Maelochs

I have no interest whatsoever in the decal on the downtube. I have not a lot of respect for people who do.

yeah, I know well what Motobecane used to be. So what? I am not buying a 40-year-old bike. I am buying the bike in the ad .... and not the decal, but the frame and parts.

If you think the bike is equivalent to the Trek ... then you think the Trek is barely better than a big-box bike? really? When did Trek go sown the tubes?

Up a ways mstateglfr said, "Dude, your earlier rant missed the mark. Just accept it and move on." I didn't "like" the post because I didn't feel like piling on. You made a (in my estimation) dumb post, and you had a chance to just drop it and get back to discussing more cogent points.

Now ... sorry, I have to repeat that.

Again ... no one cares who owns a brand. just like no one cars how many frames ---for Most manufacturers---come from a few Taiwan companies and are made in communist China. No one cares, because the frames are fine. No one cares that Shimano parts are made either in China or in Malaysia by low-cost, low-skill labor .... because this is the age of CAd, and mostly the workers just load blanks and collect milled parts to move them to the boxing line. and nobody cares who owns Shimano---I mean, does anyone think the original owners are still alive? Does anyone think the guys who designed their first fishing reels or first bike parts are still alive? Nope, because people judge them by what they do ... the parts work reliably, so who cares what the name of the CEO might be?

BD bought up names and most of its customers don't have a clue what those names mean. Most people buying a "Motobecane" from BD have never heard of Motobecane---they are just buying a bike with almost the same parts spec and a lower price than the big-name brands.

You are just looking for a fight .... and no one wants to bother because you don't have a valid cause.

I mentioned above---I was part of a charity bike ride which bought a couple dozen BD bikes, unboxed them, adjusted them to fit the riders one evening, and the next day set off on a cross-country tour LA to DC. ZERO bike failures. If you think you could go to any Walmart, scoop up two dozen bikes and ride them 3000 miles trouble free .... prove it.

None of the BD bikes had the forks on backward.

GhenghisKahn

This is a BD 2007 Motobecane Fantom CX 2x9. 50/36×12-25. It came stock with Alex dw rims, Tiagra comps, cp cantilever brakes(???) for 500 USD. It was used as a commuter for 5 years. Then when reviving it I had the original yellow glass blasted/pc red. My son works for a company that does large infratructure coating. They do small runs of various colors and fit my frame in one of them. Upgraded all the comps when repainting. Had to sell it, but last I knew it's still going strong in 2021. Nothing wrong with BD. They source decent bikes at affordable prices.

SkinGriz

Can you actually find one in stock?

mstateglfr 

A local shop here received about 50 FX1 bikes a couple weeks ago. I think they were going to hold some back for mid-winter so they dont all sell now.

bent4me

I purchased the Motobecane Cafe 11 over a year ago. It's an old world Steel Chromoly frame that has performed beautifully.

bent4me

RidingMatthew

I commuted for many years on a bikes direct bike. Cyclocross bike with fenders and rack. It was a reliable commuter bike for 15,000-20,000 miles. I replaced 3 wheelsets, cranks, chains, brake pads etc which is normal for a bike ridden year round in all conditions.

GhenghisKahn

That's a real looker. It it chrome? Nickel? Were the fenders stock? What's the gearing? Inquiring minds want to know. lol

mstateglfr 

old world steel? 520 tubing is made in Asia(Taiwan?) under contract for Reynolds. That stuff is as old world as Sbarro mall pizza is authentic Italian.
also, how does your stem connect to your bars? The stem angle places the bar clamp well below where the bar's grips are placedar. Is that a riser bar or is it attached some other way?

The chrome does look good.

bent4me

IT cost $50 more for chrome plating. The fenders are after market by Planet Bike and the gearing is Sram 1X11.

Outrider1

I purchased 2 of the Motobecane Cafe Disc models for $399 each and they have performed flawlessly.

GhenghisKahn

If still living in the States I'd pre-order one of the Chrome. Unfortunately, we can't source Motobecane here in New Zealand. We have no equivalent to BD. There's Evocycles but they source from China not Taiwan. I could have it shipped to a friend in the States then to here, but the shipping, customs and tax charges would make it cost prohibitive.