# Experience with MB Le Champion CF LTD, and frame replacement after crash



## fns200 (Aug 23, 2013)

Just thought I would relay my experience after 3 years of riding a MB Le Champion CF LTD. I recently crashed the bike and had to replace the frame (see photo below).

I bought the bike in 2010, and have put several thousand miles on it in the interim. I weighed 280+ when I bought the bike, and was a bit concerned WRT whether the CF frame, fork and low-spoke-count wheels would hold up to the load. I can say after all these miles that the bike held up well, with no signs of weakening. I'm down in the 230's now, and slowly working toward a goal weight of around 190. 

The bike has performed well as I have progressed on the weight front. The Mavic Aksium Race wheels are not the lightest around, but they have been bulletproof. They even survived my crash without any truing required. I did have some mysterious ticking creaking noises coming out of the bike that I finally traced to the spoke heads moving a bit on the hub under load. A bit of teflon lubricant to the spoke heads cured that. 

The frame seems light and responsive, comfortable yet stiff enough to take my occasional high-wattage, out-of-the-seat climbs. Tracking is good - no hands riding is easy.

I had a problem with the rivets holding the front derailleur mount on loosening up, and had to drill two of them out and replace them with the next larger size rivets. Shifting has been good with the Ultegra setup.

Cane Creek brakes have been decent, after immediately replacing the pads with Kool Stop Salmon. Would have preferred Ultegra brakes, but the CC's are good enough that I haven't bothered replacing them. One issue I've had with the rear brakes is that the mounting hole is placed a bit too low on the frame, and the brakes have very little clearance to the rolling surface of the tire. Not a big deal except when I'm riding on freshly tar-and-graveled roads, where the gravel sticks to the tire, and ends up getting crunched between the brakes and the tire. This has scratched the brakes up a bit.

The FSA SLK Lite Hollow Carbon Fiber cransket is light and works well. 

I feared when purchasing that the skinny/hard Richey PRO saddle would need replacing, but I have actually been pretty happy with it, as long as you wear decently padded bike shorts.

So overall I have been very happy with the bike. Which leads me up to my crash a few weeks ago. Distracted by a malfunctioning odometer, I was head-down fiddling with it when I managed to crash head on into a parked Cadillac that a neighborhood kid had parked practically in the middle of the road. I endo-d onto the hood, putting a good dent into it with my helmet, and rolled off the passenger side fender onto the road, landing flat on my back. Amazingly, I wasn't hurt. A bit sore for a couple of days, but nothing broken. My helmet was cracked, having taken one for the team putting the dent in the hood. Moral - never ride distracted.

The damage to the bike was surprisingly all taken by the head tube (see photo). The fork and front wheel were undamaged. I was a bit surprised at this, since I would have expected the fork to have snapped first, what with all the fearmongering around the web WRT carbon forks.









Poking around the web, I found BikesIsland had replacement Le Champion CF frames for a good price, and in stock (these guys are apparently connected to the Bikes Direct operation?). I quickly ordered one, as I was leaving for a mountain vacation a week or so later where I wanted to do a lot of riding. They got it to me within a week, and I set about transferring all components to the new frame. 

This was pretty easy as the frame was identical. The only complication was I had to install the headset bearing race on the fork, as well as mount the star-fangled nut in the fork tube. I managed to do so with some low tech homemade tools, and the bike was back in business.

I also discovered after the purchase that they have a "crash replacement" policy of offering a $100 discount on the new frame. In my case, I had already bought the new one, so I was told to send in the old, broken one, and they will refund me $100. I am in the process of doing so, and will update this post with the result.

So all in all I have a positive experience with MB bikes, and with subsequent post-crash support.

Cheers,

Neil S.
Carrboro, NC


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## Hyder (May 30, 2013)

Good to know you are okay, I did the samething a few years ago. I had my head down and was really cranking hard up a hill, some guy just stopped randomly in the road in a small Honda. I ran into the back of the little car smashing both of us. I was on a old bike that needed to be replaced anyways.

Grats on the weight loss, post pictures of the new bike when you get it all together. If you have a little extra cash laying around, Watch Craigslist and grab a pair of used Ultegra brakes. I got a really nice set very very cheap... 

Is your insurance going to cover the cost to repair the car, or will you have to pay out of pocket? If insurance is going to cover it, see if they will relpace your bike also... Not sure if that will work or not...

Best of luck...


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## fns200 (Aug 23, 2013)

*New frame pic*

Here's the new rig. I really like the new black no-sticker frame, which goes nicely with all the Ritchey black and red themed equipment, as well as the black wheels. Picked up some red bottle cages to round it out.

I decided to pay cash for the car damage (under $500), rather than invoke homeowner's insurance. Bike wasn't covered by either auto or home. Expensive lesson, but it could have been worse.

I may still pick up some Ultegra brakes, though the new black 105's look quite nice, too.

Cheers,

Neil


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## fns200 (Aug 23, 2013)

One further note regarding riding while distracted. I had noticed for a while before the crash that I had a hard time seeing forward with my Bell Alchera helmet, when my head was not tilted way up (I have a hard time doing that due to disc issues in my back/neck). The Alchera dips low in the front, and obscures high forward vision. I made sure when fitting a new helmet that I found one that did not obstruct vision like this. A Giro Monza helmet did the trick, and I notice my 'vertical peripheral' vision is much improved - I think I would have noticed the car and avoided the crash if I had been wearing the Monza...

Never paid much attention to helmets before, but I do now .


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## mopartodd (Dec 1, 2010)

WHoa! Good to hear you're okay. I have the same bike and figured it was pretty tough, judging by how stiff it rides. I've got several thousand miles on mine as well. Do you ever get down to Raleigh at all? I met a guy one day after work that had a frame like yours.


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## fns200 (Aug 23, 2013)

Thanks.

I ride mostly in Carrboro/Orange County, very rarely over Raleigh way. 

Am getting ready to ship the old frame to BikesIsland for refund of the $100 - they said I could cut it up to reduce shipping cost, so I'm going to do so and take some pics, and post them here - should be interesting to see tubing thicknesses, etc.

Neil


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