# Motobecane Fantom Cross Team Titanium



## Will Be Was

Finally bike tuned and ready, today I took it for 8 mile ride, it feels very predictable and shifting very crisp, bike is very light for me, it came with Shimano 105 pedals, but I only use MTB pedals, you'll see M540 on the bike. Bar top brakes are pushed outside you might notice in some of the pictures I'm fine with it even with full winter glove but some people with large hands might have issue this bike is 49 cm.


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## twistedxtian

I was just looking at one of these the other day. A friend has one and really likes it. I need something to commute to work year-round and I'd like to race (nothing serious) cross next year.

How do you like the brakes?


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## Will Be Was

Avids on this Moto are pretty strong for me. I have Fuji cross comp with tectro onyx, so I can feel the difference immediately that Avids are stronger, only think is that bar top brakes are pushed outside for some people with full winter gloves it might feel to tight, for me they are just my size even with full gloves.


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## suasponte2/75

nice! I just picked one up myself (I got the Rival version) and it's due to arrive this Friday! I can't wait! If the bike looks half as good as your photos, it's a win! How is the ride? What do you mean that the bar brakes are pushed out? This will be my first cx bike so I'm not too familiar with the placement of the top bar brake levers.


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## Will Be Was

suasponte2/75

If you look at the picture, handle bar brakes are mounted close to the hoods. I'll try to give you better image in few days, but I wouldn't be concerned, if I were you. Bike looks better than my pictures, it is me and my chipo camera. It has a great ride in my opinion. 
I'm sure you would have the same experience.


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## weltyed

What's your inseam? How is the ti ride.


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## trav16

nice rig! +1


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## NJBiker72

Nice bike. I am thinking of a cross bike, perhaps this one, next year though. Upgraded the road bike and no more marriage capital for a cross this year.


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## suasponte2/75

How heavy did yours come out to be? I'm curious as I got the same size (49cm) in the Rival build-up and it came out to 20.6lbs w/o the pedals. I'm wondering what the weight difference was for the Ultegra build.


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## Will Be Was

weltyed

The geometry is all ready on the web site, and what to measure? Do you think I'm 4 footer or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? 
Here some more of my ride, and it is re weighted at 17.7 lbs


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## suasponte2/75

Damn! That's a 3lb difference! I would have never figured it to be that large of a difference since I assumed it was the same frame, just slightly different parts.


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## weltyed

Will Be Was said:


> weltyed
> 
> The geometry is all ready on the web site, and what to measure? Do you think I'm 4 footer or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? ]


Maybe I was gonna buy you some nice slacks for chaunnukka. Are the sites measurements accurate? Does it feel true to fit? The frame I would be replacing is a 50 because that company skipped the 52 size.


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## zoubiwah

The rival is supposed to be lighter than the ultegra 6700 isnt it?

So i'm wondering why the ultra one ("pro") is lighter than the rival ("team" and cheaper too)

can you use any of them with a straight handle bar for regular hydraulic brakes?


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## bmn

the team is lighter due to lighter wheels and some other parts. the ultegra 6700 is nearly as light as the rival now.

so those other parts in the team build make most of the difference. if you replace the rival build's wheels and so on, you'll hve a light bike too. (and a better deal maybe)

would be good if they sold frames-only hehe. that said the team is still a good "stock" deal.
the pro, i don't know. its cheaper yes, and rival is just fine really compared to ultegra 6700 but weight is a bit off for a TI bike.


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## suasponte2/75

zoubiwah said:


> The rival is supposed to be lighter than the ultegra 6700 isnt it?
> 
> So i'm wondering why the ultra one ("pro") is lighter than the rival ("team" and cheaper too)
> 
> can you use any of them with a straight handle bar for regular hydraulic brakes?


Yeah... I dunno if I believe the weight given by Will Be Was is accurate (17.7/stock).... I just tossed on my road training wheels (1600g) with Conti 4000s tires (200g each), a SRAM red crank (used the stock chainrings) and it was still over 18lbs. CX racing weight w/ Kysrium Elites (1700g) and Michelin Mud2s (advertised at 340g each) is still a hair over 19lbs. Those wheelset and grouppo can't be that much lighter... unless they've added some lead to my frame somewhere .


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## suasponte2/75

I also don't see why you wouldn't be able to toss some hydraulics and a straight bar on there. You'll also have to switch out the shifting mechs too me thinks. Although for cross I think it'd be overkill.


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## RFC

Well done! The Fantom Ti looks like a great deal.


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## RacerX.29

bmn said:


> would be good if they sold frames-only hehe. that said the team is still a good "stock" deal.


Check BikeIsland.com - they seem to have the frame only for sale from time to time, but the complete bike's a pretty good deal when you figure in the component cost.


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## bmn

suasponte2/75 said:


> Yeah... I dunno if I believe the weight given by Will Be Was is accurate (17.7/stock).... I just tossed on my road training wheels (1600g) with Conti 4000s tires (200g each), a SRAM red crank (used the stock chainrings) and it was still over 18lbs. CX racing weight w/ Kysrium Elites (1700g) and Michelin Mud2s (advertised at 340g each) is still a hair over 19lbs. Those wheelset and grouppo can't be that much lighter... unless they've added some lead to my frame somewhere .


the vuelta team wheels are 1400g but yeah, that's only 200g diff so if you've 18lbs after replacing wheels, it sounds off.. which well, is sad  17-18 for a ti bike like this one is nice.


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## wxyz

bmn said:


> would be good if they sold frames-only hehe. that said the team is still a good "stock" deal.
> the pro, i don't know. its cheaper yes, and rival is just fine really compared to ultegra 6700 but weight is a bit off for a TI bike.



If you are still interested in the TI frame-only, you can find it at a site called 

bikeisland.com 

or follow this link: 

http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=2116

Hope it helps.


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## tihsepa

wxyz said:


> If you are still interested in the TI frame-only, you can find it at a site called
> 
> bikeisland.com
> 
> or follow this link:
> 
> http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=2116
> 
> Hope it helps.


Work for them do you?


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## wxyz

tihsepa said:


> Work for them do you?


No just being helpful like others who gave the same link. I wanted the same frame myself, found it and thought you would like to know.


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## waterlaw

*2012 Motobecane Phantom CX Team TI*

Just got this bike on September 6, actually three days before Bikes Direct said it would ship. $1,999 is a great price for this ride. At my advanced age, I am in the game for lifetime bikes and titanium is the material of choice.

The bike was in good shape right out of the box. Some derailleur adjustment necessary, but nothing serious. No damage to anything, though a full round of checking torque revealed some slightly loose parts. Bikes Direct even threw in a set of Shimano 105 road pedals, which I appreciate, but won't probably use as all my bikes are set up for SPD.

Never even applied the Avid Shorty 4s in anger, just took them off and mounted Avid BB7 Platinum road discs (160mm front, 140mm rear). Everything went smoothly as the Vuelta SRP Team wheels were disc ready. Looks pretty darn custom.

Swapped out the Ritchey saddle for my Selle Italia, pulled off the top bar brake levers, and mounted up a set of Shimano PD-985 pedals. Also took off the Kendas and put on a set of 25mm Conti Gatorskins. Needed to do some fidgeting with the brake hood locations, etc. as the Taiwan crew does not seem to get the bar placement right, though they do a beautiful job on the handlebar tape. Ready for the mean streets in about 4 hours of fussing.

Okay, I am starting off from a position of being totally spoiled by my Litespeed. The Team is not a true road bike in that it has a higher bottom bracket, longer stays/fork and generally feels taller. But I bought it to be a commuter and a mule and also to ride single track and CX. Asking a lot of one bike. With the road tires, it is very fast and lively; I will take it on some road bike rides, for sure. It does not carve in fast corners like the Litespeed, but it is extremely stable at speed. Stiffness may eventually be a problem. In current trim, at 120 psi, it feeds back every dust mote on the pavement, though not in a bad way. Just a lot of information and that can be fatiguing or fun depending on the day.

But, I do have the perspective of hammering on a Phantom Cross Pro (aluminum/carbon) for a couple of years. This bike is about the same weight as the aluminum Pro, after installing the disc brakes. Threw the Kendas back on this weekend for some single track. Predictably, it has a more supple ride than the Pro and the stiffness of the bottom end is at least 20% greater. Therefore, the Team TI accelerates and climbs a bit better. The handling is noticeably different, however. I attribute it to the extremely stiff fork on the Team bike. More accuracy, but less forgiveness in the rough. The brakes are my first venture into discs and I am glad I went there: super powerful, easy to modulate, and no worrying heat build up or worn rim issues or forearm fatigue. Overall, this is a step up from the Pro, which I'm probably going to give to my kid.

I am a confirmed SRAM user and it takes some adjustment to get back on a Shimano STI system. I'll get used to the Ultegra stuff eventually.The ratios on the Ultegra are definitely different from the SRAM. Less linear and lower ratio in the bottom end of the spectrum. But silky smooth, quiet and precise. May go to a 50T front ring eventually to better work my commute and those long downhills.

As a commuter bike, the Team will be a lifetime member of my stable. I plan to ride it all weather, all year and show no mercy. This is no princess bike. Will update after a couple thousand miles.


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## mibrady2

I recently purchased one of these off of craigslist and have been using it as a commuter thus far. My question is regarding the rack mounts. They are so close to the weld points that I cannot find a rack to attach without some kind of filing. There is just not very much flat space. Has anyone installed a rack on this bike yet and if so, were you able to do this without significantly filing down the lower attach points?


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## S.O.B.

Yikes, my Motobecane Ti Team Cross came in at 20.05 lbs and it is set up as a roadie.
Here are the changes:
seat, Terry Fly
Post, Thomson
Tubes, Schwalbe
Tires, Schwalbe Durano
small ring, FSA 32 (swapped out the 34)
removed the cross-top brakes
Added: 309g spd pedals and two lightweight bottle cages.
Also put on new bar tape. 
Did not think I would be adding weight to the bike, but whatever...it rides wonderfully. Could not be happier with it (unless it was <19lbs).


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## tribe

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Team Ti. I'm not a CX racer and will use it 90% on the road. It will be mostly my winter bike.

I think this bike is a very good deal by looking at the components and the Ti frame.

My only concern is the " Integrated HeadTube". Will this last a lifetime of rain and washing and whatnot?

EDIT: Ok never mind, you can change bearings eventually; just keep steerer tube diameter. Now I get it


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## tribe

Ok I did it! I'm excited.
I was looking through ORA Engineering (ORA ENGINNERING CO,. LTD) makers of the Motobecane ti frame and I'm pretty impressed. They seem to really know their stuff

Thank you to this thread for all the good info!

Cheers


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## S.O.B.

Congrats. I think you will be happy. My Motobecane Ti is my 2nd BD bike and I would not have purchased another if I was not a satisfied customer. As you likely know, the vast majority of bikes you see on the road (or trail) are made in Taiwan or China. BD bikes are solid or you would see a lot of bad reviews from owners. The factories making these bikes do not want to loose a large customer to another factory..especially one in China, so they have motivation to put out a solid product for those who contract with them. Dang, I almost sound like a shill, but I am far from it. I no longer own my first Moto (Fantom Team FS) as I caught the SS bug and now own two Niners. Still, I did not forget the value and went back to them for my Ti Cross bike...and thus far I am glad I did.
If you are buying new, it is hard to go wrong with a BD bike. Just be sure to check everything out when you put it together and take it to a shop for adjustments if necessary (if you are not comfortable doing it yourself). Mine needed brake and derailleur adjustments (though my first bike needed none). 
Good Luck.


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## waterlaw

*Motobecane Fantom TI Team*

Got a few hundred miles on now and will report:

Ultegra STI shifters are a come down from the SRAM stuff I am used to. Had a hell of a time, and still am, getting them to operate smoothly. Going to Gore Rideon Sealed system next.

Moved the brake hoods on the bars, put my saddle and a carbon post on. Mounted fenders and a rack. With the BB7s on there, I had to put a 1 inch aluminum spacer on the lower rack mount. Unfortunately, the threaded fender hole on both sides in the rear is right near the weld for the dropout and it is really not flat. So fitting the aluminum cylinder spacer took some filing and custom fitting. But it is strong now.

Even with fenders, rack and pannier, this bike is a thoroughbred at heart. The frame is so burly, but forgiving in that titanium way. Efficiency is very good and the ride is always manageable, even with that 'high modulus' (read stiff as hell) fork and 25mm Gatorskins at 115 PSI. The wheelset, Vuelta team, is kinda heavy, but oh so solid. The deep section on the rims does pick up some wind, which can be a drag for a tourer/commuter. 

Had to go to a 50T front ring for my terrain. The 46 gave the bike nice race and acceleration chops, but for commuting, and on long downhills, I'll take the 50T. Nice that the Ultegra rear cogs are broad enough to not really need more than 36T on the little ring.

I plan on having this bike for a long old time and so far am very pleased. Will update after a couple of months of rain commuting in winter here in Portland.

I like to think of this bike as a Trek Portand, but with a kick-ass TI frame. What a great deal.


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## dhelfer

*cross ti vs a century ti*

I am debating between a cross ti and a century team ti. Most of my riding is on asphalt trails and pavement. Distance rides apx 10 to 30 miles, 2 to 3 times a week. Looking at increasing riding distance. Would like to do a 100 mile ride next summer. Would the cross bike be as comfortable as the century? Components seem to be similar. Does one have better than the other?


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## flatsix911

tribe said:


> Ok I did it! I'm excited.
> I was looking through ORA Engineering (ORA ENGINNERING CO,. LTD) makers of the Motobecane ti frame and I'm pretty impressed. They seem to really know their stuff Thank you to this thread for all the good info!
> 
> Cheers


Beautiful Titanium Bikes ... thanks for the link :thumbsup:


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## Ian45

I just ordered the Moto Ti cross frame and fork to build on. I have the Le Champion Ti heat and also the Team Fly ti 29er. They all have their purposes. Sounds like the Century Team might be better for you because of the kind of roads you say you will be riding. If you are running on any rough stuff like logging roads and trails and stuff like that I would go with the cross bike for sure.


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## waterlaw

*Fantom TI vs. Century TI*

If you see a roads-only kind of future for yourself, stay with the Century TI. If you are going to tour and/or want disc brakes, go with the Fantom TI.

My Fantom TI is an impressive road machine in its own right, once it had the discs and some road tires and a bigger front ring. Very quick and very comfortable, but you will probably gain a whole 1-2 mph out of the Century on pavement.

Can't really go wrong either way.


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## waterlaw

Update on Fantom TI team:

Was having a big hassle with the Ultegra shifters not operating smoothly. It would take a 1.5 click to downshift and a 2 click to upshift. Suspected cable binding or other drag in the system after I did a derailleur hanger alignment and had a pro look at the high/low/B stop adjustments.

So, tore it all apart and put on Gore Rideon sealed cables. Totally transformed the shifting. It is light and precise like Ultegra should be. My advice is to jettison the OE Jagwire stuff if you are having any shifting problems at all. I think the problem is the cheezy plastic ferrules they use, which tend to bend and drag on the cable. 

Bike just keeps getting better . . . commuting on it is a joy. Now for CX season.


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## Ian45

waterlaw said:


> If you see a roads-only kind of future for yourself, stay with the Century TI. If you are going to tour and/or want disc brakes, go with the Fantom TI.
> 
> My Fantom TI is an impressive road machine in its own right, once it had the discs and some road tires and a bigger front ring. Very quick and very comfortable, but you will probably gain a whole 1-2 mph out of the Century on pavement.
> 
> Can't really go wrong either way.



Good point about the touring. I like that about the Ti cross. My Le champ is great for 100 plus mile a day rides but its just carrying me, a bit of food, and some water bottles. If you ever plan on loaded touring the beefier frame, rack mounts, and room for thicker wheels will really come in handy. And to stop you with all that stuff disc brakes would be helpful. Having the disc option period is nice also.


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## dhelfer

Ian45 said:


> I just ordered the Moto Ti cross frame and fork to build on. I have the Le Champion Ti heat and also the Team Fly ti 29er. They all have their purposes. Sounds like the Century Team might be better for you because of the kind of roads you say you will be riding. If you are running on any rough stuff like logging roads and trails and stuff like that I would go with the cross bike for sure.


How would I gain the 1 to 2 mph on the Century over the Cross. I am really starting to lean toward the Cross. I have rode a Trek and Specialized Cross and really like the ride. Have not seen a comparable bike at LBS to the Century models.


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## Maitreya

Hi all,

2013 Motobecane Fantom Cross Team Ti, seems a very nice bike. How does it compare with: 2013 Motobecane Fantom Cross Outlaw? 

I am looking at both and am not sure which one is a better buy! :mad2: 

I know Ti is a better bike, but it is $1000 more than the Outlaw. Does it worth that much more, or Outlaw is a better buy! 

Appreciate any help


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## RLucky82

Maitreya said:


> Hi all,
> 
> 2013 Motobecane Fantom Cross Team Ti, seems a very nice bike. How does it compare with: 2013 Motobecane Fantom Cross Outlaw?
> 
> I am looking at both and am not sure which one is a better buy! :mad2:
> 
> I know Ti is a better bike, but it is $1000 more than the Outlaw. Does it worth that much more, or Outlaw is a better buy!
> 
> Appreciate any help


The Ti bike weighs less And costs more. Is it a better bike? For racing, sure. Anything else you need to know?


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## Maitreya

RLucky82 said:


> The Ti bike weighs less And costs more. Is it a better bike? For racing, sure. Anything else you need to know?


Good answer: So if you are not racing Outlaw is a better buy!

Thanks.


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## S.O.B.

FWIW I just weighed the disc ready Vuelta Light Team rims...they came in at 1640g or 880 rear and 760 front. Pretty impressed considering the disc ready status. 
Weight is without skewers (wich came in at 118g combined).


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## Local Hero

Cross Bikes - Cyclocross - Fuji Altamira CX 2.0 Cross Bikes

The Fuji is the best cross bike bikesdirect offers. 

If I were buying it I would call them up and ask to get the pre-holiday deal (minus -$200).


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## gtg252b

I just got my 2015 Fantom Cross Team Ti. I'm pretty impressed with the build quality and components for the money, but I'm surprised by the weight. Mine is a 58cm and weighs in at 22lbs. Motobecane's website shows 17.1 for the 49cm size. I can't imagine that the frame size difference would account for 4 lbs! That's what most high end Ti frames weigh by themselves! I did expect this one to be a tad heavier since it's not a name brand and it's got the beefier frame elements to support the racks, but I didn't expect it to be as heavy as it is.

Are they just misstating the weight on their website? What are other people's weighing?


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## juno

Yeah, I don't know where the 17.1 lbs comes from.
Possibly a 49 with rival and no disc wheels or someone transposed it from the road bike version!

I have the 54 cm and it is just at 21 lbs with no pedals, 2015 Team version


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## the mayor

The wheels on those bikes are anchors.


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## gtg252b

juno said:


> Yeah, I don't know where the 17.1 lbs comes from.
> Possibly a 49 with rival and no disc wheels or someone transposed it from the road bike version!
> 
> I have the 54 cm and it is just at 21 lbs with no pedals, 2015 Team version


However they got it, 17.1 lbs can't be right.


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## gtg252b

mibrady2 said:


> I recently purchased one of these off of craigslist and have been using it as a commuter thus far. My question is regarding the rack mounts. They are so close to the weld points that I cannot find a rack to attach without some kind of filing. There is just not very much flat space. Has anyone installed a rack on this bike yet and if so, were you able to do this without significantly filing down the lower attach points?


I had the same issue with my 2015 version of the bike. I got the disc version of Topeak's rack to clear the disc brake, and the mounting point on the rack is way to big to fit onto the frame. My fix was to get a pair of M5 stand-offs and screw them into the frame, then mount the rack to those. The stand-offs I used were part number 93655A860 from McMaster.


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## AKBR

juno said:


> Yeah, I don't know where the 17.1 lbs comes from.
> Possibly a 49 with rival and no disc wheels or someone transposed it from the road bike version!
> 
> I have the 54 cm and it is just at 21 lbs with no pedals, 2015 Team version


I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago. The bike weighs more than 21 lbs. BD says that they have no connection with, or control over the Motobecane site. But the weight changed on the Moto site two days after I contacted BD. It now claims 19.5lbs.

As one of the previous posts mentions, the bars on this bike seem narrow for a cross bike and this puts the horizontal brakes very close to the hoods.

The hoods on my bike weren't properly mounted (you couldn't reach the brake levers).

I own two other BD bikes and never had a problem with either, but I contacted customer service about the issues with this bike. It took a lot of negotiation, but they eventually offered a fifty dollar refund to cover my out of pocket cost for remounting the brakes (new cables and housing required). Nothing was offered to cover labor. They never acknowledged that they delivered a bike four pounds heavier than claimed.


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## gtg252b

AKBR said:


> ... the weight changed on the Moto site two days after I contacted BD. It now claims 19.5lbs...


How 'bout that. I can believe 19.5 for a 49cm frame.


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