# Initial evaluation of the Le Champ Ti Team



## dr4cats (Aug 8, 2010)

As I mentioned ealier in another thread, I received my Moto Ti Team yesterday. Sorry but it took me a bit more than 30 minutes to put it together.....I just like to check everything thoroughly..... Put everything in order and changed crank to a Dura Ace compact 50/34 and shortened chain one link. I also reversed the stem to raise the bars and installed a Sella Italia saddle. Final check, lubed the chain with Clean Ride and transfered my fit measurement from my other bike to this bike and I'm good to go. The bike comes stock with full Dura Ace groupset and Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels. A nice setup. Price was $2799 delivered.

So this morning is the maiden voyage... One cup strong coffee, 20 ounces of water and a Cliff bar later, I'm all dressed and ready to test this new bike. The ride will be 66 miles and will include all types of terrain. Smooth flat road, rough and very rough roads (some at high speed), downhills and some serious climbing up to 19%.

The rider: I'm 51 years old and basically a climber. I am not a sprinter and downhills scare me (more on that later). I like short time trials. I am 5'11" and weigh 146 lbs with about 4% body fat. My BMI is lower than Lance Armstrong......I just can't ride like him. I am a good B rider but I am not a champ. I ride everyday about 25-30 miles and do 150 miles every weekend.

My bikes: Until I receive this beautiful Motobecane Le Champion Ti Team, my ride was a 2009 Specialized Tarmac Comp upgraded with Ultegra Groupset and Mavic Ksyrium SuperLight wheels. The crank is compact. Frame is CF. An excellent bicycle.

The ride:

Right off the bike is super comfortable compared to the Tarmac. The reputation of Titanium shows in this bicycle as a real smooth ride. This is one first outstanding quality of this bike. The Tarmac is "mineral" in its feel and the Ti Team is "organic", it rides with you, the Tarmac rides under you. I put the bike through the mill with some fast but very rough roads; at 35 mph, the bike rails like a train and take the beating almost softly, like floating, compared to the Tarmac which literally would beat me up to the extreme. The Tarmac was slower in that section because so rigid over the rough surfaces.

Climbing is a dream. Again I put the Moto Ti through some tough grounds. Climbing is basically easier than on the Tarmac if you do a lot of it. On a shorter ride where you can climb really fast and hard, the Tarmac is very good, but for long rides with steep long hills, the Moto Ti is at least as good. I climbed up to 19% and this bike is really remarkable at it. The frame is really stiff and the bottom bracket does not bend or sway at all.

On flat smooth surfaces, the bike really shines and you can easily cruise at 26-27 mph easily. It is almost like driving a car. Easy cruising at 21-22 mph is super easy. A lot less effort than the Tarmac.

High speed downhills: the Tarmac is faster and turns quicker but is a little more twitchy. The Moto Ti is super stable, so stable that it puts me in a false sense of confidence. So, while I am finishing a steep climb, I switch to lower gears front and back, start the downhill and my mind starts to wander about how much I like this bike, being my first titanium machine and how good of a bargain this is. Well the unexpected had to happen and upon slowing down to make an off camber left turn, the rear brake, which I am just "pressing" gently, locks the rear wheel, I grab a handfull of front brake, let the rear brake go and pull again on the rear brake...too late...the crash takes place going straight through the turn, I just have the time to unclip both feet and crash into the woods. Very embarassing and very humbling. I am scraped up and bruised and bleeding from elbow, shin and thigh. my shoulder is sore. Had not happened to me in years. But the bike is AOK !!!! Amazing. Superficial scratches on the brake levers and one scratch on the seat tube. Dirt in the crank and dirt in my helmet and mouth. So the bike is also very crash worthy, I can attest to that (how about that for a complete bike report !). The CF Tarmac would not have fared as well. Those Dura Ace brakes ar very grabby and it will take me time to get used to them. Ride home was uneventful and was only 12 miles from the crash zone.

In summary, I would say that this is basically an excellent, fast, stable and super comfortable bicycle. I would recommend it to anyone. Of course I am not brand obsessed and I know a lot of riders will think that a big name bike is a much better bike. As far as I am concerned, with my abilities, the Moto Ti prooves to be a pleasurable ride, and that is what counts. The Tarmac simply does not float like the Moto Ti and is much harsher and uncomfortable without being any faster. Simply put, with comfort comes speed. Racing is definitely possible with maybe lighter wheels. 

So if you're on the fence.....it is a no brainer and you won't regret it. At this price, you can't beat it. This bike IS my century machine.

No I am not a shill, but I am getting a little tired of bike snobs. How does this bike compare to a $12,000 Pinarello ? $10,000 Trek ? I would not know. I know I got a heck of a bike for $2799.

Though bruised up, I am going for another ride tomorrow....that's how much I love this bicycle. 

Phil


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## Christoph (Jul 10, 2009)

Great review. Thank you. I'm still looking for a picture of someone actually on one of these bikes. I'm trying to see what the "relaxed geometry" looks like with someone actually on the bike (in the drops too). Add a pic later if you can, or not, either way, thanks for the review. I was wondering how the bike climbs and you addressed that well. I'll likely be ordering one of these bikes soon.


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## atrocious (Nov 10, 2009)

OP: Did you go with a 53 or 56 and how's your saddle to bar drop with the upright stem?


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## dr4cats (Aug 8, 2010)

Drop is about 1/2 inch. I also put the top spacer under the stem to raise it to the max. 53 is the size I selected because I like a compact feel when I ride and I hate long reach to the bars (bad wrists) so I do not bear too much weight on my hands. With the BB center to top of seat distance of 76 cm, the bike fits me perfectly. When I grab the lever stems, the handlebars are just over the front wheel axle with the stock 100mm stem. I rode the bike 81 miles today and averaged 18.4 mph with few climbs and I still say this is a great bike at a great price (which makes LBS unhappy). 

Those bikes are known for shorter top tubes, but I like the fit of the 53. My other bike is a Tarmac 54 and I like the fit of the Moto Ti better.

I don't even want to get back on the carbon fiber Tarmac......sad because it is a great bicycle, but the comfort of the Moto Ti is what makes me want to ride it all the time.

I am more legs with shorter arms, so the 53 did fit me OK.

Best of luck in finding the right bike.


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## MKGcentury (Aug 26, 2010)

dr4cats said:


> As I mentioned ealier in another thread, I received my Moto Ti Team yesterday. Sorry but it took me a bit more than 30 minutes to put it together.....I just like to check everything thoroughly..... Put everything in order and changed crank to a Dura Ace compact 50/34 and shortened chain one link. I also reversed the stem to raise the bars and installed a Sella Italia saddle. Final check, lubed the chain with Clean Ride and transfered my fit measurement from my other bike to this bike and I'm good to go. The bike comes stock with full Dura Ace groupset and Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels. A nice setup. Price was $2799 delivered.
> 
> So this morning is the maiden voyage... One cup strong coffee, 20 ounces of water and a Cliff bar later, I'm all dressed and ready to test this new bike. The ride will be 66 miles and will include all types of terrain. Smooth flat road, rough and very rough roads (some at high speed), downhills and some serious climbing up to 19%.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the review...
The one thing I have never used in my years on the saddle is a Ti frame. I hear a lot about it but never even been on one. Have 1 steel 2 Alu and 1 CF, but never even touched a Ti, never even rode on one. I see that they sell the frame on the BD website... a thousand dollars... I may think about it. Right now I am between getting a bike for my girl (so she can give me my old steel bike back) or getting a new frame for my Record Euro Sprint. 
And hey... I don’t believe anybody is a shill here. Is it wrong to say I like my BD bike? If someone said they like their Trek or Cannondale nobody would say shill. But if I love my BD bike i MUST be a shill. Heck 3 years ago BD sold me a Campy Record bike for $1600. I could take off and sell the Campy parts it came with on Ebay for more than the price of the entire bike. But I will not, because I LIKE it. I hope to see your century machine in a century someday! 

"with comfort comes speed"... that is the truth. Sorry but I will have to borrow that quote from you. People often don't understand that comfort is the most important thing in a bike. If you ride comfortably you will be able to reach more speed longer without difficulty, and ride longer which will make you stronger and faster in the long run. If you are not comfortable than you will not be able to maintain speed and if you do try to go fast it will hurt or even cause injury. Smart cyclist. 

Cheers!


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Thanks for the review.


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## SilentAssassin (Jul 29, 2010)

dr4cats said:


> As I mentioned ealier in another thread, I received my Moto Ti Team yesterday. Sorry but it took me a bit more than 30 minutes to put it together.....I just like to check everything thoroughly..... Put everything in order and changed crank to a Dura Ace compact 50/34 and shortened chain one link. I also reversed the stem to raise the bars and installed a Sella Italia saddle. Final check, lubed the chain with Clean Ride and transfered my fit measurement from my other bike to this bike and I'm good to go. The bike comes stock with full Dura Ace groupset and Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels. A nice setup. Price was $2799 delivered.
> 
> So this morning is the maiden voyage... One cup strong coffee, 20 ounces of water and a Cliff bar later, I'm all dressed and ready to test this new bike. The ride will be 66 miles and will include all types of terrain. Smooth flat road, rough and very rough roads (some at high speed), downhills and some serious climbing up to 19%.
> 
> ...


Pics or I call shill :blush2: 

Plus if you do a lot of climbing, sram apex is probably the drivetrain you want. Contador used it so that he could keep a high cadence on the really steep climbs in the tour. 

And some times you just need a granny gear for those 20% gradients.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

SilentAssassin said:


> Pics or I call shill :blush2:


Did you ever post pictures of your bike?


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## MKGcentury (Aug 26, 2010)

SilentAssassin said:


> Pics or I call shill :blush2:
> 
> Plus if you do a lot of climbing, sram apex is probably the drivetrain you want. Contador used it so that he could keep a high cadence on the really steep climbs in the tour.
> 
> And some times you just need a granny gear for those 20% gradients.



I learned something new today... Contador used Apex?... I thought his S-Works bike had the RED drivetrain. Maybe he did a switch. But I believe you. The gearing on that Apex Cassette is almost like a mountian bike gearing. 11-32 right? 32!!! That is one big freaking gear! My cassette is 25 and that is the standard from what I believe, a 32 is like 7 teeth biger and at least 25% bigger in diameter. That is a dedicated hillclimbing groupset. I hate to say this(because I am a Campy fanboy) but SRAM is doing some nice things.


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## johnny dollar (Jul 21, 2010)

Contador has been using the Red drivetrain, not Apex. Apex was _inspired_ by Contador.

From Bike Radar: 
"At the launch of the Apex groupset in Mallorca, Spain on Tuesday, SRAM explained that the idea for the 11-32 cassette was born directly from Contador's triumph on stage 16 mountain time trial to KronPlatz at the 2008 Giro d'Italia, a result that helped secure his hold on the maglia rosa.

The 12.9 kilometre climb on gravel roads with gradients up to 24 per cent saw SRAM technicians and Contador's mechanics work to build a custom cassette capable of offering the Spaniard a ratio as low as 34x30." pp

So even Conti didn't have the full 32 tooth low end gear of Apex. But all custom, and a novel idea.


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## AndyPanda (Sep 16, 2011)

Just wanted to add a counter view on the fit/sizing. I'm 57 years old and was looking for comfort not a race fit. Reading this thread had me thinking I should go 56 or even 53 since I'm only slightly taller than you (5' 11.5") - but when I ran several online fit calculators where I measured reach and lots of other measurements, I kept coming up with larger frame sizes. 

I went with a 59cm LeChamp Team Ti - and the fit turned out really good for me. 

I think it is very interesting that we are not much different in height (you 5' 11" and me just 1/2" taller) and yet you are comfortable on the 53cm frame and I am comfortable on the 59cm frame. 

I've still got a bit of seatpost showing - center of BB to top of seat is 78.5cm, I'm using Time RXS clipless pedals and my shoe size is 46 eu (12us) - I also pedal with toes a bit pointed. Mine came with 175 cranks and I still have a bit of bend at the knee when fully extended (and no hip rocking) so this feels right on the seat height - though I did have to push the seat as far forward as it would go in the clamps - knees still a bit behind the pedal axle ... not much weight on wrists and the reach feels right. 

The 59cm came with really wide bars - but they haven't bothered me so far and feel comfortable - but they sure look wide.

I rode for awhile with the stem in the lower orientation - but I ended up flipping the stem - now I can ride all day without any aches in neck or back - and even the drops are comfortable (though I rarely ride there). And the bars are about 2 inches below the seat - top of seat is 40.5" and top of bar is 38.5").

I absolutely love the bike - have about 800 miles on it. Thanks for your review - it helped me decide to go with this model. Just wanted to add my sizing info (since it is so different from yours) for others who are trying to decide what size to order.


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