# fuji or motobecane



## blesseuer (May 27, 2007)

Quick question to all you with experience. I am a new buyer for my first bike to compete in triathalons and duathalons. I borrowed a trek for my first tri and it hooked me.
Question is, do i buy a brand new 2005 fuji team pro from a local dealer for $1300 or do i buy a 2007 motobecane century pro ulegra 20 speed on bikesdirect for $1200?
Thanks!!


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

The dealer should be cutting a slightly better break on the 2005 Fuji, IMO. Does the shop include free tuneups or an accessories discount, etc. with bike purchase? 

That being said, I'd still lean a touch towards the Fuji because of the opportunity to buy locally and you'll have better resale (if you care about that) with the Fuji.


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## blesseuer (May 27, 2007)

*fuji*

That $1300 is the discounted price by the dealer (10% off). one free tune up and no discount on accessories at this one.
at this point i am not sure how interested i would be in resale value.
thanks!


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## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Yes, I know it is a discounted price from original MSRP, but I think for a two year old bike, the "discount" is a little on the chintzy side. 



If you don't care about branding or resale value and are very very certain of your fit requirements, then you sound like a potential candidate for a bikesdirect purchase.


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## Lifelover (Jul 8, 2004)

blesseuer said:


> Quick question to all you with experience. I am a new buyer for my first bike to compete in triathalons and duathalons. I borrowed a trek for my first tri and it hooked me.
> Question is, do i buy a brand new 2005 fuji team pro from a local dealer for $1300 or do i buy a 2007 motobecane century pro ulegra 20 speed on bikesdirect for $1200?
> Thanks!!


Is Fuji or Moto you only Choice?

Just about every manufacture offers a bike in that price range and most likely any of them will suit your needs? Get the one you like to look at and that fits.

If you are using it primarily for for Tri's and dua's have you considered a tri specific bike?


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

Are we gettin' fooled again?


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## blesseuer (May 27, 2007)

*new to it all*

I started by looking at the fuji based on the fact a friend has the same bike that he bought from this dealer. the dealer has treated him right, but i thought the discount was indeed a little chintzy which got me looking at bikedirect when i found the moto but knew nothing about them. that is what has me leaning towards the fuji if i can get him to knock off another $100 or throw in something with it.
i have not looked much at tri specific bikes just because of my lack of knowledge.
not sure on the foolin comment???
appreciate the help though.


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## RoyIII (Feb 24, 2007)

Based on post #5 I'd go right down and buy the Fuji. That's a real fine bike.


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## flyboy50 (Mar 13, 2007)

I love my motos, and bikesdirect.com is great. I've bought two motos from bikesdirect, a roadbike and mountain bike. Awesome deals and quick shipping.

It is nice to buy locally, plus you could test out the fuji. Hmmm...


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## matanza (Jun 9, 2004)

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## Kestreljr (Jan 10, 2007)

blesseuer said:


> That $1300 is the discounted price by the dealer (10% off). one free tune up and no discount on accessories at this one.
> at this point i am not sure how interested i would be in resale value.
> thanks!


Dude, 10% off a 2 year old bike? We are already half way through 2007 right? Are they selling this as a "vintage" bike? Does the LBS take you for a fool? Do you work for Bikes Direct?

Something doesn't add up. If a shop still has a 2005 in stock, I would think they would be very eager to work with you and give you a better deal. Plus, shops LOVE to give you free tunes up for the first year. Typcially tunes up require 10 minutes of work, but they get you back in the store to buy more and more stuff. Tunes ups work bettter for the shop, not for rider most of the time. 




rcnute said:


> Are we gettin' fooled again?


 hmmmmmmmm....


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## threesportsinone (Mar 27, 2007)

The 05 Fuji has the same geometry as the Moto, its even made in the same factory 



> i have not looked much at tri specific bikes just because of my lack of knowledge.


I would recommend a tri specific bike if your going to be using it for triathlons. The reason is that with a tri specific bike you take pressure off your arms(which are tired from the swim) and it will put you in a saddle position that will use a different muscle group in your legs so that your running muscles are fresh for the run.


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## blesseuer (May 27, 2007)

*tri bike*

Thanks....another stupid question.
Is the tri specific bike set up allot different than getting the fuji bike and just putting
tri bars on it? 
This great weather i need to get off the pot and make a decision so i can get on the road!


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## threesportsinone (Mar 27, 2007)

> Is the tri specific bike set up allot different than getting the fuji bike and just putting tri bars on it?


Yes the seat position is further forward making you use a different muscle group in your legs.
It's easier to convert a road bike to a tri bike than the other way around. You will be able to go faster on a road bike because the position is more efficient. But, with a tri specific bike you will be able to run faster after.
If it were me, I would get the Fuji, this way if you ever want to try road racing or crits you would be able to. But, if you know for sure that you will only want to do triathlons i would get a tri specific bike, especially if your going to be doing half or full ironmans eventually.


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## Kestreljr (Jan 10, 2007)

threesportsinone said:


> You will be able to go faster on a road bike because the position is more efficient.


What? Could you clarify? I am pretty sure that the pro's use TT bikes, over a road bike set up, because they are faster- but if they use them so they can run faster after the race is over, please enlighten us.


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## threesportsinone (Mar 27, 2007)

I'm just regurgitation what a Quintana Roo rep told us at work today. And it depends on the type of race (or stage if your talking about a series), most of the time pros use road bikes if they are going to be drafting in a pack. But when your doing a TT the Aerodynamics come to play and a TT bike is more efficient.


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## Kestreljr (Jan 10, 2007)

Quote #1:


threesportsinone said:


> You will be able to go faster on a road bike because the position is more efficient.


Quote #2:


threesportsinone said:


> But when your doing a TT the Aerodynamics come to play and a TT bike is more efficient.


So the opposite of what you first said is true then?


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## Tangelo (Feb 17, 2007)

I picked up a 2005 bike a couple months ago. I got ~25% off. $1600 for a Full Ultegra Giant TCR C2 (Reg $2150), free lifetime tune ups, and a pair o pedals since they didn't have the cleats for the TIME IMPACT MAGS that came with it from the factory. That said, the Fuji probably has a lower profit margin. I still vote for the LBS.


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## cwg_at_opc (Oct 20, 2005)

a lot depends on what you're going to do. if it's just tri and duathlons,
then get a tri-specific bike; the geometry is different in the following ways:

1) steeper seat tube angle 76-78 degrees(even as high as 80)
2) longer "front center" - this is the distance between the BB ahd the front axle
on a 'real' tri bike, this is much longer than a normal road bike.
3) the head tube angle may be slightly slack, as low as 72 deg. but equal to
or less than 73, on the QRoo bikes it is typically 72.5
4) head tube height is low to encourage a flat back and reduced frontal area
5) resting your upper body after the swim is a secondary benefit of the improved
aerodynamic position
6) the longer front center and steeper STA open up the femur-torso angle
to practically 90 degrees(about what you'd get on a normal road bike)
making it easier to breath, eat, drink and you get the side benefit of
more balanced leg muscle usage and re-balance your body weight
front-to-back for improved stability.

just slamming your seat forward on a regular road bike can get you a flat
back, but the side effects are disinctly against you for a tri/du-athlon -
the tight femur-torso angle forces you to overuse and overstretch your hamstrings,
reduces your ability to breath deeply, eat/drink comfortably.

a triathlon bike will be much faser than a normal road bike primarily for two reasons:

1) better aerodynamics
2) more comfort in the tuck position

if you're going to do UCI reg ITT then you need a road-like geometry
as the UCI rules are different from USAT.

i am looking at tri bikes too and am deeply researching the leader 735tt which has
geometry similar to QRoo but is much less expensive. they also have a good price
for zipp 404 wheels, but i don't know if they are the dimpled version.
the Bikes Direct nemesis does not have as steep a seat tube angle(76?) - the angles
on the higher-end tri-bikes is tending towards 78 to 80 these days.


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## felt-rider (May 27, 2007)

Buying from an online reseller isn't as easy and cheap as it looks. I bought a bike from bikesdirect. I have always been able to work on my own bikes, but I needed assistance building the bike when it was shipped. It cost me $400 to set the bike up. The motobecane was a horrible ride. I returned it and bikesdirect was horrible to deal with on the return. I lost my $400 + shipping it back.

I went to all my LBS test rode a dozen bikes after to make sure I got a perfect fit. After 2 weeks of test riding, I went with Felt racing F4C. I have an F4C and an F5C both are great road racing bikes. If you are looking for Tri bike, I believe Felt started their company for TRI bikes.


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## bikesdirect (Sep 9, 2006)

felt-rider said:


> Buying from an online reseller isn't as easy and cheap as it looks. I bought a bike from bikesdirect. I have always been able to work on my own bikes, but I needed assistance building the bike when it was shipped. It cost me $400 to set the bike up. The motobecane was a horrible ride. I returned it and bikesdirect was horrible to deal with on the return. I lost my $400 + shipping it back.
> 
> I went to all my LBS test rode a dozen bikes after to make sure I got a perfect fit. After 2 weeks of test riding, I went with Felt racing F4C. I have an F4C and an F5C both are great road racing bikes. If you are looking for Tri bike, I believe Felt started their company for TRI bikes.


Anyone who beleives this is silly
You have 3 posts and you put up something that is so clearly false and expect people to
fall for it -- give me a break

$400 to setup a bike? It takes 20 to 30 minutes -- that's $800 an hour; none of my bike shops get even $50 an hour for labor

Felt frames are built by Kinesis and ADK
Motobecanes use Kinesis and ADK
Even Bill [owner of Felt] would not say his frames are better quality than a Moto

mike
bikesdirect


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## Kestreljr (Jan 10, 2007)

bikesdirect said:


> Anyone who beleives this is silly
> You have 3 posts and you put up something that is so clearly false and expect people to
> fall for it -- give me a break
> 
> $400 to setup a bike? It takes 20 to 30 minutes -- that's $800 an hour; none of my bike shops get even $50 an hour for labor



Mike- a proper sizing and fitting can easily take an hour- and Cadence cycls in philly charges $200 or $250 for a fitting session that takes at least two hours. You combine that cost with the price of a new stem and taxes- and you could easily be around $400.


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## blesseuer (May 27, 2007)

Ended up buying the Fuji two days ago, and shimano pedals just arrived in mail yesterday. so now i am ready to go, well at least on the bike end!


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## Mr. Jones (Jul 4, 2006)

Kestreljr said:


> What? Could you clarify? I am pretty sure that the pro's use TT bikes, over a road bike set up, because they are faster- but if they use them so they can run faster after the race is over, please enlighten us.


I believe there is a difference between time trial and triathlon geometry. While lots of bikes can be used as both, I believe this is why they offer the seatposts with multiple positions.


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## tennis5 (Mar 12, 2007)

cost me $35 to have my BD bike adjusted by the LBS...and all the necessary adjustments made to fit me...


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

tennis5 said:


> cost me $35 to have my BD bike adjusted by the LBS...and all the necessary adjustments made to fit me...


There are a few options here:
1. You were lucky. $35 would barely cover the cost of a cheap stem. Did you replace the seat?
2. You are very normally proportioned (see 1).
3. The bike doesn't fit, you just don't know it.
4. The shop didn't care if it really fit, and neither do you.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

Wha? I don't understand what you are doing.

Okay, I am all about supporting your local bike shop, but give me a break. If you were in a position that you had to spend $250 for a fit session, CLEARLY you weren't in the position to buy a pre-assembled bike online. That's a super super expensive fitting anyway.

If you have been "able to work on your own bikes," you can put together the BD bikes. I have seen the condition Bikesdirect ships in -- it is essentially ready to go. You need to basically put the bars on the stem and put on the front brake.

Finally, as to your return problems -- I am not sure exactly what happened here, but you sound as though you'd expect them to pay for your $250 fit session. Why is that? It was your fit session. At least at this point you have the numbers for that, you can use them to set up any bike.


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## threesportsinone (Mar 27, 2007)

Congrats on your purchase, I hope you get many happy miles on it. Welcome to road biking.


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## tennis5 (Mar 12, 2007)

you are entitled to your opinion...and I wont rip you for yours BBJ...I am entitled to put in my real experience...and whether you like it or not, that is the way mine went down...have a great day!


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