ravenmore

@#$$%$@@! - check this out....

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...forum_sale.htm

I sooooo don't need another road bike....


but....

Man, with Ultegra this thing comes in at 15.5 pounds - different wheels though. Hmmm.



If ya call me a shill kiss my backside while you're at it - I've owned one of these frames and they're pretty dang cool...

ccrnnr9

I looked into it and it is a compact and they are still having issues over there at sram.
~Nick

ravenmore

Huh?

I don't think SRAM makes a compact crank?

blandin

I built up my Pedal Force RS with full SRAM Force compoonents, including the compact crankset. It does exist.

ravenmore

Dang - well, I stand corrected.

Ostuni

hey, why does ravenmore doing a thread about a real cool gloss black moto seem oddly familiar???

JayC

I have a Rival compact on my Fuji.. it works great.

cs1

I don't knowl Why do you ask?

Tim

roadwarrior

riiiiiiiiight.......

I'm sure the frame is very nice and it's exactly the same as, say, a CAAD9. Exactly. Tubes shaped and butted to save every extra gram they can.

But since I sell bikes and weigh them for customers on a fairly frequent basis, a bike with Ultegra with a professional frame (like a CAAD9 for example) and same level of wheel will be about 18 pounds, even a little bit more.

Since I really can't see the back of the bike I can't see how those seat stays are designed, but it looks to me that it might be as plush as a Trek 1000 or 1500. Straight aluminum stays that do not have much compliance in them.

And I can get a CAAD9 Optimo 3 (105) which is a better frame, made in the USA, for less than $1,600. Rather than a frame made wherever using a French name (you'd be surprised how many people think that the BD Motobecane is the French bike).

15.5 pound bikes are pretty special. Especially in the mid 50 cm size range.

No problem with these guys doing business. It's a capitalistic society. But, good grief...

It's my experience that "just as good as" rarely is. These guys appeal to the folks that want cool components or are price buyers, only.

Whatever...major manufacturers spend tons of R&D dollars developing lighter and stiffer frames designed to stand up to the rigors of pro racing, and this frame is "just as good as..."

What he ought to do is give 10 frames away to one of the domestic pro teams and let them ride test them. Then have those guys tell the world that these frames are "just as good as"...

I did a search to see what else was out there and came across this. Just different perspectives.

As one guy said, with BD you get great parts on frames. Go with the brand name stuff you get great frames and parts.

You choose.

Lecterman

I want one!

ravenmore

Actually I weighed the Le Champ Sl I bought a couple years ago out of the box and it was 15.6 pounds without pedals in a 58 cm. I won't rehash all the discussion on the frame, but it was a great riding aluminum frame that I raced on for a year. I only sold it to meet sponsor requirements.

The Force version of the bike is likely to be very light (although it has heavier wheels than the AC's that came on my Le Champ) seeing that the shifters alone are about 200 grams (about half a pound) lighter than the Ultegra shifters.

ravenmore

Hehe - guess I'm a creature of habit?

Actually I just plunked down several hundred on a new set of wheels, so my bike budget is blown for a while. If I'd seen this last week though...

matanza

DILLIGAS

ravenmore

uh, errrm, ok - not sure what that means.

here's a pic of my old SL. RIP

cbip

Nice attempt to justify high prices for something that is not any better of a product.
Since you dont own a Motobacane SL and dont have any real world knowledge of said product, how about doing the rest of us a favor and stay out of this thread. If we want to know about a Cannondale, we will ask you.

ridethecliche

PWNT!

ravenmore

OUCH! Now that's gonna leave a mark.

Volfy

Yes, I choose knowing everything except the frame is of absolute known quality. That accounts for about 85% of the price on this bike. I choose knowing, these days, most of the R&D on the frame is done by the OEM, not the company that puts their name on the bike.

Yes, the name brands sponsor pro team, but you are fooling yourself if you think it's for product testing. It all about marketing and advertizing. Trek didn't pay for Lance Armstrong to test their bikes; Trek paid to plaster "Trek" all over the media coverage of TdF. And boy, did they make a killin' from that.

It's just like all the stickers on Nascars. You pay to get your name on the winner. The bigger the sticker, the more you pay. And guess who foots the bill in the end?? The end consumer, of course.

Personally, I like BD not sponsoring anyone, because I choose NOT to pay some guy to win races, just so I feel better about the bike name I'm riding.

******************

The 2000 yr old knight in "The Last Crusade" said about Walter Donovan who went for the glistening gold gobblet: "He chose poorly."

Some of us would rather go for the humble wooden cup, with the confidence that... we chose wisely.

ravenmore

Man, sell the Ritchey wheels, get a set of AC 420's and a Easton 90 SLX fork and this bike would probably approach the 14 pound range and be a pretty solid ride. I'd prefer a non-compact crank though.

DrPete 

I see the anti-elitist Motobecanites have become, well, elitist.

ravenmore

Hehe - Roadwarrior shot first. Have to admit his post was a bit much IMO.

DrPete 

Whatever gets you on the road and feeling fast, ya know?

My Pinarello does it for me... I almost didn't ride last night after my planned training race was rained out. Then I walked by my lovely F4:13. It looked at me as if to say "DrPete, you're a little ***** for not riding tonight." So instead of lazing around the house I went out for a nice little suffer-fest interval session. We were both much happier.

If the Moto does it for ya, then go with it, and I'll see you on the road.

ravenmore

Oh, I don't really have a huge love fest with Motobecane in terms of looks (although they do look better in person than in the product photos), and I'd take a 4:13 over it in a heart beat of course! These are great race bikes though, because they handle REALLY well and they're cheap, so you're not going to cry for weeks if you crash one out in a crit. I don't know how you throw that 4:13 into races. I'd be too worried about totaling it.

roadwarrior

How about knowing what you are talking about...there are people that have acccess to bikes and can ride things they don't own. Often.



Really?

Yeah.

See, if you know the right folks you can ride what you want. And you don't have to buy anything.

I have ridden one.

Some people can't tell the difference between an original painting and a copy either, but they generally are not asked for their artistic opinion. They sort of look the same. But to a person that knows the difference, it's not close.

Peace...

shabbasuraj

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