rosefarts

Does anyone have this bike? It's caught my eye specifically in the GRX600 1x version.

I'll list the pro's and cons as I see them, and pose questions.

Pro

$1200 including shipping
-It has 45mm tire clearance, which is about 5mm more than a few of the carbon frames I've looked at.
-Same rim/spoke/hub as the more expensive carbon version, serviceable but totally pedestrian. Still better wheels than most bikes this price.
-Aluminum is metal, so is Ozzy and he's still around. Seriously though, I raced in the aluminum era. I've never entered a race on anything other than aluminum and I always liked it. I preferred the ride on road over titanium in my 20's. I currently only ride steel but that's more about style. My road bikes have 25mm tires, this would have 40-45mm, so I'm not sure the "harshness" argument would stand up.
-Getting aluminum sandblasted and powder coated is no big deal, it's a great way to customize and remove the embarrassing Motobecane name.
-Full GRX 600 groupset, basically gravel 105.
-An extremely versatile 11-42 x40 setup. I run this ratio in 10 speed and am pretty sold on it.
-Thru axles and hydro disc brakes. I'm a bit of a dinosaur I know but this would be my first and is exciting.

Cons
-Aluminum steerer on the fork, unsure of the weight penalty
-Crap seat and post but I do have the actual seat I'd ride already.
-Probably some seriously ugly welds

Indifferent
-Everyone says you better be able to work on bikes to get a BD bike. I basically won't call a bike mine until I've done a total overhaul, so this is fine.

Questions
-No idea the type of aluminum, T6 6061 or 7005 most likely but I don't know.
-No idea the frame weight or total bike weight. It looks 2.8 and 21 but who knows.

-I know very little about geometry. I know my current bike has a fairly tight CX geometry from the 90's. I've never called this a problem except for very low speed rocky climbs, this gives me some pretty significant toe rub, enough that it'll prevent me from steering. I get a few more foot dabs than I'd like because of this. Has anyone here ridden one of these bikes with at least 40mm tires mounted, what is the toe situation? I realize it's not a problem above about 6mph, but in mountain bike terrain, it can present a problem.


It sure seems to have a lot going for it for the price, especially since I can recover so much of the cost with my old bike and a spare parts sale.

dwmckee

This is probably not what you want to hear, but about a year and a half ago we had a Motobecane road bike in our shop for a tune-up. The owner said it was fairly new, but "a great deal for an Ultegra equipped bike". We proceeded to do everything we could to tune it including check derailleur hanger alignment, but still it was always noisy and did not shift like you would expect for Ultegra.. "But it;s Ultegra!" We finally pulled out the frame gauges as a last resort. Turns out the bottom bracket, and rear axle were not parallel. Then we checked front fork alignment. The drops were not parallel to either the bottom bracket or or the rear axle.

Some of these bikes probably are fine. Some at least do not seem to be built to the same standards as more expensive bikes.

rosefarts

Wow, that's horrendous. Since Schwinn and Huffy seem to get it right. Was it one of the carbon open mold things they sell or the computer welded aluminum?

Hondo Gravel

I ride the Omni Strada Pro aluminum has been a good bike since 2016.
Ultegra shifters .. FSA crank .... solid components. Bought a better wheelset that has been the only upgrade.


Today’s ride mix of pavement and gravel.

dwmckee

The Schwinns & Huffys are usually 7 or 8 speed with much lower expectation and those drivetrains are miore forgiving as they require looser frame tollwerances to work within spec. 11 speed needs to be on a frame with tighter tollerances for optimal performance. The bike was a metal frame not carbon, but I do not remember if it was steel or aluminum.

rosefarts

I'm almost certain that is the same frame as what I'm looking at. What is your overall impression? How is the ride? How does it handle gnar? Toe rub?

Hondo Gravel

It’s a compact frame so if you turn sharp you’re toes will rub the tires. But turning in bike riding conditions there is no problems. A sharp turn around just make sure you have the pedals in 12 to 6 o’clock position. The left crank arm is closer to the frame than the right crank arm. Not a problem I believe this is typical of 11 speed frames as far as my research has said. It tracks and handles well and I have been happy with it. Of course a frame/bike costing thousands more will always have better qualities but to me the difference isn’t that great. I have had name brand bikes in the past. The paint isn’t as good as more expensive frames but I’m not concerned about that since I beat up all my Motos. It’s a good value for the exercise enthusiast like myself. All the Motobecanes I have I always end up upgrading components because I like to tweak stuff. Bikesdirect are great at taking products back if you are not pleased like if there is damage during shipment etc etc. just my 2 cents..

Hondo Gravel

It handles the gravel well especially with the 40s I run higher psi than most because a have a few miles of tarmac before I hit any gravel. Feels like aluminum but the carbon fork helps. The bike has around 8K miles on it and it’s still going. Replacing wear items as they wear out like any other bike.

DMC707

those are nice buys --- I contemplated buying one to rob the build kit for a custom when it was on sale -- I cant put one together at that price with the same spec

Hondo Gravel

Many people have purchased these bikes then strip all the components off the frame for another build and save a good chunk of money.

rosefarts

So I've actually thought about that. If I do this, I'd want the bike to ride but if the frame is a flop, I would still have the option to get a higher level frame and swap.

If I could manage to get it delivered when my wife isn't home...

Hondo Gravel

yup, don’t make the wife angry Here is a close pic of my gravel moto so you can evaluate further.