# Ordered my 2010 Sprint!



## mr. mohaupt (Jul 23, 2007)

*Ordered my 2010 Sprint! (photos)*

Now for the awful wait... LoL. I ordered a 52 cm (I am 5'6.5") at about 9am yesterday to try and get it to my house by the middle of next week because of my weird work schedule and to my supprise and delight it should be here by Wednesday the 10th. This will be, like so many others, my first road bike so I am very excited. I just wanted to post a blow by blow here for anyone else thinking about bying from BD. I was pleased that Friday I paid for it and by that afternoon I had already revived an email from UPS saying it was in transit. 

Photos and unpacking report to follow come Wednesday! I just hope all this weather on the east coast will leave me alone for a few days so I can put somemiles on it!

~M


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## mr. mohaupt (Jul 23, 2007)

*sigh* One more night and of course the forecast for tomorrow says winds gusting to 50mph... 

I just saw some shill posts for BD I can say I am not one of those. I plan on posting some unpacking photos tomorrow when it gets here and will give it a ride around the block to see how it feels. 

~m


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## mr. mohaupt (Jul 23, 2007)

Well UPS finally showed up at 5pm, it took me an hour to get it together (the brakes were tricky I have had hydraulic brakes for too long). The bike is really nice, nicer then I expected. As advertised the wheels need to be trued but nothing major. I plan on riding it to the bike shop to have them do it. Both derailleurs need to be set. The rear just needed a minor High adjustment. I haven't looked in detail at the front. 

Here is a low quality iPhone photo of the finished product. The pedals that came with it were Wellgo's RC 713 which will be replaced sometime later this spring when I have some extra cash. 










~m


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## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

Definitely need higher quality pix.

The 2010 has a nice component set (I have a 2007 that has served me well, but the more recent years look to have improved some).

I think most folks would be interested in what you have to say after you have at least several hundred miles on it.


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## mr. mohaupt (Jul 23, 2007)

I will post some high res photos tonight and give an update in a month or so. I must say the only thing I was disappointed with was the decals on the rear wheel got beat up. I am not worried about the stickers but how they handled the rear wheel. 

Did your bike come with Wellgo pedals? Whats the word on them? Looks like RBR gave them a low rating. 

Well I am off to ride it around town and get the wheels trued! 

Hasta!
~m


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## mr. mohaupt (Jul 23, 2007)

Here are some none iPhone photos with better resolution and a quick update. First let me preface this once again with: I have never had a road bike before.


Wow this thing is fast, very responsive and light. I most certainly will have to ditch the pedals, I didn't realize how spoiled I was with my egg beaters. Also the seat leaves something to be desired. I went for a quick 20 mile ride to test it out after stopping by the local bike shop to true the wheels. I also had him give it the once over and make sure I didn't do anything silly. Best $30 I probably spent. I found this bike to be responsive and easy to turn. I felt a little fatigue in my shoulders but I think that is just due to my inexperience on the bike. I found that once I loosened my grip and relaxed my shoulders I didn't feel so tight. It was weird for me riding a ridged for the first time in over 5 years or so because I didn't feel any slouching in the front when I really gave it the gas. 


All in all this looks like its going to be a LOT of fun. I can't wait to go riding again tomorrow.

More updates after 100 miles

~m


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## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

The Wellgos are ok. Since they're single sided, they're a little harder to get into. I've moved them to another bike and use double sided Shimano SPDs on my Sprint. Eventually I may go to real road pedals, but I really don't have a problem with the SPDs (except for the time I got mud in them).

It is a good idea to stay relaxed on the bike - I have to keep reminding myself. 

The saddle they included seems fine - still using it after 7000 miles. But this tends to be a very personal evaluation.


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## mr. mohaupt (Jul 23, 2007)

Well I got about 100 miles on my Sprint so far. I love it. Its faster then I am use to, now I just wish all this cold weather would go away. I cannot ride more then 25-30 miles at a time because I freeze. 

I wiped down all of the road salt and re-greesed everything today. I wanted to point out after I first put the bike together the tubes that came with the bike suck. The stem lock nut came off after my first fill and of course I lost it. I had to put a schrader valve adapter to use it. I purchased a new tube for just in case but didn't want to have to use it this soon. 

Other then that there have been no major complaints. The bike was as advertised and fast. I am not entirely sure of the weight but after pushing around my mountain bike with slicks on it, it doesn't matter. 

Also wanted to point out that I didn't like the saddle initially. After I took a good look at it I realized it was just a bit nose up and that was causing all of the issues. Took 5 mins to fix.

I will post another update in 400 miles.



~m


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## marc j (Mar 30, 2010)

Sounds awesome. I just ordered mine on Monday, scheduled delivery this Friday. Any advice before I get started? I plan on sticking with the seat and pedals for now unless I just can't stand it, but they should be ok from what I've read. How are the tubes holding up, I am going to install rim tape and will change out the tubes at that time if you really think that they are that bad, don't want to take the tires off twice for no reason, what a pain. Have the wheels stayed true since you had them redone? Again, any advice is appreciated, this is my first road bike, I'm coming off a 13 year old 20.5 inch MTB, sized for someone 6'1", but I'm 5'7" even!!! I also got the 52, the 54 was sold out and it was a toss up for me anyway, very close to both sizes.


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## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

marc j said:


> Sounds awesome. I just ordered mine on Monday, scheduled delivery this Friday. Any advice before I get started? I plan on sticking with the seat and pedals for now unless I just can't stand it, but they should be ok from what I've read. How are the tubes holding up, I am going to install rim tape and will change out the tubes at that time if you really think that they are that bad, don't want to take the tires off twice for no reason, what a pain. Have the wheels stayed true since you had them redone? Again, any advice is appreciated, this is my first road bike, I'm coming off a 13 year old 20.5 inch MTB, sized for someone 6'1", but I'm 5'7" even!!! I also got the 52, the 54 was sold out and it was a toss up for me anyway, very close to both sizes.


Nothing special about the tire tubes - use them at least until you puncture. You really don't need the valve stem nut (however it does make it a little easier to fill an empty tube) - I don't use them at all (nor the little plastic cap for the top of the stem - that is there just to protect the tube while it's rolled up).

I'm still using the original rim tape - don't see any reason to change it.

My wheels are still completely true (after 8000 miles) - haven't touched them with a spoke wrench.


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## marc j (Mar 30, 2010)

Thanks for the advice. I thought new bikes didn't come with rim tape, my mistake. I will leave the wheels/tires alone then unless I need to mess with them. Maybe mine will be true out of the box, but I doubt it, seems like most are not with the BD bikes...but I don't care, what a great price for an Ultegra bike! I will post pics over the weekend while I am getting it set up.


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## mr. mohaupt (Jul 23, 2007)

I have about 300+ miles on my bike now. The wheels are true. Yesterday was the first ride I did in the rain. That was fun. The geometry has been difficult for me get use to. I probably should pay for a pro fit. The tires are fine as well as the tubes. I have hit a pot hole at about 35 and NOTHING happened. I was pleased about that because I was about 25 miles from home lol. 

I ditched the pedals. Call me dorky but my egg beaters are the cats meow to me. I love being able to clip in anywhere, any time, no problems. I just cant do the whole one sided cleat. 

Enjoy! and Ride!
~m


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## BrentET (Apr 23, 2010)

*Do LBS's mind servicing Motebecanes*

I'm looking for a new road bike after riding a Bianchi Eros for the last 14 years. The problem is I can't afford to spend much more than $1k and I want a triple with at least a 105 derailleur on the rear (I've tried bikes with Tiagra components and found the shifting lousy). Needless to say, this limits my options considerably. Here are three bikes I'm considering:

1. A Fuji Newest 1.0 from Performance Bike at $1099. It has Tiagra on front and 105 on the rear. They're offering 20% of the purchase price in store credit for this month 
2. A Specialized Elite Triple on sale at a LBS (Mike's Bikes) for $1099.95. This has full 105 components.
2. The Motebecane Sprint from BD at $995. This bike has carbon seat stays and Ultegra drive train components. I can't find any bike with these components for this price. Performance has a similar bike in their Scattante house brand on sale for $13k. This is the R-670, but it's not available in any local stores and it's out of stock when I try to order it online.

From the reviews I've seen in these forums and elsewhere the Motobecane bikes can't be beat for the price. I'd like to patronize an LBS, but I can't afford to buy a bike with the class of components at anywhere near the price that BD is asking for the Sprint.

It's about time I got to my actual question. For those of you who have bought bikes from BD or other mail-order companies. What kind of reactions do you get when you take a Motobecane (or another mail-order bike) into an LBS? Has anyone had any problems getting good service?

Thanks!


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## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

BrentET said:


> For those of you who have bought bikes from BD or other mail-order companies. What kind of reactions do you get when you take a Motobecane (or another mail-order bike) into an LBS? Has anyone had any problems getting good service?


My LBS would have much rather sold me a bike, but I patronize them for service, parts, and accessories - they're happy to have me as a customer. (I spent several hundred bucks on shoes, helmets, etc.)


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## marc j (Mar 30, 2010)

OK. So here's the scoop. The bike showed up this past Friday (ordered it on Monday), and the box was completely destroyed. However, the bike was undamaged. The assembly instructions were useless, but I was able to get through it, using the internet whenever I got stuck. Both the wheels were out of true and both the dérailleurs needed alignment. I did this all myself, but then took it to a LBS to have them double check my work and fine tune it. BTW, anyone who is being careful and double checking their work cannot build this in 30 minutes, try several hours!!! However, all of these problems I anticipated and calculated for, and therefore I am not at all unhappy with the bike purchase. I've only gone a few short rides, but I love the ride, very smooth and comfortable. I like the saddle and have no plans on swapping it out. I like the pedals as well, but I have a better pair that I will be installing since I got them for free from a friend, otherwise I feel that the wellgos are perfectly acceptable. I love the Richey front end, very comfortable handlebars on all three positions. Though the bike needed major tuning, I still enjoyed the ride and can't wait to get it back from the LBS after the final tuning and fit have been completed. I am attaching some blackberry pics for now, my digital camera bit the dust last week, sorry. I can say that everything came exactly as described, and the bike looks just as nice in person as it does on their site, if not better. Before you even ask, yes, I will post better pics and a more detailed review after putting a few hundred miles on the tires, which also seem pretty nice by the way.


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## Alan_G (Apr 22, 2010)

I purchased a Sprint also and my shipping carton didn't have any holes in it when it arrived. The hardest thing to adjust was the rear derailleur. It took some tweaking to get the setting correct. I would adjust it and it would make noise in different gears on the cassette. Finally, I think I got the cable tension correct.

I used Sheldon Brown's website for the wrenching info.

Other than that, I'm quite pleased with the purchase considering the savings.


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## NewCyclist (Aug 7, 2010)

*Just ordered my 2011 Sprint*

After reading all the reviews on the Sprint, decided to order mine.
I'm hoping to have mine by the end of next week.


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## unboringuy (Jul 27, 2010)

I'm considering ordering the Sprint. It looks good. A couple of questions, though. I'm 5'7.5". BD's guidance would suggest a size 54. My current road bike has a seat tube of 53 cm and a top tube of 535 mm. Should I go with a 54 or a 52? 

Also, how comfortable is the riding position? My current road bike is 25 years old, so that will give you some idea of my age. I'm wondering if I should go with a more compact frame for a more comfortable riding position.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Mr. Mohaupt & Marc J, 

I assume that the pedals in your pictures came with your bikes. 

BD describes them as-
_FREE BONUS CLIPLESS ROAD PEDALS Compatible with SPDTYPE TWO-BOLT sole pattern Shoes_

What can you tell us about them? 

Make? 
Model? 
General Impressions?

How would you compare them to other clipless pedals you've used?


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Are they Wellgo: RC-713 Road Pedals?


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## NewCyclist (Aug 7, 2010)

unboringuy said:


> I'm considering ordering the Sprint. It looks good. A couple of questions, though. I'm 5'7.5". BD's guidance would suggest a size 54. My current road bike has a seat tube of 53 cm and a top tube of 535 mm. Should I go with a 54 or a 52?
> 
> Also, how comfortable is the riding position? My current road bike is 25 years old, so that will give you some idea of my age. I'm wondering if I should go with a more compact frame for a more comfortable riding position.


I'm about 5'9 I ordered the 54cm.
Ordered the bike yesterday already have a tracking no.
BD sure are quick.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

sometimerider said:


> The Wellgos are ok. Since they're single sided, they're a little harder to get into. I've moved them to another bike and use double sided Shimano SPDs on my Sprint. Eventually I may go to real road pedals, but I really don't have a problem with the SPDs (except for the time I got mud in them).
> 
> It is a good idea to stay relaxed on the bike - I have to keep reminding myself.
> 
> The saddle they included seems fine - still using it after 7000 miles. But this tends to be a very personal evaluation.


Thanks for your input on the Wellgos. 

Are the wellgo cleats completely compatible with shimano SPD pedals? And vice versa? 

Good call on the road pedals -- I love my Keos. I like SPD for my MTB and spin classes.


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## unboringuy (Jul 27, 2010)

NewCyclist said:


> I'm about 5'9 I ordered the 54cm.
> Ordered the bike yesterday already have a tracking no.
> BD sure are quick.


Did you go with the silver or the orange? Did you consider going with the 56?


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## NewCyclist (Aug 7, 2010)

unboringuy said:


> Did you go with the silver or the orange? Did you consider going with the 56?


I ordered the silver. I went to a couple of LBS and tried some 54cm and 56cm, the
54cm is a better fit for me.
Check my tracking no. still no movement, it could be that it's Sunday today.
Scheduled delivery is for Friday.


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## NewCyclist (Aug 7, 2010)

NewCyclist said:


> I ordered the silver. I went to a couple of LBS and tried some 54cm and 56cm, the
> 54cm is a better fit for me.
> Check my tracking no. still no movement, it could be that it's Sunday today.
> Scheduled delivery is for Friday.


Received the bike on 8/16/10 took it to the LBS.
It's a very nice bike, took it for a spin everything works great.
I'm very happy with this purchase.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

NewCyclist said:


> Received the bike on 8/16/10 took it to the LBS.
> It's a very nice bike, took it for a spin everything works great.
> I'm very happy with this purchase.


Congratulations. Any pictures?


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## NewCyclist (Aug 7, 2010)

Took my 2011 Motobecane Sprint on a 35 mile ride today.
It is a difference of night and day compared to my previous bike.
I took 10 minutes off the ride.
I switched seats now I have my Serfas Furano Pro on my Sprint.
Great Bike.


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## sometimerider (Sep 21, 2007)

Local Hero said:


> Are they Wellgo: RC-713 Road Pedals?


Yes, they look like those.

Well, they're single sided entry (and usually hang wrong side up - so they have to be tipped).

Otherwise they work fine. (But they are SPDs, so have a fairly small platform compared to regular road pedals. If that's an issue, sometime stiffer shoes will solve it.)


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