What's wrong with motobecane?
 

Ok, I've heard both good and bad about Motobecane on this forum and was wondering why everyone feels the way they do about it. Thanks.

old motobecane or new bike's direct spinoffs?

Do a search for "Bikes Direct" and you will get more than you can stomach. Good luck.

That doesn't come through in the threads you've reviewed? Seems to me that people almost always include how/why they've formed their opinion regarding BD.

*ducking*

*low crawling to the kitchen for some popcorn*

keep searching . . . also check roadbikereview forums. Many at both places are customers and are very happy. Many hate bd.com with a passion. Many fall in between.

I am a happy owner of a Mercier which might as well be a motob. Just the old name they stuck on my bike. I love my bike and it was the right choice for me.

i'd be interesting in knowing where the presidential canidates stand on the motobecane issue. it could define our course as a nation.

i got a mercier as well...with ultegra. it's a really nice bike to tell the truth. i love it.

That about sums it up. Most folks who have actually done business with BD are happy customers.

There are lots of threads in this forum about BD. I'm sure there are lots of happy customers. There are also lots of people who got the wrong size bike or a poorly assembled bike. Experienced cyclists can probably avoid these problems by carefully measuring their current bike and comparing it to the BD geometry charts. Also be prepared to strip down the BD bike and reassemble it to your quality level. BD is not a good choice for beginners unless they can get a lot of help from an experienced friend. I'm sure the bikes they sell are fine; it is just the customer service that is questionable.

I just bought a Moto Super Mirage as my first step away from dept store level. Got a 24 speed steel frame with Sora stuffages. Tell me a better way I could get a start on cycling for $300. These dealers are basically answering a glaring hole in the bike market, as $200-$600 is wide open. A person tries many hobbies in his life, and trying cycling for a grand and a half before falling for the sport is kinda foolish for a family man. I was pretty surprised that with 3 LBS's in town, nobody carried a steel framed cheapie. It's huffy, or the space shuttle, with nothing in between.

is it possible to remove the decals on the motobecane frames? the top tube decals are attrocious looking.

I've read multiple accounts of the le champion frames having decals under the clearcoat, which was a dealbreaker for me

Never been on one, but I did form my uneducated opinion about them because they are so ugly. That is all.

Nothing wrong with mine, except that it doesn't go as fast as I'd like it to. Come to think about it, there might be something wrong with the engine...

i bought a motobecane as my first road bike. the Grand Sprint. cost me a hair under a grand with full ultegra components. some would call this a great deal, but really, you get what you pay for so i can't complain. i later bought an 07 KHS carbon fusion frameset and swapped the ultegra components onto it. at this point i had been riding for about 4 months, and honestly couldn't tell too much of a difference in ride. i liked them both. well a few weeks ago i cracked my carbon frame and have reverted back to the Grand Sprint frame while i wait for another frame to come in. i have been riding for a year now, and as much as i know some would like to protest, there is a NOTICEABLE difference in ride quality now that ive had more experience. i can only speak on behalf of the Grand Sprint frameset though. compared to the KHS frameset, the motobecane is flexy in the BB area, flexy in the chainstay, and the fork it comes with is bouncy enough to think that you have stiff shocks on the bike rather than a carbon fork (no joke, on my first ride on it couple weeks ago i honestly thought something was wrong with the bike).

in all fairness however, for the price i paid it was still a decent deal. just dont go thinking you actually got a $2300 bike for $1000. you get what you pay for and i still dont regret its purchase.

I will say the thing was shipped to me in a box that with no additional expense and minimal forethought could have been done better. The front wheel took some abuse, which the LBS trued up in seconds. The rear dérailleur needed the cable tensioned a bit. The rest went together just ducky. Been commuting for a couple weeks on it, and rode a 50 miler last Saturday with no problems to report. If you're not mechanically inclined, then this kind of arrangement may not be for you.

This was an eBay purchase btw, which I'm sure is tied either to bikesdirect, or right to the factory in Taiwan.

Late model Motobecanes are like Honda Civics. Nothing special, produced in mass quantities and sold at low prices. People just hate them because there are so many of them and they are not the top shelf stuff. Nothing wrong with them at all. If you want value, they're pretty good. Of course, people also don't like the way they're dealers do business, but that's another story.

btw the old Motobecanes (pre 1990) were pretty nice, right up with the other mid level bikes.

Yup, under the clearcoat... but what's the big deal? It's a great bike for a great price.

... although i have heard it refered to a a Motobeshame. Who cares, just ride.

The bikes are just fine, and if you're on a budget or not looking to spend a ton on an enthusiast-level bike you can get a good deal. The frame is a decent Al frame from a big factory in Taiwan, no frills.

I was in the market a couple years ago and was turned off by the inflated MSRPs and recycled brand names--There's nothing wrong with the bikes as they are, but there's an overall air of misrepresentation. I ended up buying from Flyte instead--same type of factory-direct bikes, but their designs were unique and I got a much better vibe from the company. They're out of business now, though.

Also, there actually is value added with the extra money you pay for a "real" brand, and people often overlook this. If you buy from a good shop, you get someone who can/will help you with fit, assembly, and mechanical problems. Some companies also support racing, which is important to some folks. Specialized, for example is a big sponsor of the U23 development teams. Trek does a lot of charity work, sponsors a pro team, etc.

Finally, if you're a bike junkie and looking for a new/unique design, BD is the wrong place to shop. The designs are tried-and-true and you can debate whether new designs are worth it, but there's nothing new or innovative about BD's designs.

You just need to decide whether the things that you're paying for with a brand name bike are worth it to you. If you're a new rider, for instance, a little guidance and building a relationship with a shop can help a lot. If it's not worth it or you just don't have a ton of cash to spend, there's good value to be had at BD.

My $1500 BD bike was my first bike. I had no experienced friend to help me. It was really not hard. Some do not like BD and that is cool, but fitting a bike (as I said earlier) is just not hard. You DO NOT need an LBS to find your frame size. Trust me, most LBS will spend 10 seconds to fit you before the sale and about 5 minutes after. This is stuff they learned their first day on the job.

And I put mine together by myself with no previous bike wrench experience. On top of that I am not handy. A few web pages and $20 in tools . . . done and done.

Others are not as mechanically inclined, and good shops actually do spend time fitting a customer...

Well, I would argue how mechanically inclined I am, but I am sure you are right.

There is no doubt some LBS' are much more complete in their purchase type fittings, and will actively work on swapping out parts to get perfect fit . . . but I would say more simply frame fit, then adjust the seat and then wish them well. I think many will swap out parts if you actively take a role and ask for it, but most are going to have you ride it, say 'how does that feel' and then on to the next.

As a side note, BD recommends a shop assemble it

Great post - You'd think Motobecane and BD was as big an issue as Iraq, healthcare and immigration policies by some of the posts on these threads!