09box

https://boston.craigslist.org/sob/bik/d/monster-cross/6717045302.html

I found this on Craigslist and it has some good components. Worth a look or pass?

CrowSeph

To be honest seems pretty expensive.... the bike itself is nothing special, i mean just look at those components (fork, plastic crank and pedals... not far away from walmart)
The model is called "Elite" and previous was an hybrid , the owner just swapped the handlebar and made it looks like a CX bike but for me is still a mountainbike.
I think you can find a lot better for the price range. What about custumize your own bike starting from an hybrid? you can save a lot for me..

mstateglfr 

nice bars, nice stem, and really nice shifters(i am biased as i use gevenalle).
fine/mediocre frame, brakes, and derailleurs.
low end crank and fork.

Cant tell what wheelset that is, but im guessing its entry.

In new condition, the bars, stem and shifters will set you back $300. So in that view, its a decent deal since you get everything else for $125.
At the same time, i would want a different crank and fork for sure, which would cost at least $200 for a rigid fork and new crank.

That bike wouldnt tempt me into buying it, but its certainly an interesting option.

shoota 

Is that SNOW???

Metieval

Pass! if you want a monster bike buy the Gravity Zilla, Or find a 90's Schwinn crosscut or crisscross, Or a trek 750/730/700

Spoonrobot 

That's a hybrid someone turned into a drop bar bike. So it's got two strikes right off the bat. Never buy someone's project bike, especially something that is going to be hard to fit properly like a hardtail hybrid. Retroshift is kinda junk too, value is much higher than actual utility IME and not worth considering for anything.

This is a parts bin mess, I'd avoid.

Caliper

Me personally, no, but maybe for you?

Cons:
I wonder how the rear deraileur is doing after being stretched flat in the first pic...
I have no interest in retroshift.
The running gear looks generally mid/lower end, but maybe I'm just a snob.
I've always found Brooks saddles ugly and have no interest in a coil sprung saddle...
Those do NOT look like woodchippers to me. Maybe it's just the camera angle, but even the views from in front do not have near enough flare to the bars. This is a potential issue if he's using some cheapo bars and advertising them as Salsa parts.

Now, folks complaining about putting drop bars on a flat bar bike probably haven't tried it. Just use a shorter stem. I'm riding Woodchippers on a Bikes Direct 29er and it works great, but I also really don't find flat bars comfortable so really almost anything would have been an improvement. Only way to tell is to ride it.

Pros: If you like the equipment and want a bike virtually just like this, I suspect it's not terrible (esp if you can offer 350 or something since it's CL). My monstercross bike is lots of fun. Roll over anything, plus drop bar comfort. Cross-shop a 29er on Bikes Direct that would be the base bike for a build like this and add up the cost of the cockpit conversion first, then subtract value for all the shenanigans that the previous owner has done to it.

Go take a test ride. Worst that can happen is the fork breaks, causing an endo that leaves you paralyzed...

Spoonrobot 

"Just use a shorter stem" shows a complete lack of understanding of the geometry involved. That bike has a reach of 417mm for the medium, commonly road bikes in that size are ~380mm so right off the bat it going to require a very short stem, very short reach bars. There's a reason commonly acceptable stem lengths are withing a certain range. Accounting for the much longer reach inherent in a flat bar design requires a very short stem often under <40mm to fit properly. Short stems like that are borderline for most riding but as speed and steering requirements increase they require significantly more skill than a correct set-up.

I've converted multiple mountain bikes, both modern and NORBA geometry, to drop bars and it's always a challenge to balance the fit with the bike design and still maintain safe steering. To say just use a shorter stem is nonsense.

I'd also not buy that bike as someone who doesn't cap their cables or even trim their cables cannot be trusted to build a safe functioning bike. This is a big red flag.

https://images.craigslist.org/01616_...j_1200x900.jpg

Metieval

wow!

lol look at the FD cable, wrapped around seat tube.

Caliper

You're making mountains out of molehills here

So, 37mm less frame reach. Take that off a typical 90-100mm road stem and we're at 53-63mm if we use standard road bars. Short, but basically standard MTB length currently. Next, "dirt drop" bars like the Woodchipper ARE short reach. 56mm per Salsa as compared to 70-80mm for typical road bars. So, let's add 14-24mm back in and we're at a 67-87mm stem, give or take.
You're forgetting in all this that MTB fit is different from road bike fit. The saddle-bar dimension on a MTB isn't that far off from the saddle-bar top dimension on a road bike. So, while the top tube is longer, it's designed around a shorter stem and a more upright position. So, looking at several MTB's on the Salsa website, the effective top tube + stem on the MTB frame they recommend for my height are within 10mm or so of the same measurement on the Warbird.

I'll agree the PO didn't finish the cables, but maybe (probably, since it's for sale) it's an incomplete project that they are moving on from. I've ridden a bike with cables like that because I wasn't sure of cable length or routing yet and wanted to ride more than make things pretty. Calling it a "big red flag" is being snobbish. This isn't a bike you've just brought home from the bike shop, it's a project. The extra length looks fairly secure and clear of rotating parts so does not affect safe function of the bike one bit. Look at it as buying a pile of parts. Inspect and fix just as with any used bike.

Caliper

OMG, the color of the RD housing doesn't match either!

Spoonrobot 

Are you selling this bike? Seriously this has all the hallmarks of someone who got a bike for cheap/free and put a bunch of parts he was too lazy to sell individually together. It wouldn't surprise me to find the next owner discovers hidden damage or parts that are at/near the end of their life. There's no reason to buy this pile of junk and defending it is silly.

I think it's obvious from your posts you do not have a clear understanding of geometry. Saddle-bar dimension is useless. When we talk about geometry and fit we talk concrete repeatable numbers like stack and reach, the rider fits around the bottom bracket and common geometry and stem length are based around that. Using stem length to accommodate a significantly longer reach as well as much higher stack is not a game of addition and subtraction. There is nuance here that only comes from experience that you do not understand. I hope you educate yourself a little more before attempting to dispense advice on what may be a major purchase for someone.

The more I look at the ad the more red flags I find, is the fork was bent? Looks odd based on the angles shown.

Caliper

Well, it wouldn't surprise me to discover that ANY used bike had hidden damage or worn parts. It's like anything else used - people sell stuff that they're done with.

As far as no reason to buy it, you're being silly. There are people on this forum who have set up bikes with basically that same set of hardware. We're looking at what was a $400 bike, plus $200 of shifter/brake, plus $60 of Woodchipper bar (if it is). So, $650 or so of parts. It's used, so $350 or so sounds fair. If someone wants a front suspension monstercross bike and likes these parts it makes tons of sense to investigate. Please, name a similar bike for this price?



You're funny, and I thought I could be a snob. Saddle-bar is used in many fit calculators and is a direct way to measure an actual ergonomic concern. I agree that extreme stem fits are a poor solution, but we're not talking about that here. We're talking about a common stem size and using bars that were partially designed to convert flat bar bikes to drops. If stem sizes aren't to be used in fitting a bike, what then do you suggest? A custom frame?


So, the seller states the frame size as large, or 19" on the BD geometry chart. https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/elite_adventure.htm Just happens their height chart puts me on that frame also. So, 425 reach and 627 stack. That's not "much higher" stack. In fact, it's just a bit above average for a gravel bike and lower than most adventure bikes. So, stack looks great. Reach wise the frame is longer than a typical drop bar bike, but just as flat bar bikes have moved to longer top tube/shorter stem, gravel bikes are moving similarly. You can debate the merits of wheelbase and trail numbers, but it doesn't change the fact that a shorter stem will give the rider the same reach on a 425mm frame as they would have had on a 390mm frame. Especially when you consider that the 390mm reach was made with the intent of 100mm of stem and 80mm of bar reach on top. With Woodchippers on there, I'd go for a 80-90mm stem. Should be a very fun ride. How do I know? I've got a very similar build with a converted 29er. No, I not selling mine, it's a great bike that is fun to ride and I'm faster on it with the new cockpit than the flat bars from before.



Hard to tell without a shot from the side. But, this is always something to look for on a used bike obviously...


I hope the OP goes and rides it and makes their own decision, but it is worth consideration if the spec sheet is appealing.

Metieval

Never argue with an engineer, if poop had gears and cables it would be gold! they think 'Go buy it. It will be fine once the stink goes away.'

To the OP,

DO not buy the CL bike, it isn't a monster cross, but a monster mess.