Anybody have any experiance with these?
The Motobecane being sold through BD (BikesDirect) IS NOT the same Motobecane of french racing heritage. BD has garnered a bad reputation on a lot of forums for shilling, but I know a few guys who have bought their bikes, and they seem to be solid bikes. Some guys have bought them simply for the good deal on the wheels and gruppo, and then sold the frameset off to help recoup price. Their Immortal Force seems to be okay, don’t know much about their TT bike. Actually have thought about buying their cross bike to have as a pit bike for this falls races.
I bought my road bike from BD (A Mercier Serpens 20ltd) simply because the Ultegra 10 speed was worth more than what they were selling the bike for. I was going to keep the groupo, upgrade to the Ultegra brakes (spec’s on BD site listed another brand, not ultegra) and just keep the frame for emergencies.
I actually like the frameset as it’s light and comfy to ride, very quiet too with not a hint of a squeak or rattle. I have only ridden my road bike once or twice this year but I do enjoy riding it a ton and for the money it was worth it. Plus the bike came with full ultegra components, including brakes. The onlly downside to the bike is the wheels were basic shimano wheels, good for training but a tad heavy.
I can’t speak for Motobecane but as for BD I was happy with what I got from BD. As long as you don’t mind putting a few things together on your own I imagine the Motobecane deals will be about the same as the Mercier as neither is the same company they were years ago.
The Motobecane Nemisis Triathlon bike uses the same frame as an older model Fuji Aloha prior to it’s current design.
Pretty straightforward aluminum frame design that Mike at BD sources from Taiwan were most of the mass market
aluminum frames are manufactured. For less than a grand, you get full Ultegra, minus the crankset. For those that
want an entry level Tri bike, and are on a tight budget, this is a pretty good deal.
I’ve bought two of their road bikes and have been very happy with both. If you know your size, they are a killer deal on Bikesdirect or Ebay. Even if you get the wrong size, sell off the parts on Ebay and make a profit. Their MTB’s aren’t bad either.
I purchased a Motobecane Nemesis and raced it at IMLP a year later. I was satisfied as an entry level tri-bike.
I also bought an pre-season Immortal Pro for like $1100 (cheap pedals included). A great ride.
My lessons learned:
- I bent the rear deraillour hanger on the Nemesis and couldn’t find a replacement (i received no response from BD). i bent it back straight (less than ideal). My Immortal came with a replacement so maybe they got the email.
- My Nemesis FD braze-on cracked at the top. (not blaming motobecane for this one since the bike swung off my car rack-could have been that). My lesson learned is that there’s value in FD hangers that are replacable.
- For sure have the bike broken down at a LBS and rebuilt if you can’t do it yourself. They had to fix my BB at IMLP the night before the race. The mechanic said it was a mess. It felt much smoother after.
I was 44th overall on the IMLP bike last year.
I hope to buy a mid-level tri/TT bike in the next year.
I’m insanely curious if I’ll see a significant speed difference after spending 3k vs. $800.
Jim
"I’m insanely curious if I’ll see a significant speed difference after spending 3k vs. $800. "
So are we. Keep us posted.
A guy won his AG at Kona on a Fuji a few years back, essentially the same budget level tri bike as the Motobecane.
Their MTB’s aren’t bad either.
I was curious about their MTB’s. I’ve been thinking of giving it a try and they seem like a decent entry level bike.
Yea, I have a Nemesis and it actually seems like a pretty good bike except that for some reason (and yes, I have done a lot of investigation on this matter and even had a fitting done) I just can’t seem to ride the same bike splits that I can on my road bike.
The Nemesis is pretty light and is pleasant to ride. When I got it about a year ago and put it together, I couldn’t help thinking that I got a good bike for the money. It handles quite well, too-I can ride rollers in the aero position fairly easily. The only complaint that I have is that goofy white and black saddle that comes with it. That, and I ride slow on it. I don’t know, man. Maybe the Cervelos really are a lot faster bikes.
My girlfriend just purchased their 22lb hardtail and she loves it. it weighed under the weight but she will eventually have to change the tires and possibly the cassette as the gearing is too small and the tires are really light and thin. It is a great price as I priced all the parts through a Hawly catalog and all the parts added up to be about $860 so she basically paid $30 for a frame and shipping. It is a nice bike and the welds on the frame actually look VERY god, alot better than what was on her Trek 6900. Its a good price and a pretty good build. I dont think you could go wrong if you know what size you need.
I’d stay the hell away from BikesDirect.com and/or Motobecane. My bro-in-law and his wife both went the cheap route and bought two bikes from them and had nothing but trouble getting damaged parts (damaged during shipping) fixed. Any place on the web that you can’t contact via phone (no phone number listed anywhere for BikesDirect.com) is questionable.
The guy in front of me snapped his vcarbon Motbecane in half when he collided with the tailgate of a stopped truck. We were only doing about 22-23 mph. I stayed with him 'til help came and noted how thick the top and down tube walls were. Last year I passed a guy cussing up a storm and running with his bike on his back. I wouldn’t buy one.
I’ve owned two Motobecanes and referred them to five friends. We’ve been happy with all seven. They are definitely cheap compared to anything you’ll find at the LBS, but they also carry more risk:
- May be hard to return if the size isn’t right.
- Harder to have warranty work done if something goes wrong
- Difficult to replace a frame if damaged.
I smashed a frame in a 35mph direct impact accident and had to replace it with a different brand frame. Still, I’ve put less into the bike than I would have had I purchased an equivalent name brand bike at the LBS.
Does anyone know ANY phone number to bikesdirect? I have been emailing them for a week with no repsonse (that should tell me to stay the hell away). I even did a reverse look-up on the phone book to their address and there is no answer at the numbers.
I have a Motobecane Nemisis and so far I love it. This is my second year racing with it. I’ve changed the saddle. I too bent the rear der. I emailed BD…told them I wanted to order two (to have an extra on hand) and they charged me $20 and sent them right out. I also emailed them with several questions before my purchase and they were very quick to reply and gave satisfactory answers. Of course that was two seasons ago. When it comes time for my next bike in several years hopefully I can afford to buy one from the LBS for the service factor but this bike has been great so far.
Steer clear of BikesDirect.com. They are horrible if something goes wrong. Bro-in-law and his wife bought two bikes from them. Broken parts on arrival took weeks for BD to respond via email (no phone number to call).
If you are going to do any serious riding you should buy reputable brand and my personal preference would be from an LBS who can help you if you run into issues. My LBS for example is going to swap out my crank arm for a longer one for no charge and I’ve had my TT bike for 18 months. On-line retailers won’t do that kind of thing for you.
“I’m insanely curious if I’ll see a significant speed difference after spending 3k vs. $800”
I am curious as well. I sold my Fuji Aloha (same bike) to get something else. However, I got 10th in my AG in Chicago last year so I’m wondering if it’ll really be an “upgrade”.
So Jack,
How many times you going to post on this thread?
Well Jack, there are two LBS near me right now. One, Global Bikes, is just down the street and they’re good for tuneups and the little stuff. I’ve hac to school them a bit on some of the finer points of high end bikes.
The other, Bikes Direct (yes, the same folks have a shop here) have two fellas that are very good and really have a passion for road bike, even though most of what they sell are comfort and kids bikes. I can oreder anything from the website in to the store jsut to check out or pick it up off the shelf or even have it worked on and serviced. It’s like having a performance Bike but in a small store where people help you and care about riding. These guys have a reat business model.
So for me, the LBS and Bikes Direct are the same thing.
Well Jack, there are two LBS near me right now. One, Global Bikes, is just down the street and they’re good for tuneups and the little stuff. I’ve hac to school them a bit on some of the finer points of high end bikes.
The other, Bikes Direct (yes, the same folks have a shop here) have two fellas that are very good and really have a passion for road bike, even though most of what they sell are comfort and kids bikes. I can oreder anything from the website in to the store jsut to check out or pick it up off the shelf or even have it worked on and serviced. It’s like having a performance Bike but in a small store where people help you and care about riding. These guys have a reat business model.
So for me, the LBS and Bikes Direct are the same thing.
So does that mean you have a phone number for them?
I’m fairly happy with the road bike I bought from them but when there were problems in the order it was very difficult to contact them.