Hey,
First time poster but I’ve been reading up for awhile. Currently training for Du Nationals in Richmond. Really excited to tackle my first multisport event and get back in to competitive sports.
Santa left a Motobecane under the Christmas tree this year and I’ve scoured the internet looking for more reviews and what not and theres very little, so I decided to see if anyone else was riding a Nemesis and any changes they’ve made to their ride.
(My apologies for the super grainy image. I’m limited to my photo taking abilities here at school.)
its not got mathematically or wind optimized tube shapes, and its not got a super steep geometry
but the tubes are narrow (better than nothing) and its a bit steeper than a normal road bike.
perfectly fine bike to start with, it will work great for years. you could put a wheel cover on the back and maybe find a good deal on a more aero cockpit (aerobars), some good tires and have not much in the way of excuses =)
I was looking at those awhile back. From what I could tell, you would get a pretty good component group for the money. As I recall, that is the same frame that was the orginal Fuji Aloha. I’ve seen them at some local events, and it seems to be a solid bike. Not as light as some, but as long as your not doing a mountain triathlon wind resistance and not weight is going to be your major concern. If you are looking for some upgrades I would suggest first a wheel cover, under $100 cut to fit from Wheelbuilder.com. After that consider an aero front wheel cover. Beyond anything, focus on the engine. I’ve seen plenty of guys on road bikes pass tricked out tri bikes because although components can tick off some seconds, the engine is the biggest factor.
The bikes direct price-to-value have to be the best thing going for functional mid-level bikes. I got a MB road bike two years ago, and it has been a great bike. It handles very well, and is a pretty comfortable for an aluminum frame. When I bought mine they were rebadged Fuji’s, and from one of the other posts it sounds like it is still the same. You probably did very well for yourself, or rather Santa did well by you.
I bought one of these frames really cheap from the classified. I use a zero set back post which gets me as steep as I want to ride. I had great results with it. Your picture suggests that you are on a relatively larger bike. I have a lot of seatpost showing. Mine is a 54 and I am around 6’. I also have a slightly negative stem and only a few spacers.
It’s a fine bike for you, it was a wise purchase on Santa’s part.
Now you need to make sure you properly fit that bike. Whenever I see the seat and elbow rests at the same level I’m immediately suspicious of the bike’s fit. Do you have any pictures of you aboard the bike?
I have this bike, bought it in 2007 and it’s totally stock. I really like it. It is the same frame as the fuji aloha, but has somewhat different components, either the same or better than, which is why it blew that thing out of the water on price.
I have had no problems with it and since setting it up three years ago I have, at most, adjusted the shift cables once (brakes a little more frequently to keep them tight). It shifts beautifully, though that’s obviously thanks to the components, and for this price you won’t find a similarly equipped bike. bikesdirect has this bike for $900 and the pro version for $1100–same bike but a few better components here and there.
My only complaint with the bike is the ultra sport II tires it comes with are crap and puncture like they were designed TO puncture. Still, who cares, they still work, just make sure you have a patch kit and a lot of CO2s if you ride any distance.
I am 5,11 and I think bought a 56 size one but perhaps it was 54. I did ultimately buy a longer seat post as the stock one didn’t quite take my preferred long reach to pedals. Also I am finding recently as learn more about position I need possibly a different bar stem to bring the handlebars up because, with my height and this thing’s size, I have a lot of seat post showing, too, and the handlebars are a bit low but that’s because I bought a deliberately smallish sie frame. I bought a ~$25 aluminum post from Ebay a few years ago.
