# Moto LeChampion CF Rival vs. Neuvation F100 Rival



## tuccillo (Feb 22, 2010)

Anyone else considering these two bikes? Any opinions? I ride about 70 miles per week over several days and have old bones (age 54). Looking to start doing longer trips on weekends. Leaning towards the Neuvation. Thanks so much.


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## aaronis31337 (Apr 7, 2008)

Excellent question.

Since you cannot actually ride either until you buy them, it really comes down to the following: Looks and Service.

The moto looks MUCH nicer than the drab, ugly Neuvation.

John at Neuvation will do just about anything to keep you happy. Need a new seat? Just send the old one back. New stem? no problem.

Also, you can upgrade the bike before you buy it. Get a better bottom bracket etc.

I own but Aksium wheels and Neuvation wheels. I think the Mavic are equal in every way to the M series wheels.

In the end, you're better off with the Neuvation unless you really know what tyou're doing with the Moto. Good Luck.


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## eightiesfan (Feb 18, 2010)

I have owned a couple Motobecanes, still own a FS MTB and also own a Neuvation F100. The Neuvation is basically a Cervelo S1 (Team Soloist) which is a great frame. I don't think you can beat the F100 for the money considering the selection of groups and the Neuvation wheels are also bang for the buck unbeatable. I've been very happy with my F100.

As the poster above noted John at Neuvation is by far the most customer service oriented guy I have ever dealt with in the bike industry. He always stands behind his products and knows his stuff. Every time I have a question he has an answer. Bikes Direct and their parts company Bikeisland have never impressed me with customer service or tech support. Simple questions such as "can you tell me the weight of this wheelset or this fork" get answers like "we don't weigh our wheels or forks but I can tell you we have sold thousands of them and everybody loves them"... Makes me feel like I'm shopping at a cheap used car lot.

I was considering a Ti bike from Bikesdirect but the service has left me looking for an alternative. YMMV.


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## fishcranium (Feb 8, 2010)

I wish that I could provide useful insight to this thread. However, I am in exactly the same situation as the OP and am currently looking at both of these bikes. I look forward to any upcoming advice. It looks like both are great bikes. I wonder how the ride qualities differ given one is carbon and the other is alloy.


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## tuccillo (Feb 22, 2010)

Bikes Direct has a brick and mortar shop in Jacksonville (actually they have a couple). I did ride a Moto LeChampion CF with Shimano parts instead of SRAM. It was nice but I was only riding around a parking lot for 10 minutes. The index shifters are nice after only using old style "analog" shifters on the downtube. Bikes Direct has a reasonable deal in Jacksonville - they assemble the bike and offer free tuneups for life. The only downside is I would have to pay tax (7%) on the website price. I have not made up my mind but I am still leaning towards Neuvation based on their solid reputation and speed at which John answered my e-mails. 




fishcranium said:


> I wish that I could provide useful insight to this thread. However, I am in exactly the same situation as the OP and am currently looking at both of these bikes. I look forward to any upcoming advice. It looks like both are great bikes. I wonder how the ride qualities differ given one is carbon and the other is alloy.


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## cyclesport45 (Dec 10, 2007)

CF versus Alloy?? Pick the CF!!


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## tuccillo (Feb 22, 2010)

Can you expand on this a bit more? Thanks so much.



cyclesport45 said:


> CF versus Alloy?? Pick the CF!!


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## eightiesfan (Feb 18, 2010)

tuccillo said:


> Can you expand on this a bit more? Thanks so much.


A lot of people have the idea that the material alone makes a superior frame, regardless of R&D. I have no 1st hand experience with that Moto model, it may be a fantastic bike. But I can say that the Neuvation is a very similar design to the Cervelo S1 which has an incredible track record and history. Don't let the carbon kool-aid sway you, pick the best design in a bike. Here's a little history regarding the S1.

http://www.cervelo.com/en_us/bikes/2010/S1/


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## cyclesport45 (Dec 10, 2007)

My girlfriend BOUGHT the Le Champion CF Ltd (with Ultegra, but the frame is the same) She thinks the frame is great, and would buy again. That and my personal experience with Moto Immortal frame made me post my comment. Yes, it is only an opinion. :O)


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## father_of_4 (Aug 6, 2009)

I was comparing the two at one time. Then I was lured by the Motobecane Ti bikes but they were sold out at the time. The general feel that I got from comments here at RBR is that there were some not completely positive interactions with BD, but overwhelmingly positive interactions with Neuvation. That coupled with the Neuvation minimal assembly vs Motobecane "dealer ready" delivery and the Neuvation light weight made the decision to buy a Neuvation easy for me. I ended up with the F100 in Rival which is about the same price as the Le Champion CF in Rival. It is light, fast, and was ready to ride in about 30 minutes from delivery. After 250 miles I have turned the rear deraileur barrel adjuster a quarter turn for maintainence. 

I doubt that you can make a bad decision between the two as far as how the bikes perform, but the story above is how I chose the Neuvation... YMMV.

Bob

PS I am an avid mountain biker and my last two mountain bikes were purchased online without a testride and had to be 75% reassembled when delivered. Working on bikes is something that I do almost every weekend because lots of stuff breaks in the dirt/rocks. Road bike maintainence is a piece of cake compared to demands of keeping mountain bikes on the dirt.


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## fran2537 (Aug 28, 2006)

Father of 4,
Sounds like you made an informed choice. I went the other way and picked the Moto when i did the side by side but i cant fault your process.
personally the most fun i have had on my Moto has been when i get the stink eye from someone on a "name brand" bike (worth more than my two first cars put together) at the start line and then smoke him later in the race--not good karma i admit but still fun.

enjoy your bike.


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## cski (Mar 11, 2010)

*Le Champion CF Rival ?*

Not sure when, but last I checked the Moto Rival was sold out in every size but 51 ... should I ignore the initial pull-down, as it appears the site still is willing to accept my order ? thanks


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