Station orders a 29er...The epic journey begins

[station]

So I've posted a lot about this 29er I'm interested in. I have read posts from people that own one but no one that has ordered one from BikesDirect.com. I emailed them last week to try and find out what the overall weight on this Motobecane Fanton 29pro bike
would be. Here's how that went:

Me: Hello,
I am interested in buying the Motobecane Fantom 29PRO Mountain Bike and I would like to know if you have a geometry chart for this bike and if you could tell me the overall weight of the 19" model?
Thank you
me

Bikes Direct: Please go to www.motobecane.com

This is probably the level of customer service you can count on when you're getting a $800 29er but lets see if it's worth it.

Well I've been on www.motobecane.com and could only find a geometry chart for a similar model, but it's a different color etc so it's likely that there could be differences in the frame. Secondly I can't find this exact model or set up on the Motobecane site at all. In addition to that they don't list any weights what so ever. You would think that by the way Bikes Direct boasts about this being such a light bike they would have a simple and quick answer to "How much DOES this bike weigh?" I guess they don't. By now you're asking yourself why post this? Well if these guys are anything like Cingular or Dell I feel an epic journey about to unfold here and I thought you might like to come along for the ride.



Part two: So after going back and forth with BikesDirect.com (useless) I find out from Motobecane that the 19" weighs about 27lbs. That's not bad. The Stumpjumper hardtail 29er is 26.5, and the Felt 29er is 26.7. I might place an order tomorrow.

[Rob]

http://motobecane.com/29geometry.html

Same geometry, the PRO just get's better parts.

[BrewMaster]

With all of these reservations, you still ordered the bike?

[Devoid169]

Check out ebay - they've got some smokin deals on motobecane 29ers. Looks as if Motobecane just dumped their US distributor and wants out of the market. Still - under 4 bills shipped using 'buy it now'....check out the sellers' store = tons of Motobecanes at waaayyy below retail.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-MOUNTAIN-BIK...QQcmdZViewItem

[TooManyTacos]

Originally Posted by Devoid169

Check out ebay - they've got some smokin deals on motobecane 29ers. Looks as if Motobecane just dumped their US distributor and wants out of the market. Still - under 4 bills shipped using 'buy it now'....check out the sellers' store = tons of Motobecanes at waaayyy below retail.

Wouldn't count on it. Motobecane and its US wdistributor are one in the same. There's tons of threads on bikeforums where the Moto guy posts and then gets accused of shilling for his company. Cutting through all the noise, it seems apparent that the eBay sales are also part of the Bikesdirect family.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motobecane_USA

[station]

Originally Posted by BrewMaster

With all of these reservations, you still ordered the bike?

Well I'm trying to find out a little more about it. But I would like to get one if it doesn't turn out to be a nightmare.

[TooManyTacos]

I'm pretty sure there are people on bikeforums.net who have em. I'd recommend joining and searching over asking directly, though. They tend to jump on anyone who asks about Moto or Bikesdirect as being "shills".

I'm kinda fascinated by internet drama, so I read over there and from what I can gather, Bikesdirect is a legit company even though people have a lot of problems with their marketing methods and customer service. But when you pay your money, you do get a bike that's decent for the price you paid.

[foofighter]

if you think about it though...for that kind of money i wouldnt expect world class customer service I would just buy the dam thing get my feet wet with 29'er life and if i like it then i upgrade to something better down the line.

but seriously you cant really beat that price

[BrewMaster]

Or you could buy one of the demo Kona Kula 2-9s at the Path for $900. They have been ridden hard, but at least you know what you are getting. Just another suggestion.

[station]

Originally Posted by TooManyTacos

I'm pretty sure there are people on bikeforums.net who have em. I'd recommend joining and searching over asking directly, though. They tend to jump on anyone who asks about Moto or Bikesdirect as being "shills".

I'm kinda fascinated by internet drama, so I read over there and from what I can gather, Bikesdirect is a legit company even though people have a lot of problems with their marketing methods and customer service. But when you pay your money, you do get a bike that's decent for the price you paid.

What's a "shills"?

Originally Posted by BrewMaster

Or you could buy one of the demo Kona Kula 2-9s at the Path for $900. They have been ridden hard, but at least you know what you are getting. Just another suggestion.

I guess my biggest fear there is getting in on the last few days of the life of those parts. But those are good bikes.

[Seat Sniffer]

performance has the GT Peace 9er for $450

[foofighter]

Originally Posted by Seat Sniffer

performance has the GT Peace 9er for $450

that's a great deal but it's v-brakes not disc brake tabs...the 08's are supposed to come w/ tabs and some mech brakes

http://www.gtbicycles.com/usa/eng/de...ry&&id=19#2697

[station]

Originally Posted by foofighter

that's a great deal but it's v-brakes not disc brake tabs...the 08's are supposed to come w/ tabs and some mech brakes

http://www.gtbicycles.com/usa/eng/de...ry&&id=19#2697

Yeah, anything over $500 for a rigid single speed and you're kind of getting ripped. If you think about it a rigid frame costs about $20 in materials, there's only one cog, a chain, and some brakes. I've seen redlines new for $350.

[guero]

here is another one i saw at Jones Bicycles in Long Beach....hovers around the $450.00 price point. again, not the greatest components, i see disc tabs on the fork, but cant tell if the seat stay has them.

http://www.sebikes.com/2008/bike-detail.asp?id=48

[DeeZee]

Originally Posted by foofighter

that's a great deal but it's v-brakes not disc brake tabs...the 08's are supposed to come w/ tabs and some mech brakes

http://www.gtbicycles.com/usa/eng/de...ry&&id=19#2697

Duan why don't you just break-out your welder on put some tabs on it

[foofighter]

you have good memory doug :-P

[jeeps69]

Hi, I was thinking of buying a motobecane fantom 29er from a woman on ebay sprtymamma. This bike seems priced right at 529 and has some good options like disk brakes and 27 speeds. I just can't help but think there is some hidden catch, usually what seems to good to be true is... If anyone wants to check it out and give me some feedback I would appreciate it. I do not know anything about motobecane except what I have read on this site. Here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2008-ALUMINUM-MO...QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks, j-bone

[Devoid169]

The deal seems to be decent. My only concern would be the shipping distance = all the way from Florida. Other people can attest to the fact that bikes tend to get beat to crap on a x-country journey, even if they are factory packed. I worked for a bike company recently and cringed when someone would order one bike from the east coast. However, the bikes I sold were cruisers with fenders, and those would get destroyed at least 25% of the time. Good luck! What size were you thinking about cuz theres a large Fisher Rig 29er on Craigs List for 700 - way better bike but its a single speed.

EDIT - looking at that Motobecane again it seems like a pretty sweet deal. Good parts spec. and you could always convert it to a SS easily if so desired.....hmmm not bad.

[BFloFoxRider.]

Originally Posted by jeeps69

Hi, I was thinking of buying a motobecane fantom 29er from a woman on ebay sprtymamma. This bike seems priced right at 529 and has some good options like disk brakes and 27 speeds. I just can't help but think there is some hidden catch, usually what seems to good to be true is... If anyone wants to check it out and give me some feedback I would appreciate it. I do not know anything about motobecane except what I have read on this site. Here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2008-ALUMINUM-MO...QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks, j-bone

i saw a bike for sale from sprtymama and was curious how she could sell it for so cheap... i thought it was still too good to be true..
She saysshe orders 1000's at a time..
Im still not sure if its legit though

[Rockinthecasbah]

Looks like a dectn price on a low end HT, you could find a used bike with better specs eventually