant claims a really tall height range, but the geometry doesnt match, in my view. I am 6'5 and find the stack and reach of the giant to be on the small end(for both), so not sure what a 6'7 person would think of it. Pretty odd claim on giant's part.
Along this line, if you do consider the motobecane more seriously, I would suggest you find out more about the geometry. That site is notorious for limited geometry info and it is totally unjustifiable. They claim stack and reach isnt good way to help decide bike fit, which is absurd. Bb drop?...kinda nice to know that too.
Just odd that they put such little effort into displaying details when it's an online only company. They should want to be accused of providing too much info!
The stack is pretty comparable to my current 62cm Kona. The reach is a little shorter but I have a long stem that I use anyway (160mm/45 degrees) which helps. It sucks being very tall in a sport designed for short skinny guys. Just saying. Also the stack and reach are pretty close to a 63cm CAAD8 I rode around for years.

I like the store bike because while I have to order it to get it to the shop, if I test ride it and it doesnt work all I have to do is tell them no thanks and give it back to them. If the Motobecane doesnt fit I am probably out quite a bit for shipping and having to rebox it too.

I do like the Moto becane gearing a little better but neither of them is way out of line for the riding I do. And currently as I am riding a 2008 Jake 3x8 where the large front shifter has decided it doesnt want to engage the large cog anymore either will be an improvement.

Last edited by starkmojo; 02-28-20 at 06:15 AM.
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