Pacolyptic

Just got my first bike from BD. I'm a wrencher so the assembly was pretty easy. One funny thing - the included assembly manual is some generic pamphlet that would be dead-on accurate for a 90's steel road bike but not so handy for this one

I was impressed by the packing. Not quite as protected as some manufacturers ship bikes but I didn't see anything amiss. All parts were protected and still had their clear plastic film intact. The only fiddly bit for me was installing the rotor in the front wheel - I had to dig out a T25 driver.

If you're not familiar with this 2016 model, it comes with 105 mech and brifters, FSA crank, Avid BB5 disc brakes, WTB tubeless-ready rims, 28mm tires, and Ritchey stem/bars/seat. Personally I prefer SRAM Rival but it's not available on the Century Comp Ti this year. It's available on the Fantom Cross Ti but there are differences between the Century and Fantom that still kept the Century as my top choice. An email exchange with BD sales hinted that the Century Ti with SRAM eRed is coming too.

Anyway back to this bike. The frame is pretty beefy - this is not a featherweight titanium bike. Which is fine by me - I'm a 225# former running back and I wanted this as a more relaxed do-all bike (primarily road) than my light aluminum roadie. Speaking of weight, I did a quick bathroom scale measure and this bike (55cm) without pedals is about 22#. If that strikes you as heavy, it's at least a couple pounds lighter than comparable steel bikes I tested (Kona Rove, Specialized AWOL, Surly Cross Check, and other adventure/gravel bikes) at a similar price. Plus it's titanium - I dig steel but I'm happier when I don't have to worry about rust.

Dialing in the derailleurs and disc brakes was simple and I got to ride it up and down my street a few times to bed the brakes just before it started to rain. I'll run it by a LBS to make sure the spoke tension is correct just to be safe. Looking forward to putting some miles in this weekend - I'll update with impressions after that too.

dksix

Is that an 11-32 with a GS RD?

Pacolyptic

Yes and yes.

dksix

Very nice, if it was hydraulic disk I'd say it was perfect.

Pacolyptic

Thanks

They have a model with Ultegra and hydraulics for +$600, but that math just didn't work for me (like the hydraulics but don't care about 105->Ultegra).

wheelsmcgee

Thanks for sharing pacolyptic...I've been glancing at this bike, great frame for the price. Curious: the BD website says clearance for up to 45mm tires. Does that seem about right? I'm curious, because they say the same for several other models (the Al omni stradas) and since they don't sell the Ti models with anything near that large, I have to wonder.

Pacolyptic

I'll takes pics along with a tape measure tonight and we'll see.

Pacolyptic

Here we go - sorry just used a tape measure instead of getting out the calipers. Short answer is that it looks like 45mm would just barely fit.

Longer answer:

Front fork looks like it could handle 45mm no problem. Narrowest point is between the chain stays. As you can see in the pic, the frame is curved there to provide about 1-3/4" width which is approx 45mm. So I think the BD spec is accurate though I wouldn't personally run a tire without more side clearance.

Pacolyptic

FYI that's the stock 28mm tire in the pic.

wheelsmcgee

Thanks pacolyptic, that's great info to have, and I know others looking at these bikes for gravel grinding will appreciate it. As an aside, a pic like that should be standard operating procedure on the manufacturer's websites!

quicktrigger

I bought the version of this bike that they got last October. Major difference was came with BB7 brakes, and 35mm Conti cyclocross tires. There was plenty of clearance for those tires, though I put road tires on my bike. I couldnt be happier with the bike. It handles very well. Ride is excellent. Buddy I let ride it for a couple weeks while he was visiting, LOVED it. I also like the beefier aspect of the bike, and it looks great. May not have the snob appeal, but I will keep my money, and they can go snob somebody else.

RedRockRider

Sweet ride, OP!

I've got the older version of this, love the fact that you can put wider more comfortable tires on it. Mine is wearing 38's. They advertised 40's would fit, and I daresay that would be the maximum, so they definitely changed the frame on the new model, along with the shift to disk brakes.

Looking forward to a ride report.

Frank72

Great looking bike! Great value too. I have the Fantom Team Disc, very comfy ride and solid too.

KonaRider125

Nice looking bike! You can always upgrade to TRP HY/RD cable actuated hydro brakes.

You know if the decals on the frame are easily removable?

garciawork

Not a BD Ti owner, but from what I have read, the decals are under a clearcoat for the very purpose of making them hard to remove, AND removal actually violates the warranty. I probably wouldn't go through the hassle, but I also wouldn't be particularly worried about the warranty on a Ti frame either.

I can see a BD Ti frame in my future at some point, either a road/gravel disc or one of the Shimano equipped MTB's if they get 1x11. They are sweet rides for the money!

buddyrda

Hey Pacolyptic,

I'm thinking about picking up a Motobecane Century COMP Ti and was curious how big you are for that 55cm frame? I'm 5'11 with a 33" inseam and was wondering if I should get the 55 or the 58cm. Thanks for your input.

-Ryan

ypsetihw

I know they are nicely equipped bikes, and I have a riding buddy who is very happy with his Motobecane. The price is right on them also if you go the BD route. Personally, I just cannot stand their decals. They make the bikes look so cheap.

Hiro11

I'm probably going to buy the Turino Team which is a similar bike with an alloy frame, Ultegra and 785 hydro brakes. The Ti frames must cost a lot more to produce given the premium BD charges for them. Still, BD titanium frames are a great deal.

I have the Le Champion Team Ti road frame and it doesn't have a clear coat. The Le Champion Team also has much more subdued "outline" decals.

I'm a fan of BD but agree with people above in that don't understand why BD insists on putting such huge decals on their frames. All of their bikes feature similar gigantic, high contrast, block-lettered decals you can read a mile away. I'm not ashamed of riding a Motobecane, but I'd appreciate a little less branding and a little more design sense. I guess that's not what you're paying for.

NormanF

The do-it-all bike market has a following. You can get a second wheelset, outfit them with 32 and ride those three season and switch for the winter to the original and put on 40 tires.

You can ride the bike the way you want.

stockae92

That looks excellent. Congrats on the new ride!

Pacolyptic

The Ti ones don't appear to have a clearcoat on the frame (there's definitely clearcoat on the carbon fork). There's youtube videos showing people getting decals off the Ti frame with various products if you really want to remove them.

Pacolyptic

I'm 5'10" with about a 31" inseam and the 55cm fits me fine. There's plenty of room to raise the seat still, and the reach feels just a tad on the long side with the supplied stem (which is actually what I expected as I'm moving from a bike that's a little small for me). Hope that helps.

RedRockRider

Either will fit, depends on if you like a smaller frame which will make for a more aggressive fit, or a larger frame with a more relaxed fit (and a tiny weight penalty).

cccorlew

I bought one after being hit by a truck and having my commuter bike destroyed. Mine is the Ultegra version with Avid discs. I've got it set up to commute on because after the truck hit me I figured what the heck....

It isn's a light weight, but it's a nice ride. The geometery, though sold as a gravel bike, is perfect for a commute. BONUS. The Motobecane stickers come off with Goop!

I'm enjoying my commute a lot, even though I've turned a nice bike into a pig with fenders, a rack and panniers.

Before you ask, those are Ortlieb panniers. The angle is to prevent heal strike and still keep them low on the bike. I don't commute with a trailer often, but when I do it's great. That's a Travoy trailer. Whoops, too much commute info for the road forum. Sorry. Should I have a "bumper" sticker that says "My other bike is a Roubaix?"


We don't need no stinkin' badges by curtis corlew, on Flickr


Motobecane Century Ti Disc, taking packages to work today by curtis corlew, on Flickr

Pacolyptic

Cccorlew - I dig the plain titanium, and that REAR rear rack is one badass beast!