# 11,000 miles on a LeChampion Ti



## dolomoto (May 6, 2010)

I've rolled about 11,000 miles on my LeChampion ti since purchasing it in the spring of 2010. 30 minutes after opening the box, I was rolling!

I'm quite happy with it and have no complaints.










After some initial adjustments (flipping the stem, putting another seat on it, etc), I've found a fitment that works well for me for commuting and centuries. Last year brought a lot of riding...several centuries including the Six Gap Century in north GA. 

I've crashed it a couple of times...one of them resulted in a tweaked RD which I didn't notice until I got back on and cranked on the pedals....."sssnap" went the RD hanger. Luckily, BD stocks them and I had it in a couple of days (available on the BD website). I bought a replacement RD from the LBS.

I put a set of MagicShine lights on which are brilliant and well made. I ride quite a bit in the dark and having a quality set of lights helps out.

The stock Mavic Aksium wheels are high quality...I had them trued last year and the technician said he only made minor adjustments. I just ordered a set of Reynolds Solitude as replacements and will use the Mavics as spares.

After having flats every few hundred miles, I switched to Schwalbe Ultremo DD tires and haven't flatted in several thousand miles. In fact, the front tire I just changed out had not flatted since I put it on over a year ago...about 7000 miles. I just moved to 700x25 on the advice of more experienced riders. I like the bigger tires/lower pressure!

As noted in the above pic, I ran a Specialized Armadillo rear tire for about 5000 miles...no flats and I was happy with it but it was a tough tire to mount..in the end, I decided to got with Schwalbe again.

The Cane Creek brakes are great and worked well, even during the thrilling descent down HogPen Gap. (not my video). I have changed the front pads once...I replaced whatever came on them with Kwik Stop salmon pads (before the Six Gap). 


I've not serviced the BB. The drivetrain gets wiped down and lubed every 150-200 miles and major cleaning (degreased to like new condition) every 500 miles or so. 

The FSA big chainring (mine came with a compact double: 50/34) is worn out...a replacement is on the way. 

I have not adjusted the FD and made just a few tweaks to the RD barrel adjuster.

The original chain lasted about 7000 miles, I replaced it with a 105 chain..a new one is on order (may as well swap out the chain when I do the chainrings).

I made my own bike stand which makes some things easier.










Until this week, and other than routine maintenance and cleaning, I've not had to make any real adjustments or replace worn out parts except as noted crash damage.

I've been quite happy with the gearing (50/34 front, 11T-28T rear cassette) although it was tough on some of the Six Gap climbs (I never walked!). I've explored putting a more "mountain oriented" gearing set on...but can't quite find a combo that will work without changing out the chainrings and cassette (can't quite justify the cost since I do just a few hundred miles of mountain riding per year). This year, I'll be riding the Mountains of Misery Double Metric Century, the Savannah Century and the Six Gap. I mention these rides on account of the forum riders who go on and on about this bike or that bike is necessary to do well on a century/crit/group ride. IMO, the bike matters maybe 5%. Rider training is the other 95% of whatever you're doing.

I wish it was easy to get the decals off (or there was a decal delete option when ordering) as I'd rather have no markings on it save for the stem badge.

During a group ride, I had a guy on a Lynskey (a fine bicycle btw) wax on and on about the benefits of Ti and how I should spring the coin for it, blah, blah, blah. He thought my bike was aluminum I reckon (fine by me!). Other than that, I've not had any bike snobs say anything about my mail order bike (I'd tell them to shove it).

I highly recommend this model and don't be put off by the "assembly"..it took just a few caveman tools and 20 minutes of light work to get it rolling out of the box (unpacking took 10 minutes).


----------



## SlurpeeKing (Jul 23, 2010)

great write up!!!

I purchased the same Moto in late February and love it. My only issue so far is my BB developed a click. I'm hoping BD will send me a replacement.


----------



## JasonB176 (Aug 18, 2011)

I agree, great write-up! What model is that?

The only thing that surprised me is that you kept the frisbee!! That's great you haven't had issues with the seat slipping. I wish I could say the same.


----------



## dolomoto (May 6, 2010)

JasonB176 said:


> I agree, great write-up! What model is that?
> 
> The only thing that surprised me is that you kept the frisbee!! That's great you haven't had issues with the seat slipping. I wish I could say the same.


It's the LeChampion Ti.

Eh, the dork disc ain't so bad, gives me a place to put some more reflective stuff. and it's only dorky till you see what happens when it isn't there but needed to be.

(not my bike)










Yes, yes, I know about keeping the proper adjustment on the RD to prevent this. I think this rider had a slightly bent RD hanger and didn't know it. When he went onto the biggest cog, the chain went into the spokes with the expected damage.

I'm a dork disk guy.


----------



## JasonB176 (Aug 18, 2011)

dolomoto said:


> It's the LeChampion Ti.


Of the five different models of LeChampion titanium road bikes I didn't realize there was one that didn't have an additional part to its name.


----------



## tenkerman (Feb 16, 2012)

I've been considering the Dura-Ace Team Ti model. It's sold out in my size so that's off for awhile. Sounds like it's been a good purchase for you.


----------



## JasonB176 (Aug 18, 2011)

tenkerman said:


> I've been considering the Dura-Ace Team Ti model. It's sold out in my size so that's off for awhile. Sounds like it's been a good purchase for you.


I've only had seven rides so far but I'm very pleased with the exception of the seatpost. I've ridden 70 miles since my last adjustment but it has slipped a little and I still need to find a permanent solution.


----------



## SlurpeeKing (Jul 23, 2010)

JasonB176 said:


> I've only had seven rides so far but I'm very pleased with the exception of the seatpost. I've ridden 70 miles since my last adjustment but it has slipped a little and I still need to find a permanent solution.


I've had no issues with my seat post sliding. Did you grease the post?


----------



## JasonB176 (Aug 18, 2011)

SlurpeeKing said:


> I've had no issues with my seat post sliding. Did you grease the post?


I didn't assemble the bike but had my LBS do the build so I'm not sure what was done. I'm not the only one who has had this problem though.

There were several possible ideas for a solution in the thread I started so I'm going to look into those.


----------



## tenkerman (Feb 16, 2012)

JasonB176 said:


> I've only had seven rides so far but I'm very pleased with the exception of the seatpost. I've ridden 70 miles since my last adjustment but it has slipped a little and I still need to find a permanent solution.



Since I finally got a good job (age 40, it's about time) my wife recently gave her blessing to the "Two weekly paychecks bike budget" that I've been wanting for years. I'm going to hold her two it. Then I just have to get the shop built and I can disappear into cycling bliss...


----------



## SlurpeeKing (Jul 23, 2010)

tenkerman said:


> Since I finally got a good job (age 40, it's about time) my wife recently gave her blessing to the "Two weekly paychecks bike budget" that I've been wanting for years. I'm going to hold her two it. Then I just have to get the shop built and I can disappear into cycling bliss...


I would put it together yourself and maybe bring it to your LBS for adjustments, but honestly it was really easy. I already knew my fit and measured everything over to the moto, and then watched youtube vids on how to adjust ultegra derailleurs. 2 months and 800 miles later it still hasnt seen a LBS and I've made all my own adjustments. Give it a shot and if you cant get it right then take it in.


----------



## paulg (May 21, 2002)

*Slipping Seatpost*



JasonB176 said:


> I didn't assemble the bike but had my LBS do the build so I'm not sure what was done. I'm not the only one who has had this problem though.
> 
> There were several possible ideas for a solution in the thread I started so I'm going to look into those.


Just weighing in again on this. Since I've used the blue locktite on my seatclamp, it hasn't budged for the past several rides, including one that was 64 miles. At this point I no longer worry about it. I guess the alternative would be to try a different seat clamp as some have suggested here.

Paul


----------



## JasonB176 (Aug 18, 2011)

paulg said:


> Just weighing in again on this. Since I've used the blue locktite on my seatclamp, it hasn't budged for the past several rides, including one that was 64 miles. At this point I no longer worry about it. I guess the alternative would be to try a different seat clamp as some have suggested here.
> 
> Paul


Paul, is locktite a cycling specific product? I did an internet search and it doesn't appear to be. How did you apply it? I'm thinking the only downside is that I would have to be 100% sure of my seat height before using it because it's probably hard to reposition it after applying that kind of adhesive to the seatpost.


----------



## lardo (Aug 16, 2011)

Cycling specific?

There's plenty of products that work fine with bikes that aren't bike-specific.


----------



## stephen9666 (Apr 7, 2010)

JasonB176 said:


> Paul, is locktite a cycling specific product? I did an internet search and it doesn't appear to be. How did you apply it? I'm thinking the only downside is that I would have to be 100% sure of my seat height before using it because it's probably hard to reposition it after applying that kind of adhesive to the seatpost.


Loctite isn't an adhesive, per se. 

You may be confused because Loctite is a company that makes a lot of products. But when people say "loctite," they generally mean the thread locking compound.

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/threadlockers.shtml

Thread lockers are products that prevent bolts from loosening when you don't want them to. Thread locker would prevent vibrations and movement from loosening the bolt on your seat post clamp, but it's not permanent. You would still be able to loosen the clamp when you wanted to.


----------



## paulg (May 21, 2002)

JasonB176 said:


> Paul, is locktite a cycling specific product? I did an internet search and it doesn't appear to be. How did you apply it? I'm thinking the only downside is that I would have to be 100% sure of my seat height before using it because it's probably hard to reposition it after applying that kind of adhesive to the seatpost.


Just to add to what others have mentioned here - the Loctite blue is reversible, not a permanent thread locker. So if you had to make additional adjustments you could. But you may need to re-apply it to the seat post binder bolt threads. You can buy it in a small tube and instructions for application come with it.

It can be used generically on any metallic threaded part - bikes or otherwise. When I disassembled the crankset one of my other bikes to swap out chainrings, it was apparent the there was manufacturer applied thread locker compound on the chain ring bolts. So there are situations where you see it on bikes.


----------



## habu987 (May 14, 2012)

dolomoto, awesome review! I'm looking at purchasing a Le Champ Ti in a few weeks, so I find this post very helpful.


----------



## PhotoJoe (Mar 8, 2011)

habu987 said:


> dolomoto, awesome review! I'm looking at purchasing a Le Champ Ti in a few weeks, so I find this post very helpful.


When are they re-stocking? They're sold out of most sizes in most models. :mad2:


----------



## onsight512 (Oct 21, 2010)

Yeah, that was a nice review. I bought one of these (Dura-Ace) a little over a year ago and it's been a good, solid bike. I agree about the decals. While I like the head tube badge, I don't care for the rest of the decals.


----------



## gdfred88 (Jun 9, 2012)

So I am looking at this Ti bike too. I have been riding a Scott P2 Hybrid for the last 2500 miles or so and my friends all say I need a 'road bike'.

The Scott P2 is a higher riding bike with a very different geometry. So I am not exactly certain which size I need. I road a Specialized Tarmac Elite (58cm) and it fit right. But most of the other bikes I have ridden have been in the 56 size. 

Can some of you guys that have this bike tell me what sizes you got and how tall you are and whether you wished you had gone to a larger or smaller size?

Thanks in advance. Greg


----------



## onsight512 (Oct 21, 2010)

gdfred88 said:


> So I am looking at this Ti bike too. I have been riding a Scott P2 Hybrid for the last 2500 miles or so and my friends all say I need a 'road bike'.
> 
> The Scott P2 is a higher riding bike with a very different geometry. So I am not exactly certain which size I need. I road a Specialized Tarmac Elite (58cm) and it fit right. But most of the other bikes I have ridden have been in the 56 size.
> 
> ...


I'm just shy of 5'9" and got a size 51, which has a 54cm top tube and it fits me perfectly.


----------



## gdfred88 (Jun 9, 2012)

onsight512 said:


> I'm just shy of 5'9" and got a size 51, which has a 54cm top tube and it fits me perfectly.


Thanks for that info Onsight! So I almost exactly 3" taller. Inseam is not a problem for me on any of the Le Champion models/sizes. So the top tube is probably the most important aspect. 

I'm almost exactly three inches taller than you. The top tube on the 56 is 56cm (>1" longer than yours) and on the 58 it is 58cm (only 1.5" longer than yours). 

So I think that answers my question. It seems the 58 should be the right length. That is what fit best on the Specialized Tarmac I road... I just was not certain how closely they lined up.

Anyone else have other ideas?

Thanks. Greg


----------



## onsight512 (Oct 21, 2010)

gdfred88 said:


> So the top tube is probably the most important aspect.


That's how I picked mine. Like you, the stand over wasn't an issue. Good luck with yours.


----------



## gdfred88 (Jun 9, 2012)

Thanks. I wish I had not, but I just looked closer at the Immortals... I really like the visible carbon through the clear coat... but then I really like the durability of the Ti too...

Too many choices. I guess I just need to make a choice and be (happy and) done with it.

gf


----------



## jackfish (Oct 7, 2009)

I just received my 53cm 2012 Motobecane LeChampion Titanium yesterday. I'll be opening up the box and final assembly tonight. Then I'll be taking it to my bike shop for a fitting, adjustments and tuning. I'm glad to hear about all the positive experiences with these bikes.


----------



## Gary in WI (Oct 14, 2009)

*10,000+ Miles Also*

I also have well over 10,000 miles on my Moto Ti purchased in November 2009. Great purchase - no regrets here.

Last year, I rode 3,800 miles cross country on a supported tour. The bike was modified for the trip with an extra low 11/34 cassette and heavy duty 36 spoke wheels. I also removed the decals to make the bike lighter (just kidding).

View attachment 258777


The photo shows me on top of the Teton Pass in Wyoming. As can be seen, I needed all of the 34/34 gearing to make it up the mountain side.


----------



## gdfred88 (Jun 9, 2012)

Gary in WI said:


> I also have well over 10,000 miles on my Moto Ti purchased in November 2009. Great purchase - no regrets here.
> 
> Last year, I rode 3,800 miles cross country on a supported tour. The bike was modified for the trip with an extra low 11/34 cassette and heavy duty 36 spoke wheels. I also removed the decals to make the bike lighter (just kidding).
> 
> ...



Nice ride. Good thing you removed the decals. Those extra few grams my have kept you from reaching the top. (One never knows!)


----------



## SlurpeeKing (Jul 23, 2010)

jackfish said:


> I just received my 53cm 2012 Motobecane LeChampion Titanium yesterday. I'll be opening up the box and final assembly tonight. Then I'll be taking it to my bike shop for a fitting, adjustments and tuning. I'm glad to hear about all the positive experiences with these bikes.


Awesome!!! GL with it. Ride the heck out of it.


----------



## JasonB176 (Aug 18, 2011)

jackfish said:


> I just received my 53cm 2012 Motobecane LeChampion Titanium yesterday. I'll be opening up the box and final assembly tonight. Then I'll be taking it to my bike shop for a fitting, adjustments and tuning. I'm glad to hear about all the positive experiences with these bikes.


Awesome. We'd love to see photos and a review of the ride!


----------

