# New Motobecane BD bike arrived today...



## Utah (Apr 22, 2011)

So I decided to go with a new bike from Bikes Direct. I went with the Motobecane Sprint and it arrived this week.

Here are some shots from the first 15 minutes:

Arrived UPS in good shape-









Bike was mostly assembled and packed well-









Ten minutes in-









After about 15 minutes-








I have some Shimano 105 pedals that are not installed yet and everything else is pretty loosely installed. Still need to do fit and final adjustments.

The derailleurs need adjustment as well. I should have everything adjusted and ready for riding tonight, but I am leaving for business so I doubt I will get a real ride on it before this weekend. So far, I am impressed by the overall quality of the bike.

I went for test rides on several different brands (Trek, Scott, Raleigh, Masi, Giant, etc.) before going in this direction. I don't think that BD is for everyone, but I am not afraid to turn a wrench myself and am pretty happy so far.


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## JaeP (Mar 12, 2002)

That's a pretty sweet ride. Mind if I ask how much you paid?


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## Sablotny (Aug 15, 2002)

Congrats on your new bike! I'm always amazed at the deals on BD, especially now that I see Breezers and some nicely equipped Kestrels. I also don't think BD is for everyone (i.e., people who need a lot of hand holding or sales-person assistance) but for many its a great resource. Just built up a Motobecane hardtail mountain bike that a friend bought for his son.


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## Utah (Apr 22, 2011)

JaeP said:


> That's a pretty sweet ride. Mind if I ask how much you paid?


http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/sprint_x.htm


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## 18usc371 (May 20, 2010)

Stand by for heavy rolls, secure all gear adrift…


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## Cyclist69 (Apr 15, 2011)

Congrats!


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

Seat is not level, the shifters are put on too high on the bars. Send it back.
Kidding about sending it back. Enjoy it!


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## rickgoing (May 26, 2010)

I am jealous! I got a Dawes SST Al delivered yesterday and it had a small hole in the box where the rear axle poked through.

I take the bike out of the box and start to remove the packing and discover a 1 inch gouge in the fork, a broken spoke on the front wheel and most of my head set laying in pieces on the bottom of the box! :-(

I sent them an email and it sounds like they will take care of it right away it just sux when we finally had a nice day and the anticipation of rididng the new bike gets shot down like that!

Good luck with your new rig!


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## sport7 (Jan 10, 2010)

Sablotny said:


> Congrats on your new bike! I'm always amazed at the deals on BD, especially now that I see Breezers and some nicely equipped Kestrels. I also don't think BD is for everyone (i.e., people who need a lot of hand holding or sales-person assistance) but for many its a great resource. Just built up a Motobecane hardtail mountain bike that a friend bought for his son.


Your right: it's not for everyone and neither is buying a used bike.

But a lot of us would rather just assemble/repair our own bikes whether new or used, just for the joy of it. BD seems to have that one figured out.

Nice bike and while your riding a long stretch, it won't make much difference what name is on the down tube. And the extra bucks you saved, bet you can figure out how to spend that too. :thumbsup:


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## amadeus303 (Apr 14, 2011)

Utah... were the carbon seat stays a selling point for you? If so, have you ever ridden bikes w/o them that you could compare? I'm debating between a Sprint or Super Strada (Apex versions), and that is the only difference between the 2 frames.

Congrats on your purchase... I love the clean look of the bike.


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## Utah (Apr 22, 2011)

amadeus303 said:


> Utah... were the carbon seat stays a selling point for you? If so, have you ever ridden bikes w/o them that you could compare? I'm debating between a Sprint or Super Strada (Apex versions), and that is the only difference between the 2 frames.
> 
> Congrats on your purchase... I love the clean look of the bike.


I test rode lots of bikes and almost all of the LBS bikes in my price range did not have the carbon seat stays. I believe the only bike I rode prior to this purchase that had the carbon was a Masi with lower tier components. It was not a major factor in my decision, but that was mostly because I was being forced into non-carbon seat stays due to price on the other bikes I was considering. In hindsight, I am very happy that I went with this frame. The carbon seat stays really make a difference in the ride.


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## ldotmurray (Jun 15, 2009)

rickgoing said:


> I am jealous! I got a Dawes SST Al delivered yesterday and it had a small hole in the box where the rear axle poked through.
> 
> I take the bike out of the box and start to remove the packing and discover a 1 inch gouge in the fork, a broken spoke on the front wheel and most of my head set laying in pieces on the bottom of the box! :-(
> 
> ...


Rickgoing,

I am thinking about ordering the same bike. Has BD resolved the issue? If so, how does it ride? It's not easy finding drop bar single speeds in the DC area. So I would like to give BD a try.

Leo


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## rickgoing (May 26, 2010)

ldotmurray said:


> Rickgoing,
> 
> I am thinking about ordering the same bike. Has BD resolved the issue? If so, how does it ride? It's not easy finding drop bar single speeds in the DC area. So I would like to give BD a try.
> 
> Leo


They were great! They had me take the wheel to the local shop to be fixed and are going to reimburse me the cost.Then they sent me a new fork and star nut to swap the fork and headset.

I fixed it Saturday and did a 20 or so mile shakedown and it is was better than I ever expected. I would have liked a wider bar and a firmer seat but those are personal fit issues.

It is very stiff in the bottom bracket when sprinting or climbing but seems more vertically compliant than my brothers Felt Dispatch.

Overall it is probably the best $370 I have ever spent. :thumbsup:


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## ldotmurray (Jun 15, 2009)

rickgoing said:


> They were great! They had me take the wheel to the local shop to be fixed and are going to reimburse me the cost.Then they sent me a new fork and star nut to swap the fork and headset.
> 
> I fixed it Saturday and did a 20 or so mile shakedown and it is was better than I ever expected. I would have liked a wider bar and a firmer seat but those are personal fit issues.
> 
> ...


Rickgoing,

Sounds great. I think I'm ready. Could you please send me the e-mail address and contact info for BD. I have a few questions for them. You can reply off-line if you want. 

Thanks


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## rickgoing (May 26, 2010)

ldotmurray said:


> Rickgoing,
> 
> Sounds great. I think I'm ready. Could you please send me the e-mail address and contact info for BD. I have a few questions for them. You can reply off-line if you want.
> 
> Thanks


Here is the email address that I used to ask my questions before buying the bike.

[email protected] o

In my opinion you made a great choice!


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