Motobecane MTB?

[72Blazer]

I'm looking to get back into riding again after a 15yr absence.Looking to spend ~ $500 and so far have looked at a Trek 4300,Rockhopper and a Diamondback,forget the model.Then I came across this: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/motobecane_700HT_2010.htm
Never heard of them until now but from what I can tell and remember the components are decent for a bike at this price.Anyone have any experience with Motobecane? I have read quite a few favorable reviews then I saw somewhere that some of the reviews might be from Motobecane employees.So hopefully someone here has some experience with the brand.
I'm not looking for an expensive bike for hardcore riding,more of something to ride on trails and such.I'm in Florida so we don't have too many mountains around here.:mrgreen:

 

[colonel]

The only Motobecane bike I ever had was a moped. It was junked with less than 5000 miles on it. I have heard the bicycles are pretty decent.

 

[TattooKenny]

It has a lot of great parts for the $:shock: That is a pretty sick set up for under 5 bills! I'd say go for it!"thumbsup" My frame was almost double the price of that bike! I may have to grab one for the wife at that price! Edit... WOW! That's with shipping included to!:shock: $499 to your door!)

 

[322]

cant be that bad for 500. You could always keep an ear to the ground on your local craigslist or bicycle forums too for a good deal. I picked up a like new cannondale prophet last summer for next to nothing that way.

 

[ultimate_monkey]

agreed on the local CL, i used to be hard core into freeride and had almost 8G (cdn) into my bike, work got in the way and had to sell it, but last week i picked up a built snipes, Snipes frame, shiver sc fork, double tack rims, hozzerfeller crbaks and bb, avid discs race face head set, blah balh for 200 bucks.

 

[72Blazer]

It has a lot of great parts for the $:shock: That is a pretty sick set up for under 5 bills! I'd say go for it!"thumbsup" My frame was almost double the price of that bike! I may have to grab one for the wife at that price! Edit... WOW! That's with shipping included to!:shock: $499 to your door!)

This is the other one I was looking at but its just a bit too much $$ right now.Gotta love the free shipping!
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fantom_trail08.htm NEVER MIND ITS SOLD OUT.
Been looking on Craigslist also but nothing good for a decent price.
Don't like not being able to try it out before buying.My old bike was a 17" Caloi and it fit me pretty good,I'm 6',165 lbs.THe 700HT they have a 17" but I think I would opt for the 19" which maybe too big for me..Then again The Fantom has a 18" that I think would be perfect.I like smaller frames for the trail but I need a little big longer wheelbase for comfort.Sucks I can't try one out first.

 

[chole]

Looks good other then the brakes. Im not sure why they would put an XT on the lower end bike and go with the LX farther in the product line? Both seem like a decend ride. Lose the stock bars/stem/post/grips/cables and you should be good to go.

 

[Captaincrash]

Parts package is all over the map.....alot of cheese and some good stuff all mixed up in a Cambodian stew.....Go to your local shop and buy a bike, support us and we will support you with great service.....mail order only breeds more mail order, until there are no little local guys left to help you with problems!!! Just my 2 cents!!

 

[JesterSpec]

Very good friend bought a 29er from bikes direct. Needed a new stem, seatpost, and bars out of the box, they say on them not for offroad use.

Its a good buy for the money, but don't plan on the wheels staying true either if you ride anywhere where there is rocks.

 

[starvenamrvin]

I picked up a gary fisher advance a few weeks back for like 450. Its a hard tail, rides nice.

 

[47willysbuggy]

I have that same derailer on my mtb. Just saying.

 

[radishkid]

I hope this offers a little help...

I've worked at the same shop for the past 10 years. You're looking at a decent overall value for your money. You won't go wrong and you'll be able to ride it and enjoy it. But bear this in mind...

That is a mass market Chinese or Taiwanese (better quality) frame with a Motobecane label. Warranty is likely not able to be handled by a shop, but rather by disassembly and shipping the frame to bikesdirect should anything go wrong.

You're going to need assembly and upkeep. If you're familiar with this, no problem, if not you'll still need a good shop.

The parts mix isn't bad. The Dart is a big heavy pig of a fork.

As a suggestion, try your LBS first. A Trek 4300 will do nicely, as would a Raleigh Mojave 5.0 or Cannondale F9. These are also Chinese bikes, but built to fairly high quality specs.

Also, a lot of shops will fairly point out their product in their lineup that will compete with an advertised product if you bring in the ad. And you can test ride it and see if it fits you well. And they have to sell you a bike that actually fits you well.

Good luck, and happy riding!